Shrub for the 4th

  So I was over at the talented Amy Karol's blog a while back when she posted about drinking vinegar or "shrub" and I put it in the back of my head to try one day. Fast forward to my Roo buying a butt ton of peaches and then never making the jam he had planned, plus company coming over. Perfect time to try it out right. Sooooooooooo right!
   The first one I made was a heated Blueberry Peach with a 1:1:1:1 ratio of fruit,sugar, water, and vinegar. This is the fastest way and you'll be able to use it the same day you make it.

• Water and sugar in a sauce pot till sugar is completely dissolved. 
• Add fruit and simmer till fruit is broken down and juices are fully released in to your sugar syrup. I like to smash the fruit a little while it's cooking too, to help release more of the juice. 
• Let cool and strain out fruit solids, help it out a little with a rubber spatula. you don't have to but I included the smooth fruit pulp that strained with the juice, just scrape it off the bottom side of your mesh strainer. This will give you little specks of fruit and make your shrub cloudier, so if you want something more clear for fancy cocktails I might leave it out. I don't really know the rule on this but I liked the taste of it so I put it in the "drink" so to speak.  
• Add vinegar, I used apple cider in all of my recipes, but I've seen a few recipes out there that use red or white wine and balsamic. I think the key is to use a flavorful vinegar so I wouldn't use white, but  I'm not the rule police here and there is a recipe or two out there that calls for it.
• cap your jar or bottle and shake to mix. 
• refrigerate and enjoy.

     Drank strait from a shot glass it's a sweet, tart, fruity explosion in your mouth that makes it water for more. But more than that it's the best for mixed drinks, alcoholic or non-alcoholic! I've already come to love it mixed with fizzy water for and afternoon refresher.  My current favorite is the honey,lavender and cracked pepper recipe I came up with this afternoon, mixed with the lime La Croix in my pantry, the sweet tart flavor with a spicy finish reminds me of some of the better ginger beers I've had.
  Typically, I've seen it  mixed with rum or vodka for cocktails.I did try making a mezcal and blueberry peach  cocktail that wasn't bad but I need to work on the ratio's before I share. My friend ,Jess who was lucky enough to get a jar of my blueberry peach shrub, said she was gonna try it out in champagne which sounds totally nummy. But here at our Peachy little coupe where it's all about Justin's home brew beer, we make a "peachy" fruit bomb, Justin thought of it first but I'm going to pretend it was my idea ;).

• One shot shrub of your choice
• Home brew wheat beer off the tap. ( or any wheat beer if your not so lucky as to have home brew on tap at your house ;p)

 Now I'm not a huge drinker, and beers not my first choice when I do, but this tastes just so AMAZING! In fact, I've had 2 pints tonight! which is major for me. It reminds me of a super fruity Lambic (which I love but they can be pricey so I'll only get one on special occasions ). This one is with the blueberry peach shrub, but I've also used the raspberry banana shrub(same recipe,different fruit) this way and it is equally as yummy.

I'm trying out the cold press recipe from here with the rest of my peaches. I started it today, so I have a few days before I get to NOM on that one. boo!  I'm excited though, since word is it gives the fruit a purer and brighter taste.  I also have some watermelon in the fridge that I might try to get my "Shrub" on with just to see if it will work with melon (and I think it will!) But what I really need now is some "drinking buddies" to come over and play Mixology with me at the coupe for the 4th. We can make My Roo do burger's since that is his specialty! But since in reality Roo will most likely be working since the restaurant will be open (yay for every burger lover around here,boo for me:( ) I'll be here not drinking since I have to be a good mother hen to my bear of a baby chick and not a slushy lush. So how 'bout a sale instead!  Head on over to the Peach Vintage shop this week and enjoy 20% your order with coupon code  APEACHY4TH all week! (sale ends 7/5/12 and midnight.) 

Now, I've got to go watch pooh with my boys. So I'm Going to say, have a great night and try some super easy to make Drinking Vinegar and let me know how you liked it :)

And the Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down Down............

 So, it feels about like we're all going to float away lately. Beryl was just the tip of the iceberg for us down here in the south east. The rain just seems to keep coming. It's not to terrible though, here at my little coupe. Our home is off-grade, so I've had no real worries of flooding in the house. The yard is another story but, my plants seem to be happy at the moment. The mosquitoes are horrendous, lots of standing water for the buggers to breed.  My poor bear of a baby chick is all spotted red!  So, it's a given that we've been left to the nest and are finding things to occupy our time inside.  Bear has taken to his crayons and pooh videos when I'm working and puzzles and tinker toys when mom can give her full attention. He loves when I make him airplanes.............
 Our days are still filled with bursts of singing and dancing and the happy banter of mother and toddler, and despite the rain our easy rhythm continues. I will say that the lack of outside time has coincided with a lack of nap time though, and that can be a bit of a stick in the sprockets for life with a 2 year old. I'll happily admit my child is not perfect and evening fits have become regular with the rain. Grumpy bears are always a terror to deal with. Luckily my Roo is home by this time of day and helps this poor peach of a mother hen gain control of the little grizzly.  

 Amongst all the this and that Hen works on during her day for Peach Vintage, I convinced her we had to take a day for our self  after the bear of a baby chick got a terrible stain on my beloved orange velvet wing back chair. She agreed and we took a time out to make this peachy keen slip cover for the cushion in the hopes of protecting it from further damage by small child.     

 I used an Orla Kiely-ish print I had gotten from my girl Jess a while back and a Martha Stewart wood grain fabric I had from Sara's shop along with some homemade apple green pipping. Hen and I agree it is rather well done and the coupe is sunnier for the work.

 Speaking of Jess! She came for a visit earlier this week and brought us a nice little pile of busy work. She had put in a call for her friends to "help a sister out!" with a neat little list of what she needed help with. I picked Hem Curtains. She is one that despite her short comings ALWAYS helps her friends and neighbors, in fact she makes it her life's work to help new moms. She even started our local chapter of the La Leche League.  Anyway my point is despite all the work hen has piling up on us it was an easy decision to help our friend in her hour of need.  It was a nice excuse for a visit, too. Our baby chicks played all afternoon while we drank some wine and talked about life since last we saw each other. I'm excited to get them finished for her because that means a second visit is soon to come and it's always nice to have something to look forward to.  

On a side note:  If anyone's interested in my  method for hemming curtains let me know and I'll try to get a tutorial together while I finish this job up, I have about 10 left to hem. Jess's curtains are made from re-purposed painters cloth but this would work with any fabric. It would be an easy beginner level project.  Just leave a comment below and we'll see how much interest there is.