Weeds, nettles, flowers, berries and udder things
Posted by Webmaster | Filed under Edible — Food for you
For centuries flowers have been used in medicine, rituals and religion, their motifs symbolised life and healing. They are used for festivities, religious occasions and to mark the comings and the goings of life.
But flowers have also been part of menus. They can be used in oils, to flavour butters in herbal teas, as decorations, in salads and in cakes or cordials and chefs are using them in degustation menus and featuring them as the hero of the plate.
Take nasturtiums, naturally high in vitamin C and natural antibiotics, they reduce hair loss, help cure fungal problems, reduce colds and can bring on menstruation. In the garden they act to protect plants from insects, trap blackfly and deters aphids, asparagus beetles, cabbage whites, codling moth, whiteflies while attracting the beneficial insects that gobble the nasties.
They are delicious in salads and very sweet. Dried out in the oven they make decorative and tasty chip and go well with kale.
The delicate, edible flower borage, which has a cucumber taste, is an annual plant that grows 2 to 4 feet tall with purplish blue star shaped flowers. Sixteenth-century herbalist, John Gerarde, called this plant ‘make the mind glad’. Growing borage also improves the taste of your tomatoes, strawberries and squash.
Dandelions blow me away with their healing attributes from silica. I have a handful of leaves each morning in a smoothie. Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Dandelion leaves can be used to add flavor to salads, sandwiches, and teas. The roots are used in some coffee substitutes and the flowers are used to make wines. The root can be an appetite stimulant and it can treat some digestive disorders. Today, many herbal doctors use dandelion to purify the liver and gallbladder of toxins. Research indicates that dandelions can treat pneumonia, bronchitis, and other respiratory disorders.
Violets for me hold vivid childhood memories of homemade pattie cakes with crystalised violets made by my grandmother with icing sugar and egg white. I shudder at the cake decoration pitched at children in supermarkets full of artificial colorings, additives and nasty commercial ornamental decorations which seem so far away from any food group let alone nature.
But they aren’t just for decoration. Violets, loaded with phytochemicals and medicinal constituents have been used in the treatment of numerous health problems from the common cold to cancer. The late Euell Gibbons, a proponent of natural diets and the use of the natural foods that grow wild all about us, even referred to them as ‘nature’s vitamin pill.’ A ½ cup serving of leaves can provide as much vitamin C as three orange.
Comfrey offers comfort in its leaves, roots and flowers. It has been called ‘knit-bone’ for its potential to knit broken bones. The allantoin in comfrey is renowned for its ability to rejuvenate old cells, promote growth of new cells, and provide immunity from many infectious diseases.. The name comfrey is believed to come from Latin confera, meaning knitting together. The genus name symphytum means to heal together and for this use it is renowned. The leaves or roots, applied as a wash, poultice or ointment, are used to treat bruising, sciatica, boils, rheumatism, neuralgia, varicose veins, bed sores, wounds, ulcers, insect bites, tumours, muscular pain, pulled tendons, gangrene, shingles and dermatological conditions.
Say no more about the flower named after the wise ones—Elderflowers. Elderberries are one of the highest sources of antioxidants (along with blue berries and cranberries). They are full of flavanoids, amino acids, carotenoids, tannins and vitamins. An immunity detox plant it clears toxins in the lymph glands and is used to help asthmatics. It helps with pollens and to reduce sinusitis and as a tonic to help freckles and blemishes. Recent research has confirmed the efficacy of the elderberry to reduce the strength and duration of coughs and colds, possibly due to their vitamin C content.
Berries have always been part of cooking, however now we are seeing a chefs foraging deeper in the wild for native berries and looking to cultivate and incorporate those that are indigenous to substitute imported and non seasonal. In Australia CSIRO is working with Aboriginal communities and Australian industry harvesters and producers to gather wild berries which offer variety of flavour but also ensure the continuation of traditional food culture in indigenous communities.
Whilst a bowl of moss and some berries may be a little far fetched from your idea of a Monday night family meal we thankfully have chefs and foodies unafraid of serving up nature on a plate, so to speak.
