Neil Kingham

My Calendula (Pot Marigold) plants are in full bloom now, and as well as making my garden look great, I’ve been using the petals in my food. The bright orange colour looks amazing, and they have a slightly tangy flavour.

Pick the flower heads off when they are fully open, and then pull off the petals. You will probably want to rinse them or give them a good shake to remove any blackfly (to which the plant is prone.) Regularly taking off the blooms in this way also ensures that the plants keep on producing more flowers.

You can use the petals as a substitute for saffron in any recipe. The petals are also excellent sprinkled onto a leafy salad. Cook them with rice or add to cottage cheese for colour. Or sprinkle some into sauces, soups and casseroles. You can also make calendula tea by steeping the petals in boiling water.

Energetics of Calendula:

Calendula flower is cooling and detoxifying. Taken internally, it clears heat and toxins, reduces inflammation and infection and stimulates Qi and Blood flow. The infusion (tea) drunk hot, is effective at reducing a fever, and is especially appropriate when the fever is accompanied by inflammation. The tea is also used to stop bleeding, and can benefit ulcers.

Calendula is also used externally for its excellent antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and tissue-healing properties (look out for a post on this aspect coming soon…)

CAUTION: Calendula is a uterine stimulant, and should not be used by pregnant women without expert guidance.

The elderflowers are starting to appear round my way, so I thought it was the ideal time to share this simple recipe for elderflower cordial. This cordial is so easy and quick to make, and tastes easily as good or better than any cordial you can buy.

In Chinese medicine elderflowers have a cooling energy, and help to drain Dampness and clear Phlegm. They have an affinity with the Lung, so can be used when there is a cough with sticky yellow phlegm. They also help to ‘release the exterior’, which means that they can fight off colds in the early stages.

Ingredients:

1.3kg sugar
1.8ltrs boiling water
25-30 fresh heads of elderflowers
50g citric acid
2 oranges, sliced
2 lemons, sliced

Note: Citric acid is available from chemists, home-brew shops or online.

Method:

Put the sugar in a large bowl or pan, and pour on boiling water, stir to dissolve sugar. Leave to stand for 30 mins. Sort the elderflower heads, pulling the flowers from the stalks (but no need to be too fussy, small bits of stalk won’t cause any problems). Add the flowers to the sugar syrup with the rest of the ingredients, mix well, cover and leave overnight.

Sterilize some bottles using a commercial sterilizing solution or by putting them through a dishwasher cycle (if safe to do so) – at the same time sterilize any other equipment you will use (funnels, bottle tops, jugs, spoons etc) in the same way, or by rinsing with boiling water.

Strain the elderflower liquid through a sieve lined with muslin or a clean teatowel, and into the bottles.

Storage & Use:

The cordial will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. For longer term storage, fill plastic drinks bottles 3/4 full and freeze. It will keep in the freezer for many months. To use, dilute with water to make a very refreshing summer drink!

This is a soup to strengthen the knees and back.

Chronic weakness, pain or slow healing of the knees and/or lower back can be related to the Kidneys in Chinese Medicine. This soup recipe contains ingredients traditionally used to strengthen the Kidneys, and reinforce the knees and back. It also helps to circulate Qi and Blood, and is high in silicon which is essential for the strength of the bones and connective tissues.

This soup can be used to aid healing after an injury or surgery, or to maintain health of the lower back and knees.

1pt ‘real’ chicken stock, made from broken chicken bones
2 small handfuls pearl barley or yi yi ren
2 small handfuls black beans (cooked)
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 sticks celery
1 large carrot
Black pepper
Dash of shaoshing rice wine

Note on ingredients: Yi Yi Ren is also known as coix or Chinese barley, and can be cooked in the same way as pearl barley. It is used in Chinese herbalism for clearing dampness, especially when this relates to joint pain. Shaoshing rice wine is a Chinese wine commonly used in cooking. Both are available from Chinese supermarkets.

Directions:

Simmer the barley or yi yi ren and celery in the stock for 45 minutes. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for 10 minutes more, then add the carrot and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until all ingredients are cooked. Add the cooked beans, a dash of rice wine and a good amount of black pepper. Cook for another couple of minutes, then serve.

