Strawberry Patch-Potted (Continued)

Strawberries - A Treat  For Summer

Enjoy the best fresh strawberry from the garden, from toppings, jam, sauce to fruit salad.

Rosy fruit salad for Summer; to freshly picked red strawberry add some sugar and white wine. Hull the fruit and put into a bowl, sprinkle with caster sugar. Just before serving pour over the wine, or sparkling wine.

Refreshing Rosy Strawberry Salad

Recipe:

To serve for a family of 6

Rosy Strawberry Salad
900 g freshly picked strawberries
5 tablespoon caster sugar
Juice of a half lemon
160 mil rose wine

Wash the fruit quickly, dry and hulled
Place in a bowl, add in the caster sugar
Refrigerate for two hours
Add in the sparkling rose wine just before serving
To serve:
Serve individually in a bowl
Place in a large bowl for family to help them self

Variation: mix with other berries: such as raspberry, red currants.  It makes a festive dessert for Christmas in Australia.

Step By Step What To Do

Pick fresh strawberries, wash gently

and rinse quickly

Dry them on an absorbent paper

Take the stems off and hull the strawberries.

Add a tablespoon of caster sugar.

Sprinkle the caster sugar toss them around,

add lemon juice, then refrigerate for two hours

Before serving add in the wine, stir, serve on

a beautiful bowl or a plate

Tips how to look after fresh strawberries

1. Do not wash or remove caps before storing as berries absorb moisture.
2. Immediately before using quickly wash berries (do not soak), with caps still intact, so the berries will not fill with water which, dilutes the flavour of the strawberry.

The strawberries from my garden are big enough, most of them are smallish though, and red, but the taste is sweet and full of flavour.  Last year we harvested about eight hundred grams maybe.  I hope I will get more this year.  So far, it has been enjoyable.

Until Next Post

Susy

Strawberry Patch - Potted

Strawberries And Strawberries

I can say that I am so pleased to keep my strawberries patch, I thought that potted strawberry plants are enough for what I need.   You know what, this year the plants look so deep green, lush with broad leaves, they are very healthy.  I saw a lot of flowers, and at the same time, a few berries were turning red. However I could not harvest them all, garden snails love to eat them and also the birds.  My daughter Susan said that I have to share the berries, and I think she is right.

Strawberry  Conserves,  Gem Scones with Strawberry Jam and Cream

Delicious homemade strawberry conserve is made out of small red berries.  Some of them I managed to make a pot of jam.  The gem scone that I baked is dressed in the jam and whipped cream.  It's a treat.

The Strawberry Patch

A lot of strawberries

The potted strawberries are doing well too, I made a pot of jam, and strawberry conserves.  They have a lot of fruits this year but smallish. It is time to do beautiful things out of these berries.  Strawberry pie, strawberry sauce,  hopefully.

The Potted Strawberries

I did a reading about strawberry the other day, and  I like to share about the nutritional value and the strawberry.

Strawberries are not only good to eat, but they are also "good for us." They are an especially tasty source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). In fact, one cup of fresh strawberries provides about 88 milligrammes of ascorbic acid, which more than meets the Recommended Daily Dietary allowance of 45 milligrammes for the average adult. Vitamin C is well retained when the strawberries are handled carefully. Capping, injuring, cutting, or juicing, however, will reduce the vitamin content.

Strawberries are low in calories: one cup of unsweetened strawberries has only 55 calories. So if you are on a reducing diet, use berries to add flavour, food value, and pleasure to meals. You can even eat some as a between-meals snack.

More about strawberries coming up.



It will continue.
Stay Tuned
Susy

Herbs

Fresh Herbs   -    Dried Herbs


Herbs are used in cooking and also for medicinal purposes since early civilisation.  At one time or another, most herbs have been regarded as having their own particular medicinal properties.  According to John Gerrard, the Elizabethan physician, thyme was supposed to help against 'the bitings of any venomous beast', hyssop helped the 'old cough' etc.
The old herbalists ascribed as 'virtue', as they called it, to almost every herb.

To have fresh herbs, the living plants in the garden is essential for me, as I use a lot of herbs in my cooking. 

Young leaves of the fresh herbs are excellent to add in a mesclun, collection of leafy greens.  Today I prepared a refreshing salad for my family.  I picked all young herbs that I needed for this salad-oregano, sorrels, mints and chives and the budding flowers of the chives.  It was a treat, indeed.  The dressing was so simple, it consists of lemon juice, salt and excellent quality olive oil.

Middle Eastern Taste:  Refreshing Salad with Halloumi, Walnut and Pine Nuts

Cooking with Fresh Herbs

 European Cooking
Sage, thyme and parsley are three herbs that go very well in cooking chicken. Rosemary for lamb, sage and rosemary for pork. Bay leaf is useful for making stock and adds beautiful fragrance in stewing meat. French tarragon is excellent for cooking a roast chicken. Chive, flat parsley, basil, dill, oregano are excellent for salad, soup and sauces.

Asian Cooking

Lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, fresh turmeric, ginger and galangal are for a curry paste ingredients.  Basil, mint, parley, coriander and chives are for stir fry, salad, and soups.

Those are only a few examples.   Herbs are essential because they enhance the flavour of the dish.

