ON SHRUB
What's a shrub?
A shrub is an acidulated drink originally crafted to preserve seasonal fruit. From ancient Persia to colonial America, many regions have their own versions through history. Shrubs have been called drinking vinegars, sekahnjebins, switchels and sharbahs. Typically, a shrub is made by soaking the fruit of choice in vinegar for a length of time, after which the fruit is strained off and the vinegar retained and mixed with a sweetener. Hyldemoer + Co.'s shrubs are different, with higher concentrations of fruit and less added sugar. Though popular for centuries, shrubs fell out of fashion with the advent of home refrigeration. Now, due to the complexity of flavor and the myriad of applications, shrubs have experienced a revival.
How can i use a shrub?
While shrubs had traditionally been used with rum in early America, they were used throughout Roman and Middle Eastern regions as a water replacement. That’s not to say that those are the only applications possible. We’ve used our shrubs on just about anything you can think of in the kitchen. It’s a great afternoon pick me up when added to soda water and equally as delicious in a cocktail, whether virgin or full-strength. When combined with olive oil it makes a flavorful salad dressing. Try it in your next BBQ sauce for pork or chicken or even as a sundae topping. Dave's favorite is with egg nog, or try Heather's favorite with White Chocolate Liqueur, its miraculous! For more ideas, see the individual shrubs currently available.
our shrubs
Hyldemoer + Co.’s shrubs are hand crafted and cold-aged in small batches using locally sourced fruit based on our own hand-picked, Certified Naturally Grown North American Black Elderberry and Roselle. Our minimally processed shrubs are seasonal, and this means we use only the freshest ingredients. And because our shrubs are low in sugar you can decide how sweet you want your creations to be. For more information about our farm and work, please see www.HyldermoerFarms.com.