A guest article by Sarah PJ White author of “The Little Book of Elder”

Elder is a familiar site in the UK, Europe and North America.  It is one of those plants you probably see everywhere but never realise what it is, or indeed how useful it can be.  The flowers and berries can be used to make drinks – see how to make Elderflower Champagne, edible delights, medicinally and cosmetically.

The masses of flat-topped, creamy-white flowers start to appear from Mid May if weather is good, filling your senses with their heady, honey aroma.  They can easily be picked for using fresh in recipes like Elderflower Cordial – delicious mixed with spring water, or used as a base for other recipes.  If you are short on time, you can lay them out to dry for storage or later use in various guises – tea being one of the more popular recipes, as it can help alleviate hay fever, colds and flu, and period pain to name a few.

Image – judyofthewoods http://www.flickr.com/photos/68888883@N00/3647949351/
Elderberries start to appear from the end of September.  The glossy black berries hang heavy on red stalks, ripe for use.  Again, they can be used fresh in wines or dried for later use in pies, jams and as a cold or flu syrup.

For all those gardeners out there, you can also use the leaves to make an effective pesticide.  This can combat Carrot Fly and Cucumber Beatle.

I often make an Elderflower Infusion ready for use, as it comes in handy – especially if you have children – a quick dab will help heal cuts and grazes, sun burn, spots, bites and stings!  It truly is an under-used, hidden treasure that thoroughly deserves the title ‘Queen of Herbs’.

For more information on the use of Elder, take a look at Sarah’s latest ebook entitled “The Little Book of Elder” by visiting the website at http://www.theelderbook.com

Q: How can you charge more for less product?

A: Marmite Squeezy! – Watered down marmite in a ‘funky’ squeezy bottle and charge more for the convenience.

Marmite – a stiff substance sometimes refered to as discharge from Satans bottom is now squeezable – only by modification can it be possible to squeeze Marmite.

Making up your own hampers both saves money and ensures that you give things you know people like.

If you’re looking for a Christmas present for someone you know pretty well, a personalised Christmas hamper shows you’ve put some thought into your gift-buying — and can also save you money.

Creating a hamper

Hampers don’t have to be filled just with food and drink – you can include anything you think the recipient will genuinely like and use. And while an old wicker basket makes the perfect hamper, few of us have one to hand – so you can just as easily use a cardboard box covered in Christmas wrapping paper. For padding between items, you can add your own shredded paper or, if you have a bigger budget, you could buy some biodegradable coloured filling or wood wool from a supplier such as Shredhouse http://www.shredhouse.co.uk/ which also sells new willow hampers.

Themed hampers

One option for filling your hamper is to choose a theme that’s relevant to your recipient. For a keen female gardener, for example, you could include some hand scrub and moisturiser, some packets of seeds, a few bulbs for next Spring, a new pair of gardening gloves and a gardening magazine.

The only risk with a theme is that you will buy the person a lot of stuff they already have – but you can avoid this by trying to find unusual items. For someone whose passion is cooking, for example, you could put together a hamper containing unusual ingredients relating to a particular cuisine such as the Middle East, which they wouldn’t ordinarily have in their cupboards — alongside a recipe book of dishes that use them.

Mixed hampers

For a mixed hamper, the contents will obviously depend on the particular recipient, but a few ideas for things to include are:

• a few select food items such as a jar of homemade marmalade or jam, some chocolate-covered nuts, a box of Turkish Delight, or a gourmet food they are particularly partial to
• a hobby magazine, whether they’re into gardening, travel, digital cameras, general aviation, fashion, cats, or just about any other topic covered by consumer magazines
• a framed photo of something or someone special to them, such as their pet or a loved one
• a bottle of wine, or organic beer, ale or cider
• a small item that you painted, built, knitted, sewed, or sculpted yourself to suit the recipient
• a bag containing a mix of spices to make festive mulled wine (cloves, grated nutmeg, and cinnamon)
• a bag of relaxing bath salts, a bar of their favourite body soap, or another bath or shower treat
• Split perfume coffret sets to give someone a chance to try a new fragrance
• some fruit to add colour, such as a couple of Clementines, which will also give it a festive scent

Children’s Christmas Hampers

Even though high-tech toys feature at the top of many children’s Christmas lists, a mixed hamper of goodies will really appeal because they’re packed with so many little things for them to discover.

Children’s hampers are incredibly easy to fill with timeless nick knacks such as crayons, sweets, puzzles, joke books, chocolate coins, key rings, and small toys such as a skipping rope or a soft toy.

With all of these hampers you only need to use your imagination and you can have fun creating a personalised gift that won’t break the bank but will show you have put time and effort into your present.

A Cornish Christmas

My morning was much brightened when a colleague happend to mention that one of the few days he isn’t reluctant to part company with his pillow and duvet in the mornings is Christmas Day – wonderful to know that the magic of Christmas hasn’t been entirely lost due to the bombardment of festive adverts trying to lead us to believe that we need spend spend spend buying lavish gifts and mountains of food.

