Pumpkin Blossom Flower Fritters Two Ways

I have noticed that our pumpkin plant is giving us lots of male flowers during the summer time so I collected some for our lunch today. I can imagine that there are plenty of recipes already how to cook them, but this is how I do it.

Pumpkin Blossom Flower Fritters Quick And Easy

For about 16 pumpkin flowers you need:

Version one, nutritious, not crispy. Perfect for breakfast, lunch or as entree:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of wholemeal flour
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• some beer or sparkling water

Mix the eggs and baking soda with a fork until fluffy. Add some flour and beer/water little by little while whisking until the batter texture is smooth and not too runny. You can always add some more flour or beer/water until you are happy.

Heat olive oil or any other oil to your liking on a medium heat. Dip the flowers one at a time in the batter and cook in batches in the hot oil from both sides until light gold. Put on a paper towel so the excess oil can soak in. Sprinkle with some salt and enjoy while still hot with some soy sauce, aioli or sweet chili sauce.

Version two, crispy. Perfect as a side dish or for vegans:

• 1/2 cup of wholemeal flour
• some beer or sparkling water

Mix flour and beer/water little by little while whisking until the batter texture is smooth and not too runny. You can always add some more flour or beer/water until you are happy.

Heat olive oil or any other oil to your liking on a medium heat. Dip the flowers one at a time in the batter and cook in batches in the hot oil from both sides until light gold. Put on a paper towel so the excess oil can soak in. Sprinkle with some salt and enjoy while still hot with some soy sauce, aioli or sweet chili sauce.

Spicy Lime Pickle With Ginger And Turmeric

Our lime tree is full of limes so I made some spicy lime pickles. It turned out really good so sharing it here today. I would never think that it can be such a great addition into our Asian cooking, slow cooking, marinating and other dishes. We have also tried on a sandwich and it was great as well! 

Spicy Lime Pickle Quick And Easy

• 16 limes cut into small equal pieces like each lime into 8 pieces
• 2 large table spoons salt

Mix together in a glass bowl, cover with cling wrap and put into the fridge for two days. Stir 2-3 times per day.

On the third day:

Clean and sterilize the jars. I always clean them, rinsing afterwards with boiling water and drying on a clean towel. It is also good to prepare all the ingredients as follows before you start so everything goes quick and smooth:

Step 1. Grate or chop finely: 

• 8 garlic cloves
• 5cm piece of ginger
• 5cm piece of turmeric
• 1 fresh chili or more depends on how you like it

Step 2. Mix together or ground together in a mortar:

• 1tsp chili powder
• 1tbs sweet paprika
• 5 black pepper seeds
• 4tsp coriander
• 4tsp cumin
• 3-4 allspice seeds

Step 3. The last you need is:

• some olive oil
• 4tbs yellow or black mustard seeds
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 brown sugar
• 6tbs apple cider vinegar or 4tbs white vinegar

Heat the oil in a large pot on a medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cook only until they start to pop. Add garlic mixture from step 1. and spice mixture from step 2. Cook while stirring for about 20 seconds to release the flavors. Add the limes including all the juices from the bowl. Add water, sugar, and vinegar and simmer all together until the mixture is thick and the lime skin is soft. You know that the lime skin is soft when you can cut it with a spoon easily.

Fill into jars, close immediately. Store in the pantry for up to 6 months or in a fridge after you opened the glass for up to one month. You lime pickle is ready to enjoy after about one week when the flavours developed and the bitterness disappeared. 

You can

• eat it as it is on a sandwich or in salad
• add to your slow cooker disches
• add to soups or pasta souce
• marinate meat with it
• add to your all wok and Asian dishes

And here the video how I did it :) Hope you like it.

Easy To Grow And Collect Tea In Your Food Forest Backyard Garden Balcony

Why would you go and buy tea if it grows so easily in your backyard? All of these plants grow very easy in our subtropical climate where I live :) I'm sure all of them will grow in most of the climates especially during the summer. Hope you enjoy this video :)

Grow And Enjoy! Your Own Tea! 
Are you adventurous enough to drink more than just one sort of tea? If so, why don't you grow your own herbal teas yet? It is healthy, delicious and it grows just at the reach of your hand! The collection in this photo are only few of the wide range you can grow in our beautiful climate of the Fraser Coast.
Growing herbs and plants for tea is a permanent component of our food forest and not only a part of our sustainable living choices but also lots of fun having such a diversity in the cupboard. And look at the colours the nature is offering to us! All of them are either perennials or self-seeding plants and are all grown naturally without any chemicals. They need to be planted once and then the only work I have from then is the harvest. They are all happy to have their own place in the food forest and just waiting to be harvested any time of the year. I take my basket, cut what I like and let it dry in a safe place like a netting bag on the patio, in our pantry or in a dehydrator depends on the weather conditions. All of the plants I grow and use for tea have multiple uses in the kitchen and we also use them fresh harvested in the every day cooking. It is definitely worth growing it for the little care they require. The names of the plants used for tea you see in the photo are:
Lemon Grass / Cymbopogan citratus
Cranberry Hibiscus / Hibiscus acetosellas
Butterfly Pea / Clitoria ternatea (the purple and the blue one, with and without lemon juice)
Rosella / Hibiscus sabdariffa
Lemon Verbena / Aloysia citrodora
Lemon Balm / Melissa officinalis
Elderberry-flower /  Sambucus
Mulberry Leaf  / Morus Nigra
All of them are so pretty that you can grow them at your front yard! The home grown herbal tea makes a beautiful gift for family and friends. It is also a great opportunity to involve kids in the "tea garden" and show them how easy and rewarding it is!
Few tips:
The best harvesting time is the morning after the dew has evaporated
Collect only healthy looking leaves or flowers
You can make tea from fresh herbs but the dried leaves and flowers give more flavor
The perfect temperature for drying herbs is 35 degrees Celsius
The tea is ready for storage when the leaves are dry and crackly

Gardening tip for beginners: The better the soil the better the plant. There are many ways to enrich the soil naturally without using chemical fertilizer. More about it in the next issue.
Yours... Ewa