by Jutta Russell | Dec 29, 2017 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the search box.
Winter rocket – barbarea vulgaris 
This herb grows about 30 to 60cm (12-24 inches) tall and has shiny, dark green leaves. Between April and July it displays clusters of bright yellow flowers.
This herb shows a particular tolerance to beetles and moth and is the home of choice for many butterfly species. It is often planted on the side of a vegetable patch to encourage pollinators and to make sure the ‘ordinary crop’ is left alone.
Because of the superb flower display, this herb is often sown as a decorative plant and only few know that it is very useful in the kitchen.
How to cultivate it
Winter rocket is easily grown and the leaves are usually harvested before the flowers come out, so up until April. Add these aromatic leaves to your normal salads or steam them with a knob of butter and garlic as a side dish.
In late winter/early spring your body needs vitamins and winter rocket provides you with lot of vitamin C. In fact together with sloe and rosehip, winter rocket is one of the great, home-grown providers of vitamin C. Other health benefits include: blood cleanser and helps to maintain a good functioning digestion.
Here are a few recipes how to use winter rocket
1. Mixed leaf salad bowl
Ingredients: A small head of lettuce (chopped), two handfuls of winter rocket, 2 fresh carrots (cut into small pieces), 4 medium sized tomatoes and a few radishes. Wash and cut to size and then put them into a large salad bowl.
For the dressing: 6 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp wine or apple vinegar, salt, pepper, 2 glove of garlic and a bunch of parsley.
Make the dressing in a separate jar and keep it apart. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix it in with two folks, so the salad is well-covered in dressing.
Tip: Only use as much salad and dressing as you will eat. If you keep them apart, this salad will keep well for a day or two. If the salad leaves start to wilt, then soak them for an hour in vinegar water (a bowl full of cold water and add a tbsp. of cider of wine vinegar). In an hour, the salad will be crisp again.
2. ‘Pick me up’ – tea
Boil 3 cups of water and put them into a jug, then add a handful of winter rocket and leave to steep for 10 minutes. Drain the herbs and fill the tea into a thermos flask, sip throughout the tea. This is a great vitamin C booster and will help you with your concentration, so a ‘must try’ for everybody in the need of a natural boost.
by Jutta Russell | Apr 1, 2015 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the search box.
Dandelion – Taraxacum officinale
Dandelions often grow in lawns and that is a reason why most gardeners see dandelions as a garden pest that spoils their perfect lawn. Only a few people know that the dandelion plant is actually a very useful and healthy kitchen herb.
Its name comes from the French ‘dent de lion’ which means ‘lion’s tooth’. It refers to the shape of the leaves which vaguely resemble lion’s teeth. In the English folklore dandelion is often referred to as ‘piss a bed’, because it has such a strong diuretic effect. That is the reason why dandelion leaves and teas should be used as part of a successful weight loss regime. The dandelion tea is blood cleansing, clears the kidney and bladder and ‘make you go to the loo’. The same effect, if a bit milder, is achieved when eating the fresh dandelions leaves, for example as part of a spring/early summer salad.
The golden flowers need to be harvested before they turn to white blooms that disperse in the wind. Then they can be used to make dandelion honey (please see recipe below) and picked when still yellow, it won’t self-seed as much, keep the dandelion population in check.
The dandelion root is mainly used in form of tinctures for ailments such as gout, rheumatism, as a blood cleanser and for people who suffer from diabetes.
Spring salad bowl:
Take a handful of lettuce, a handful of young spinach leaves, a few leaves of dandelion and mix together with a few cherry tomatoes and slices of cucumber. Then add a few leaves of chopped dandelion leaves. Finally crumble some feta cheese on top and add a dressing of your choice.
My favourite dressing is: 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp of dijon mustard and some pressed garlic, add a few drops of water, mix all together in a jar and add to the salad.
Dandelion honey:
It is quick and easy to do. Dandelion honey is a good alternative to plain white sugar when it comes to sweeten your tea, breakfast porridge or you can even bake with it. Why not ask your children to make it with you, as they can help you gather the bright yellow flowers.For a couple of jars of dandelion honey you will need:
- 150/200 dandelion heads, 1 kg of jam sugar or brown sugar, juice of a lemon. A couple of sterilised glass jars. The easiest way is to collect used jam jars and then boil them in a big pot for a couple of minutes to sterilise them, finally leave them to dry on a kitchen towel. Ideally do this the morning before filling them, so they are still very clean.
- Collect the dandelion heads from your garden and get rid of the green stalks. Then put the flower into a cooking pot and add about 1 litre of cold water.
- Cook the dandelion heads briefly until the water reaches boiling point. Then take the pot off the fire and leave to stand for 24 hours.
- The next day strain the cold mixture through a sieve into another cooking pot. It will leave you with a ‘yellow looking water’. Add about 1 kg of brown sugar (you can also use jam sugar if you don’t want your honey to be runny). Now cook the mixture, whilst occasionally stirring, until it reaches boiling point. Then reduce the flame slightly and cook for another few minutes. At the end, stir in the lemon juice and take off the heat.
- Fill the hot mixture into the sterilized jars and cover the jars with cling film. Leave the jars open until the mixture has cooled down and the put the lid on over the cling film. When stored in a cool, dark place it will keep for a couple of months.
by Jutta Russell | Feb 28, 2015 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the search box.
Tarragon – artemisia dracunculas
Tarragon belongs to the Artemisia family, (like dandelion and vermouth) and comes originally from Siberia and the West coast of the US. It grows over 1m tall and has fine green leaves, which are very aromatic and used in the kitchen.
