Dehydrating for Storage - Preserve Vegetables, Fruit & Herbs

Grow Your Own Food (Top 5 Reasons)

Broad Beans - Removing Tips & Cooking

Creamy Plant Based Coleslaw - Egg & Oil Free Recipe

Olive tea and its health benefits

Where would we be without olive trees which supply us with, after processing, edible green and black olives, olive oil and kindling and wood for our wood burning stove. We have now discovered that the leaves are also a very useful resource and make a very healthy tea. A tea which has been brewed in the Mediterranean area for thousands of years.

Apparently, the tea is very beneficial and has antioxidant levels tens times that of green tea. Clinical trials are ongoing but the tea is said to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, help build bone density and improve blood flow. The leaves also have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties and strengthen the immune system.

If you have your own olive tree or have access to a tree its easy to make your own tea.

Only pick leaves from a tree that has been kept organically to avoid any pesticides, insecticides or any other chemicals. Select and pick healthy and blemish free leaves about  mid-morning when any dew has evaporated.

Wash and dry the leaves indoors and away from direct sunlight. When dried thoroughly, remove the stalks and place in an airtight container.

Simply add about 6-8 leaves (depending on the strength of tea preferred) to a pot and pour over sufficient boiling water for 2-4 cups. Allow the tea to infuse for 25-30 minutes before straining. We enjoy a cup every morning and the taste in not unlike loose leaf green tea and very pleasant.

Globe Artichoke Soup

The following recipe for globe artichoke soup is delicious. The recipe provides enough to serve 4 and the soup is wonderfully rich, smooth, and creamy.

Ingredients

Hearts from 3-5 globe artichokes depending on size

Olive oil for frying

2 medium sized onions, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 medium sized potato, peeled and diced

4 cups of vegetable stock

A bay leaf, thyme and parsley

Black pepper and salt to taste

1/4 of a cup of milk

Method

Firstly, prepare your artichokes. Squeeze half a lemon into a large bowl of water. You will be dropping trimmed globe artichokes into this bowl to stop them from oxidising and turning brown. 

Start by snapping off the artichoke leaves until you get to the fresher leaves which just pull off.

Take care when you get to the pinkish centre of the artichoke leaves, as they have sharp spines. Pull them out.

Take a knife and dig out the fuzzy choke. You will want to slice off the narrowest layer of the heart to get out all of the choke but do not cut away too much of the delicious heart.

Once the choke is out, slice off all but the last inch or so of the stem. Trim the hard green exterior of the rest of the heart. Cut away from you as you rotate the artichoke, slicing off just the hard green part and leaving the light green underneath. 

To finish, slice the outside layer off the stem. Drop the heart into the bowl of water and go on to the next one. 

Once all the artichokes are ready, cut them lengthwise, slice and chop.

In a large pot, add the olive oil and cook the artichoke hearts, chopped onions and chopped garlic on a medium heat until tender but not brown. Add the potatoes, stock and milk. 

Add the bay leaf, thyme, parley and salt and pepper to taste to the pot. Increase heat to boil and then let simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Once slightly cooled, remove and discard the bay leaf and any herb stalks. Blend the soup, adding more salt and pepper if needed to taste. 

Serve with a crusty roll.

Enjoy

Cypriot roast potatoes

An alternative to simple roast potatoes which hopefully you will enjoy.

Ingredients:

Enough potatoes to serve 4
2 onions - peeled and sliced
10-15 cherry tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
olive oil and the juice of 1 lemon
3 tsp of crushed coriander seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Peel and cut the potatoes into wedges and place in a roasting tin with the tomatoes and peeled garlic cloves. Mix and sprinkle coriander seeds into the pan and add salt and pepper and re-mix. Pour over the lemon juice and enough olive oil to fully coat the potatoes. Should cook for about an hour at 200c but after half-an-hour take out and re-mix.

Lovely if served with chicken pieces which can be added to the mix.