Borage Icecubes

A little trick I learnt from Jamie Oliver. They look very pretty in a drink.

Common names: Borage also is known as burrage, common bugloss, bee-bread, bee fodder, star flower, ox’s tongue, and cool tankard.

Borage is an annual that is a native of Europe but has been widely naturalized in other areas. The stem and leaves are covered with coarse, prickly hairs. The bright blue flowers are star-shaped. The fresh plant has a salty flavor and a cucumber-like odor.

Borage is a freely seeding, easy growing annual plant with vivid blue flowers and leaves with the flavor of cucumbers. It is consider an herb, but is often grown as a flower in vegetable gardens where it attracts pollinating bees and is considered a good companion plant for tomatoes, squash and strawberries. It’s even supposed to deter tomato hornworms and improve the flavor of tomatoes growing nearby.

Harvest leaves and flowers as needed. Older leaves will get prickly, making harvesting anything on the plant a bit unpleasant. However, the flowers do add a bit of flavor and a great deal of color to salads, soups, dips & spreads, open face sandwiches, beverages and ice cubes. As with all edible flowers, use sparingly until you know how they effect you. Borage is said to have a mild laxative effect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhurbarb Compote

I made a quick compote with the rhubarb I collected last week.  I didn’t really follow a recipe, just made it up but it was yummy and dead easy to make.  Here’s how I did it:

1. Cut the leaf and the end off the rhubarb so you are left with the the stalk which has the most pink colour to it.
2. Wash the stalks and remove any marks on the skin
3. Chop into chunks
4. In a sauce pan add 4 dessert spoons of light brown sugar and just cover it with water.
5. Boil the sugar and water so the sugar dissolves
6. Add the chopped rhubarb
7. Add a good shake of cinnamon and a little all spice
8. Reduce to a simmer and cover
9. Cook out until the rhubarb has gone mussy
10. When you think you’re about there, have a taste and see what you think…?
11. When you’re happy, remove from the heat and leave to cool
12. Serve on top of greek yogurt or with custard.