I have a sneaking suspicion that my colleague is from the other side of the Tamar in Plymouth which makes him a Cornish chap – which prompeted this post about gifts from Cornwall.

Thoughtful Giving

In this day and age there is no reason that gifts shouldn’t be more than a hurried purchase simply to fulfil expectations. We have previously looked at the benefits of charity gifts and how easy it is to break free from traditional wedding lists top encourage giving ethical gifts and unusual wedding gifts that support charity

Here we embrace the spirit of kind gifts and in the spirit of shop local, act global we check out what gifts the South West has to offer.

Personal Gifts for Pasty Muncher

A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to find well wishers had left a Pasty gift on my desk.

Pasty Coaster

Although described as a coaster I prefer to call it a beer mat. Featuring Che Guevara with a slightly embelished quote

The revolution is not a pasty that bakes itself, you have to take it from the oven.

Checking out the awkwardly designed Raw Cornish web site eventually uncovered a cornucopia of Cornish themed gift including the PastyChe range of giftware giving the pasty celebrity status comprising of coasters, bookmarks and greetings cards. pasty fans please note the site offers no online ordering facility and appears not to feature the above coaster.

Difference between Devon and Cornwall folk?

Cream on first and then the jam

Cos he’s a zpazztic Cornishman

Many gifts from the region feature food and drink heavily – clotted cream with impossible lifespans, fudge, bloomin’ scrumpy and a range of sickly cornish liqueurs – boozey strawberry and cream.

Cornish Hampers

Some enterprising pasty munchers such as Purely Cornish have even begun to offer cornish hampers – gift baskets crammed full of local delicacies and delivered to your door.

Many people are happy to pay a little bit extra for the hamper being professionally assembled and beautifully presented – see some of the elaborate luxury hampers that leading retailers are offering but for those of you, like me, who are as tight as a gnat’s chuff, money can be saved by putting together your own Christmas hampers.

Note – purely Cornish offer a pick your own which is half way to personalising the gift.

Eat, drink and be merry – munch with the best of ‘em

A surprise and kind gift from a thoughtful (veggie) colleague was a packet of Lusty Pirate, Cornish pasty flavoured crips.

The packet of crisps (suitable for Coeliacs whatever they may be) promised

As soon as you open a bag up, the distinctive aroma of the Cornish pasty hits you – there’s no mistaking it.

Well there was indeed a beefy whiff but taste wise (now remember I am no fan of flavoured crips – cheese and onion is the only infrequent deviation from ready salted) they were “not bad” with what I felt was a strong pleasing taste of oven baked pastry crust – shortcrust pastry that’ll be as in a true cornish pasty.

A genuine potato crisp indeed – maybe we shall see cornish pasty shaped reconstituted potato snacks (like Pringles) in the near future.

Lusty Pirate Peg Leg Confusion

Visiting the Lusty Pirate website (are they actually part of Burts overpriced crisps emporium with their own branded site?) I couldn’t fail to notice a serious continuity error.

Update – 27th May 2010 – can’t find the server at www.lustypirate.com Jeez

Even through the mist of Fireworks, Flash and Frames I notice that the lusty pirate has pegs on different legs on the About Us and Contact Us pages.

I have to send them feedback – you may wish to do so too . . . .

Cornish Pasty Flavoured Crisps – Munch On!

The driving riffs of the Stranglers’ Peaches or the baroquesque Waltzinblack would summon a new breed of food fans to the TV – pish Fanny Craddock (great name shame about the hairdo) and the previous generation of nasty, cheap tv cooks offering suggestions such as poaching eggs in tomato soup.

What sad news. After last night’s excellent and poignant Chanel 4 documentary, Keith meets Keith, you got the sense that the end was never going to be far away, but how fitting that his demise came after such a revealing glimpse of his last days. Dying as he lived, breaking TV conventions. The world seems a poorer and less colourful place today.

Keith Floyd (28 December 1943 – 14 September 2009)

One of the glorious moments from the show illuminated the way Keith Floyd could quickly dispense with tv guff.  Tongue razor sharp when asked syupid questions  – when passing a substantial barbeque built on Floyd’s terrace Keith Allen asked if he still occasionally cooked outside.  His reply – “Oh no  – that’s just for show” . . . . . . waiting a full five seconds he turned and continued….”you prick”

I learned to cook the Floyd way: buy what looks best on the day (reduced for quick sale) and cook it simply. It’s still the way I cook now, sans recipe book, no agenda when I shop, learn from your mistakes and admit it when it doesn’t work, then move on.

Home cooks owe a vast debt to this man.

Mr Floyd is – quite simply – a god.

