Tasty Herbalist

winter is here

(sadly not my house)

Winter is most definitely here. The warm spell which momentarily confused my roses into blooming is long gone.

There's not much happening on the gardens surface, it's all below where the seeds and bulbs lie waiting. That's OK though as I don't really have the time yet to dedicate to the much neglected garden. I'd like to sit with my notebook, seed catalogues and gardening books and write lists of plants that would probably never survive and draw grand plans of a cottage garden bursting with herbs. Instead the inquisitive hands of a crawling baby dictate that all my garden fantasies must play out only in my head. That is until baby is old enough to hold a trowel and reliably not eat the soil...maybe when she's eighteen then.

Orange slices

The dried orange slices are like exquisite gems glistening in the firelight. Part of me feels the oranges should have been put to better use, perhaps juiced and drank, because turning them into decorations is somewhat frivolous. I dismiss these thoughts quickly as the smell they made on drying was pure aromatherapy for my winter weary soul. They continue to perfume the air even now.

Hawthorn

The hawthorn branches are haphazardly stuffed into vases their berries starting to droop and shrivel without the life support of the tree. I should have gathered many berries to make a sweet and sour dipping sauce but I left them for the birds this year and truth be told I still have some in the freezer from last year. I always think they would add delicious sour note to so many recipes but the thought of sieving the seeds out dissuades me from trying. Next year When I pick them I'll cook them and sieve them en masse before freezing the purée in icecube trays. Experimentation will be easier this way.

My appalling circulation would benefit from some hawthorn especially at this time of year. A teaspoon of gently crushed berries infused in a mug of hot water along with a couple of slices of ginger would do the trick.