Elderflowers- Jelly & Fizz

Every October I start looking out for the first elderflowers.

 I just adore the sweetly scented bridal flowers.

They are also lovely medicinal plants- both the flowers & the berries being good medicine.

I am often drawn to posts with recipes for using the fragrant flowers, but when I look further I realise that they are really quite impractical- fritters & sugary cordials don't particularly work for me as useful food.

However, healing jellies & elderflower fizz certainly do!

So here is our simple little recipe for making both, in small batches, using 1 litre Agee or Mason jars.

As soon as the elders begin to flower we keep our eyes peeled for accessible bushes.

And gather just what we need- a little at a time.

This way we can make a dozen batches over the flowering season.

So- to a large Agee jar add 6-8 flower heads (no leaves & no washing- just shake the flowers out a little to dislodge any insects) & the juice of a lemon.

Add some lemon slices too, if you like.

Then pour boiling water over the flowers to fill the jar- once it's cooled a little, add a large tablespoon of honey. I'm sure you can use sugar if you like- dissolve it in to the hot liquid.

Pop the lid on & leave to sit for 24- 48 hours.

Strain through a sieve & using a funnel fill a small grolsch (or similar) bottle.

Clip down the lid & leave for 3-7 days.

You can check on the fizz from time to time if you like- it'll re-carbonate itself.

Take care when you take the lid off as it can froth everywhere.

The fizz is created by the action of the natural yeasts & pollens in the flowers.

Adjust the amount of honey to taste.

Chill well before serving.

The other half of the strained liquid is what we use to make elderflower jellies.

The quantity left will fill two small (225ml) Agee or jam jars perfectly.

How to make the jelly:

In a small pot soak 2 level tsps of powdered gelatine in half a cup of the elderflower liquid.

Stir together & then leave to soak a few minutes.

Set over gentle heat & stir to dissolve the gelatine.

Cool, then and in the rest of the liquid.

Taste & add more lemon juice or more honey to taste.

Pour in to the two jars, pop on the lids & in to the fridge they go.

 Perfectly portable, great for picnics & travelling. Lovely with roasted strawberries & yoghurt.
Makes a delicious breakfast or dessert. And best of all, is wonderfully healing & nourishing for the digestive system.

Katie

Cultured Veges

Cultured foods are life giving, life changing staples in our house these days.

Variations of sauerkraut are made here on a regular basis & once matured last for a really long time if not gobbled up.

Sometimes I make a large bowl full, other times just a small jar.

Each batch has it's own character.

Our favourite basic combination is grated/sliced red cabbage, beets of some kind (the pink one is choggia) peppers, (any & all colours) fresh ginger, turmeric, garlic & sometimes a little chilli too.

Once all the veggies are prepared & in a nice large bowl add a good tbsp of real salt....moist sea salt, celtic or himalayan. Lots of ground black pepper. Some coriander seeds if you like & anything else that appeals to you at the time. 

I like to mix the whole thing altogether with my hands to get everything well distributed & the juices running in the veges.

Then cover & leave a few hours or overnight to soften up.

Next, spoon in to large (or small!).

 agee jars pushing it all down as you go.

Lastly, top up with clean water (unflouridated by choice)

Sometimes I add a sachet of Mad Millies or other cultured vege starter to maximise the vitamin k2 component, other times I just make it as is.

Press down some more to release any air bubbles, put on a lid tightly & leave on the bench where you can keep an eye on things

Very soon all will start to bubble & burp & overflow so pop a don't-care-if-it-stains-dish underneath it for the week. Check every so often & push it all down in to the liquid from time to time.

If necessary top up with more water & a little more salt.

After about a week it'll all calm down & start to taste & smell good.

In the next week it'll be great. 

Generally I keep my ferment in the fridge about now.

This method works just fine for me so I don't bother with air locks & fussing.

Probably don't use a metal lid though.

I bought some really good white plastic ones on Trade Me that fit the old agee jars.

Here's another combination that had carrots & celery in it.

Keeps for ages & tastes better & better as it matures.

I'll add some more pictures next time I make some more.
Why eat cultured foods?
Because: "If your gut is not healthy, you are not healthy. Period. Our immune system is rooted in our gut, and if it gets out of whack, it leads to a cascade of things that can create to impaired health and chronic illness. In addition, research is proving that there is a direct link between gut health and mental health indicating that those suffering from depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders may have poor gut health. If we work to heal the gut, we can correct many of these conditions."
Quote from Delicious Obsessions

Kombucha

It seems everyone you meet these days has a different idea about what constitutes healthy eating, yet I've never heard more complaints about food allergies & intolerances & general pickiness. I no longer bother debating the ins & outs of these things, what I do know, is that it's all about the gut & who lives there! 80% of our immune system is tucked in there in our guts...trillions of bacteria both good & bad. So many things contribute to the balance between them all & how that works out for us. We've been taught all our lives that we get sick because bugs come along & jump on us but that's just not true. Those good & bad microbome that comprise our immune systems are effected by so many variables: antibiotics, diet, sugar, stress etc & if they get all out of kilter so do we.

We can give up meat & do the no more sugar thing, we can become vegan or go paleo but what really matters is the state of the trillions! 

Donna Schwenck of Cultured Food Life says it this way:

"The Trilogy! Kefir, Kombucha, Cultured Vegetables. My powerhouse team. When first starting out I recommend picking one and learning to make and consume it. They are very powerful and will detox your body like nothing else! Together they provide different strands of good bacteria and help heal the body in similar but diverse ways. The more diverse your gut bacteria, the healthier you are!"

So...let's begin with kombucha.
Fermented tea.
When we first began making kombucha we made it this way. The weird looking thing in the jar, floating in tea is the scoby (mother).

