Anne Shirley Cordial

This weekend a friend posted a photo of her lovely daughter holding a glass of Red Current cordial they just made, and I asked for the recipe! My own daughter has several bushes of both red and white currents, and had recently mentioned she wanted to do something with them...

I picked a couple of cups of currents, and simmered them 10 minutes in 3 cups of water, strained, added 1/3 C plus a Tbsp OG beet sugar, 4 sprigs of lavender and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Diluted a bit more and served over ice - it was a big hit!! My 9 year old grandkids liked it so well they helped pick a second batch of currents and lavender! 

Current cordial is popular in Sweden. With a taste similar to lavender lemonade, the addition of lavender gives it a NW twist, and it makes a refreshing drink for a summer afternoon.

*Anne Shirley*

I was reminded of the episode in Anne of Green Gables and a scene in the recent Anne with an E series, "Diana is Invited to Tea With Tragic Results." Anne is allowed to invite her bosom friend Diana Berry for Tea, and her guardian Marilla, headed off to an Aid society meeting, tells Anne she may serve Diana the Raspberry Cordial left over from the church social as a special treat. 

Anne is bubbling when she shares the menu with her friend, especially that their drink "begins with an R and a C and is bright red color. I love bright red drinks, don't you? They taste twice as good as any other color." - Anne of Green Gables, Chapter XVI

Anne presents the bottle to Diana with a tumbler, but doesn't taste the 'cordial' herself, "I don't feel as if I wanted any after all those apples." ... Diana pronounces the cordial, "ever so much nicer than Mrs Lynde's, though she brags of hers so much. It doesn't taste a bit like hers!" And with Anne's urging, goes on to drink several glasses of the bright red elixir.

... The reason it tastes different, of course, is that Anne mistook the bottle of Red Current Wine (also bright red!) for the cordial, and Diana becomes hopelessly drunk - to her mother's fury and Anne's consternation! 

My grandkids love the occasional 'Shirley Temple,' so it seemed 'Anne Shirley' would be a fitting name for this bright red NW lavender and Red Current cordial. 

Blogger Tori Avey has written a lovely post about her own memories of reading Anne of Green Gables (finally!!), her exploration of recipes for non-alcoholic fruit "squashes," and directions for making raspberry cordial.

My mama, born in 1912, read the Anne books as a girl, and passed on her love of them to me. I am always impressed on rereading how well they are written. My 15 year old granddaughter and I recently watched seasons 2 and 3 of Anne With an E - and the "cordial" scene was a delight!

Enjoy this summer treat! 

Garden Goodness

This year during our time at home, my daughter and son-in love planted a big garden, and I've enjoyed the benefits! They have a large lot, and a lot of familiar crops. 

Last summer, I got a damaged wading pool from our local Toy Store, planning to use it for a raised bed garden ... I found a sunny spot between my garage and apple tree, planted some simple containers in it in June. I also moved in a couple of tomatoes and a Taro. 

I'm enjoying watching seedlings emerge Orach, okra, spicy greens and salad mix, carrots, purslane ...

I recently harvested seed from my perennial spinach and quinoa relative, Good King Henry - Blitum Bonus-henricus, and simmered some with quinoa for a tasty and naturally gluten free porridge. I've had my past colony over a decade, and appreciate it's carefree nature! It is in a corner that rarely gets extras water, is one of the first spring greens, and I'm still harvesting leaves to eat like spinach. I found the idea for porridge on a British blog. 

 

Pollen from GKH has been found in sites back to the bronze age in Britain and Western Europe. The author Alison also enjoys perennial herbs - which with their developed root systems, are often more nutrient dense than their annual counterparts. 

She offered a recipe for Khoubiza, a Moroccan warm "salad" - or pesto - made with common mallow and purslane! I loved the idea, and those plants both volunteer freely in my daughter's garden! My younger grandson loves purslane, so I had him keep me gather the leaves. I used coconut oil, and gathered fresh Thai basil and parsley to add to a colander of the wild greens - yum!! 

 I sometimes forget how much flavor pesto adds to a dish - the small dark seeds in the quinoa are Good King Henry, and I added coconut milk yogurt and Khoubiza for a delightful lunch! What's growing in your garden?