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TOPICS : how to create a herb garden for a school or other public space, in season in the (currently very wet and humid)veggie patch and markets, pacific island food and drink tour (and a little hula)
GUESTS : Debbie Shortis, helluva herbologist, from the Byron Herb Nursery
Judy McDonald, manager of the New Brighton Farmers Market and veggie patch educator
Lilith, astrogourmet and hula teacher
GUEST RECIPES:
POTATO SALAD ITALIAN STYLE - by Judy McDonald
500-700 g Nicola or Dutch Cream potatoes (not mashing varieties), boiled and chopped into rough large cubes
200-300 g green beans - snake or french
3 or 4 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped
Capers
Anchovies, cut into small pieces
Italian parsley, roughly chopped
Mayonnaise - home made or adapt and extend a good quality commercial mayonnaise as follows:
Blend 4 tbs mayonnaise with 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil with a small whisk or teaspoon. Add some balsamic vinegar, still whisking to get the mayonnaise blended and consistent. Add a crushed garlic clove and salt and pepper to taste.
Steam or blanch the beans and cut into 2 inch pieces. Rinse with cold water, drain, pat dry with clean teatowel or kitchen paper
Combine all ingredients in a largish bowl. Best when all slightly warm.
COOKED GREENS
Traditional in Southern Europe and very very good for you
Wash well the leaves of any greens (or purples!) you have handy, such as amaranth, Egyptian spinach aka molochia, warregal greens, silverbeet, water spinach etc - you can mix them if they are all fairly tender
Cook in a wide bottomed pot with only 1-2 tbs extra water or just the water on the leaves from washing, turn halfway through - only takes 1-3 minutes
Squeeze well, chop/slice and season with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Good hot or cold.
PACIFIC ISLAND RECIPES - by Lilith
***SAMOAN PALUSAMI - baked parcels of taro leaves round a coconut cream, onion and fish filling, the popular Samoan dish that’s served in various versions through the Pacific Islands – and one of the least fattening! Its traditionally cooked in an underground earth oven and while nothing can replicate that flavour, you can still get a reasonable result in
an Aussie oven. And because taro leaves contain calcium oxalate which can be unpleasantly prickly unless you really know your taro, spinach or silver beet leaves work quite well.
INGREDIENTS for 6 or 7 parcels:
500g fish fillets, diced
coconut cream chopped onion 2-3 bunches of fresh spinach or silver beet
Some banana leaves or aluminium foil
METHOD: Hold each banana leaf over a flame to soften it. Remove the back of the midrib carefully with a sharp knife, taking care not to tear the leaves, and divide each leaf into 4 pieces. If you don't have any banana trees around, use aluminium foil.
Shape 2 or 3 washed spinach leaves depending on size into a cup in the palm of your hand and put in 2 teaspoons chopped onion and about one cup of coconut cream, some of the fish and a sprinkle of salt. Fold carefully without spilling the cream, then wrap each bundle in a piece of softened banana leaf and tie with string or if you’re using foil, moisten the outside of the leaves so they don't stick to the foil during cooking – which is about 50 minutes to an hour in a moderate oven (180-200 degrees C).
***TRADITIONAL MELANESIAN BOUGNA AS SERVED IN NEW CALEDONIA - Your preferred combination of yam, taro, sweet potato, cassava, poingo (cooking bananas) meat, seafood or flying fox covered with coconut cream and cooked underground in, you guessed it, a banana leaf parcel. The recipes pretty much like palusami or any roast dinner - you can use pumpkin, parsnip, onion and chicken if you like.
METHOD: Soften a young banana leaf with a central rib that is not too thick over an open flame, or else use aluminium foil. Pile on the cut up ingredients, moistened well with cocomilk - fold carefully folded carefully and tie if its in a banana leaf. Bake in slow oven for upwards of an hour, serve on the banana leaves decorated with flowers.
***HAUPIA – HAWAIIAN COCONUT CUSTARD
Ingredients: 3 cups coconut milk, a few tablespoons cornstarch some sugar and a pinch of salt - you can use more or less sugar and cornstarch according to personal taste.
Method: Pour one cup of coconut milk into a saucepan, stir in the sugar and cornstarch. Heat over low flame stirring until it thickens. Add the rest of the coconut milk and keep stirring on low till that’s thickened. Pour into a pan and chill in the frig until firm. Good with sliced fresh mango, starfruit, kiwifruit, lychee or a tropical fruit salad.
Herbal Landscaping for Pre-schools and Schools
from the Byron Bay Herb Nursery (none of these plants are harmful)
Edible Flowers
(to use in a salad or jelly)
Nasturtium (Salads)
Tarragon (Salads)
Arugula Rocket (Salads)
Pineapple Sage (nice in jellies)
Society Garlic (Garlic taste for salads)
Edible Pinks (nice on a birthday cake)
Sunflower
Herbal Teas
All these herb teas are mild tasting and pleasant to drink
Lemon grass
Lemon verbena
Lemon Balm
Peppermint
Pineapple Sage
Put some leaves in a ceramic teapot. Serve cold with a dash of honey and some mint leaves, makes a nice cordial
Scented Garden
Peppermint Geranium
Lavenders
Rosemary
Mints
Cherry Pie
Lemon Balm
Lemon Verbena
Lemon Balm
Medicinal Herbs
Lemon Balm (tea for headache)
Peppermint (tea for stomach ache)
Aloe Vera (use the gel for burns, remove the rough skin on the plant first.)
Brahmi (memory enhancer for students, acquired brain injury and aged people, a few leaves per day)
Gotu-Kola (arthritis 2x20cent piece sized leaves every 2nd day)
Divide herbs roughly into two areas
Dry Garden
(only water once per week)
Lavenders
Sage
Lemon Thyme
Strawberry
Pineapple Sage
Lemon Verbena
Basil
Rosemary
Society Garlic
Wormwood
Geraniums- Citronella for deterring mozzies, Rose for pot-pourri and Peppermint for lining a cake tin to imbibe a chocolate cake-mix with that peppermint taste and smell.
Wetter Garden
(Water every 2-3 days)
Lemon Grass
Lemon Balm
Common Mint
Peppermint
Nasturtiums
Aloe Vera
Parsley
Spinach Warrigal Greens is an Australian Native herb that grows on the beach. Eat the tender small leaves.
Pigface another coastal edible plant:
Aboriginal people commonly use it and they recommended it to sailors to prevent scurvy. Suck out the soft lush, red portion beneath the expired flower-head.
CONTACTS :
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- feel free to get in touch while we are off air, we'd love to hear from you - we will monitor emails but may not answer straight away
Byron Bay Herb Nursery - Byron Arts and Industry estate, look for the left hand turn into a dirt road after the IGA supermarket - 6685 5109
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Debbie is always happy to help community organisations with garden planning
New Brighton Farmers Market -
River Street
New Brighton, NSW 2483
(02) 6684 7834
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