Meadowsweet
CAUTION - AVOID IF ALLERGIC TO ASPIRIN OR ITS DERIVATIVES
Also known as Queen of the Meadow - its tall flowers waft sweet vanilla & toffee like aromas across entire meadows.
Meadowsweet has a long history in human culture - being the original herb from which aspirin originated. It's long been considered a useful herbal remedy for all manner of ailments and is also a wonderful culinary herb, that brings a subtle yet powerful overtone of nature's real sweetness!
Suggested uses:
Wash well before use
Remove flowers from the stalks and use just the flowers (the stalks have quite a strong TCP like aroma which detracts from the beauty of the scent and flavour of the flowers).
Use to flavour deserts, creamy drinks, teas, fruits, spirits, or to make a simple and refreshing herbal drink or vinegar.
Recipes:
Creamy, vanilla coconut/almond/cow milk:
Add the flowers from 3-4springs of meadowsweet to 200ml of your chosen milk in a saucepan on the hob. Warm gently on the lowest heat for 10-15minutes. Leave to cool, to allow the vanilla scented meadowsweet to infuse more fully into the milk.
Warm back up again to the temperature of your liking for drinking, pour through a sieve to remove stems and flowers into a mug, sweeten with honey/syrup to taste and enjoy!
Meadowsweet and coconut iced milkshake
Make the milk as per instructions above - when cooled, blend with half a cup of ice cubes in a nutri-bullet blender or equivalent - serve immediately with a garnish of meadowsweet flowers and if desired a fine dusting of cinnamon powder.
Cherry/Orange and meadowsweet elixir
Pour 100ml of cherry or orange juice into a saucepan, add the bag of meadowsweet and a further 50ml of water. Leave the meadowsweet to steep in the cherry juice for 30minutes. Then warm on the lowest heat for 10-15minutes. Allow to cool and then pour through a sieve to remove stems and flowers.
Pour the liquid into a bottle and pop in the fridge - serve with ice (and mint/thyme if desired) and drink as a refreshing tonic.
Alternatively you can create a syrupy elixir, that you can drizzle into/onto coffee, milk, desserts, yoghurt or muesli. Instead of pouring your liquid into a bottle to pop in the fridge - as stated above - transfer to a clean saucepan and heat on medium heat to reduce some of the liquid. Heat until the volume has reduced by about half. Pour into a jar when hot, allow to cool and then pop in fridge - enjoy as desired. If you prefer a sweet option - add honey to the syrup before pouring into the jar and stir well.
Meadowsweet Cream (can use coconut or dairy)
Tip your bag of meadowsweet flowers into a bowl - add 200ml of single or double cream, stir the meadowsweet in well. Leave to steep overnight in the fridge. If you prefer raw foods, then you can use a fork to remove any stems and use the cream as it is (for coffee, desserts, breakfast cereals, etc)
For a stronger flavour - transfer the cream and meadowsweet into a saucepan on the lowest heat, stirring every few minutes for 10minutes. Remove stems with a fork, stir in honey or syrup if required. Place cream in the fridge for later use or serve hot onto desserts or in coffee/milky drinks if desired.
Supplied by Forager Ltd
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