Another Wonderful Day with New Friends

I was asked by Charlotte, one of the campground hostesses at The Great Outdoor RV Resort, if I would go to meet her sister, Verna, who was interested in maybe buying an RV and hitting the road.  Little did I know that this was going to become an event and that Verna was an organic food enthusiast. I met some people from the campground including the campground owner and his wife,  some people from the area as well as Charlotte and her husband.  

The food was amazing; I snacked and snacked and snacked. 

However the highlight for me was the shrub. What is that you ask?????  A shrub is the name of two different beverages, one is a fruit liqueur popular in the 17th and 18th century and then there were the ones that I tried which are mixers for soft drinks. They were vinegar based syrups infused with fruit juice to be added to seltzer, water, or alcohol. The longer it ferments, the more the vinegar dissipates and you can hardly taste it. 

When I arrived, I tried a guava and peach shrub in seltzer water. Later, Verna took me downstairs to try what she had in the refrigerator fermenting.

Apple and Grape

Fig and Thyme

Tomato and Basil (I am thinking that would be a wild Bloody Mary)

Pear and Sage

I was so in love with the drinks that Verna told me how to make them: if you use a cup of fruit then you need an equal amount of sugar. Cut up the fruit and add any herbs that you like along with the sugar ,then put in refrigerator for a couple of days.  When you take it out of the refrigerator, add the same amount of apple cidar vinegar as you have fruit, i.e if you start with one cup of fruit, use one cup of vinegar.  Put back in the refrigerator.  The longer you leave it in refrigerator, up to 6 months, the more the vinegar will dissipate and you will hardly taste it.

Verna took me out to her garden and cut some fresh basil so I could make the tomato basil shrub. If  I keep the alcohol out, this might be really good for me.

While I was typing this entry, there was a knock on my screen. I just got invited to a chili dinner tomorrow.

Just another day in my awesome life. :-)