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Published Oct 05, 2010 • 2 minute read
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The longer I write about food, the more appreciation, and respect, I have for quality ingredients. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with mass-produced basics. But after visiting Valentine Farm in Summerland, the mid-life makeover project of John Gordon and Kim Stansfeld, I am much happier using their organic, hand-made vinegars, crafted from things like French tarragon they grow themselves.
It’s partly because the vinegars have loads of great taste, but the story connected to this product (and lots of hand-made, artisanal food items) is increasingly important to me.
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Un
til 1999, the couple lived in Vancouver, where both worked in property management. They decided it was time to start something new, while they still had the energy.
“We wanted to do something different, and we had family here, so it was a natural move,” says Kim.
They bought 10 acres of land in Summerland (“a broken down, dusty little farm” as John describes it). At first, they ran it as a market garden, and then in 2001, planted two acres of grapes with the notion of selling to vintners.
They found they simply didn’t have enough product, though, to satisfy the needs of potential customers. So John and Kim pondered their next move. What other products could be made with the beautiful fruits they had on site? Kim knew vinegar was made from alcohol, and so The Vinegar Works was born.
Today, John and Kim, along with two full-time staffers, make nine varieties of vinegar, from workaday options like red wine vinegar, to more exotic varieties such as French tarragon-infused Gewurztraminer. All the ingredients in all the vinegars are grown on Valentine Farm. Kim insists that their vinegar, like wine, benefits from the soil and the water and the very air that infuses the Okanagan.
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“This vinegar is very representative of our wine, and what’s here,” she says. “It’s the terroir.” Valentine Farms puts out roughly 8,000 bottles a year. It takes from 4 to 12 months to make a bottle of vinegar.
“We could make more, but we’d run out of ingredients, mostly energy,” says John with a chuckle.
The couple sells their vinegar at specialty food stores in the Okanagan area, as well as VQA wine stores. You can also order The Vinegar Works products on-line.
Part of the work of running the farm is promoting the unique qualities of the vinegar. So John and Kim host lots of tours and tastings at the farm.
“We need to be able to tell the story,” says Kim. “Otherwise, it’s just another vinegar.”
The personal instruction also helps Kim and John get the message out that vinegar isn’t just for salad dressings. Their tarragon blend, for instance, is excellent sprinkled on fresh-cooked green beans, or splashed on halibut. It brightens any soup, or stew. The raspberry vinegar is a lovely finish for salmon, as well as for brussel sprouts or asparagus. And of course, balsamic vinegar on a creamy scoop of high-quality vanilla ice cream is a flavour that’s not to be missed.
The Vinegar Works and Valentine Farm – Summerland, British Columbia 250-494-7300 www.valentinefarm.com
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