Local Flavors: Chaparral Gardens' artisan vinegar infused with love

Chaparral Gardens uses organic herbs grown on its Atascadero farm

Katy Budge ktbudge@sbcglobal.net.

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Now that you’ve stocked up on olive oils from last weekend’s Olive Festival, why not match that selection with some gourmet artisan vinegars from Chaparral Gardens in Atascadero?

Craig Clark and his wife, Cari Bourquin, handcraft several flavor-packed vinegars in small batches, including their “main staples” of raspberry, blackberry, Italian, raspberry with basil and blackberry with roasted pepper.

However, Clark noted that “we’re constantly coming up with new flavors” such as kiwi mint, “Peach Fuzzy Navel,” and “Winter Ambrosia” made with pear, apples, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.

CHAPARRAL GARDENS’ VEGGIES AND VINEGAR

Veggies and Vinegar is an easy dish that makes use of either summer or winter vegetables. You can customize the recipe according to your preferences—steaming or even grilling the veggies instead of boiling, serving it over rice or pasta, etc.

Makes: 4 servings

• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced

• 2 tablespoons butter (or oil)

• 1 pound of fresh veggies, cut into bite-size pieces

• 2-3 tablespoons sweet or savory

vinegar

• Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in saucepan with diced onions and cover.

Let steam gently for 5-10 minutes or until transparent.

Boil some salted water and put your favorite veggies in to boil for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

Combine veggies with the onions and vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot.

—Katy Budge

TO LEARN MORE ...

Chaparral Gardens’ Artisan Vinegars are available online at www.cgvinegar.com, at select wineries, or at farmers markets in San Luis Obispo on Thursday night, Avila Beach on Friday, and Shell Beach on Saturday. Chaparral Gardens’ produce is also available seasonally at some of the markets. For more information, call 703-0829.

Though Clark and Bourquin both have “day jobs” — as a respiratory therapist and hat designer, respectively — “we still grow most of the ingredients for the vinegars ourselves,” he said. “Whatever we don’t, we get from other local, organic growers.”

The Clarks, both Central Valley transplants, didn’t start Chaparral Gardens with the intention of being artisan vinegar producers.

The couple purchased their west Atascadero acreage in 2001 and began planting “a little bit of a lot of stuff—basically anything you can find in a summer garden,” said Clark.

They began selling the registered organic produce at select farmers markets and to a few local restaurants, but “one year we had a whole lot of excess berries, and we don’t like to throw anything away.”

To make use of the leftover fruit, Bourquin whipped up a vinegar recipe, which the couple bottled up to “give to family and friends at Christmas, and they raved about it,” remembered Clark.

Now, the couple has been selling their Chaparral Gardens’ Artisan Vinegars to the public for almost a year and a half.

Plans are in the works to plant an orchard on their property, and also install a commercial kitchen so they can increase production, but still “keep it small and simple,” he said.

Katy Budge is a freelance writer from Atascadero. If you have a favorite “Local Flavor” you’d like to see featured, e-mail your suggestions to