A Shrub Is Not Just a Bush

In yet another example of the old saw "it isn't what you know, but who you know that counts" my neighbor Bill, he of the pickled onions, bourbon cocktails and massive garden, has been evangelizing on the topic of shrubs ever since I'd met him. No, not "shrub" as in a bushy landscaping plant, but a fermented vinegar syrup made by combining fruit and flavoring ingredients like spices or herbs with vinegar.

See? Not hard at all!

I was finally inspired to dive in when I visited him in his kitchen and he showed me a bowl of cubed cantaloupe he'd mixed with sugar that was sitting on the counter, and a separate bowl of mint that had been bruised and combined with some white wine vinegar.

"Okay, now, that doesn't seem to scary, " I said to myself. And when he mentioned that all that remained to do was to leave it out overnight, then strain the solids off, combine them in a jar, and let it sit for a couple of weeks in the fridge, I got that heady feeling I remember from my childhood when I rode a two-wheeler for the first time.

So stay tuned for more shrubs made with different fruit—I'm jonesing to try it with the Ayers Creek Farm's Chester blackberries I have stashed in the freezer—and ideas for using it in "acidulated beverages."

Bill's Cantaloupe and Mint Shrub

1 1/2 lbs. cantaloupe
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. white wine vinegar
1/2 c. mint leaves

In a medium-sized non-reactive mixing bowl, combine the cantaloupe with the sugar. Cover and allow to macerate on the counter overnight.

Put the mint in a small non-reactive mixing bowl, add vinegar and muddle lightly to release oils. Leave on counter overnight.

Strain off liquids from both bowls and pour into lidded quart jar. (Lid should be slightly loose to release gasses.) Place in refrigerator for two weeks. Shake periodically, tightening lid before shaking. Loosen lid again when replacing in refrigerator.

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"Bring Me a Shrubbery"
From Bill Rash

2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. shrub (above)
1/2 oz. lime
Mint sprig (optional)

Fill a cocktail shaker 3/4 full of ice. Add ingredients. Shake and strain into coupe glass. Garnish with sprig of mint.

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And for a non-alcoholic drinking vinegar-based beverage, try this:

Refreshing Shrub Soda

2 oz. shrub
Club soda
Lemon wedge

Fill beverage glass with ice. Pour in shrub, then fill with club soda and stir to combine. Squeeze lemon wedge into the glass and drop it in.

Farm Bulletin: With Melons, the Nose Knows

The melons are just beginning to ripen at Ayers Creek Farm, and Anthony gives us the lowdown on the wonderfully perfumed and irresistible Charentais melons that he and Carol will have at the McMinnville Farmers' Market this Thursday and the Hillsdale market on Sunday.

The Charentais, or Cavaillon melon, is a variety of rock melon, or cantaloupe. The rock melons have small fruits with distinct lobes, typically eleven or twelve, and are strongly scented. They originated in North Africa. The name "cantaloupe" is derived from "Cantalupo," or "singing wolf," location of the Papal summer residence north of Rome. The big, heavily netted melons often marketed as "cantaloupe" are actually net or musk melons, and belong to the reticulatus group of the melons.

The valley around the city of Cavaillon has a melon growing tradition going back several centuries, though the "Charentais" with which the region is now strongly associated, was introduced in the 1920s. Early in its agricultural development, the Town of Gaston was known for its fine melons, but the deep muck soils of Lake Wapato also proved good for onions, an infinitely less fussy crop. The onions held on until recently, but now there is not a single onion field in the valley. We have tried growing many different melons, but none can equal the Charentais and the Galia in this climate, others fall short. Galias come next week.

What makes the Charentais so distinctive is the variability in fragrance. Some are floral, others have a spicy or citrus note, yet others have a fragrance reminiscent of caramel or butterscotch. When selecting the melon, let your nose guide you. They should all be ripe, but the best one for you is the one that pleases the nose. Rock melons must be cut from the vine before the stem slips off the fruit. The red nectar where the stem was cut is a good indicator of ripeness. For us, we look at the leaf closest to the melon, and if it has stated to shrivel, the melon is ripe.