Comments on: Cabbages and Kings http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings Cooking - Photography & More Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:24:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: Elsie Nean http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2421 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:44:00 +0000 http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2421 Cid, Sounds a bit like me but minus the paintbrush :) Elsie Cid,
Sounds a bit like me but minus the paintbrush :)
Elsie

]]> by: Cid http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2420 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:49:47 +0000 http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2420 Elsie, My troops tend to be the coffee swilling kind, in fact they've just left and I've achieved nothing so far today. Later on and usually at a most inappropriate time, I shall feel a surge of creativity and have to stop myself short of painting scenes across the ceiling :) For now though I must gather my thoughts, write a list and then forget where I've put it.... walk three times around the garden contemplating life and the universe.... only then will the paint brush see the light of <strike> day </strike> evening :) Cid Elsie,

My troops tend to be the coffee swilling kind, in fact they’ve just left and I’ve achieved nothing so far today. Later on and usually at a most inappropriate time, I shall feel a surge of creativity and have to stop myself short of painting scenes across the ceiling :) For now though I must gather my thoughts, write a list and then forget where I’ve put it…. walk three times around the garden contemplating life and the universe…. only then will the paint brush see the light of day evening :)

Cid

]]> by: Elsie Nean http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2419 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:05:27 +0000 http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2419 Cid, It sounds as so you need all the help you can get. Can't you drum a troop together? I am sure that you have still plenty of potential for herbal mixing. The so called witches of years gone by were not always of the young variety :). Elsie Cid,
It sounds as so you need all the help you can get. Can’t you drum a troop together?
I am sure that you have still plenty of potential for herbal mixing. The so called witches of years gone by were not always of the young variety :) .
Elsie

]]> by: Cid http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2418 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:19:25 +0000 http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2418 Elsie, I used to grow it years ago and use the flowers in ice cubes. Now though I fancy the tea 'to exhilarate and make the minde glad'... I could do with a mug or two of that today in between scrubbing kitchen floors and painting units :) I like the sound of those healing plant books... I too have a selection gathering dust in the spare room. Think I missed my vocation as a herbally/potion mixing type although my interest has been rekindled by finding some sites that offer raw ingredients like shea butter. Cid Elsie,

I used to grow it years ago and use the flowers in ice cubes. Now though I fancy the tea ‘to exhilarate and make the minde glad’… I could do with a mug or two of that today in between scrubbing kitchen floors and painting units :)

I like the sound of those healing plant books… I too have a selection gathering dust in the spare room. Think I missed my vocation as a herbally/potion mixing type although my interest has been rekindled by finding some sites that offer raw ingredients like shea butter.

Cid

]]> by: Elsie Nean http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2401 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:55:24 +0000 http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2401 Cid, Fascinating recount. It made me look through some of my reference books. Interestingly, one of my continental healing plant books refers to Borago officinalis as 'blue sky star' or 'heart flower'. Describing it as a plant growing between herbs and vegetable that signifies its general use. I love the flower, it is most striking. Elsie Cid,
Fascinating recount. It made me look through some of my reference books. Interestingly, one of my continental healing plant books refers to Borago officinalis as ‘blue sky star’ or ‘heart flower’. Describing it as a plant growing between herbs and vegetable that signifies its general use.
I love the flower, it is most striking.
Elsie

]]> by: miles http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2381 Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:21:24 +0000 http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2381 Cid, What a fantastic comment. I have been growing borage for about three years now and aside from their use in Pimms I didn't realise it had so many uses. On my food resource site I mention the use of borage as a remedy for tickly coughs but this is much more interesting. It is quite beautiful in flower but its ability to self seed is in itself both remarkable and mildly annoying. Thanks Cid, you've done it again! Miles Cid,
What a fantastic comment. I have been growing borage for about three years now and aside from their use in Pimms I didn’t realise it had so many uses. On my food resource site I mention the use of borage as a remedy for tickly coughs but this is much more interesting. It is quite beautiful in flower but its ability to self seed is in itself both remarkable and mildly annoying.
Thanks Cid, you’ve done it again!
Miles

