Pesto, Miso, Flavored Vinegars, Balsamic Garlic
Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pesto – $14
The Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pesto was inspired by a delicious tomato pesto we had at a local Italian restaurant. With freshly grown basil from the garden, and a little bit of experimenting, Amy created a tasty pesto that has become one of our most popular items.
“My favorite is the Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pesto. It’s tangy, sweet taste is delicious. My veggies have never tasted so good!” Cindy Curd
The most unique ingredient in the Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pesto is our hand-crafted Miso (see below) . This Miso takes years to ferment until it is ready for use. The depth of umami that our Sugi Garden Kitchen Miso added to this pesto makes for a truly unique flavor. It’s dairy-free so everyone can enjoy it!
Delicious on pasta, chilis, meatloaf, chicken, slow-roasted beef or pork, roasted vegetables, pizza and sandwiches. Add olive oil for dipping bread. Experiment with the pesto as it is quite versatile.
“Thank you for making our Thanksgiving dinner so yummy. Everyone loved the Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pesto which I used as a dipping sauce for French bread.” Terry Moore
Miso – $14
The Sugi Garden Kitchen Miso is a wonderful addition to every household. A fermented soy bean paste originally from the cuisine of Japan, our miso is crafted with organic soy beans. The miso we make the most often is a Red Miso that requires 2 – 3 years of fermentation to develop the rich flavors you’ve grown to love!
“The Miso is amazingly yummy; I’ve eaten much miso over the years and this is the best.” Catherine Nichols
Miso is a fantastic food to add to your diet! As a fermented product, miso provides friendly bacteria to the gut and is rich in essential minerals, Vitamin B, K and folic acid. Remember, these benefits are spoiled when miso is heated. So, add your miso at the end of cooking for the best result.
“Homemade miso…. It just feels good to use it, as a soup or in salad dressing or as an ingredient in a marinade.” Sheryl Sankey
Flavored Vinegars – $14 – $15
Vinegars are becoming more popular recently as their health benefits are more widely known. As reported in The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, M.D., vinegars help to lower the glycemic and insulin indexes of carbohydrates like rice and potatoes. The addition of vinegar to a “high-carbohydrate meal may lower blood sugar and insulin by as much as 34%.”
That means that when you sprinkle some vinegar on your rice (like the Japanese do), potatoes and other carbohydrates in your meal, the body will be happier when you’re eating them!
Jalapeño Garlic Lime Vinegar is one of our most popular products. This flavor was created to be a specialty item at the annual Northern California Herb Fair. The featured herb was hot peppers. So, with an abundance of jalapeños in the garden a new flavor was born.
Garlic Balsamic Vinegar is Ofer’s inspiration. It is aged for 3 – 5 years and as it ages the flavor becomes smoother and deeper like a good wine. This well-loved vinegar is fantastic in a wide variety of dishes. It is especially versatile in Asian cuisine.
“I imagine your backyard (from memory and pictures you post) when I consume the vinegars. They feel nutritious as well as taste fresh!
I say thank you each time I use anything from you. Its powerful medicine to know the source of something, whether it’s healing oil for my skin or vinegar for a salad.” Lynette Toney
For the Italian in all of us, just pour a little in a bowl with your favorite olive oil, pull out some fresh sourdough bread and dip away! Splash a little on your vanilla ice cream to finish the meal.
Balsamic Garlic – $12
This lovely marinated garlic is the result of three to five years of aging in organic balsamic vinegar to create the Garlic Balsamic Vinegar that is one of our most popular items.
We discovered when straining the Garlic Balsamic vinegar for bottling, that the leftover garlic was sweet, pungent and amazingly delicious! So, we started experimenting with ways to use it in our meals.
What do I do with it, you may wonder?
“I love to have the balsamic garlic on hand in my kitchen as one of my staples. If I am making a stir fry or a salad dressing and I need a mellow garlic flavor, I just grab a clove out of the bottle and chop it finely and add it to my dish. It is also good in stews or soups that I make in my crock pot.
Or, if you want to marinate meat or vegetables, you can chop up the garlic and drop it into a bag or dish with the meat or vegetable and let it stand covered in the refrigerator for an hour.” Lynnette Garetz
Get the idea? Some people even enjoy snacking on it!