But tarragon has also medical properties and is especially helpful for the digestion, kidney and bladder, rheumatism and gout. People used to drink tarragon water: Boil one litre of water and leave three to four tarragon twigs in the water, then sip this water throughout the day. Its main health properties is to help the digestion, especially with bloating, but also aids with the production of urine and helps with the general elimination process. It is also an antiseptic and can rid the body of worms and parasites.
It was brought to Europe throughout the Middle Ages by the Crusaders who returned from the Middle East. It was used as a treatment for foul breath, toothache and anaemia. The word ‘tarragon’ is believed to come from ‘tarkhun’ which means little dragon in Arabic, as it was used to heal snake bites. Another herbal recipe prescribes chewing tarragon will help with persistent hiccups.
In the kitchen:
Its aromatic fresh leaves are used in the French or generally Mediterranean kitchen. Tarragon has an aromatic property reminiscent of anise due to the presence of estragole. Taste to put in conjuction with helpful properties for the digestion make it a favourite kitchen herb and it can be found in sauces, such as sauce Bernaise or as flavouring in mustard, soups, salads and even as tarragon vinegar.
Sauce Bernaise:
Ingredients: 1 tbsp water, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1/2 small onion (chopped),
I chopped tarragon leaf (keep the stalk), 1 egg yolk, 75g melted butter, salt and pepper to season.
- Place the vinegar, water, onion, and tarragon stalk into a small saucepan over a medium heat and simmer, until you have half a tablespoon of liquid remaining. Strain the liquid into a bowl and set aside.
- Place the egg yolk and tarragon vinegar reduction into a food processor and blend together until light and frothy.
- With the food processor still running on its slowest speed, add the melted butter, 1 tbsp at a time, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Be careful not to over beat the mixture as it may separate.
- Stir in the chopped tarragon and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
this sauce works well with steak and steamed vegetables
Tarragon salad dressing:
Ingredients: 1 tsp of chopped tarragon, 1 tsp of dijon mustard, 1 tbsp honey, 5 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp of wine vinegar, salt & pepper to season.
Mix all these ingredients together in a big salad bowl and then top up with fresh leaf salad mixed with ruccola or raddicio salad. Mix the salad, so the dressing coats lightly all the leaves.
by Jutta Russell | Nov 29, 2014 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the search box.
Dill – Anethum graveolens 
Dill is an annual herb that has feathery leaves and a distinctive aromatic smell. It grows about 2 feet tall and has feathered leaves.
Dill, like caraway and fennel, cleanses and strengthens the digestive tract. When used an herb tea dill it strengthens the bladder, combats stress and is also good for the throat. If you feel a cold coming on and have a fury tongue, an old recipe suggests to chew dill seeds.
But it is a well loved herb for adding flavour and one of the main ingredients in Swedish cooking. The flowers and seeds are used for pickles, but the leaves as seasoning for salads, especially cucumber and potato salad, yoghurt sauces and salmon (gravad lax).
Here are two recipes:
1. Yoghurt-dill dip
This is a great condiment for baked potatoes, fish and meat dishes. But you can also serve it as a starter with raw vegetables, such as carrots, celery or cucumber.
Ingredients: 250 g cream cheese or quark, 2 tbsp. creme fraiche, salt & pepper, 1 tsp lemon zest and a small bunch of finely chopped dill.
Add all ingredients together and serve cold.
2. Potatoes with dill
Ingredients: a handful of new potatoes, 2 tbsp of chopped dill, a dollop of butter, salt
Steam the potatoes with the peel for about 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove the peel and add a knob of butter, salt and the chopped dill. These potatoes are best served with fish dishes.
by Jutta Russell | Oct 30, 2014 | Cooking with herbs, Home-made biodynamic food
Welcome to the LWTM – ‘Cooking with herbs’ blog series
In this blog series you will find historical information and recipes about the most commonly used kitchen herbs. They do not only add flavour, but they also make a positive impact on our health and well-being. To find out more about other kitchen herbs, please type ‘cooking with herbs’ into the
Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
History: Pliny the older and Dioskurides already used this useful herbs to cure kidney and bladder diseases. However, in the Middle Ages this aromatic herb was seen as ‘plant of love’ and found its way into many love potions.
How to grow and use it: Lovage is a perennial plant and grows over 2 meters tall. The leaves are large and almost triangular. Its flowers are greenish-yellow colour and they show up in late spring. These days lovage is a bit of a forgotten kitchen herb, but that is very undeserved, as its leaves add
a lot of flavour to soups, stews and dishes, making it easier to reduce the salt need to make the dish palatable.
In Germany it is called the ‘Maggi’ herb, named after the famous soup flavouring sauce, as it is one of its main ingredients. But it is not only the leaves that are so useful, the seeds can be used as a spice and the roots as a vegetable.
Recipes:
Lovage root tea:
This tea is wonderful for everybody who suffers from gout, rheumatism, hot flushes and production of sweat. Chop up dried or fresh root (1 tsp) and add to a cup of hot water. Drink up to 2 teas a day, one in the morning and one in the evening,
Lovage bath essence:
Take 10 leaves and some roots add to one litre of cold water, slowly bring to the boil. Then add it to your full bath. Lovage as bath essence helps with female genial problems, reduces the production of sweat, soothes the nerves and helps to lose weight.
Top tip: Freeze the leaves in summer and add a tsp of frozen lovage to soups and sauces over the winter time.
Lovage and pumpkin pesto
This is a very seasonal dish and makes a great starter dip. Chop up a handful of lovage leaves, add 50g of pumpkin seeds, 1 tbsp of ground parmesan and 120ml pumpkin seed oil (or virgin olive oil). It tastes great on toasted rye bread or with vegetables such as celery or raw carrots.
