Gingko Biloba - Fashionable Right Now

I’ve heard lots about Ginkgo and see it in many products on the supermarket shelves. It comes over and a herb that has many uses from shampoo to memory enhancing properties. Not having tried the nuts which is primarily a Chinese food I’m sure the play on the alternative medicinal benefits will still move up a step more and also on the vegetarian bandwagon.

Ginkgo is also known as the Maidenhair Tree after. It is one of the classic examples of a living fossil. For centuries the tree was thought to extinct in the wild, but it was found to be growing in Eastern China, These ginkgo trees may have been planted and preserved by Chinese monks over a period of about 1000 years.

Ginkgoes are big trees reaching a height of up to 50 metres. They have an angular crown and seemingly random branches. It is deep rooted to resist wind and snow. Autumn brings the leaves to bright yellow then drop within a few days so catching trees at this spectacular point is rare. Amazingly, some specimens are claimed to be more than 3,000 years old.

Ginkgo nuts are produced from the trees and are used and served up on special occasions such as weddings and the Chinese New Year. They are believed bring health benefit including aphrodisiac qualities. The Japanese cook Ginkgo seeds these are often eaten along with other dishes.

The seed can cause poisoning to children if eaten in excess and some people are sensitive to the chemicals on the, the outer fleshy coating. They should handle the seeds with carefully when working with the seeds for food wearing disposable gloves is advisable. Dermatitis or blisters can result otherwise.

Extracts of Ginkgo leaves have been used pharmaceutically and Ginkgo supplements are a popular herb alternative medicine for treating dementia and prevention of Alzheimer's Disease. There is a medical debate on whether this is actually effective or not right now.

To me this is a food and whether the medical benefits are profound or not, it remains a natural source of protein and an addition to the daily intake of a varied and balanced diet. I certainly wouldn’t entertain importing the food from the point of unnecessary transportation. Every country has it’s own source of nut products and they should be eaten locally.

Bulgarian Dill Potatoes

Dill is a herb that I never used to use in the UK. I didn’t know much about it and certainly didn’t cook many dishes that required it. If it was used it was in dried form in a small glass or plastic container. To be quite honest I wasn’t impressed with it at all.

Then Bulgaria was visited, they use Dill (called koper) in many dishes, not dried but unused fresh dill stored in freezers. I can’t remember many dishes without dill being included and of course everyone grows it here. When it goes to seed, which is around now, the dried plant with seeds still intact are used in the bottling of many vegetables such as gherkins, peppers, etc. There is now waste form the herb.

A potato dish was made two days ago was made with dill, which had such a profound effect on the flavour in combination that we just couldn’t stop eating once started. Simplicity with dill as the sole flavour to the potatoes was the key here. I will take you through the stages.

The potatoes gathered were still in the ground and the dill still on the plant growing in the garden only 30 minutes before starting this recipe. But as long as both are fresh it should still work for you.

Recipe For Dill Potatoes

Serves up to 6 people

40 minutes to cook
Ingredients:


1 kg new white potatoes

1 handful of fresh green dill chopped finely

100 g margarine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:

• Wash the potatoes and cut into roughly 2 cm sq pieces.
• Place in a pan of cold water and boil for 20 minutes or until just beginning to go soft. Whilst this is happening preheat the oven to 220 C.
• Drain the potatoes and place in an oven tray. Spread the margarine over the hot potatoes so it covers them evenly.
• Then sprinkle the chopped dill over the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
• Place the tray into the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• The dish is ready for serving.

Note:
The dill potatoes make just as good meal when cold or can be reheated with a little more margarine.

Dill Or No Dill?

Dill or no dill? This was a the question that came to me when moving to Bulgaria. It was no dill in the UK and dill when I got here. Dill is used extensively in Bulgarian dishes. There is no stopping me now once I discovered it and grow it both in the town and village location.

It will be now surprise that Dill comes originally from Eastern Europe (Bulgaria included.) There are also varieties in Mediterranean and in West Asia. Dill was even found in the tomb of the Ancient Egyptian Amenhotep II, late Neolithic lakeshore settlements in Switzerland and in Roman ruins in the UK.