I still fondly remember one of his early Floyd on Fish programmes where he cooked something on a boat, tasted it with the owner of the boat, and then announced that the food was terrible and chucked the whole plate over his shoulder into the sea …

Also, the classic programme when an elderly soap dodging French woman told him that his omelette was awful – clearly annoyed, he challenged her to do better, and when she did, he completely agreed that his was rubbish and hers was the superior dish.

I can’t think of another cook who would show such honesty and enthusiasm.

And of course, his splendid words as he drove a snazzly sports car up a steep country track on a remote Spanish hillside:  “the car you can take anywhere – a hire car …”

Farting is good for you!

Until now the saying “farting is a great delight – it warms the bed on a frosty night” – was a lone voice is the benefits of farting have been limited to

Not only is farting funny but now latest research indicates that the more noxious the guff the lower your blood pressure is likely to be – see farts lower blood pressure.

Finally affirmation of the classic headstone rhyme:- 

Let the wind free where’er you may be

for ’twas the wind that killeth me

and concludes….

church or chapel

let it rattle

Make the most of farting – raise money!

Sponsored Farting

This year there will be a Sponsored Fart during which master blasters will see who can be “Top Trumps” whilst trying to raise money for patch-eyed Pudsey and BBC Children in Need.

What makes you Fart?

Without going into too much science – you can get a full blow down here – What makes us fart? we have selected our fart fodder of choice that meets both seasonal and environmental guidelines.

This year most crops in the garden have suffered due to lack of warmth and sunshine along with lots of rain.  One of the easiest things to grow is Jerusalem artichokes – a relative of the sunflower it towers until late into October/November and its earthy roots are ready for harvest just when you need them most- for wholesome hearty autumn fart fodder.

Rest assured – the Pasty Muncher will be farting with the best of ‘em.

Rummaging through my “brewing bag of tricks”which has been sadly neglected over the past couple of years I was delighted to find this hand written sheet, given to me by my Homebrew Guru, Richard Burns – Proprietor of Cheers Winemaking and Brewing Sutton, which gives the method used and lists ingredients for making elderflower cordial.

By mid June any remaining elderflowers were due to quickly disappear and a forecast of poor weather meant time was of the essence to gather the required number of elderflower heads and a furtive trip around the hedgerows of Bovey Tracey delivered the

For this recipe it suggests:

• 20 – 30 Elderflower Heads – (snip off heavy green stalks)
• 3 pints cold water
• 2 ½ to 3 lb sugar (depending on your taste)
• 50 grams Tartaric Acid
• 1 0r 2 lemons thinly sliced

Three steps to make elderflower cordial

1. Mix all together in plastic bucket
2. Leave 24 to 48 hours stirring now and then
3. Strain into bottles

The cordial is ready to use immediately but will freeze in suitable containers.

What I love about this recipe is the vague quantities and the apologies for hand writing that is typical of Richard.

CHEERS!

Here’s a nice looking shandy that uses elderflower cordial.

Making elderflower champagne is easy:-

• Go pick half a dozen full elderflower heads ideally on a sunny day when they are most fragrant.
• Half fill a clean bucket with 2 gallons of cold water (thats 10 Litres for my Euro chums)
• dissolve 2lbs (1kg) of white sugar into the water
• shake any debris and insects clear from the elderflower heads and immerse in the water
• Cut two lemons in half squeeze juice into water and throw in the squeezed halfs
• add a splosh (4 tablespoons) of white wine vinegar
• stir gently and cover with a clean tea towel
• leave for 24 hours stirring occasionally

After 24 hours, sterilise plastic carbonated drinks bottles – 10 x 1 litre lemonade/pop bottles are ideal – and strain jugfuls of the liquor through a sieve or muslin cloth into the bottles and screw the plastic tops on firmly.

Leave for a week and the naturally occurring yeast on the elderflower heads begins to ferment with the sugar creating a very weak alcohol content but lots of carbon dioxide.

Image – judyofthewoods http://www.flickr.com/photos/68888883@N00/3647949351/

Lots of CO2 = Big Elderflower Fizz

NB I emphasise using plastic screw top bottles as personal experience and folk lore have taught me that homemade elderflower champagne causes

1. corks just pop out and the contents just overflows to leave a sticky mess,
2. glass bottles to actually explode embedding shards of glass into the surrounding surfaces and the contents to cover everything in a sticky mess
3. a combination of both of the above makes for a nerve wracking experience whenever in the space the elderflower champagne is being stored and inevitably ends up in a sticky mess

If you use plastic bottles you will at least notice the stretching and rounding if the pressure becomes too great and can release the gas (or drink it).

One clever storage idea was to use a duvet to cover the bottles to absorb the impact and mop up any unwanted sticky mess

If stored in a cool place and the bottles remain in tact, elderflower champagne can be kept for over a year – until the flowers begin to appear again for the next batch.
After making a successful batch of elderflower champagne perhaps you’ll want to try your hand at making elderflower wine – recipe and method for lots of country wines in this book:

Enjoy!