   I have been having the best fun this year, expanding my foraging repertoire, with my most knowlegeable friend Vicky, of The Little Foragers Kitchen! In fact we have been running some joint outdoor workshops, at Cadder Wharf, among the trees, enjoying the fresh air and learning all about natures amazing healing plants and how to use them in delicious and creative ways! . So hawthorn ketchup is new to me, and my first attempt wasn't a great success! I had picked the berries when they weren't quite ripe enough, so took ages to break down and by the time I had blended and sieved it, there was hardly anything left! . So not to be deterred I left it a few weeks, until the haw berries were much riper, and this time it turned out great! So the motto is, If at first you don't suceed, try, try and try again!! Also Practice makes perfect!! . So now I can share my recipe, and the good news is you can harvest haw berries throughout October, they are perfect for harvesting now. . You can freeze the berries in 500g amounts, so you can make this delicious ketchup whenever you want. . I have a stash of rosehips, elderberries, brambles, haw berries and sloe berries in the freezer to use throughout the year. . So hawthorn is a wonderful plant, classed as an adaptagen, which supports the heart and circulation. The flowers and leaves are also edible, as well as the lovely berries in the autumn. . Always be 100% sure of correct identification when you are collecting any wild berries, there are similar ones which are not edible and can make you rather ill. Look at the leaf shape as well as the berries, there are many plant apps which you can use to identify plants correctly. . So onto the recipe, you can vary the flavour of the ketchup by adding different spices, chilli flakes, and garlic, or go down the warming spice route with allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, for a deliciously fruity, rich and intense ketchup, which is what I chose! . This ketchup is delicious served with veggie burgers, veggie sausages, stirred into casseroles, blended with chickpeas and tahini for a delicious dip or mixed with natural yoghurt to serve with falafel. It tastes almost like HP sauce but a much healthier version! . So here is the recipe . Ingredients- makes around 350mls ketchup
Method 1. Remove all the stalks from the haw berries and give them a wash. 2. Put the berries in a pan with the apple cider vinegar and water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the berries start to soften and split. This can take from 30 minutes to nearer an hour if your berries are hard. You may need to top it up with hot water 3. Push the mixture through a sieve to remove all the stones and skins. Use a wooden spoon to really push it through. If your mixture looks dry then add extra boiling water and give it a good mix before you sieve it. You need around 300 to 350 mls. 4. Return the pulp to a clean pan and add the sugar, spices, salt and pepper. 5. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, and then simmer gently for around 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 6. Transfer to a sterilised jar or bottle.* To sterilise your bottle, wash it in hot soapy water, rinse it well then put in the oven at 140 C for around 15 minutes. Alternatively put your bottles and jars through a hot cycle in the dishwasher.
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 So just had to share this! My wee probiotic chia seed pudding was divine!
