How to make a herbal shrub and the benefits to your health

This week I made a lemon verbena & rose geranium shrub and it received so much attention on my social media pages that I thought I would tell you a bit more about it and give you a simple recipe to try yourself.

So what exactly is a shrub if not a small tree in the garden? A shrub is a drink made using sugar & vinegar. Often called drinking vinegar. It is another way to preserve the harvest from your garden or wild foraged for later in the year. Traditionally made with fruit but more often you will find recipes using culinary or medicinal herbs.

You could , of course, make a cordial but a shrub gives you the added health benefits of the vinegar. I use an organic apple cider vinegar when making mine which has incredible health benefits for the body. It has antioxidant and anti microbial effects and can boost your immune system and aid digestion. When you are taking the time to make something like this its always worthwhile using the best ingredients you can afford and I find there is nearly always at least one organic cider vinegar ‘on offer’ in the shop at any time so stock up if you find a good deal.

There are many different ways to make a shrub and if you google it you could get very confused as to which is best. Some require you to leave your fruit/herbs steeping in vinegar for weeks. Some use honey instead of sugar. They are all good and by just taking some time out of your day to make one you will feel very accomplished and pure delighted with yourself and, most importantly, confident to keep making more!  I’m giving you one, simple, recipe today but it can easily be adapted to use other herbs and even fruit.

This recipe calls for lemon verbena and rose geranium. Lemon verbenas relaxant qualities mean it is good for easing stomach cramp, bloating and period pain. It is also very calming for the mind and well known for relieving stress and nervousness. Rose geranium also has relaxing qualities and can sooth the digestive and nervous systems. It is also believed to help treat headaches, stiff and sore muscles, spasms & cramps and help relieve feelings of helplessness.

Lemon Verbena & Rose Geranium Shrub

• 2 cups of tightly packed lemon verbena & rose geranium leaves. (I use more verbena as the geranium is a strong flavour)

• 2 cups organic cider vinegar

• 2 cups sugar

• 1 cup water

Before you start, wash your bottles in hot soapy water and pop in the oven, at 100 degrees Celsius, to sterilise, for at least 20 mins. I used flip top bottles this time as I had some but a screw top bottle of any shape or size will work too. If using a bottle with a metal lid put a little square of parchment paper over the top of the bottle before you put the lid on as the vinegar may corrode the lid.

Put all the ingredients into a pot and slowly bring to the boil. You need to do it slowly to allow the sugar to dissolve properly before you reach boiling point.

Once it reaches boiling point remove from the heat and, very carefully, pour into your sterilised bottles, while both the syrup and the bottles are hot (a little funnel is very handy at this point). Screw the lids on tightly and allow to cool before storing in a dark cupboard. They should last 6 months unopened  and once opened, store in the fridge and use within a month.

So, now that you've made your shrub, how do you use it?

• You can take a spoonful straight from the bottle.

• Add a splash of it to sparkling or still water for a super refreshing drink.

• Use as a base for a cocktail. I've tried it in gin and it's delish!

• One of my favourite ways to use it is as a dressing for salad leaves.

• You could drizzle it over veg for roasting. 

There are so many different ways to use it and if you come up with a new one I’d love to hear about it. In fact, I'd love if you shared your efforts to my Instagram or Facebook page.

So, there you go . A super simple recipe to help you preserve your harvest for even longer and get the benefits of your herbs throughout the year and impress the family with your new found skill. Hope you’ll give it a go.

If you enjoyed this post check out some of the videos I’ve done in the past on preserving foraged and home grown herbs & flowers. You’ll find them here. I’ve also written blog posts on making a nettle syrup and an elderflower cordial.