Eats
Recipe File: Summer Shrub
I was lucky to be able to attend the MDK Knitting Getaway at Shakerag Workshops last week, and, man, was it fun.
I am home, exhausted and smiling, full of big plans for knitting projects. I saw old friends and made new ones, took great classes, and ate so much delicious food.
A favorite beverage at Happy Hour this year was the shrub cooler, and I got a few requests at dinner to share a shrub recipe.
A shrub is a concentrated fermented syrup made from fruit, sugar, vinegar, and, sometimes, herbs. It is wonderfully refreshing mixed with seltzer or added to a cocktail.
It’s effortless to make and I am happy to share my version, which is likely the same as everyone else’s version. This time of year I’m making shrubs with rhubarb and strawberries, and later I’ll switch to cherries, blueberries, peaches, and plums.
You can’t go wrong as long as you have fresh fruit. Cheers!
½ lb rhubarb, diced
½ lb strawberries, hulled and chopped or mashed with a fork
1½ cups sugar
1 cup cider vinegar, or vinegar of your choice
Sprigs of mint, rosemary, basil, etc. (optional)
Combine fruit and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.
Transfer fruit and sugar mixture to a jar. Cover and leave at room temperature for a day or two. Stir occasionally.
Strain fruit into a clean jar that leaves room to add vinegar. I like to use muslin or cheesecloth to strain out all the seeds, but you can use a metal strainer or a funnel with a built in strainer if you’re not fussy. Press the fruit to get every last drop of juice.
Add the vinegar and herbs, if using, and refrigerate for one week. Makes about two cups of shrub. Keep the syrup refrigerated.
A nice ratio for a cooler is two tablespoons shrub to 12 oz. seltzer, but make it exactly as you like it.
Consume with abandon.
PS: Obviously, this “recipe” doubles, triples, quadruples easily.
Summer’s up! Thanks for the back porch moment.
Sounds wonderful! I need to pick some of my rhubarb today before it blooms (and gets bitter) so I can try this.
I’m jealous! Rhubarb costs a fortune at my Brooklyn famer’s market. Maybe I’ll try growing some in my little patch of garden next year.
Great recipe. Need to make soon for July 4th!
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing. Will be making soon.
Sarah, I was at Shakerag too, but never had the opportunity to try the Shrub. I am so glad that you have written about it and shared your recipe! Thank you so much. I’m a Georgia Girl, so I know I will enjoy your Shrubs during our hot and humid summer months!
Enjoy and stay cool!
Sounds and looks delicious!
I tasted my first shrub at Shakerag. I have a big bed of strawberries, might have to try this! Fun to meet you!
Fun to meet you too! Loved your class. My chicken is such good company!
Thank you for the recipe! I’m thinking that a little bit of the shrub mixed with olive oil would make a very nice, quick salad dressing too…I love green salads mixed with fruit and a slightly sweet, tangy dressing.
Thank you!!
This sounds so refreshing! I’m definitely trying this. Thanks for sharing.
Yum! Maybe I missed it but how long does it keep in the fridge?