Vegan Wine?

Have you heard of Vegan Wine?  I hadn't and when I did I was immediately interested!  Wasn't all wine "vegan" - it's just grapes right?


Well, not entirely.
Most all wines will get clarified, and or filtered or “fined” before bottling.  It is this fining agent that very strict vegans take exception with.  Most commonly used fining agents are casein (milk protein), albumin (egg protein), gelatin (from sad bones), isinglass (fish bladders)… So as those items are not technically “added” to the wine, it isn’t considered an ingredient and for the most part it isn't labeled. It’s easy to see how a strict vegan would take exception to this.

For us at Fresh Thymes, it's important for another population of people to know about this process common to most wines and that is our allergen/ingredient sensitive customer. As these conventional fining agents also happen to be among the most common allergens, we think it's important to know not just where our food comes from but also how it is produced.  As our body recognizes every ingredient on a molecular level, it makes sense that molecules of these agents could be left behind after the fining and clarification process. I say that as a highly ingredient sensitive eater (and lover of wine) myself!

The good news is many organic or biodynamic wineries do not use animal products to fine, they use charcoal, clay and other plant based substances. There are many excellent wines out there that also happen to be vegan, more wineries are starting to disclose fining agents and there are emerging websites dedicated to sourcing "vegan wine".  

At Fresh Thymes, we are so excited to be carrying an awesome vegan Cabernet and Chardonnay from The Vegan Vine !

Come in for a taste! 

Have you caught Broth Fever?

We have fielded numerous requests to start a blog and finally succumbed! Enjoy reading our first post!

Broth done right - the old school way.  At Fresh Thymes we don’t cut any corners to bring a proper broth to our customers. But what does old school mean exactly?  

There has been plenty of good press about broth as beverage and it’s health benefits.

If you have gotten the broth fever, here are a few of my old school secrets to making a proper broth yourself…

1. Have a very big soup pot or stock pot - if you take the time to make broth, you should make plenty.
2. Have good bones! - organic, pastured, grass finished are all indications you have good bones.  Seek them from your favorite farm store or stand. Also make sure to have a good ratio of gelatinous bones (wings, backs, trotter, necks, knuckles) to boney bones  (marrow, femur, should blade)
3. Roast!  Roasting the bones help deepen and enrich the flavor of the broth - no need to be fussy - dump the bones on a sheet pan, spread out and pop in a hot oven until golden brown.
4. Cold filtered water!  Yes, once you roast and place all the bones in your pot, fill with cold water.  Low and slow is the way to start coaxing the minerals from the bone.  More impurities and scum will rise to the surface if you start your bones in cold water.
5. Acid! Fancy chef’s will use wine in their broth, but what’s really needed is just acid.  Raw apple cider vinegar is best for nourishment.  The role of an acidic medium is to help pull the minerals from the bones, the whole reason you are making broth! To say nothing of the fact that raw apple cider vinegar is actually alkalinizing to your body. Just a big glug of high quality raw apple cider vinegar - and no, your broth won’t taste like vinegar.
6. Skim!  Once the broth has come to a boil, skim the surface scum and reduce the heat to the barest of simmer. If you don’t skim, all the brown and white foam will be in your broth! You don’t want that.
7. Don’t Boil, Don’t Stir - Broth doesn’t like that - it leads to a breakdown of collagen and impurities get reabsorbed by the broth leading to off flavors.
8. Don’t be afraid to leave your stove on!  Find a back burner on your stove and park that broth there for up to 3 or 4 days depending on the broth - remember you have that pot on the barest of simmers, it will be fine.
9. Don’t cover!  The flavor intensifies when the top is off and the water evaporates.  You can add more cold water if it gets too low (you want the bones below the broth instead of above).
10. Resist the urge to throw out the fat!  Drain the broth and pour into mason jars. A little fat cap on the broth helps extend it’s life by creating a seal.

From here, the broth is your blank canvas for awesomeness!  If you wish to create an even more nourishing and healing beverage, you can also add kombu (more minerals, soothing, emollient) burdock root (detoxifying) potatoes (potassium) asian mushroom (immune building) and cruciferous vegetable (cancer fighting)

Any animal bones are fair game for a good broth! Have you started to make broth?  

Good luck and tell me how it goes!