]]> by: Cid http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2380 Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:11:47 +0000 http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2380 Miles, The honey was produced from bees that fed on borage or so the man said. All I can tell you is that it has a mild flavour and is clear. Borage (Starflower) <i> In recent years, borage has been shown to contain gamma linoleic acid (GLA), an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, which is active against various cancers, including breast, brain and prostate. It prevents the spread of malignant tumours by restricting blood vessel growth. For these reasons, borage has been adopted as the symbol of National Cancer Day, as promoted by Cancer Research UK. In fact, borage has the most potent concentration of gamma linoleic acid found in nature, containing twice as much as is found in the evening primrose, and which is used to treat pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). Indeed, it is now possible to buy capsules of borage seed oil from health food shops for this purpose. Culinary Uses In folk tradition, borage has long been believed to dispel melancholy and ease grief and sadness. According to Dioscorides, borage can 'cheer the heart and lift the depressed spirits', while Gerard3 wrote that its flowers were used in salads 'to exhilarate and make the minde glad' while cooks used them 'for the comfort of the heart, to drive away sorrow, and increase the joy of the minde'. The flowers can be picked and make a fine addition to salads, as do their leaves which have a taste reminiscent of cucumber. The leaves can be cooked and served up as a vegetable in much the same way as spinach, or in soup recipes. The leaves and flowers can be added to refreshing cold summer drinks such as Pimms or to non-alcoholic fruit punches. Borage tea can be made by taking a small bunch of leaves and simmering in boiling water. If mixed with honey, this can help if one is suffering from a cold. A Recipe for Claret-Cup A traditional and refreshing drink, seasonable in summer, this recipe comes courtesy of Mrs Beeton. Ingredients 1 bottle claret 1 bottle soda water 225g (8oz) (approx) crushed ice 1 liqueur glass maraschino 4 tbsp caster sugar One quarter tsp grated nutmeg 1 sprig green borage Serving Place all the ingredients into a silver cup, regulating the quantity of ice by the state of the weather: if it's a very warm day, a larger quantity is required. Pass the cup around with a clean napkin passed through one of the handles, so that the edge of the cup may be wiped after each guest has partaken of the contents thereof. </i> ... and that is all I have to say on the subject :) Cid p.s. Miles, I can see someone we know going for the Claret Cup purely for medicinal reasons :) Miles,

The honey was produced from bees that fed on borage or so the man said. All I can tell you is that it has a mild flavour and is clear.

Borage (Starflower)

In recent years, borage has been shown to contain gamma linoleic acid (GLA), an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, which is active against various cancers, including breast, brain and prostate. It prevents the spread of malignant tumours by restricting blood vessel growth. For these reasons, borage has been adopted as the symbol of National Cancer Day, as promoted by Cancer Research UK. In fact, borage has the most potent concentration of gamma linoleic acid found in nature, containing twice as much as is found in the evening primrose, and which is used to treat pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). Indeed, it is now possible to buy capsules of borage seed oil from health food shops for this purpose.

Culinary Uses

In folk tradition, borage has long been believed to dispel melancholy and ease grief and sadness. According to Dioscorides, borage can ‘cheer the heart and lift the depressed spirits’, while Gerard3 wrote that its flowers were used in salads ‘to exhilarate and make the minde glad’ while cooks used them ‘for the comfort of the heart, to drive away sorrow, and increase the joy of the minde’.

The flowers can be picked and make a fine addition to salads, as do their leaves which have a taste reminiscent of cucumber.

The leaves can be cooked and served up as a vegetable in much the same way as spinach, or in soup recipes.

The leaves and flowers can be added to refreshing cold summer drinks such as Pimms or to non-alcoholic fruit punches. Borage tea can be made by taking a small bunch of leaves and simmering in boiling water. If mixed with honey, this can help if one is suffering from a cold.

A Recipe for Claret-Cup

A traditional and refreshing drink, seasonable in summer, this recipe comes courtesy of Mrs Beeton.

Ingredients
1 bottle claret
1 bottle soda water
225g (8oz) (approx) crushed ice
1 liqueur glass maraschino
4 tbsp caster sugar
One quarter tsp grated nutmeg
1 sprig green borage

Serving

Place all the ingredients into a silver cup, regulating the quantity of ice by the state of the weather: if it’s a very warm day, a larger quantity is required. Pass the cup around with a clean napkin passed through one of the handles, so that the edge of the cup may be wiped after each guest has partaken of the contents thereof.

… and that is all I have to say on the subject :)

Cid

p.s. Miles, I can see someone we know going for the Claret Cup purely for medicinal reasons :)

]]> by: miles http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2379 Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:09:05 +0000 http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2379 Cid, That sounds like a great day, intrigued by the borage. I use the leaves and flowering heads but have never heard of it in honey. Makes sense though because bees love my borage plants. Well done for supporting the cause. Miles Cid,
That sounds like a great day, intrigued by the borage. I use the leaves and flowering heads but have never heard of it in honey. Makes sense though because bees love my borage plants.
Well done for supporting the cause.
Miles

]]> by: Cid http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2377 Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:27:09 +0000 http://www.milescollins.com/wordpress/cabbages-and-kings#comment-2377 Miles, Had good day yesterday in general but especially enjoyable since the Tastes of Lincolnshire food market was in town. I came back with Russian kale, a sort of reddish maple leafed shaped veg... pink fir apples (knobbly potato), smoked eel fillets, free range chicken portion (the size of a whole bird from my local supermarket!), a packet of Lincoln Red minced beef, borage honey, delicately scented chocolate buttons from the confectioners at Market Rasen, smoked Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and some smoked garlic. Yea, my cup runneth over :) Cid Miles,

Had good day yesterday in general but especially enjoyable since the Tastes of Lincolnshire food market was in town. I came back with Russian kale, a sort of reddish maple leafed shaped veg… pink fir apples (knobbly potato), smoked eel fillets, free range chicken portion (the size of a whole bird from my local supermarket!), a packet of Lincoln Red minced beef, borage honey, delicately scented chocolate buttons from the confectioners at Market Rasen, smoked Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and some smoked garlic.

Yea, my cup runneth over :)

Cid

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