How to Make a Kumquat Shrub

At SLO Veg we are always seeking new and interesting methods to optimize all the deliciousness of the local produce available in our harvest delivery boxes. Enter: kumquat shrub! Meredith from our team shares a unique way for using kumquats- a bite-sized fruit with big-time citrus flavor.

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Over the weekend, I was taking inventory of my fruit bowl and realized that I had a ton of citrus that was starting to look a little tired. I try to be intentional about how I use the produce from my harvest boxes so that I don’t have to undergo the dreaded heartbreak of wasting food, but I slipped up this week, neglecting my heaping pile of kumquats which left me scrambling to put them to good use. I was feeling a little adventurous and wanted to make something new rather than just tossing everything in a juicer. I did some light browsing on the internet and, unfortunately, “Chef John’s Kumquat Marmalade” and “Kumquat Curd” weren’t all that tempting. Not to say that these recipes wouldn’t be delicious, just not my preference. Stumped, I sat back in my chair and thought “what fruity deliciousness would be refreshing, exciting, and make me feel a little bit dangerous?” Then it hit me, the ultimate “a-ha” moment…shrub!

What is a Shrub Anyway?

I was first introduced to Shrub a few years ago when working near an orchard that made vibrant and unusual preserves including this mystery elixir called shrub. Many of my summers have been spent adding this tangy, fruity, almost effervescent liquid to sparkling water, as well as concocting mixed drinks for gatherings with friends. So what is this enigmatic liquid with a name that fails to do it justice? Shrub is a non-alcoholic syrup composed of concentrated fruits, aromatics, sugar and vinegar.

How to Make a Shrub

The algorithm for making shrub is super simple, and once you have it down, there’s plenty of opportunity to get creative with different combinations of fruits, herbs, and even edible flowers. I’ve found a couple different methods to go about making shrub, but in my experience, the “cold process” method has worked best.

Ingredients

I first want to discuss the ingredient algorithm as I think this is valuable info and may help you in utilizing your very own straggling fruits that tend to linger in the depths of your fruit bowl. To get started, you’ll want to determine what ingredients you’d like to use. Like I said, you’re working with fruits, aromatics, sugar, and vinegar. As the shrub mixologist, you have free reign in selecting what types of those listed ingredients you’ll use.

Sugar

I would suggest starting off with using plain white sugar. Brown sugar adds a little bit more flavor complexity and would be a really nice complement to peaches or rhubarb. If sugar isn’t your thing, then you can substitute for honey, maple syrup, or agave.

Vinegar

Almost any vinegar works to make shrub, however it’s important to think about all the flavors that will be working alongside each other. Remember that a quality shrub should sing, not scream. With that, I’d recommend not using white vinegar…like ever. My favorites are apple cider and white wine vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is incredible especially in tandem with darker fruits like cherries, pluots, and blackberries, but only use 1-2 tablespoons, then supplement the rest with apple cider vinegar. We offer some unique vinegars from Chaparral Gardens in our Marketplace; their Fuzzy Navel Peach and the Raspberry Basil vinegars are some of my favorites to use.

Fruit + Aromatics

Okay this is where it gets fun! Pretty much any fruit can be used in shrubs, citrus is a great place to start but you can use anything. The best part, you don’t have to peel your citrus! In fact, leaving the peel intact can sometimes offer a more pronounced flavor. Other add-ins could be fresh herbs such as mint, star anise, lavender if you have it, fresh ginger, or even rose petals.

For my first batch, I combined quartered kumquats and a sprig of mint leaves with apple cider vinegar and plain white sugar, it was epic.

The Cooking Process

First, you’ll start by combining 2 cups of sugar with 2 cups of chopped fruit and any additional aromatics (1- 2 tablespoons is a great starting amount) into a freshly cleaned glass bowl or jar. In my experience, as someone who blissfully disregards most metrics in recipe development, I usually cut the amount of sugar by half as I like a shrub to be slightly bitter. Go ahead and kind of mash the fruit to get it to break down slightly, I really like doing this step in a mason jar and vigorously shaking it for a minute or so. Then cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture rest in your fridge for a day or at least overnight.

Next, you’re going to add 2 cups of vinegar to your fruit and sugar combo and give it a thorough stir. You can either strain immediately, or if you want a bit more flavor depth, return to the fridge and let it stew for a couple days. To use, strain through a fine mesh sieve, or even a cheese cloth, making sure to press all the juice out of the fruit solids. Pour the final mixture into a clean, resealable glass jar and keep in the fridge for 6 – 8 weeks.

To serve, mix 1 part shrub with 2 – 3 parts carbonated water, ginger beer, or even an additional fruit juice. Mix with assorted alcohols to make a show stopping mixed drink for distanced gatherings!