Steeped In Herbs....

 I am still on my herb thing here….can’t get enough of them this time of the year – plus I am out in the garden clearing the way for new growth spending quality time with my herbs. Over the years herbs have come to mean something very special to me for my family, my life and healing.

First of all I incorporate them where ever and whenever I can, into nearly every aspect of my cooking, baking, and for our food and drink.  Their healing magical qualities then can infuse throughout my entire mind, body and soul because I am literally steeped in their energy.

Even though I have been walking this path for such a long time I still know I have quite a ways to go. My body is a work in progress as is my mind and spirit. Herbs have been my friend, my guide and my help over these many years and continue to expand their role in my life.

No matter what I am eating or drinking or what stage of food, fast and feast I am in – I find a way to include a variety of herbs with every meal. Tonight we had fresh rosemary bread, onion, nettle and cabbage stir-fry with herbed cous-cous…

Of course when I am fasting – these are the mainstay of my diet – I love the way an infusion of herbs can absorb directly into my system through my stomach wall. Herbs have such an intelligence, they go to work right away on functions and systems – just as nature intended.

If you haven’t yet entrusted your health to something ancient and wise – an energy who knows how to work with your body while creating only peace of mind – perhaps it’s time to befriend a herb!

Start out small – try a chamomile tea (get organic or grow your own), add some extra rosemary, thyme or sage to your meal – take a bath in sea salt and lavender.

Find a few ways to include herbs into your routine – your body will sing and your spirit will soar.  

April

Yarrow

Rosemary Sea Salt Bread -

I am always thinking up new ways to freshen old recipes especially when it comes to adding something very simple that will make a huge difference. We all love our bread around here and there have been endless recipes tried out making it better all the time.

One of my favourite for this time of the year is Rosemary Seasalt Bread. Perhaps I like it so much because it goes with nearly everything - any kind of meal you might cook, this herby bread is tasty and versatile. 

But, it also packs a punch as far as wholesome goodness is concerned as well. This past week I have been giving some thought to flu season, colds and winter bugs in general as they are so common this time of year - one food to always include in your cooking would be herbs to help strengthen your body.

It is no secret how much I love and use herbs - the vast majority of the ones used in my cooking are from my own garden. Planted, raised, grown and then dried by hand. These taste the best in cooking and baking adding superior flavour and freshness.

With this in mind I started making a Rosemary bread which by itself tastes great - I follow my usual recipe for baking spelt bread - which means to not measure anything, just start adding the ingredients! But, when I adding the simplest sea salt over top - the taste is outstanding!

To make this bread, I might use about 4 cups of organic whole grain spelt flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons dried rosemary (or fresh if you have it), 1/2 cup ground linseeds, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, pinch salt, water. This is all mixed up into a thick batter until it resembles a bread mixture and then spooned into a lined loaf pan.

Once the loaf pan is filled I sprinkle more rosemary over top together with coarse sea salt such as Celtic sea salt. I might press this into the bread dough a little bit to get it to stick as well. Then this is baked in a hot oven for about 50 minutes until done...

This is one of the simplest and tastiest breads that I have ever made and I can't wait until Solstice to try some out with a piece of smoked fish... Yumm!

April

Rosemary Sea Salt Bread 

Old Time Recipes

So, today we feasted on the Rosemary lamb cobbler I made late last night - it was delicious!! There was only one problem - I should have made two of them.

I have been searching around for old recipe ideas as well as trying to imagine what cooking would have been like a few hundred years ago - how we used to cook with just the basic raw ingredients. Nothing from a tin, a packet or ready made.

They seemed to have eaten a lot of things in pies, with crusts and otherwise wrapped in light pastry like dough. Perhaps this was to conceal poor quality meat or some other mishap, however it does make for a tasty meal! 

Back then there wasn't any sugar, self rising flour, or packets of jello to fluff out a recipe. There was only the pure real flavour of mostly fresh food. The marvelous thing is how great meals were prepared with seemingly limited ingredients - just goes to show how less is more when it comes to food.

There were other vegetables used as well - not the very few that we are accustomed to finding on the supermarket shelves these days - because that's what Big Supermarket has asked their farmers to grow and that is what we are getting.

No, back then there were purple and white carrots, sorrel, beets, celeriac, purslane, a huge variety of herbs everything local, fresh and real. These are some of the so-called 'forgotten' vegetables of today. Many of which have simply gone out of fashion but are no less nutritious and necessary in a balanced diet.

No one worried over GMO, pesticides... got off track there!! They didn't worry about these things, but they worried about others. Life was much the same, as it is now, without the running water and indoor plumbing. 

But what was different about other times and the foods they ate that might be of interest to us now (walking a spiritual path or not) is the wholesomeness. The ingenious combinations of things, the variety of foods used and because you could taste it.

Today I tasted the Rosemary Lamb Cobbler - lamb slow cooked in the oven with garlic, onions and herbs. Cups of carrot, sweet potato and parsnips and a light juice made from the drippings. This all went into a deep pie dish.

Once this was full to nearly over flowing -  I placed a simple dough over the top made from spelt flour, rosemary, baking soda, duck egg, salt and milk. This was dropped in spoonfuls over the meat until it covered the top.

Because everything was cooked before hand except for the crust - it only needed to be in the oven for about 30 minutes or so and then it was done. We all knew it was done because the aroma was divine! It was a full meal in one dish - and it looked like something you would serve in a castle.

Or hopefully a palace... LOL

April

Rosemary Lamb Cobbler