Harvest Time, Probiotic Style: Vanilla Pear Shrub

The summer is coming to an end, but the fall is seeming to be promising with welcoming arms! As a busy body, probiotics are ideal for the everyday busy body. Whether you're on the go or need foods to regulate your digestive system, probiotics are a great go-to. The best part is you can try probiotics in many forms—foods, desserts, and even drinks!

For me, I like probiotic light foods and drinks that are crisp, packed with flavor and hearty vitamins and probiotic factors. During the fall semesters in college, I love warm beverages that can keep me perky for taking lecture notes. During my warmer semesters (like spring and summer), I love refreshing, light, and tasty beverages that incorporate ice for a chill and crisp taste.

After experimenting with flavors, fruits, and researching more about probiotics, I found powerful digestive aid drinks to be cost effective, easy, beneficial and most of all, tasty!

You can make probiotic drinks with a range of different natural sweeteners (like honey) and spices. I always keep my Stella Bistro Foods Autumn Flair sultry spice on hand. The creative and redefined sultry spice is great for baking and ideal for hot and cold beverages! The scent of harvest spices like allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon taste great in probiotics and awakens your tastebuds!

I like probiotic drinks (like Vanilla Pear Shrub). I came across this drink when I was in my beginning stages of introducing probiotics to my daily food diet. I tried this recipe with oranges, peaches, and blueberries as well! trawberries and raspberries are a great alternative, if in season. Herbs, like rosemary or basil, would be great for the digestive aid recipe with notes of lemon or honey.

Shrubs are fermented drinks that are traditionally concentrated with berries, sugar and fruit vinegars.

Ginger and apple cider vinegar are two powerful digestive aids used in shrubs. You can use flavors, such as pear, honey, and notes of vanilla.

I found adding Stella Bistro Foods Autumn Flair sultry spice to be a great accent to the notes of pear and honey. The harvest time taste of the nutmeg and allspice really makes Vanilla Pear Shrub a drink that's great for your digestive health and entertaining the cocktail party.

My version of Vanilla Pear Shrub is balanced with natural sweeteners like honey and mellow tone of taste!

Vanilla Pear Shrub

Prep Time: 10 mins

Serving Size: 2 tablespoons

• 1 cup diced pear, peel on
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1 teaspoon scrubbed and grated ginger, peel on (alternatively, I used 1/2 teaspoon seeds scraped from whole beads)
• 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Stella Bistro Foods Autumn Flair sultry spice

1. In a glass bowl, add pear, filtered water, honey, ginger, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Cover the bowl with a clean towel. Secure with a rubber band. Let ferment at room temperature away from direct sunlight for two days, stirring every 12 hours.
2. Arrange a fine mesh sieve or several layers of cheesecloth over an eight ounce glass or bottle. Strain pear mixture into a glass jar, pressing on solids. Discard solids, once finished.
3. Add vinegar to pear liquid. Add Stella Bistro Foods Autumn Flair sultry spice. Stir and seal tightly. Refrigerate for up to ten days.
4. Serve chilled. Add two to three tablespoons of shrub concentrate to one cup of sparkling water. To serve warm, add two to three tablespoons of shrub concentrate to one cup of hot water. For a cocktail, add the squeeze of a half lime, half to one whole shot of bourbon (liquor brand and measurement based on your alcohol tolerance) and one cup of seltzer water.

Calories: 45

Carbohydrates: 12 grams

Sodium: 1 milligrams

Sugar: 10 grams