To use your shrub, fill a glass with ice, pour in a healthy glug of shrub syrup, and top off with sparkling water.
- 2 cups fresh fruit (berries and/or stone fruit), chopped. But you can also try apples/pears, figs, melons, pomegranates, grapes and cranberries. Frozen fruit can also be used, but it is best to allow it to fully thaw before mixing it with sugar.
- 1 cup Sugar or Honey
- 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Optional Flavors (Add just a pinch of 1-3) - ginger, cinnamon, mint, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, basil, rosemary, lavender flowers, thyme, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemongrass, lemon or orange peel zest, vanilla.
1. Wash and chop your fruit into small pieces with or without the skin. Use a chopper or food processor for firm fruit such as apples and cranberries.
2. In a bowl combine the chopped fruit, sugar and any herbs or spices that you are using.
3. Lightly muddle the fruit with a kraut pounder, potato masher or whatever you have on hand.
4. Cover the bowl and let it sit out at room temperature for a few hours before transferring it to the fridge for 3 days.
5. Stir the fruit and sugar mixture 1-2 times per day.
6. After 3 days, strain the mixture through a sieve and use a spoon to press as much of the fruit through as possible. Scrape the bottom of the sieve to release the syrup stuck on the bottom.
7. Measure how much of the fruit syrup you have in a measuring cup and add it to a bowl or mason jar. Then add an equal amount of vinegar. Stir to combine and leave it in the jar or add it to a bottle.
Store in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 6 months.