In Spring to Summer, fresh herbs in my garden are at their best.  I dry some of them to have a supply for Winter.  The way I do it is so simple, but I do it in a small quantity.   I picked the very healthy and fresh herbs, then I wrap up in a clean paper.  I keep them in a refrigerator, undisturbed until the herbs are dry.  When they are ready, I crush the herbs and place them in clean jars.

Drying Herbs Susy's Way

Using dry herbs in cooking
Use the herbs sparingly, because dried herbs have a stronger flavour than the fresh ones.

Be busy, gather your fresh herbs and get organised to dry them up for future needs.

I am pleased I did the Show and Tell yesterday, but you are not ready to play the guessing game, so far there is not any response about the 'what is it',  regardless! -  that was fun to do for me.

Until Next Post
Susy

Show And Tell

Cabbage Tree

It is not *Livistona australis, but it is my cooking.  I borrow the name as the dish reminds me of a fan, the fan palm - a family of the cabbage tree palm.  It is a slow cooking style. I use green and red cabbage stuffed with meat. Also, it can be done with vegetarian filling-chestnuts, potato and almonds.  The dish is served either hot or room temperature.  It is delicious food, and the flavour is intensified if you keep it for the next day. 

*Livistona australis (Cabbage Palm, Fan Palm, Cabbage Tree Palm)Large, attractive fan palm. Growth to 30 m, crowned with shiny leaves 3-4.5 m long. In summer it bears flower spikes with sprigs of cream-white flowers. The fruit is red, turning black when it is ready to be peeled and planted. Distribution: Widespread along Australian east coast, in moist open forests, rain forests, often swampy sites. Photo © Australian National Botanic Gardens.

Cabbage Tree - in Susy's Sunday Best Series

Suitable for A Meal is Shared At Table

  

What   Is    IT?

I am not sure, a wildflower?  The wildflowers can be found somewhere at the outback.  I believed a lot of beautiful wildflowers are there.  Australia wildflowers are very famous, people from all over the world come to visit and see, to enjoy the astonishing flowers.

I am showing what  I can do with cabbages, this time white cabbage. Sauté shredded cabbage as Javanese do to cook orak-arik which needs some eggs to make the dish.  But this is caramelising the cabbage to get extra flavour and an effect on the plate.  It goes very well with pan-fried rustic kangaroo fillets, taste wise.  Only the presentation is telling a story.  Well what is it, you all can guess. . . . Tell me!

I do hope that you enjoy my Show and Tell, It has been fun to share the story with you.

Thank you all for visiting my Blog.  Have a happy Monday and a great week.


Pleasant and Relaxed Sunday.
Susy.

Farmers' Market

Fresh Produces

Farmers' Market    To    My Backyard


It is a treat to get fresh produce from the farmers' markets. The market is on every fourth Saturday.  Today we were lucky enough to get there early, people were enjoying the market even though the weather was not the best.  In the early morning, the rain was strong enough, that made the ground slightly wet, but we all were very enthusiastic people, we did not like to miss out the right things.

Fresh: From The Farmers' Market

From the market I got fresh dutch carrots,  radish and asparagus, and fresh fruits of course; pink lady apples, cherries and white peaches.  I have enough greens vegetables from my garden, cabbage, Swiss chard, chives and herbs, so I could do a lot of cooking with them.  The fresh fruit is good for eating, but I may be able to pinch some of the cherries for a Clafoutis.  I will make the best what I got today, baking Cherry Clafoutis

Freshly Baked Cherry Clafoutis

Fresh Cherries  and   Fresh White Peaches

The fresh produce from my garden- strawberries, cabbages, Swiss chard, chives, sorrels and the fresh herbs.  My children will be very proud and happy to know this because we will stay healthy.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables  from  My Backyard

Today's cooking is my version of cherry clafoutis.   Cherries are seeded to make a light and delicious individual clafoutis.

The ' original ' clafoutis comes from the Limousin region of central France, where cooks prepare a sweet, uncomplicated baked dessert consisting of black cherries arranged in a  baking dish and covered with a thin batter.  Today black cherries are less common, so red cherries and other fruits such as pear and apple are generally substituted. (Joël Robuchon)

Recipe:

Cherry Clafoutis-Susy's Style (individual clafoutis)

Buttered and Sugared Ramekins (4)

32 large fresh cherries, seeded

1 small egg

60 g sugar

2 tablespoons cream+1 tablespoon sour cream

3 tablespoons milk

3 level tablespoons plain flour

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method: Using an electric mixer; blend the egg until frothy.

Add in the vanilla essence, sugar, cream and sour cream, the milk and the plain flour

Mix them together until well blended about 2 minutes.  Keep aside to rest for 10 minutes.*

Put 8 the seeded cherries in each prepared ramekin and pour the batter over the cherries.

Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes until the batter puffs up and turns to a golden brown.

To serve:  serve warm or room temperature and dust with icing sugar.

The batter is ready to pour over it.

Baked cherry clafoutis

* Giving  The Batter A Rest.  (Joël Robuchon)

When preparing a flour-based batter, it is best to let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes before proceeding.  WHY? Because when liquid is added to flour, the flour comes alive and begins to 'work'.  Letting the batter rest allow the gluten to 'relax', making for a more homogeneous batter in the end.

Happy  Weekend.!

Susy