It’s interesting how food trends come and go. Forbes magazine says from new flavors to mother less meat the number 1 food trend for 2019 is that more people will stay at home to eat! Eating out isn’t just a big dip in your pocket book. It can also be detrimental to your health. Larger than necessary portions, too much fat, sugar and all that sodium! Although we have a few local healthy vegan restaurants that we visit, we eat most of our meals at home these days. Since we eat an oil free, sugar free and low sodium diet you might be wondering how we flavor our food? Once you get the overload of sugar, oil and salt out of your diet you can actually appreciate the taste of fresh natural food. We still enjoy embellishing our food with fresh herbs, homemade salsas, salad dressings, salt free seasonings and yes indeed flavored vinegar! Read on to see how you can get 2 free samples of California Balsamic Vinegar!
We have come a long way from the days when the grocery store only had Apple Cider Vinegar and the fancier – Red Wine Vinegar on their shelves. Flavored Vinegars are a big trend. One of our favorite healthy ways to flavor our food is using a wide variety of flavored balsamic vinegars. I was introduced to California Balsamic Vinegars from my friend Chef AJ. As most of you know I am a member of Chef AJ’s Ultimate Weight Loss online program. She let me know that California Balsamic was in Sacramento at the Harvest Festival recently and she urged me to go check them out. I am so glad I did!
I had already received my first shipment from California Balsamic before the Harvest Festival and was enjoying the flavors I had chosen. At the Harvest Festival we met Thomas the owner who is super friendly and passionate about his business. He gets pretty excited over the flavors they have to offer and let’s you taste them all! Then comes the difficult part – deciding which ones to buy – I wanted everything! The vinegars are fabulous on just about anything from cooked vegetables and Chopped Salads to sweet potatoes and Nourish Bowls.
Watch the video to see my favorite flavors and ideas for how I use them.
Sodium Free, Gluten Free & Vegan
California Balsamic sources their vinegar a 25 star balsamic from Modena, Italy – a custom balsamic made with an exceptionally high quality grape must from the Trebbiano and Spirgola grape that enhance flavor and texture. Then California Balsamic add their own creativity to make a wide variety of flavors. All of the vinegars are sodium free, gluten free and vegan. No added sugars in the dark balsamic savory flavors – the sweetness comes naturally from the grapes. I love that. The Apple Pie Balsamic does have a little maple syrup added to it. See the California Balsamic website for all the nutritional information.
Get 2 free sample bottles of California Balsamic Vinegar!
You can order online from California Balsamic which is located in Ukiah, California. They have a flat rate shipping charge which is quite reasonable. Thomas has made a special offer for to the Nutmeg Notebook subscribers as well. When you order a minimum of one bottle of balsamic vinegar you will receive 2 free 1.6 ounce sample sizes in your shipment. You get to decide what the sample flavors will be! To receive your 2 free balsamic samples follow these directions upon check out. To the right of where you name goes there will be the Leave Us A Message Box – inside that box write Nutmeg Notebook and the 2 flavors you would like to try. (See the photo above.) It’s that easy!
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We are also Holland Bowl Mill Affiliates. The 15 inch Holland Bowl Mill Cherry fruit bowl has a permanent home on our kitchen island. It’s beautiful and useful. The heart shaped bowl makes me happy – I love everything heart shaped! We use our 15 inch Beechwood & cherry bowl (his and her’s) to chop our salads everyday. Eating a salad for one meal every day helped me lose weight and become a size 4. I still eat a salad for one meal a day but now it’s a Big Beautiful Chopped salad and it helps me stay a size 4! See the Chopped Salad Blog Post to find out how you can incorporate a chopped salad into your daily food plan and how you can get a free mezzaluna knife with your Holland Bowl order when you use our affiliate link as well as free engraving and free shipping.
I’ve been buying Thomas’ fabulous vinegar for several years after sampling them and meeting Thomas at the Fountain Hills Great Fair near Phoenix. Twice a year at the fair, my friends and I make a point of stopping at Thomas’ booth, sampling what’s new, chatting with a lively and passionate Thomas, and stocking up on our favorites. When I first started bringing home these uniquely flavored vinegars, my husband declined to try them on his salad or vegetables. He said he didn’t care for vinegar. (Think the horrible vinegar our mothers used to use.) But when he finally did try them, he became a raving fan. He’s the first to pick out which vinegar he wants on our salad or which to season fish or chicken. I have one shelf in my pantry housing only California Balsamic vinegar. (It’s so hard to decide which to buy when they all taste extraordinary.)
When we saw Thomas last November, he told us about his connection with Chef AJ. I’m delighted to hear how she’s expanded his business, and that he’s developing new products with herbs as a result of the response he has received from her hand her followers. He said he had several people shop at his booth this past weekend who heard about him from Chef AJ.
One unique use I found for his Very Cherry Vinegar is on chocolate ice cream. Sounds very strange, but it’s fabulous. Give it a try.
Hi Lynn,
Thomas is a gem and we love his vinegars! Thank you so much for sharing your love of his vinegars!
Happy Cooking,
Tami
Hi Tami ~ I just found your website and have enjoyed 2 videos so far on your salads. Wow! Thank you for the inspiration! I’m very interested in these balsamic vinegars~so many flavors!! I’m thinking of ordering Chef AJ’s favorite sampler, but thought I might order a full size as well and get 2 more sample sizes. Which of the flavors would you say is the most useful (I guess that’s what I’m trying to ask)? I’m diabetic, so probably a more savory I’m thinking. Thanks for any suggestion you have!
HI Julie, I am glad you found me! What flavors to get all depends on your personal flavor profile likes. I enjoy the Gilroy Garlic, Sweet Heat, Blazin Habanero, Simply Lemon and the Teriyaki. I like all the flavors I have bought. I don’t think you can wrong with any of them! Enjoy,
Tami
Hi Tami- I just received my first sqmpler order of the small bottles and am excited to try them! Next month I’ll go to the Art in the Park Festival here in Las Vegas Oct 5/6 to order bigger bottles. I know you have a video on how to refill the little bottles, but I can’t find it! Please help- thanks for all you and Tom do!
Hi Amy!
To refill the bottles I just take the lid off and pour from the bigger bottle – it works great!
Enjoy those vinegars!
Tami
Just wanted you to know that California Balsamic Vinegar is having a special for the month of August 2020. Buy 3 of the 8.4oz or 12.7oz and choose 2 @ $10 travel sizes as a complementary addition to your order. You still will get 2 @ 1.6oz trail sizes as well, but make sure to explain what you want when ordering. See their website for more info.
Thank you!