Last night, courgettes were in the bargin bucket in the local co-op.  So I took home, 2 very big, & mint condition  courgettes for 20p & stuck one in a juicer, with 3 slighly sad looking kiwi fruits. I was planning on executing a banana into this drink but after tasting just the kiwi & courgette I decided to leave it at that.

Very refreshing, low calorific value & a good fix of folate, Vitamins A, C & E .  And kiwi’s have almost as much potassium as a banana. Nice!

P.S   NO MICE WERE INJURED IN THE MAKING OF THIS SMOOTHIE

I tried making this for the first time tonight. It’s quick, tasty & nutritious plus has the added theraputic benefit of a forrage in the woods to pick the nettles.

Ingredients:-

About 6 oz stigging nettles

2 big cloves of garlic

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup pine nuts

approx 100ml olive oil

salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method:-

Rinse the nettles, then blanch in boiling water for about 1 minute.

Strain the nettles, decant ont a chopping board & roughly chop.

Put the nettles, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil & seasoning into a bowl & blitz with a hand blender or put all the ingredients into a food processor & blitz away.

Simple, tasty dressing for pasta, fish or salad & ready in 2 minutes.

Well, the festival season is nearly upon us & decent weather here at last.  There was a lot of talk  & enthusiasm amongst my fellow campers last year about making Elderflower Champagne.  Of course I tried to make some & yes it was worth it. Bucket loads of Elderflower champagne for just a few pence a bottle.

To make approx 2 dozen bottles, all you need is the following:-

About 30 Elderflower heads, picked in the prim of their blooming ( End of May- beginning of June is usually a good time ) by July most are starting to die off.

2kg Sugar

6 litres water

4 lemons

2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

Bucket & a muslin cloth or an old, clean t.towel or t.shirt. I used an old dress and parcel tape to secure it to the bucket.

Then Simply:

Heat  4 litres of water & put into your ( spotlessly clean ) bucket along with the sugar. Let the sugar dissolve, then add annother 2 litres of cold water.

Zest & juice the lemons & add to the bucket, add the vinegar & pre rinsed Elderflower heads.

cover with muslin & leave in a cool, airy position for 2-3 days.

Check the brew for signs of fermentation, i.e is it getting foamy? Elderflowers should naturally ferment the brew,but if there are no signs of fermentation add a pinch of yeast at this stage.

Leave the bucket alone for 4 more days, then strain through your muslin & bottle up. Do make sure you sterilise the bottles first! Seal & leave to ferment for 8 more days & serve chilled.

These do not have a long shelf life, but if you drink it within the first few weeks you should enjoy some refreshing, tasty & cheep home brew champagne.

Ever faniced a BLT for lunch but didn’t have a lettuce?

What to do then /  Go and buy a lettuce or some limp, tasteless, clinically bagged salad.?  And how much is a little gem or lollo rosso down the shops these days? Anything from 60p - £120 at a guess.

Why not… ( at this time of year ), step into the garden and pick a few, young dandelion leaves. They are free, they have a taste, you just pick what you need, saving on unnessesary waste. At the same time weeding your garden.

Dandelions whip the pants of most supermarket bought lettuces nutritionally too!

You might as well pick a dandelion flower too, put it on the side of your plate for a garnish & feel pampered & extravagent by swerving commercialism and enjoying the riches of your garden.

No, this is no discounted special offer. Just the wonderful power of nature itself. No Dr’s. No painful red, burning face for days & days.

I have never, ever facied the idea of having a chemical peel to make me look younger, get rid of my lines or whatever reasons people put themselfs through unessesary rish & pain for.

But…… that has changed. I will probably now have 1 weekly, or at least on a regular basis.

There is a fab series running at the moment called ” Grow your own drugs “.

Etnobotanist James Wong shows how to make natural treatments for certain ailments, such as motion sickness, insomnia, and the common cold as well as showing how you can make your own beauty treatments using bits of nature picked from your garden & hedgerows or local shop.

One of the treatments in his episode about fruit was a kiwi & papaya face mask.

I tried it tonight & it is great!

All you need is:

1 kiwi fruit

1 lime

1/2 papaya

2 sachets of gelatine

click on this link to see all James Wongs recipies in the eries or to view episode:

www.bbc.co.uk/growyourowndrugs

I enjoyed the preparation of making the peel in my kitchen & the applied it warm. It felt & smelt wonderful.

I left it on for 1 hour & sat at my desk, perusing the net peeling bits off my face. The bits I peeled off looked like transparrant satsuma peel. When I felt that I was being mingin enough, peeling away at my face I went and washed my face in warm water. My face now feels smooth as a babys bum & feels, oh so clean. I don’t think my face has felt any cleaner after a sauna & steamroom session. It’s that good! And still a bit tingly now, 1 hour after rinsing. But, it is a clea tingle, not a stingy one.

When I was peeling the drier parts it reminded me of a slightly evil thing I did years ago to an ex boyfriend.

