Organic Food, Vitality & Health

The oval red fruits of wild roses have long been used as a food. Rosehip tea was traditionally used for the common cold and locally for inflamed or bleeding gums. During the Second World War, many tons of Rosehips were turned into syrup to provide the country with much needed vitamin C. Rosehips were once considered sacred, the hips were used by Catholic believers during the Middle Ages to count prayers or a series of prayers hence the name of the string of beads used today – rosary.

An old red mulberry tree is a spectacular sight in the autumn with its wide spreading branches laden with dark fruits, which taste delicious but will stain everything they touch. Too perishable to grow for the commercial market, you need to find a mulberry tree whose owner will be happy to share the harvest. At one time, mulberries were highly regarded as a general tonic for the system.

Quince is a small tree rarely reaching a height of more than 12 – 15ft, so it is suitable to grow in a small garden. The small yellow pear shaped fruit is heavenly aromatic. Too hard to heat raw, it is always cooked and, in so doing, the orange pulp turns a deep pink and becomes very sweet.

Damsons are intensely strong and rich. This small dark-blue plum is notable for its ability to resist disease and cold and thrive with the minimum of attention. They are often plentiful at Farmers Markets.

Figs originated in south-west Asia they now grow throughout the Mediterranean and surprisingly well in Britain. The medicinal use of figs is almost as ancient as the plant itself. For centuries figs have been recommended to restore energy and vitality. Pliny wrote, “figs are restorative and the best food that can be taken by those who are brought low by a long sickness”.

The true wild crab apple, the most important ancestor of the cultivated apple, is fairly scarce to find these days. Crab apples are small hard and sour, they are rich in pectin so excellent to use in jams and jellies.

Damson Ice-cream
1 lb (450g) damsons
12 oz (350g) sugar
2 large egg whites
½ pint (275ml) whipping cream

Cook the damsons with 4 oz sugar until they are soft and pulpy then sieve the damsons to remove the stones. Dissolve the remaining 8oz (225g) sugar in ¼ pint water and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly until you reach the soft ball stage which is 238°C on a sugar thermometer or alternatively when a little of the syrup (remove with a teaspoon taking great care not to burn yourself) dropped into a cup of cold water forms a soft pliable ball.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Then in a steady flow pour the boiling sugar syrup onto the egg whites, whisking as you do so. Whisk until cold. Stir in the damson purée into the egg whites, whip the cream and fold into the mixture. Put into a suitable container and freeze.

Peel and core the quince cut into small pieces and put into a pan with the sugar and about 4 fl oz water, gently cook for about 20 minutes Cook the damsons in a little water until soft and mushy. Sieve to remove the stones.
Strip the elderberries from their stalk.
Add the damson puree, the elderberries, blackberries and mulberries to the cooked quince.
Cover the fruit and bring to the boil and cook gently for 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Remove 1 cup of the liquid. Cut a circle from one of the slices of bread and line the base of the pudding basin, and then place a layer of bread, then put in the remaining fruit cover the top with a lid of bread and pour over the reserved cup of juice so that the bread is completely soaked in juice. Put a plate that will fit inside the basins rim on the pudding and weight it down with anything heavy - kitchen weights or a bag of flour. Put the basin on a plate to catch any over flow and leave overnight in the fridge.
To serve, remove the weight and plate, gently run a palette knife between the bread and basin and unmould the pudding onto a plate. Pour over any juice that over flowed onto the plate and serve with cream.

Butter an 8" ceramic tart mould. Mix the flour, sugar, eggs and milk together to form a smooth batter, stir in the oil and rum. Cover the buttered mould with the blackberries and pour over the batter. Bake the clafoutis for 20 minutes at 190°C and a further 10 minutes at 170°C. The clafoutis should just wobble when you remove it from the oven not be set solid. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving – best served lukewarm.

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