Olive Overload

This year we have been inundated by a rain of olives.  Although we are not in a region with the right climate for olives, the hot spring, wet summer and long mild autumn seems to have done the trick.  I'm still gathering and will have twice the amount in the picture from our very large, high tree.

How to prepare olives
Anyone who has ever tentatively tasted an olive fresh from the tree will know that something has to be done about the thousand raw rough bittnernesses which overwhelm the tongue; 

• Wash olives thoroughly
• Place in glass jars and fill with water
• Change the water and thoroughly wash olives once a day for two weeks to remove bitterness.  Daily change of water prevents bacteria building up as well as removing 'bitter' water so it doesn't get re-absorbed.
• Quality control;  empty olives out, wash and place in a large jar, fill up with water.  Remove the olives that rapidly rise to the surface and float, and compost (these are the damaged rotten ones with fermentation air causing them to float,) and pick out any that don't look good.  It doesn't matter that the olives have lost some of their colour or look mottled, ours go pink, but return to black when served in oil.
• Fill jar 1 tenth full of salt, add a few herbs and seasonings (in my case, rosemary and bayleaf from our garden one or two peppercorns, pinch mustard seeds) and fill up with water, shake thoroughly and leave for at least 3 days to let the salt absorb.    The 10 percent saline solution will kills any germs and preserve the the olives, I've had jars which lasted a year, until the next crop.
• Remove from jar when ready to serve, rince if you like to remove excess salt, serve in a covering of olive oil, which plumps them up, makes them gleam and improves the texture and taste.  The leftover oil can be used in cooking or salad dressing and is also v. tasty.

The Suffering of Trees

In France trees are not left to grow to their full shape but are continually stumpified and uglified.

However, this tree, probably a walnut, has suffered more than most even by French standards.    Each time I go past it, just when I think it has been pruned into oblivion, it has been pruned again.  Why?   A figure has emerged from this tortured tree, a face, arms, a defiance, a statement of its spirit.

Recette pour Syrop de Fleures de Sureau

Cette année le Sureau règne!  Il doit aimer les nuages, le froid, le manque de soleil, la pluie, lui au moins!   Le sureau qui se plantait dans mon jardin à une multitude de fleures, assez pour moi et pour laisser des baies pour les oiseaux en automne.

Voici une recette pour un syrop de fleurs de sureau, c'est tres simple!

12 belles fleures bien ouvertes
3 citrons, jus et zeste (bio)
1.5 kg sucre
5 litre d'eau

Faire chauffer l'eau très doucement dans une grande casserole, juste assez pour faire fondre le sucre.  Une fois tiède, ajouter le jus et zeste de trois citrons.  Verifier que les fleures sont propres, et les tromper dans le liquide.  Couvrir et laisser au frais pendant 24 heures, et voila!  Une fois mis en bouteille le syrop se conserve dans le frigo, si dilue avec de l'eau pour un boisson refraichissante.  

Les fleures de Sureaus ont connues pour leurs proprietes medicinales, par exemple:  diuretique,  contres les rhumes, les grippes, l'arthrose, the rheumatisme...comme les fleures ne sont pas chauffées je dirais qu'elles gardent leur bienfaits.

Elderflower Cordial

There is a bumper crop of elder flower this year, obviously elder trees love rain, cold and absence of the Yellow Stuff (I believe it is called sun).

I cropped 12 ripe wide open flowers from the elder which planted itself  in our garden and which is now 20 feet high and has ended the career of my rotary washing line.  The tree had of plenty of flowers to spare, and will have plenty of berries for the birds in the late summer.

I dissolved 1.5 kg of sugar in 5 litres of water, put in zest and juice of 3 lemons  dunked in the flowers, and covered it and left it to infuse in a cool dark place.   Magic, 24 hours later, aromatic elderflower syrup!  If you dare leave it 2 or 3 days, it tastes even stronger.  R insisted that I filter it (ie sieve out the odd stray floret and the lemon zest), I bottled it and kept it in the fridge (it only lasted a week - because we drank it).  I've just made some more with double the sugar and lemons, and bottled in sterilised bottles, to see if it will keep out of the fridge...watch this space for news.***

Elerflower is perported to be helpful in the following conditions  rheumatism, arthritis, and gout; upper respiratory stuff (colds; the flu; sinusitis; tonsillitis, sore throat; chills; fevers) and if taken at the onset of chicken pox or measles it helps by increasing sweating and speeding up the healing process.  They also act as a diuretic which helps to rid the kidneys of toxins.  

Not sure what happens when mixed with sugar,  but as it hasn't been heated it may well retain some interesting properties.

Update:  the cordial ferments after a week or so, and tastes even better, but if left longer turns to vinegar.  So stored remaining bottles in fridge, but none left now, as very popular with family.  A friend of mine who also made elderflower cordial this year, suggests freezing ice cubes of it to add to drinks and desserts.  Otherwise you could heat it to boiling point and seal like jam, but would no longer retain same properties I guess.

*** Update  It certainly kept a few weeks out of the fridge with 3 kg sugar, but could not test any longer as we drank it all up and wished we had made more.  It is now May 2014 and the elder is flowering again, will make more batches and do more experiments.

Darling buds of November

Like birds in flight

November flower fireworks