We were sitting on the floor, in a darkened room, infront of an open fire, slightly inebriated & watching the original Alien film. I got up to go to the loo during an ad break & saw on my bathroom shelf a peel off face mask. I applied it a sat rapidly in front of the tv again. I waied ’til a second before the bit where the dogs head splits open like a banana & an alien bursts out of it. I pocked my ex in the ribs and said hey watch this & pulled my face off! He freaked for a second. Much better reaction than I anticipated.

Anyway, I really recomend this kiwi & papaya face mask. I also recomend the programme ” grow your own drugs “.

James Wong as mentioned above, is an ethnobotanist.   Ethobotany is the scientific study of the relationship between people & plants & combines the knowledge of botany, chemistry & anthropology.

Groovy job.  Gardening should be in the school curriculum.

Ingredients:

4oz softened butter

6oz granulated sugar

2 eggs

3 ripe mashed bananas

3 oz raisins & shredded coconut

8 oz self raising flour

1/2 t.spoon salt

1/2 t.spoon nutmeg

pinch cinamon

few drops vanilla essence

1/2 t. spoon bicarb

Method:

Cream butter & sugar together

beat in the eggs, one at a time

add mashed bananas

sift in the flour, salt & spices then gently fold the mixture

add vanilla essence & bicarb

pour into a greased 1lb loaf tin

bake for approx 1 hour in 180 degree c ,pre heated oven & enjoy!

My friend went to give my dog a treat the other night and asked if it was o.k to give her a fruit shortcake biscuit.

Nope, not that, it has raisins that dogs can’t digest, have you got any cheese?

Craig opened the fridge and offered parmesan?

Have you got any cheddar?

I’ve got this nice ham, she’ll like ham.

Not that though it’s formed.

It’s ham.

It’s formed, if I won’t eat it I won’t give it to my dog.

Now Craig does think that I am a little extreme at times with my feelings towards food, but he was also very dissapointed that the ham was formed. He saw the ham in the shop and as it looked like just plain unadulterated ham he bought it not noticing that it was clearly labeled ” from formed cuts of meat”. He decided then that he didn’t want it either.

Many people I meet think that I am vegetarian & then learn that I will eat meat & also things that some may find a bit repulsive, I will try pretty much anything as long as I know where it’s been, and if it’s from a good source and undoctored that usually good enough. I dispise the hidden chemical additives that is sneeked into our food for monetary gain  & corporate monopoly and it is not restricted to human food. Although some bought dog food actually contains less disturbing ingredients than is allowed to be labeled “fit for human consumption”. Read Fast Food Nation if you really want to know what is legally allowed to be put into burgers, sausages, nuggets etc and you may think dog food pie to be a more tempting option.

Well rant almost over with,

Here is a recipe for treats I make for my dog, which any dog that has tried just loved. It’s also the stuff that my brother ate after the pub unaware that I had made it for the dog.

Liver cake:

1 lb lambs liver   chopped

2 cloves of garlic  chopped

2 eggs

4 oz  plain flour

Stick all ingredients into a bowl and blitz it with a mixer. Scrape into a loaf tin ( no need to grease ) and bake 180 % until firm. Cutinto chunks when it has cooled. I put the batch in the freezer and take out a couple of days worth at a time.

I can’t remember where I first saw this idea. Probably from a magazine but, I have been using this facepack recipe for years.

What you need is……

1 small tub of natural yoghurt

1 ripe banana

1 tablesppon of honey

What to do is…….

Decant the yoghurt into a bowl, mash the banana and add that to the bowl. Finally add about a tablesppon of honey and mix it up. Then smear it all over your face, mind not to get it into your eyes but if you accidently lick some….bonus…as it is rather yummy. Leave it on for 10-20 minutes. Wash off with warm water and relish in the fact that your face feels as smooth as a babys bottom. Any left overs can be put in the fridge for 2nd application a day or 2 later.

I remember making this face pack when I stayed at my dad’s a few years ago. My brother asked me ( after he had been on a heavy drinking session the night before ) What was that stuff in the fridge last night? What stuff, I replied , and he said “that weird cake”. I told him that it was a liver cake that I had cooked for treats for my dog and then realised that he had eaten some when he got home with the munchies. He said the pudding was quite nice though. “Bill you muppet, you ate my dogs liver cake and my facepack” was my reply. I didn’t mind at all though. It was pretty funny at the time & still makes me smile whenever I make a facepack.

I was looking through a recipe book the other night looking for a recipe for pakora. On my shelf was a recipe book that I bought at Samye Ling Tibetan Monastry in the Scottish borders. I saw a recipe for Colostrum which I found rather strange but now it makes more sense.

Colostrum is the “first milk” produced from a cow when it’s young are born, otherwise known as “beastings”. I found this a little strange as I had been under the impression that the Monks at Samye Ling were supposed to be vegan or at least very strict vegetarian. Well that was what I belived before I stayed there for a couple of nights a few years ago. Yes, the food served was healthy vegetarian wholefood. The prridege was inedible though ( the most wallpaper paste consistency I have ever known for porridge. I am glad that I love it raw now so will not offend anyone who offers me a bowl that I can’t eat without gagging!