The thing about change or trying new things is we all tend to resist it (a bit) or flag quite quickly & then waste our resources.

So however we do it we need to find a way that we can manage...long term, 'cos that's what's going to make the difference. If you're keen you can look up kombucha making, join a group or read a book. This is the way that works for us & it is so very simple. It puts you right there in touch with your booch & you're not going to end up with exploding bottles or vinegar because you left your brew too long. However you make your kombucha you're going to need some good strong flip top bottles. These ones are Grolsch beer bottles found in various op-shops & at galas.

We brew our kombucha right there in the bottle.

So...if you've got yourself a little scoby like this one below, you'll need to brew some tea.
Black tea is best. Try it first before you go getting all fancy-pants about your flavours.
We have 3 2 litre bottles that we work through on a rotational basis.
As we get to the end of one bottle (leave a cup or so at the bottom & the scoby) we boil the jug, grab the large trusty teapot, stick in 2-3 tea bags & let it brew & go cold. Next time you see it sitting there tip the pot full of tea in to the bottle (through a funnel & sieve if using tea leaves) along with a rounded 1/4 cup of raw sugar. (or to your taste).
Flip down the lid & there you go!
Our favourite brew is hibiscus or 1/2 hibiscus 1/2 organic dried rose petals which produces a light, delicious & effervescent brew that is hugely popular with everyone who tries it. Use a large heaped tablespoon of hibiscus tea or about 1/2 a cup of the mix of rose petals & hibiscus (sabridiffa) to a 6 cup tea pot for this variation. 1/3 hibiscus, a 1/3 rose petals & a 1/3 double pink hawthorn flowers with a leaf or two of rose scented geranium is even better.
Now here is the rhythm- each day or every second day, you'll need to release the lid & "feel" the pressure (you can tip some out & taste it if you like so you know what's going on) After about 3- 5 days (longer in winter, shorter in the heat of summer) you'll have a good fizzy brew that tastes delicious.

Start out small, (same bottles) drink small amounts & gradually build up the quantity so that you don't go & overwhelm your body & make yourself feel sick or feel burdened  about care-taking your brews. This stuff is alive & powerful. Kombucha is your friend!
About every six months we clean out our bottles & check the little scobies, halving them if necessary.
If you're going away & can't find a kombucha sitter just pop the bottles in to the fridge.
Once you've got clever & you're loving it, then you can start experimenting with the kinds of tea-adding juices or fruit to make a second ferment & so forth.
 If I've given you a scoby (or you've sourced one) & you're not quite sorted when you get home, don't worry it can just sit there in a jar with sweetened tea for quite a while 'til you're ready.

You can also add kombucha to a smoothie, soak mustard in it, make it in to a jelly....
If you want to brew yours another way or need a bit of support there's a good New Zealand group on Facebook. You can find them here.

Good Luck!!

Catherine

Honey Fermented Fruit

We love fresh fruit just as it is but, sometimes it's even better if it's fermented in a little honey. There is so much wonderful fresh fruit available just now. Fermenting small jars-full is a fabulous solution for using up fruit that needs to be dealt with quickly before it goes off, or savouring the amazing flavours & goodness of some of the wonderful summer berries around.  

All you need is a clean jar, then:
Add washed fruit...slice or dice larger pieces
Drizzle over a large tablespoon of liquid honey
(I adore Rewa Rewa honey from Arataki. It's only $10 a kilo, which I think is amazing value!)
Let the honey melt through the fruit.
Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top of peaches, apricots or nectarines to help stop the top layer going brown (although they still taste fine).
Pop on the lid & keep on the bench for about 3 days.
Invert the jar daily to let all the juices run through all the fruit & to release any pressure created by the fermentation process. Taste & sniff as you go & add more honey if required especially for tart plums etc.
Once fermented store in the fridge. It'll keep for weeks. I'll let you know how I get on after months.

Cherries, black raspberries (thanks to the marvellous Lesley!!), a few wine berries & some pineapple.

Apricots & strawberries.

The last lot of raspberries I made in to the most amazing jelly. The flavour was superb & gelatine is so good for you too. I will add to this post as I discover more about preserving & enhancing fruit through fermentation.

Amazing Overnight Museli

Decades ago I remember reading about Dr Bircher's special muesli & I learned to make it & love it.
This version is very similar but even better than the original.
Soaked overnight, it becomes so marvellously delicious & digestible.
It can be made in any quantity: small jars or large & is fantastic to take with you if you're travelling.
The balance of ingredients & quantites are entirely up to you, your preferences & what you have available.
In to my jar I put:
1-1 1/2 cups of rolled oats
1/2 cup of chia seeds
4 or 5 chopped dried figs
1/2 cup chopped prunes
2 tbsps of goji berries
1- 2 tbsp of liquid honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
a sprinkling of cinnamon
Mix all together, then add
1 (or more) cup of yoghurt or kefir
1/2 cup of cream or whole milk
Stir again. Pop on the lid & in to the fridge.
It will all thicken up overnight & be amazing in the morning.
If making a small jar full just adjust the amounts accordingly.
We especially like chopped bananas &/or strawberries added in to this mixture.
Even better add some fermented fruit in the morning.
The best thing we've discovered since...well, Bircher muesli!

Serve with more fruit if you like.

A note about kefir...

Most people use kefir "grains" to make milk kefir, a wonderful ferment a little like yoghurt but so much better for you & your gut health. I personally prefer using a kefir starter powder & from there I can make at least a dozen jars consecutively from there. I find this kefir smooth, mild & silky & all you have to do is mix 2 tbsps of the last batch into the next jar of room temperature milk, stir, cover & sit on the bench for 48 hours. Once set refrigerate.

Nothing could be simpler!