Notes from the Brew Room

iv: Notes from the Brew Room

Green shoots and sauce

Ann King

Old herbals refer to Vinca minor or Periwinkle as the ‘joy of the ground’. Indeed, this is a fitting groundcover for smaller creatures, one that also delights us at this time of year with bursts of pale blue flowers on fresh green ribbons.

Culpeper (1653) refers to Vinca’s allround astringent properties as a great binder; apparently, the leaves should be harvested when the flowers are out, and on a Monday for optimum efficacy. Whilst Vinca minor is not in wide use currently, Hoffman (1996) suggests using it for bleeding gums, mouth ulcers and sore throats. He recommends an infusion of 1tsp of the dried herb three times a day. For our purposes, we consider the herb’s traditional use as an astringent for the mouth together with more current references to a tincture-based remedy for internal use.

With foliar freshness very much in mind this month, we are making use of the renewed abundance in local foraging habitats and enjoying various adaptations of a muchlauded folk recipe called simply ‘Green Sauce’. The combination of spring greens for this recipe are very much a personal choice— so long as they are harvested close by and include Sorrel (Rumex acetosa), where possible. The thick sauce can be served hot or cold and is a perfect antidote to the rich comfort food that we may have enjoyed over the winter months.

Searching out and foraging the young leaves on a brisk walk will energise the body. Creating and enjoying the sauce will invigorate the senses— and it tastes delicious. Imagine each mouthful cleansing and nourishing the liver, helping to replace stagnant energy and promote vital flow throughout the organs.

Fresh, Green and Wild Sauce

Ingredients

Two handfuls of washed young leaves of Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) for its wonderfully acidic taste and cleansing action, plus any of the following spring tonic herbs:

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa),

Hawthorn (Cratageus monogyna),

Nettle (Urtica dioica),

Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum),

Chickweed (Stellaria media).

One peeled white Onion (Allium cepa) for cleansing

A sprig of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) for her antiviral properties

An optional sprig of Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) to garnish

Method

1. Simmer the Onion and Thyme together in 400ml water for 10 minutes.

2. Add the leaves to the water, cover and cook until tender.

3. Remove the Onion and add 1tbsp Olive oil, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

4. Beat until creamy and either serve immediately, topped with the chopped Parsley, or refrigerate and use as a cold condiment.

Our current favourite suggestion has to be roasted root vegetables topped with warm Green Sauce. We hope you enjoy your own Green Sauce in your own way.

References

Culpeper, N. (1653) Culpeper’s Complete Herbal: consisting of A comprehensive description of nearly all herbs with their medicinal properties and directions for compounding the medicines extracted from them. Foulsham and Co: Slough

Disclaimer

No recipes are intended to replace medical advice and the reader should seek the guidance of their doctor for all health matters. The profiles and recipes are intended for information purposes only and have not been tested or evaluated. Ann King is not making any claims regarding their efficacy and the reader is responsible for ensuring that any replications or adaptations of the recipes that they produce are safe to use and comply with cosmetic regulations where applicable.