The other things I found bizzare about staying there was “the smoking corner down by the burn” as this is supposed to be a strictly no smoking, no drinking site, hence why I booked myself in there for 2 nights and headed there with some herbal teas, yoga mat and NO tabacco ( as I was wanting a chilled out place to start my nicotine withdrawl from). Then I overheard a monk saying that he had bacon & eggs for breakfast tomorrow and inviting his friend round to share it. Then the really funny one was when the firealarm went off about 2am and a monk was going a bit beserk swearing openly about the guy who was the one nominated to attend any firedrills and the going beserk monk was ranting that he should have been in his bloody caravan. Samye Ling is a pretty stunning place in the middle of such beautiful countryside but it did not meet my expectations of a chilled environment with everyone mucking in on the daily food prep and gardening chores I had read about.

Here is the recipe from the Samye Ling cookery book:

Colostrum, also known as “first milk” or “beasings”, is the milk which comes from the cow directly after calving/ First milk contains 20% albuminous matter and has a very yellow colour. Sinve ther is often too much for the young calf, we often get our custard from the excess beastings. As it coagulates upon heating, due to the high albumen content, just put in a pirex or baking trays, sprinkle ground nutmeg on top and bake in a moderate oven until set.

I looked up colostrum in Tibetan culture:

In Tibetan culture it is noted that colostrum has especially regenerative properties & it symbolises spirtual nourishment and the abandonment of negative actions.

On googling stinging nettles, I found it a bit of a shame to see that there were as many sites on how to get rid of stinging nettles as there was on their many uses.  But one thing  came up on google that was amusing news to me was the world nettle eating championships, here is the link to BBC story  http://www.bbc.co.uk/dorset/content/articles/2005/06/17/nettle_eating_feature.shtml

Medicinal uses:

For centuries nettles have been used in medicinal use in the forms of a tincture, ointment, compress, tea or powdered form.

They are packed with vitamin C and also contain vitamins A, B1, B2, vitamin E and Vitamin K as well as containing Iron and calcium and magnesium.

Gout:

Gout is caused due to a build up of uric acid in the blood which leads to join inflammation. Taking nettles can help to flush out excess uric acid from the blood.

Bronchitis and pleurisy:

As nettles have anti-viral  and expectorant properties and are said to be good to clear the chest of mucus.

Asthma:

The antihistamine properties make nettles good for those suffering with asthma.

Colds and flu:

Nettles can help to fight off signs of colds and flu, due to the anti viral properties and the levels of vitamin C.

Depression:

Vitamin B levels in nettles can help to elevate mood.

Hayfever.

The anthisthamine in the nettles will help to give a resistance to hay fever symptoms.

Uses in the garden:

Nettle leaves are used by ladybirds to rear their larve on so giving your garden help against aphids from your fruit and vegetable crops. Other uses are as a fungicide and insecticide.

There is a great book, 101 uses for stinging nettles by Piers Warren. For more detail of the many wonderful uses of this fantastic plant

click on this link to view the cover , or to buy the book http://www.wildeye.co.uk/stinging-nettles/

I was given this book for Christmas a couple of years ago, and it still surprises me when I look at the book to see just  how many ways nettles can be good for our gardens and our bodies.

Spring treat:

One of my favorite spring activities is the first time in a year when I go into some woodland to find the early, small, young nettles. I now keep a pair of thick rubber gloves and a carrier bag in the glove compartment of my car ready for nettle picking. With most things that I pick I do not bother donning gloves,  as I do not mind a little staining from berries etc, but nettles are a different matter completely when it comes to the consequences of picking to make a big batch of my nettle soup.

My nettle soup recipe:

Gently fry a couple of large onions and a couple of handfulls of green lentils in a little butter and oil. This is best done in the biggest pan you can find in the kitchen.

Add a couple of large potatoes ( diced ) and fry for a couple of minutes.

Vegatable stock then needs to be added and when the potatos have softened add your nettles.

This is why I suggested using the biggest pan as they will overflow if the pan is not gigantic, but they very quickly wilt so push the pile of nettle into the liquid quickly.

The amount you will need is about 1 carrier bag full. These need of course to be washed well, and can be done by tipping out the bag into cold water and with gloved hands, moving the water around to rinse. Repeat this and drain the water and any little bugs that are left will be killed in the cooking process, adding a bit of extra protein!

The nettles cook quickly so there is no need to simmer for very long.

Season with a good amount of grated nutmeg, salt and pepper and blitz using a hand blender.

The finnished soup will be thick in consistency and be a lush green in colour & is  good served with a little swirl of double cream. Nettle soup is an especially  comforting luch when served with a good wholemeal bread, cheese sandwich to dunk into the funky green, vitamin packed soup.