OAKENWOOD SOCIETY

Courgette soup

Taraxacum — Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:23 am

Author: Taraxacum

Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:23 am

I have the beginning of what looks like being a glut of courgettes, two being nearly as big as marrows.

Courgettes dont freeze, although I expect they could be included in pickle, it seems a pity not to use them in everday cooking.

So, I did a bit of research and came up with courgette soup, which came from the website http://vegbox-recipes.co.uk/index.php

This soup is delicious and I can thoroughly recommend it.

1 kg courgettes - any size and colour
250g potatoes (suitable for mashing), peeled or scrubbed
2 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
1 medium onion, peeled & chopped
30ml olive oil
150g soft cheese (see note below for alternatives)
Handful fresh chives, chopped
Handful fresh summer herbs of your choice, chopped
1 1/2 pints water (or mild-flavoured stock)

Wash the courgettes and chop them into chunks. Cut the potatoes into cubes (smaller than 1 inch).
Heat the oil gently in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic.
Gently cook for about 5 minutes, to soften.
Add the potatoes. Stirr. Cook gently, covered, for about 15 minutes, until about half-cooked.
Add the courgettes and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
Add 1 1/2 pints of water - just enough to cover the contents of the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
Remove from the heat and liquidise the soup.
Add the Cheese & herbs.
Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Serve with fresh bread.

Drying herbs

Taraxacum — Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:43 pm

Author: Taraxacum

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:43 pm

Hello twig
If you log on to www.oakenwoods.co.uk and look at the monographs section, each herb has the best way to dry and preserve it written in the monograph, if there is a herb that isnt listed let me know and I will ask to have it included.

I wouldnt oven dry any herb, its too quick, some herbs are best dried in a paper bag upside down, some in a dark place, but most are best with a good air circulation, and left until they are completely dry. Moisture of any sort will destroy a herb during drying, making it musty and taking away any scent it might have. I do know some who try microwaving herbs, I wouldnt recommend that either, there is no short cut when drying herbs. Light is also a killer, it takes away the smell and again can make it musty. A dry, airy and dark place is usually the best but even then I turn my herbs every couple of days, as its really easy for moisture to remain inside any cracks and crevices.

I dry mine in the airing cuboard and have been quite successful with this method, spreading some out and with hooks in the top of the cuboard to hang some herbs up.

hope this helps.

Parsley

Taraxacum — Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:33 pm

Author: Taraxacum

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:33 pm

Hello quinn
It sounds like its going to seed, with all herbs you need to keep cutting it down to make it grow more bushy.

A plants purpose is to grow, flower and seed, then it dies back, it puts all its energy into doing this. So to keep it growing and producing leaves it needs regular cutting so it will put all its energy into producing more stems and more leaves.

Parsley, whether flat leafed or curled needs good rich soil, so either good compost is best or feed the plant with a balanced fertilizer, which says on the packet 5.5.5

hope this helps

Greetings!

twig — Mon May 19, 2008 4:32 pm

Author: twig

Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:32 pm

Well I guess many things are possible!

Sage

Taraxacum — Sun May 11, 2008 7:07 pm

Author: Taraxacum

Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 7:07 pm

Hello oakmoss
Sage comes from the mediterannean, so its happy if its in full sun for a good part of the day, it doesnt like too much water either, as my partner says, "doesnt like its feet wet". Its quite an easy herb to grow although it does take a bit of time to get established. Hope your little herb grows well.

I planted a really small one about two months back and its around 6" tall now.
A good tip is to pinch out its growing tip, it will sprout from the bottom and make a nice little bushy plant.

salad dressing

Taraxacum — Sun May 11, 2008 7:02 pm

Author: Taraxacum

Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 7:02 pm

I was trying to do a Jamie Oliver today and make a salad dressing, I was bought one of his flavour shakers and wanted to give it a try.

So I put olive oil and white wine vinegar in, then some lime juice and a clove of garlic. Shook it all up and it nearly took my head off the vinegar was so strong.
So, never one to give up I reached for a jar of honey and tipped some in.
Then I added chopped herbs from the garden, chives, lemon thyme and mint, and it tasted lovely on salad, with crusty bread dipped in. yum yum.

Does anyone else have any recipes for salad dressing?

We have harvested our first webs wonder lettuce, watercress and radishes this week, again a tip from Jamie I bought a salad spinner from Tesco for �2.99 and washed the lettuce and spun it, brilliant, no slugs and no dripping lettuce leaves.

I'm afraid I'm a bit of a Jamie Oliver freak as you can probably see.

Oak - King or Queen of the forest?

Taraxacum — Sun May 11, 2008 6:50 pm

Author: Taraxacum

Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:50 pm

Didnt kings used to make oaths underneath oak trees? Just a thought.
Tara

Hello old and new friends

Taraxacum — Sun May 11, 2008 6:44 pm

Author: Taraxacum

Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:44 pm

Hello Veyla
nice to see you on here, I hope we can get some useful conversations going.
Tara

Hello

Taraxacum — Sun May 11, 2008 6:43 pm

Author: Taraxacum

Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:43 pm

Hello Quinn
Nice to see you
Tara

Hello

twig — Wed May 07, 2008 12:14 pm

Author: twig

Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 12:14 pm

Hello! I've had to go and check what 'Taraxacum' is - apart from being you, of course!

Hiya!

twig — Wed May 07, 2008 12:12 pm

Author: twig

Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 12:12 pm

Hi Oakmoss!

Pain relief

oakmoss — Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:02 pm

Author: oakmoss

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:02 pm

Thank you very much - Oakenwood shop here I come (again )

Herb sauce

Taraxacum — Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:48 am

Author: Taraxacum

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:48 am

A brilliant recipe for a basic sauce to which any herb or spice you want can be added, its really tasty.

Cut up a small onion and fry gently until its transparent, (dont let it colour or burn)
add some chicken or vegetable stock (a stock cube is ok) depending on how much sauce you want to end up with, say a pint will be fine.

Bring to the boil and simmer until its reduced by at least half.
add salt and pepper to taste

this is the basic sauce, then you just add whatever you want to flavour it further.
cheese
soft garlic cheese makes a tasty sauce
pepper (ground black pepper)
any of the spices
dill
parsley
the list is endless, just add what you want to make a tasty sauce.
when you have added the herbs or spice you can add a bit of cream, this makes it really rich, lovely on steak or fish.

Purpose of Forum

admin — Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:35 pm

Author: admin

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:35 pm

It is the purpose of the forum to provide a place where those who are interested in the subject of 'HERBS' can come together and discuss, ask questions, give an opinion or offer advice.

The forum continues in the same vein as does the Oakenwood Society website, where a desire to go 'back to the roots' can be nurtured and fulfilled by the passing of knowledge.

All who participate in the forums are expected to use them sensibly and with respect for the views of others.

Please note: Oakenwood Society takes no responsibilty for opinions and advice expressed by individuals on this forum. If such opinion or advice is taken and acted upon then it becomes the responsibility of the individual to verify such information is correct before using it.