. Not only is it probiotic, from the soya kefir, its packed with prebiotic fibre from the chia seeds, strawberries & goji berries AND I added a tablespoon of inulin powder to the strawberries to sweeten them up a bit and add extra fibre for my wee gut buddies! . So this was so simple and SO good, I'm sharing it with all you healthy people! . I can think of all sorts of wonderful combinations! . So the key thing is to use enough chia seeds to thicken up your pudding, which is 2 1/2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of plant milk or kefir. This makes enough for 1 serving! Just mix and put in the fridge for 15 mins to thicken up. . Then just get creative with fruit, nuts, seeds, coconut, edible flowers, citrus zest or even some nice fruity jam, or anything else you fancy! . I chopped up some strawberries and added 1 spoonful of inulin powder, then mashed them up a bit. . Some vanilla extract would be a lovely addition or also some lemon zest. So just put a layer of chia pudding in a nice serving glass, add a layer of fruit, then another layer of chia pudding, another layer of fruit, and some healthy or decadent toppings! . I will be making lots of these, a gut healthy delicious wee treat for me and my gut buddies!! . Hope you give this a go! . Here are a few other flavour options;
Just use your imagination and use whatever you have available. . Almond, cashew, soya, hemp or coconut milk would all work well so again just use what you have! . If you have milk kefir grains, then consider making some plant based kefir to boost the benefits of your wee pudding to superstar status! .  I have been making kefir for a few years now, I make dairy kefir using organic full fat milk, which I separate into curds & whey, which I use for my skin and hair. . I also make organic soya kefir and coconut kefir, which is the most delicous thick and creamy probiotic food on the planet! . Think yoghurt on steroids and you have kefir! . Yoghurt only contains 2 or 3 strains of probiotics, whereas kefir can have up to 40 different ones, so its the gold standard of probiotic foods! . Its also the most simple to make! . I have been experimenting with different plant based milks and have had consistently great results with both Provamel and Sojade organic soya milks. These contain no emulsifiers or other dodgy additives which can damage the kefir grains. They are purely organic soya beans and water. . So all you need to make your own delicious plant based kefir is a tablespoon of milk kefir grains and 500mls good quality plant milk. . Simply add the grains to the milk in a glass jar, give it a stir, cover it with a cloth and give it a shake every few hours to distribute the kefir grains evenly throughout the milk. The grains tend to clump together at the top so shaking the jar helps to move them. Leave at room temp. . Then just wait 12 to 18 hours until your kefir has thickened, pour it through a sieve to catch the grains, pour the kefir into a bottle, and put the grains back in the original jar and add more milk to start the process again. . If you want to slow the process down then just put it into the fridge, then your kefir will be ready in around 3 days! You can see when the kefir starts to form wee whey pockets, if you overferment it, it will separate out into 2 distinct layers. It's still fine to use, it will just be more sour and not quite as delicious, but just give it a good shake to mix it before you strain it to remove the grains. . I add a strip of lemon peel to my kefir for flavour and extra nutrition. Then I use it in smoothies, poured over fruit, in overnight oats, probiotic chocolate or salad dressing! I have tried blending the kefir with fresh fruit but have found that it separates out and doesn't stay nice and thick. So just blend what you need and drink it right away. . Its also more versatile to flavour kefir with lemon, you can then use it in sweet or savoury dishes. Lemon zest is a fabulous source of polyphenols which our gut bacteria love. . I use organic lemons to avoid any toxic pesticide residues which may affect the beneficial probiotics. Also remove all the white pith from the peel, it imparts a bitter taste. All I do is go round a lemon once with a sharp knife to remove a inch or so of peel. I tend to leave the peel in the kefir, it develops more flavour that way. . Bear in mind if you heat kefir you will kill the probiotics so I tend to use it as it is. . Kefir will become more sour the longer you leave it so I tend to use mine within 5 to 7 days. . If its a bit too sour then it makes a great salad dressing blitzed with sun dried tomatoes, basil, fermented garlic and some good quality extra virgin olive oil! . You can buy kefir grains from Happy Kombucha or ask someone who is already making milk kefir for some grains. . I use Grace cartons of coconut milk for deliciously thick coconut kefir, which is 75% coconut extract with no additives. It's a bit more expensive but it won't damage your grains. . Alternatively Aldi cans of full fat coconut milk are also 75% coconut extract and only contain xanthan gum and guar gum, which are actually beneficial for gut health, and can promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut, by acting as a prebiotic food source. . So by all accounts Aldi coconut milk should be great for the kefir grains! . I shall try my kefir grains in Aldi coconut milk for a few weeks and see how they fare! . So in conclusion, just don't try to make kefir with cartons of plant milk, which are mostly water and dodgy additives, with little food to sustain the kefir grains. . Like everything else they can adapt but may not do quite as well as they would with their natural food source, which traditionally is lactose from full fat milk. . The grains also don't grow as vigorously as they would in full fat dairy but so long as they make lovely kefir then it doesn't matter. A tablespoon is enough to make 500mls of kefir every few days, which is enough for most of us. . Happy Fermenting! |
Janice
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