Apr
27
2007
Hedge Garlic (Alliara petiola) is one of the earliest fresh spring greens of the hedgerow, its bright green garlicky leaves appearing from February and at their best as the plant flowers in April and May.
Otherwise known as garlic mustard or Jack-by-the-hedge, it has a more delicate, but nonetheless distinctly oniony, aroma and flavour than the better known wild garlic or ramsons (Allium ursinum).
Much of the flavour is lost in cooking but it holds its own in a salad. As well as the leaves, the young flowers are edible and particularly attractive.
John Evelyn, in his Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets (1699) - (UK)
(US)
- notes that:
Jack-by-the-Hedge … has many Medicinal Properties, and is eaten as other Sallets, especially by Country People, growing wild under their Banks and Hedges.
Evelyn knows the herb also as sauce-alone, for hedge garlic works well as a garnish and in uncooked sauces.
Continue Reading »
Apr
27
2007
Ever wondered just what’s growing in the fields? Most crops are grown for food - either for us or for animals - but how do the crops in the fields relate to the food on our plates?
Some crops - potatoes, carrots, onions - are easily identified, especially close to harvest and by anyone who grows veg at home.
But how many gardeners grow sugar beet or even wheat? How to distinguish the various grass species of cereal - wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale? What are some of the more unusual crops - hemp, linseed, echium, miscanthus - actually used for?
Judging from the Google queries that have led people to my post on the yellow fields of oilseed rape now colouring vast swathes of the countryside, there’s plenty of curiosity about the crops in our fields.
British Field Crops (A Pocket Guide to the Identification, History and Uses of Traditional and Novel Arable Crops in Great Britain) - UK
US
- written and published by Sally Francis, will answer all these questions.
This excellent “pocket guide” (for those with large, agricultural pockets!) covers over 90 crops, all grown on farms in Great Britain, with descriptions and drawing to aid identification, as well as information on the history, cultivation and uses of the crops.
Continue Reading »
Apr
23
2007
St George’s Day and my thoughts turn inevitably to St George’s mushrooms. It’s the traditional start of the season for these chunky, creamy Spring fungi (Tricholama gambosum / Calocybe gambosa), which runs till the end of May.
The True Mushroom
St Georges may be less well known than ceps, girolles or morels, but they definitely rank amongst the finest wild mushrooms, with a firm texture, appealing mealy smell and distinctive flavour, reminiscent of soil and wood smoke. In France it’s known as le vrai mouserron, “the true mushroom”.
Cooking St George’s Mushrooms
They’ve an affinity with chicken and eggs, as well as those other seasonal Spring delicacies, asparagus and hop shoots. It’s hard to beat a simple but exquisite St George and asparagus omelette. (Or use them in just about any mushroom recipe.)
Where They Grow
St Georges grow in a wide variety of habitats, from woodland to pasture, but are particularly fond of chalk grassland. I’ve found them on sites as various as London’s Hyde Park, Salisbury Plain, Newmarket Heath and on Suffolk lawns and commons.
Picking St Georges amongst the cowslips on the grassy expanses of Salisbury Plain, with skylarks singing overhead, is for me the epitome of the English spring.
Continue Reading »
Apr
21
2007
What was in season 146 years ago? Here’s Mrs Beeton’s list of Things in Season in April (each food links to a search of food bloggers’ thoughts and recipes).
Fish
Meat
Poultry
Game
Vegetables
Fruit
-
(Source - Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management 1861 - Mrs Beeton on amazon.com
/ amazon.co.uk
)
Continue Reading »
Apr
19
2007
Check prices now
Check today’s price of milk in Tesco / Asda / Sainsburys / Waitrose - Ocado with mySupermarket.co.uk
The Rising Price of Milk
Two weeks ago, Tesco was widely praised in the media for announcing two initiatives: To increase the price UK dairy farmers receive for milk, while not raising the price of standard milk to consumers; and to introduce a higher priced “localchoice” milk from smaller local producers.
But yesterday’s Guardian attributed the surprise rise in UK inflation, at least in part, to the rising price of milk.
Have consumers already swallowed the price rise that will pay for desperately needed higher returns to farmers, while the supermarkets take all the credit?
And Tesco’s PR department must be delighted with all the publicity for something that other supermarkets are already doing. ASDA, Sainsbury’s, M&S and Waitrose already have direct or close relationships with farmers supplying their milk, while the East of England Co-op is just one example of a retailer selling milk from specific local farms at reasonable prices.
So what is the price of milk?
Continue Reading »
Apr
15
2007
One of England’s forgotten vegetables, Alexanders are at their most magnificent in April, their stately stems thick and tall on verges and grassy banks. Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) love the coast and grow in greatest profusion within a few miles of the sea, though isolated patches thrive even far inland, often close to monastic sites, where it was once cultivated.
Cut and steam the stems and buds, ideally just before the flowers have opened, for an absolutely distinctive, even peculiar, vegetable, a little like celery or parsley. Alexanders were once grown in kitchen gardens as Alexandrian parsley and are often said to have fallen out of favour with the introduction of new varieties of celery in the 19th century.
Like so many other naturalised edible plants, Alexanders were introduced by the Romans and enjoyed centuries of popularity before eventually falling out of fashion. John Evelyn, in his Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets (1699) - (UK)(US)- describes Alexanders as “moderately hot, and of a cleansing faculty”, comparing them favourably to parsley. Continue Reading »
Apr
12
2007
The intense gold of cold-pressed rapeseed oil (otherwise known as canola oil) reflects the still (in late April) yellowing spring fields of oilseed rape.
My earlier post described how some farmers are now producing distinctive cold-pressed rapeseed oil, with clear provenance, from their oilseed crops, but the oil itself deserves more attention.
Cold-pressing rapeseed
Like extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed rapeseed / canola oil is extracted from the oilseed by a mechanical process (there may be some warming, but not above 40°C) which doesn’t alter the oil in any way. Nor does the oil require further refining, allowing the flavour of the rapeseed to survive.
Oil of distinction
The flavour is truly distinctive, a far cry from bland highly refined vegetable oil (much of it also from rapeseed). Rapeseed oil doesn’t have the peppery fruitiness of olive oil, but instead a more subtle nutty flavour. And rapeseed oil is more versatile in the kitchen, with a high smoke point of around 230°C.
All this has won the oil a loyal following, including chefs such as Mark Hix, chef-director of the Caprice restaurant group and author of British Regional Food
Continue Reading »
Apr
10
2007
6th September 2007 Update
For a bigger, better and more freshly maintained search, try the Food Search at food.feedreel.co.uk, searching more than just blogs but with a refinement to narrow any search to UK food blogs.
My list of UK food blogs (previously below) will now be maintained at FeedReel’s blog directory. And don’t miss the constantly updated listing of UK food blog posts!
Having just discovered Google Co-op, I’ve created a custom search of UK food blogs (using Trig’s comprehensive list at the UK Food Bloggers’ Association). It’s useful for finding recipes, checking views on ingredients, restaurants etc, looking for local references and more.
Try it here or at the UK Food Blog Search homepage.