Sadly, some of our foodies are selling their souls and while Masterchef is whisking us off our sofas and into the kitchen, imagine what a Masterplanet would have us doing? Chefs like sporting celebrities are wooed by the advertising contracts of supermarkets to champion fresh food or hold a ‘free range’ chicken, whatever that can mean, however, surely there is an opportunity for those to be more active in their of produce and commitment to ‘freshness’.
I am meandering all over the forest floor but the point I am making is that chefs have a huge opportunity to create more change and educate consumers. Their collective buying power and their foodie appeal with marketers and advertisers provide them with a powerful position to influence change rather than contributing. Stephanie Alexander and Jamie Oliver are two examples of this.
Imagine also a menu designed to heal you. Now that’s food for thought!
Tzatziki with dill, mint and borage flowers
This is a Greek dish, so simple yet such a star, especially in summer. Surrounded by toasted pita bread it is an economical way of accompanying pre-dinner drinks, as a side for lamb barbecues, or to accompany a warm potato salad.
- 10 cucumbers
- pinch salt
- ¼ cup olive oil (Australian of course)
- 500g goat or sheep’s yoghurt
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons dill or mint leaves, chopped
- squeeze lemon juice
- borage flowers
Peel the cucumbers, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Grate finely into a colander (keep a bowl underneath to collect the liquid). I drink this high in silica liquid—cucumbers are great for the skin. Sprinkle with a little salt.
Wearing gloves, take a handful of the cucumber and squeeze to remove more liquid from it several times. Continue to do this a few times in order to remove as much water as possible.
Pat the cucumber dry with kitchen towels then fold into a little olive oil and strained yogurt. Season with the garlic, a little dill or mint leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Arrange borage flowers on top of your tzatziki before serving.
Note: if you’re not growing borage, see if you have a local community garden and perhaps they will allow you to pick a few flower heads.
Notes: Borage is a freely seeding, easy growing annual plant with vivid blue flowers and leaves with the flavor of cucumbers
Elderflower jelly
For the syrup
- ½ litre (2 cups) water
- 200g (1¾ cups) sugar
- 15 elderflowers
- 1 organic unwaxed lemon
- For the jelly
- 800ml (3½ cups) elderflower syrup
- 800g (3½ cups) sugar liquid or dry pectin, according to package instructions
Using a large shallow pan bring the syrup-water and sugar to near boiling point to dissolve the sugar, then cool until warm but not scalding. Add the flowers head down, the juice of the lemon and the two squeezed halves as shown in the picture above. Cover and let them soak for 24 hours. Filter the syrup into a tall pan making sure to squeeze off any liquid from the soaked flowers and lemon. You can use some warm water (100 ml/½ cup) to remove additional syrup from the flowers.
Follow package instructions to make jelly using pectin, the syrup and the additional sugar. Transfer into clean jars and seal.Use after at least one month.
Makes approximately 2½ x 1 pint jars.
Nasturtium, kipfler, dandelion and nectarine salad with honey dressing
A refreshing salad for summer especially good with a sustainable seafood Christmas lunch or organic turkey.
Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil (Australian)
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- ½ inch knob ginger, peeled and finely grated (about 1 tablespoon)
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 1kg kipfler potatoes
- 1 cup of young dandelion leaves
- 6 nectarines
- 1 cup of mint leaves
- A handful of nasturtiums (make sure you pick flowers in the early morning and ensure that these are grow in your garden and not sprayed)
To make the dressing, whisk the oil, lemon juice, honey, and ginger together and season with sea salt and pepper.
Wash and rub your potatoes to clean them. Place in a pot with lightly salted water and boil until just cooked. Remove from water to prevent further cooking and leave to cool.
Wash and spin dandelion leaves.
Cut nectarines into quarters.
Take a large platter and arrange the mint leaves. Add the nectarines and the cooked potatoes. Depending on the size of the potatoes you can half these by cutting them down the middle. Cutting them this way ensures you maintain their defining shape.
Arrange flowers over the salad and drizzle with the dressing.
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Published at the beginning of each season, Sprout is a celebration of local food, producers and cuisine. It is about living sustainably through promoting fresh, seasonal produce from Sydney region farms and encouraging people to make a difference by growing their own food and making sustainable food choices.