For the sauce:

• Add 1/3 cup tahini

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1-2 tablespoons grated ginger

• Zest of one lime

• 1 garlic clove 

• 2 tablespoons Tom Kha shrub (or shrub of your choice)

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce

• Juice from 1/2 lime

For salad:

• 1 package of rice noodles (wide)

• 2 cups of edamame shelled

• 1 cup purple cabbage shredded

• 1 cup carrot ribbons

• 1 bell pepper sliced thin

• 2 green onions

• 1/4 cup of cilantro

• 1/4 cup of basil

In a small mixing bowl combine tahini, honey, fish sauce, shrub, ginger, garlic, lime zest and lime juice. Mix really well. Set aside.

Cook rice noodles according to package instructions. In the final minute of cook time toss in your edamame if they are frozen. Strain altogether and run under cold water. Leave noodles and edamame in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from getting too sticky.

Mix shredded carrots, cabbage, pepper, and herbs in a large mixing bowl. Add in the noodles and the sauce. Toss to combine. Your hands might be your best tool in accomplishing this. Adjust with salt and pepper if needed.

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

• 1 1/2 oz Peach Tomatillo and Purple Basil shrub (or shrub flavor of your choice)

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

• ½ cup sliced red onion

• Kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn

• 10 small or 5 medium tomatoes, sliced into wedges

• 16 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

• 3 peaches, pitted and sliced

• 4 to 5 cups cubed crusty bread

• 1 cup chopped fresh basil

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup roasted chickpeas optional

In the bottom of a large bowl, combine the olive oil, shrub, garlic, mustard, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Add the onion, and corn and toss until coated. Let sit for 10 minutes while you prep everything else. To the bowl, add the tomatoes, peaches, bread, and half the basil. Toss to combine, adding more olive oil if the bread is too dry, and more shrub, salt, and pepper, to taste. Let the salad sit for about 10 minutes so that the juices can soak into the bread. Give it a toss, then top with the remaining fresh basil and the chickpeas, if using.

Combine in a bowl any medley of fruit you like for a fruit salad. We used Sauvie yellow raspberries, blueberries, cherries, figs, and nectarines (consider coming to the Island to U-Pick if you're local)! One of my favorite Sauvie farms for this is Columbia Farms.

Shrub dressing:

• 1-2 oz of a Shrub of your choice

• 1 T honey

• 1 T fresh lime juice

• A touch of finely grated ginger

• 4 mint leaves chopped fine

• Lime zest to taste

Drizzle, toss gently, and sprinkle edible flowers on top!

• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

• Corn kernels (optional)

• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup), soaked in water to take the edge off the onion

• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

• 1 cup loosely packed, fresh, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 1 teaspoon fresh finely chopped rosemary

For the dressing:

• 3 oz shrub of your choice

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (more or less to taste)

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Prep the onion first. Soak the chopped onion in a small bowl of water to take the edge off the onion while you prep the other ingredients. Next, make the salad. In a separate bowl, whisk together the shrub, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the dressing to the beans. Toss to coat.

December’s featured ingredient is the Rosehip which grows wild alongside our property line and I forage. Rosehips are one of nature’s richest sources of vitamin C, are rich in antioxidants and support a healthy immune system. This month’s Shrub flavors are a Medlar and Rosehips Shrub (what is a medlar you ask: see below) and an Elderberry and Rosehips Fire Cider.

Medlars are a small bushy tree of the rose family that originated in Persia, Bulgaria, Turkey, and SE Asia. They have small brown apple-like fruit, which is only edible after it has begun to decay. I had to keep mine in a cold dark place for over a month until they were overly ripe and Shrub-ready! The taste is somewhat similar to stewed apple or quince with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. Delicious in a Shrub Toddy! 

I suggest using your Fire Cider as a winter warmer to combat cold and flu season. Simply add a tablespoon of it to hot water and sip! If you’re coming down with something it’s best to start taking it regularly and every day (up to 3 times daily). It also makes an excellent salad dressing (recipe below):

FIRE CIDER VINAIGRETTE SALAD DRESSING

• 4 Tbsp of good quality olive, avocado or pumpkin seed oil

• 2 Tbsp Elderberry and Rosehips Fire Cider

• 2 tsp mustard

• 1 tsp ground pepper

• 1 tsp dried or fresh herbs of your choice (I like dill, oregano, and thyme in mine)

• Pinch of salt

Whisk all ingredients vigorously together and toss on your favorite mixed green salad! Also great as a marinade or finisher on roasted vegetables and or meats. 

Happy holidays to you and yours and cheers to your health!