Seasonal Pantry: Refreshing shrubs make a comeback

Are you ready for the next trend? It may be shrubs, as they’ve been creeping toward the national stage for a few years now. High-end bartenders make their own and you can find scores of recipes online.

Shrubs come under the umbrella of “everything old is new again,” as their history stretches back to pioneer days, when it was common to mix fruit with vinegar to give it a longer life. It is still a great technique and as the abundant season approaches, it is wise to have a few recipes at hand.

Making a shrub is as simple as stirring together ripe fruit and vinegar. Some recipes call for using juice instead of whole fruit and you can certainly do that, but it is isn’t necessary and does not produce a better shrub. The most important consideration is to use fruit at its peak of flavor. With fresh fruit, you may not need to add sugar, which most recipes also recommend.

Once you’ve made your shrub, keep it in the refrigerator, where it will last for several weeks. Add a splash to sparkling wine or to still or sparkling water, with or without ice. A shrub is delicious, refreshing, very low in calories and healthy. If you or someone you love is trying to cut back on or eliminate sodas, a shrub makes a great replacement drink. If you prefer sweet drinks, add a splash of simple syrup but most fruit, harvested at its moment of ripeness, is sweet enough for most palates.

For apricot shrub from the Seasonal Pantry archives, visit Eat This Now and pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

___

If you have homemade spice vinegar, use it to make this shrub. If not, use red wine vinegar or plan ahead, as it takes about a month to make spice vinegar. If you start a batch now, it will be ready in plenty of time for local blueberry season. To enjoy, add a small splash to sparkling wine or a large splash to still or sparkling water.

Blueberry Spice Shrub

Makes about 1 quart

4 cups ripe blueberries, rinsed

4 cups red wine vinegar or homemade Spice Vinegar (recipe follows)

Put the blueberries into a large, non-reactive bowl, add the vinegar, crush the fruit a bit, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 days and as long as 5 or 6 days.

Line a strainer with cheesecloth, set the lined strainer over a deep bowl and pour the mixture into it. Let it drain, stirring it now and then, for 20 to 30 minutes.

Pour the shrub into clean glass bottles, add a closure - a pour spout is ideal - and refrigerate. Discard the solids.

The shrub will keep for many weeks.

___

Spice Vinegar

Makes 6 cups

1 tablespoon each whole cloves, allspice and black peppercorns

2- inch piece cinnamon

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds

1 whole nutmeg, cracked

1 whole star anise

½ teaspoon juniper berries

6 cups red wine vinegar, no more than 6½ percent acidity

Put the spices into a sauté pan set over medium heat and toast, gently agitating the pan, until they give off a sweet aroma. Remove from the heat and cool.

Put the spices into a glass jar or crock, cover with the vinegar, seal with a non-metallic lid and steep for 1 to 2 months. Strain into clean bottles and close with corks. Stored in a dark, cool cupboard, the vinegar will keep for a year or a bit longer.

___

I find that letting strawberries’ juices form a bit before adding vinegar results in the best tasting shrub. To enjoy, add a small splash to sparkling rosé or a large splash to still or sparkling water.

Strawberry Shrub

Makes about 1 quart

4 cups ripe sweet strawberries, preferably local

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 cups Champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Remove the strawberry stems and brush off any dirt on the berries. Cut them in half, put them into a large, non-reactive bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Stir, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, until the strawberries begin to release their juices. Add the vinegar, stir, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days.

Line a strainer with cheesecloth, set the lined strainer over a deep bowl and pour the mixture into it. Let it drain, stirring it now and then, for 20 to 30 minutes.

Pour the shrub into clean glass bottles, add a closure - a pour spout is ideal - and refrigerate. Discard the solids.

The shrub will keep for many weeks.

Variation: Add 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns to the strawberries along with the sugar.

___

White peaches are typically higher in sugar than yellow peaches and you will likely not need to add sugar if using local white fruit. If your peaches are not as sweet or as flavorful as you like, the sugar will help the flavors blossom.

Peach & Cardamom Shrub

Makes about 1 quart

4 cups sliced local white peaches, from about 2 to 2 ½ pounds

¼ cup granulated sugar, optional

4-5 cardamon pods, crushed open

2-3 cups organic apple cider vinegar

Put the peaches into a large, non-reactive bowl. Taste a slice and if the peaches are a bit too tart for your taste, stir in the sugar. Add the cardamom pods and the vinegar, stir, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 days and as long as 5 or 6 days.

Line a strainer with cheesecloth, set the lined strainer over a deep bowl and pour the mixture into it. Let it drain, stirring it now and then, for 20 to 30 minutes.

Pour the shrub into clean glass bottles, add a closure - a pour spout is ideal - and refrigerate. Discard the solids.

The shrub will keep for many weeks.

___

Many recipes for cucumber shrub call for sugar but I prefer not to add it. If I want a sweet beverages - a mojito, for example - I’ll add simple syrup when making the drink. But on a hot day, I find the savory tang of this shrub is much more refreshing than when it is sweetened. To enjoy, add a generous splash to still or sparkling water or use as a base for mojitos.

Cucumber Shrub

Makes about 1 quart

2 large cucumbers, peeled and chopped

- Generous pinch of kosher salt

- Zest of 1 or 2 limes

- Juice of 1 or 2 limes

2 sprigs of mint, gently crushed

1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives, gently crushed

3 cups white wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar

Put the cucumbers into a large, non-reactive bowl, add the salt, lime zest, lime juice, mint, chives and vinegar and stir. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days, stirring now and then.

Line a strainer with cheesecloth, set the lined strainer over a deep bowl and pour the mixture into it. Let it drain, stirring it now and then, for 20 to 30 minutes.

Pour the shrub into clean glass bottles, add a closure - a pour spout is ideal - and refrigerate. Discard the solids.

The shrub will keep for many weeks.

___

Simple syrup is often called bar syrup and you can find it in markets along with mixers and such. It is, however, so easy to make it that there is no reason to buy it.

Simple Syrup

Makes about 3 cups

3 cups granulated sugar

1½ cups water

Put the sugar into a heavy saucepan, add the water and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup is transparent.

Remove from the heat and cool completely. Pour into a clean bottle, close and refrigerate. Use as needed; simple syrup will keep, properly refrigerated, for months.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 19 books to date, including the new “More Than Meatballs.” Email Jordan at catsmilk@sonic.net. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.