Nature Walking...

Hedgerow Elixir

I Had such a lovely day yesterday collecting ripe fruits from the hedgerows to make this lovely elixir.. diluted in hot water, it's a delicious way to end the day when the winter chill sets in. Full of Vitamin C it strengthens the immune system and leaves a warm afterglow... And just look who popped out of the hedge bottom to make their presence felt...

Ingredients
Altogether you will need roughly 2 kg or 4 lbs of fruit it really depends on what's available on the day
Yesterday I gathered
1 kg/2 lbs  of elderberries taken off the stalk
500 grams/ 1lb of rosehips
300 grams/10 oz hawthorn haws
200 grams/7 oz blackberries
1 pint/ 500 mls water
2 inches bashed fresh ginger root
2x 2 inch cinnamon sticks
A couple of star anise
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp allspice
A couple of pounds of sugar or honey (depending on how much juice you make)
A glug about 5 fl oz of Brandy (if you like)

Method

1. Pop all the fruit, water and spices into a pan, cover and bring to the boil
2. Simmer for about an hour
3. Mash up and leave to cool (overnight if possible)
4. Strain the fruit from the juice through a muslin in a sieve

5. To each pint/500 mls add either a pound/500 grams of sugar or 12 oz/750 grams of honey return to the pan and bring back to the boil

6. Simmer for 15 mins

7. Cool, add the brandy (optional) 

8. Pour into clean, sterilised bottles and set aside until winter sets in...

Tumeric paste and golden milk

Tumeric paste

Ingredients 

1/2 cup tumeric powder

1 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons coconut oil

Method 

1: Combine everything in a saucepan

2: Stir the mixture over a medium heat until it combines and makes a paste

3: Cook out for about 5 mins 

4: Cool, put in a suitable container and refrigerate ( will store for up to two and a bit weeks)  

Now to make a delicious cup of golden milk

Golden Milk

Ingredients 

1: 1 cup of milk (this can be any milk)

2: 1 teaspoon turmeric paste (as above)

3: 1 teaspoon coconut oil

4: Sweetner of choice 

Method

1: Combine milk, tumeric paste and coconut oil in a saucepan 

2: Gently heat until just under boiling 

3: sweeten to taste...

Soda bread

Ingredients
For one loaf
250 grams wholemeal flour
250 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon salt
400 mls kefir or buttermilk

Note: I use spelt flour because my daughter is intolerant to normal wheat and kefir because we always seem to have a surplus.

Method
1. Place dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them together
2. Add the kefir or buttermilk
3. Bring the mixture together into a soft dough... but no heavy kneading
4. Shape into a round and slash a cross right across quite deeply
5. Place on a well greased baking tray and rest for 20 mins
6. Preheat oven to gas mark 6
7. Bake for about 30 mins until bread sounds hollow when smacked on the bottom.