The Garden MarkeT

Gifts for Home and Garden

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A Brief report on vinegar

vinegar has been made and used for thousands of years. Traces of vinegar have been found in egyptian urns dating from around 3000 BC. Needless to say, today’s culinary world would be lost without it.

to the nobility and the artisans who made it—themselves aristocrats. It was believed to be a miracle cure for everything from a sore throat to labor pains, and as a protection against the plague.

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Vinegar is made from fermented beverages. Beer, wine, hard cider, fermented fruit juice, and hard liquors result from anaerobic (without air) bacterial action. Vinegar is made by the aerobic (requiring air) bacterial oxidation of ethanol in fermented beverages. The conversion to vinegar causes the accumulation of The Mother (The mother is a stringy, slimy substance that forms on the surface and turns fermented beverages into acetic acid - vinegar) This is why that great bottle of wine you opened and didn’t recap will quickly turn into vinegar. Vinegar may be produced either by fast or slow processes. Slow methods requiring weeks or months allow The mother to develop naturally. fast methods add The mother to the source liquid before pumping in air to promote oxygenation. In fast production processes, vinegar may be produced in a period ranging from 20 hours to three days.

Balsamic vinegar, Balsamic means ‘like balsam’ (balsam is a thick aromatic resin). Balsamic vinegar is an aged vinegar traditionally crafted in the modena and Reggio emilia provinces of Italy. In its early days, balsamic vinegar was available only il Fustino’s rue 57 Salad

The unique and traditional Balsamic vinegars of Italy are made from the ‘must’ (unfermented juice) of mainly the Trebbiano grape. other grapes used are Lambrusco, Ancellotta, Sauvignon and Sgavetta. The must is then boiled down in open pots over a direct flame. The extract (concentrated juice) is now a fruity syrup. At this point The mother is added. The product is stored in barrels of different woods and is transferred to successively smaller and smaller barrels as it ages and evaporates.

True Balsamic vinegar must be made with grapes and is aged for 12 to 25 years. Balsamic vinegars that have been aged for more than 25 years are available with average prices of: 50 year old 3.5 oz. $111.20, 75 year old 3.5 oz. $198.40, and (if you’re feeling flush!) 100 Year Il Grande Vecchio mussini Balsamic Vinegar-2.4 oz. $499.00.

Sadly, the commercial balsamic vinegars sold in supermarkets are typically made with concentrated grape juice mixed with strong vinegar that is laced with caramel and sugar.-- By Laura Kirkley, owner of il Fustino. www.ilfustino.com

Tangy and sweet… a fine, smoothly aged Balsamic vinegar from Italy. Priced at $48.95. Available at Via Maestra 42, 3343 State St. 569-6522.

4 medium Beef Steak or Heirloom tomatoes cut 1-inch thick, discard top and bottom

½ cup, il Fustino’s 25 Year Old Balsamic Vinegar

2 large yellow onions

4 tablespoons il Fustino Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cups Arugula

Bleu, Feta, or Goat Cheese

1198 Coast Village Road

Montecito • 969-0834

Place tomato slices in shallow pan and pour vinegar over top, marinate for at least one hour but not more then two hours, turning tomatoes several times. While tomatoes are marinating, caramelize onions. Onions are naturally sweet; slowly cooking them in olive oil over a low to medium heat will produce an intensely rich caramelized batch of onions. Patience is a virtue, don’t rush!

Plate Arugula and arrange tomatoes of top. Dress Arugula and tomatoes with caramelized onions. Garnish with your choice of cheese to taste.

Baking on the run

My friends and I both know I can’t cook. That’s why at pot luck events I’m always the one assigned to bring something already done. Be it a pie, cookies, cake, whatever…just make sure someone else made it. And since I believe in buying local and the convenience of one stop shopping, I’m a fan of Whole Foods Market. Their bakery offers great desserts and breads from local companies like D’Angelo’s, Debbie’s Delights, Ethnic Bread and more. Plus their own products that are made with the freshest ingredients, including cage-free eggs, natural butters and the best quality unbleached flour available. Other selections from the bakery include cornbread, foccacia, bagels, croissants, pies, and cakes of all kinds; plus a bake-house dedicated to gluten-free baking for everything from pizza crust to cookies. Whole Foods Market is located at 3731 State St. 805-8376959 —RB