We officially launched the Wine Trail Ride season on Saturday May 19 and it turned out to be a fantastic day!
Our meals for the Wine Trail Ride use as much local products as possible. We want to show you that using local is easy. Especially when you’re living in Essex County. Participants on the May ride were treated to a special meal.
- Hand cut, homemade fettuccine using local eggs from our chicken co-op
- Roasted local pork from the Butcher of Kingsville
- Cucumber and tomato salad with a French dressing, using local veg from local greenhouses and herbs from our garden.
- Rhubarb and ginger sorbet using rhubarb from our garden (and a few other gardens I managed to sneak some rhubarb from)
Many of our guests were inquiring about how the sorbet was made, so I thought I would post the recipe for everyone to enjoy. It’s a great way to enjoy the season’s rhubarb and very easy to make, provided you have an ice cream maker. I invested in one last summer and it’s been in constant use in my house since.
This is a recipe I developed based on a multitude of sorbet recipes. A number of other recipes called for at least 3/4 cups sugar, but that was just way too sweet for my palate. Adding ripe strawberries helped give the sorbet sweetness without the added sugar.
Rhubarb and Ginger Sorbet
- 2 cups of chopped rhubarb
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2/3 cups of water
- 1 tsp of grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 4 strawberries, sliced
Place the rhubarb, sugar and water into a pot and cook until it the rhubarb has broken down and become a compote. Once it has cooled down, put into a blender. Add the ginger, lemon juice and sliced strawberries and blend until smooth. Add the mix to an ice cream maker and let it churn away.
The rhubarb provides a nice tartness and the ginger gives it a refreshing zing. It’s lovely and perfect after an afternoon of cycling in the county and sipping wine.
Our next ride takes place June 16, 2012 and tickets are still available. Get your tickets early and experience the best cycling tours in the county!
