I love how easy this is to make, yet it never fails to impress guests when you bring out your special fruit-infused vodka.
My favourite infusions use berries, but you can really use any type of fruit you want. Why not make a trip to your local fruit shop, swing by the bottle store and use these winter months to experiment?
Fruit-infused vodka
2 cups fruit
2-3 cups vodka
Big preserving jar
1 Peel and chop your chosen fruit into small pieces. For small fruits with soft skins, such as raspberries or blueberries, you can use them whole.
2 Pop the fruit into the preserving jar, then fill with vodka. Make sure the fruit is completely covered and the jar is filled to the top.
3 Leave the mixture to infuse, giving it a shake daily.
4 When it’s infused to your liking (between three and five days, although you could go longer if you really wanted to), strain the vodka and pour it into a clean bottle.
TIP: You can also do this with wine, which is a great way to give a lacklustre drop a flavour makeover. Just pour the wine into a jug and add chopped strawberries for red wine or chopped peaches for white wine. Let the concoction steep in the fridge, then when it tastes nice and fruity, invite some pals around for a tipple.
Winter composting
Now that I’ve downscaled my growing area for the winter, I’m going to go ahead and downscale my composting techniques too.
I’ve left enough room in the bed for dig and drop composting, which is as easy as it sounds! You just dig a hole about 30 centimetres deep, drop in your kitchen scraps and cover.
There’s no bin, no odour and by burying the nutrients, nearby plant roots will grow deeper and stronger. We generate quite a bit of organic leftovers in our kitchen and I don’t want to overwhelm my little garden, so I will keep the main compost pile ticking along as well. That way, our winter veges will be nourished and I’ll have some rich compost for when spring rolls around.
Simple exfoliator
I’m a huge fan of sugar scrubs and have tinkered with many recipes over the years. Lately, I’ve started experimenting with sea salt, which also makes for a great exfoliator. You can simply mix it with a splash of water into a paste if you’re in a rush, but I love how easy this salt scrub recipe is.
It only takes a second to whip up and it’s so versatile – you can use any type of salt you want. I like to use coarse sea salt for a strong body exfoliator, Epsom salt if I want the added relaxation effects, and plain old table salt for a finer scrub.
1 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp salt
Few drops of essential oil
Make sure the coconut oil is in a semi-solid state, pour in the salt and oils, then mix it all together.