Serves 2.

This soup will also freeze well.

Tomato and Aduki Bean Casserole with Sweet Potato Mash.

1 leek

5 or 6 large cabbage leaves

1 courgette

½ pint vegetable stock

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

300g aduki and/or black beans – cooked

4-5 heaped tsp cornfour

¼ lemon

Splash of milk (cow or soya)

Bunch of fresh marjoram

1-2 potatoes

1-2 sweet potatoes

For the mash:

Peel and chop the potatoes and sweet potatoes and place in a pan with boiling water. Simmer for arouns 20-30 minutes until soft. Drain and allow to cool for a moment before mashing in the pan. Add a splash of milk if the mash is too stiff.

For the casserole:

Chop the leek and place in the casserole dish with the stock and tinned tomatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for a few minutes with the lid on. Chop the cabbage and courgette and add to the pot (add more stock or water if necessary). Continue to simmer until all ingredients are soft. Add the beans, the juice of ¼ of a lemon and the chopped marjoram. Mix the cornfour and milk in a jug until smooth. Slowly pour into the casserole, stirring constantly as the liquid thickens. Add as much or as little as you like until the desired consistency is reached.

Energetics: A Yin and Blood tonifying dish, neutral to cool in temperature.

Notes: You can of course use any herb to flavour this dish. Marjoram is suggested as its flavour goes very well with the other ingredients, and because it is one of the few Yin tonifying herbs. For the mash I like a mixture of normal potatoes for consitency and sweet potatoes for flavour.

½ collander nettles, tops or young leaves
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 medium potato, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
Chicken, or vegetable stock (fresh is best, but stock cubes/powder are ok too)
1 tbsp thick cream or crème fraîche (optional)

Put the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and potato in a pan with enough stock to cover. Simmer until potato is soft. Sort through the nettle, selecting only fresh healthy young leaves, and rinse thoroughly. Add to the pan and cook for another 5-10 mins until nettles are tender (add more stock if necessary). Blend with a hand blender or food processor until smooth. Add more stock if desired to reach the desired consistency. Season, and stir in cream or crème fraîche if using just before serving.

Serves 2.

Energetics: Tonifies Yin, Blood and Jing. Detoxifying.

By popular request, here is the recipe for my Malty Flapjacks. I’ve spent some time gradually refining this recipe – the finished result used honey and malt instead of white sugar, and also much less fat than most flapjack recipes. It’s very easy to cook, and about as healthy as a sweet treat can be!

Ingredients:
250g porridge oats
130g cooking spread or unsalted butter
70g honey
70g barley malt
Dried fruit, nuts etc as you choose

Method: Simply melt the butter or spread in a large saucepan on a low heat (do not allow to boil.) Stir in all the other ingredients until evenly mixed. Transfer to a greased baking dish and put into a warm oven (gas 4, 180 degrees) for 25-30 mins until beginning to brown on top. Remove from oven and whilst still warm use a knife to cut into 8-10 slices. leave in the tray until completely cool before removing.

Variations:

Grain: Oats seem the best, but I often replace up to 50g of oats with other flaked grains eg barley or quinoa.

Sweetner: The equal mix of honey and malt works well, but you could try replacing some or all of it with date syrup, molasses, maple syrup etc. Barley malt is a thick sweet liquid, much less refined than sugar and consequently better for you. You can get it from most health-food shops.

Other bits: Any dried fruit, nuts or seeds can be added to taste. A small handful is normally plenty. A pinch of cinnamon or mixed spice also work well. Here are some ideas of combinations I’ve enjoyed:

Hazelnut and sultana – A classic mix. My favourite.
Tropical – Dried pineapple and dessicated coconut.
Mixed seed – Nutritious and tasty.
Date and walnut – Another common combination, works really well.
Yin booster – Goji berries and black sesame seeds to tonify Qi, Yin, and Blood. Soak the goji berries in water for an hour before use to stop the from burning.
Yang booster- Walnut and cinnamon to tonify Qi and Yang.