A Stanthorpe family is improving the resilience of their farm by championing the resurgence of an old-time beverage.
The Fawdon family – Ellen, Justin, and Justin’s father, Tony – of Budburst Australia produce terroir-driven, artisan vinegars, using handpicked whole fruit from their apricot and black plum trees.
The unique products have found favour with fine-dining chefs, at-home cooks, and those with a taste for drinking vinegar – whether as a cordial or in shrubs, the 17th century scurvy cure now enjoying a revival with bartenders and the sober-curious.
Justin Fawdon said the vinegars have allowed the family to get the most intense flavour from their fruit while reducing risk and waste, after years of adverse conditions.
“By no longer having to transport whole fruit to market, we can leave the fruit to fully ripen on the tree, letting the sugars mature to their maximum potential and bring out those old fashioned, candy-like flavours many remember from childhood,” Justin said.
“Many ‘flaws’ that would have led to the fruit being rejected before, like slightly split skin, don’t matter now.
“If anything, the changes in weather that cause them actually add to the unique flavour of each batch, like climate influences wine vintages.”
Once picked, the stone fruit is left to infuse premium Granite Belt vinegar for 10 weeks before being filtered by hand.
The result is a vibrant and versatile tonic that can be used to pickle and preserve, elevate salad dressings, added to water for a refreshing drink, or craft ‘shrubs’ – a simple but flavour-packed syrup or cordial made with macerated fruit, sugar and vinegar.
Shrubs have a long history of being used for flavour and health benefits in centuries gone – sailors, pioneers trekking across America or deserts, rural families and more would use the vinegar to preserve fruit and medicinal herbs, prolonging access to necessary nutrients.
Even when no longer driven by need, the acquired taste became a mainstay in bars and parlours, and in recent years is enjoying a resurgence in both cocktails and the low-to-no alcohol beverage trend.
The idea for the vinegars and their potential use in shrubs came from Ellen, with Stanthorpe’s long-lasting drought the catalyst.
The family was preparing to rip out their remaining fruit trees to make way for oregano and other hardier plants, and Ellen said she was experimenting with potential oil and vinegar herb infusions.
She added fruit from the two varieties that were still producing in spite of everything – Black Amber plums and Sweet Golden apricots – and soon realised they were onto something special, with early customers agreeing.
“We love sharing recipes and getting people excited about all the ways to use it, but a lot of vinegar drinkers also just seem to find us – they’ll see us across the markets and come right over,” Ellen said.
“Older generations remember their parents or grandparents drinking vinegar in water after a hard days’ work for the natural electrolytes, but we’re seeing an increase in the younger crowd too, thanks to recent knowledge about the gut-health benefits.
“For both of them, ours offer a completely new flavour.”
Justin said that there are still some risks with their new direction, but the flavour pay-off is worth it.
“Fruit and sugars can be hard to work with, which is why most other fruit vinegars use juice concentrates or synthetic blends rather than infusion,” he said.
“But then you lose the more delicate notes and sense of place and season.”
Budburst is available for nationwide delivery, and in selected stores and markets in South East Queensland.