The name dill probably came from Norse or Anglo-Saxon word 'dylle' that translates 'to soothe.' The ancient Greeks saw dill as a sign of prosperity and it was used in 8th banquets to cure hiccups. In the middle-ages saw dill as a erotic love potion and to keep evil witches away. American Puritans and Quakers gave dill seeds to their children to chew during long church meetings as it acted as a hunger-suppressant.

Dill has fernlike leaves, which are aromatic. These are used and are used to flavour a variety of foods including soups and pickles where the flowers of the dill are often used. Dill is best when used fresh due to it loosing its flavour very quickly. Modern freeze-dried dill leaves preserve their flavour well and will last up tot six months.

The dill seed is used as a spice, with a flavour somewhat similar to caraway, but also resembling that of fresh or dried dill weed. Dill oil can be extracted from the leaves, stems and seeds of the plant. The seeds were traditionally used to soothe the stomach after meals.

Growing dill Successfully requires warm to hot summers with high sunshine levels; perfect in Bulgaria. Partial shade will reduce crop quality substantially. Dill likes rich, well-drained soil.

The seeds are gathered by cutting off the flower heads, as the seed is begins to ripen. The seed heads are placed upside down in a paper bag and left. The seeds then separate from the stems easily for storage in an airtight container. It is very easy to manage.

Dill is great is grow in containers. You can use normal potting compost and keep the plants well watered. You can easily grow dill indoors, just sow the seeds October in small pots then transplant them to larger pots when the plants are about over 15 cm in height. A sunny windowsill is an ideal place for them to grow on although you might need a stake to support them eventually The crop will be ready for harvest about tow months after sowing.

This Dill Sauce recipe was tried and tested from the BBC and was found to be superb especially served with fish dishes.

Dill Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

15g/½oz sugar
200ml/7fl oz red wine vinegar
80g/3oz Dijon mustard
400ml/14½fl oz olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Method:

1. Whisk the sugar, vinegar and mustard together in a bowl.
2. Slowly whisk in the oil until smooth and thickened.
3. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the dill.

Recipe from www.bbc.co.uk/

Borage - Borrowed for Now

Borage is a herb that is highly decorative and although I have never actually grown any, I know quite a few people who do and quite often visit for a little pickings to take back home.

The borage herb originates in Syria, but now has found a home throughout Europe and the Mediterranean region. It has even spread as far wide as Asia Minor, North Africa and South America.

It grows to a height of up to one metre and has brush-like hairy stems and leaves. Traditionally borage was cultivated for culinary and medicinal uses, but typically today commercial cultivation is mainly as a valuable oilseed.

The flower, has a sweet honey-like taste and is one of the few truly blue-coloured edible foods. It is often used to decorate dessert such as cakes and ice-cream dishes. Both the flowers and leaves of the borage are used to give a cucumber-style effect in flavour when added to cool summer drinks. Bees are attracted to the borage plant. In Iran traditional Borage Flower Tea is made from the dried flowers, which brings about calmness to the sippers. The flower, which is a rich purple colour, turns bright pink when lemon juice is added so don't be too surprised is this is what happens is used with lemon in recipes.

Folklore says that borage is rumoured to give strength of heart, bring about fearless courage and provide happiness to all who eat the leaves or indeed drinks wine with the flowers or leaves floating on top.

Used as a fresh vegetable, borage, again with a cucumber tasting characteristic, is often used with salads or as a decorative but edible garnish. It is often used in soups the most famous being a German borage recipe called the 'Green Sauce' traditionally a Frankfurt based meal. The leave can also be used in pickling or eaten like spinach such is the versatility of the herb. The borage flowers and leaves are also used to give a cool, cucumber-like flavour to summer drinks. Bees are attracted to the borage plant.

This easily managed herb can be grown from seed and will sow itself year after year. The plant prefers dry, sunny places and thrives on slightly poor soil. You can you can extend the length of harvest by sowing three times at four-week intervals. Pick the blossoms as they open. The fresh leaves can be picked anytime but rarely used in a dried version.

I like borage and maybe next season I may well reserve a patch on my farm for growing this herb, it will save on neighbours' plants that I keep scrounging!




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