Blueberry Lavender Shrub

This is the first Shrub I ever attempted. It is part of the FIJ Challenge I am participating in. All that information is at the end of this post. I have heard of Shrub's through my canning time but never attempted it.

What is a Shrub you ask? That is such a very complex subject that I will have to try to break it down. My answer is a bit simple but to the point. It is a fruit and vinegar based drink additive. It is simple to make and delicious to add to any beverage.




But the word Shrub itself is long lost relative of the Arabic word Scarab! 

It's complex but the history is fascinating.

I got the book Shrub by Michael Dietsch.

And that is where we will start with a simple and delicious Shrub going by the name

Blueberry Lavender Shrub. 




Ingredients

1 Pint of Blueberries
1 Cup of Sugar
8-10 Lavender Sprigs
1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

To start I am lucky to have some beautiful lavender in my garden.


Wash your blueberries and lavender !




To start in 2 separate bowls. Place your blueberries into the bowl with the cup of sugar and crush then stir the two ingredient's to combine them.

Cover the bowl and let it sit in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can check it each morning and crush or stir as needed.

Next in the other smaller bowl put your vinegar and lavender sprigs.
Make sure the bowl is non-reactive store this in a dark and cool area. I use my pantry. No refrigeration necessary!

I did the straining a bit different than the book called out. I gathered all the necessary equipment. My stuff , the book, strainer and bottles the scrub will go into.

First I removed the lavender sprigs smooched them to remove any yummy liquid tossed the sprigs into the compost bin. I mixed my vinegar into the larger bowl with the blueberries and stirred it and let it sit for a few hours to mix together in merry mix-time!





I let this sit for 2 hours it was a happy mix ! I used my hands to mush more. I always glove up when doing any kind of preserving.






I don't care how many time I wash my hands I want to know nothing got into my jar's but the ingredients.

 Alrighty now it is time to strain.











Position your fine-mesh strainer over the bowl. Your bags should let most of the liquid go thru. It takes a while so leave it to drain naturally. This could take an hour.

















I smooched the bag. I found this time the looser I left the bag in my hands to smooch the better it released the liquid. 


 No sure yet what but something will come to mind. I waste nothing.







The smooch stuff that is left I put into a small bowl as you see right to the left. Oh and note the gloves LOL. I froze the smooch so I have time to decide what to do with it. I think to blend it and make a nice marinate might be great!  










I chose a couple of bottles to store it in. One is just the standard Salad Dressing bottle the other is one from my collection of bottles. I never throw away a good bottle. the uses are endless.

Well I sure did enjoy this Challenge from Food in Jar's. I still need to get some Jelly made. I will attempt this perhaps this afternoon.




Disclaimer: This is not an all inclusive recipe for making jam. You should have a basic knowledge and understanding of the canning process before proceeding. Please consult your local Agricultural Extension Service for additional information and available classes.