URBAN GRAIN magazine
This weeks special feature seed is the Pumpkin. Grow your food with love, with our seeds in our garden, go all the way from packet to plate with one of our marvelous recipes, on page 5
Wild Hibiscus Page 7
Sunflower Seeds Page 3
Pumpkin Seeds Page 5
Edible Eastside Page 13
contents Black Locust Page 11
Dahlia Seeds Page 8
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Sunflower seeds American natives, sunflowers are grow for beauty as well as harvested for seed. An annual plant, sunflowers have big, daisy-like flower faces of bright yellow petals (and occasionally red) and brown centers that ripen into heavy heads filled with seeds. Tall and course, the plants have creeping or tuberous roots and large, bristly leaves. Some sunflowers grow to over 16 feet in height though there are also varieties today that have been developed for small spaces and containers. Most sunflowers are remarkably tough and easy to grow as long as the soil is not waterlogged. Most are heat- and drought-tolerant. They make excellent cut flowers and many are attractive to bees and birds.
The life-changing loaf of bread
Preparation Method
Ingredients 135g sunflower seeds 90g flax seeds 65g hazelnuts or almonds 145g rolled oats 2 tbsp chia seeds 4 tbsp psyllium seed husks (3 tbsp if using
1 Combine the dry ingredients in a loaf tin. 2 Whisk together the maple syrup, oil and water. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is soaked and the dough becomes thick (add teaspoons of water if the dough becomes unmanageable). 3 Smooth out the top with a spoon and let it sit for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. 4 Preheat the oven to 175C/350F/gas mark 4. Bake for 20 minutes. 5 Remove from tin, place upside down directly on the oven rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes, until it sounds hollow when tapped. 6 Allow to cool completely before slicing. The bread will store in an airtight container for up to five days. Slice before freezing.
psyllium husk powder) 1 tsp fine grain sea salt (½ tsp if using coarse salt) 1 tbsp maple syrup 3 tbsp coconut oil or ghee, melted 350ml water
Overview
This is high in protein, incredibly high in fibre and vegan. It is quick and easy to make, and almost all the ingredients – except the psyllium, which acts as the binding agent in place of flour – can be substituted: rolled spelt instead of oats, almonds instead of hazelnuts, honey instead of maple syrup ...
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PUMPKIN seeds It’s almost Halloween! But once again, you may well be kicking yourself after forgetting to sow any pumpkin seeds. Way back in spring you were busy sowing summer crops and Halloween was the furthest thing from your mind. But now you are faced with disappointment of picking your pumpkin from the supermarket shelves instead of your own vegetable garden.
Halloween pumpkin cake Ingredients For the cake
300g self-raising flour 300g light muscovado sugar 3 tsp mixed spice 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 175g sultanas ½ tsp salt 4 eggs, beaten 200g butter, melted Zest 1 orange 500g (peeled weight) pumpkin
For drenching and frosting 200g pack soft cheese 85g butter, softened 100g icing sugar, sifted Zest 1 orange and juice of half
Preparation Method
1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking or small roasting tin with baking parchment. Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice, then mix with the dry ingredients till combined. Stir in the pumpkin. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 mins, or until golden and springy to the touch. 2. To make the frosting, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge. When the cake is done, cool for 5 mins then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm. Leave to cool completely. 3. If you like, trim the edges of the cake. Give the frosting a quick beat to loosen, then, using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake in peaks and swirls. If you’re making the cake ahead, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 mins or so before serving. Will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Sausage & pumpkin roast Method
1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the first five ingredients into a large non-stick roasting pan, toss to coat in the oil and roast for 20 mins until the sausages are browned and the pumpkin softened and starting to crisp at the edges. 2. Tip the gravy into the pan and gently stir around the pumpkin and sausages with a wooden spoon, scraping up any sticky or crispy bits as you go. Return to the oven for another 2 mins until the gravy starts to bubble. Season to taste and serve with greens or beans.
Tips
“Make it with potatoes Instead of pumpkin, try using wedges of potato or baby potatoes which have been boiled for 5 mins”.
“Make it different Omit the caraway seeds and stir 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard into the pan along with the gravy”.
Preparation Method
1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Halve the pumpkin or squash, peel, deseed, then slice into 1cm slices. Toss with the oil in a roasting tin, season, then roast until tender and slightly charred at the edges. This can take up to 40 mins. 2. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. In a pan, soften the onion in the oil for 5 mins, then add the celery and garlic and cook for 1 min more. Add the tomatoes and sugar, then leave to simmer, uncovered, for 30 mins. Stir from time to time. 3. Put the spinach in a saucepan with the water that still clings to it after washing, cover and put over a medium heat. Wilt the spinach for about 4 mins – you’ll need to turn it over with tongs every so often to make sure it all comes in contact with the heat at the bottom of the pan. When completely wilted, leave until cool enough to handle, then squeeze the water out with your hands. Chop and put in a pan with the butter. Gently heat, tossing together so the spinach is coated in butter, then season with salt, pepper and a generous grating of nutmeg. 4. For the béchamel sauce, bring the milk to the boil in a pan with the peppercorns, onion and bay leaf. Set aside for 5 mins to infuse, then strain the milk into another pan. Add the flour and butter, then gently heat, whisking all the while, until you have a thick, smooth sauce. 5. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and assemble the lasagne. Butter a large grating or baking dish, roughly 1.4 litres in capacity. Put a layer of pumpkin in the bottom followed by a layer of tomato sauce. Lay lasagne sheets on top of this, cutting them to fit if necessary (you don’t want any overlapping). Now add a layer of béchamel followed by a scattering of spinach and half the cheese. Top with more lasagne sheets, pumpkin, tomato sauce, more lasagne and a final layer of béchamel sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake for 40 mins,
Ingredients
450g pack pork sausages (or 8
large sausages) 800g pumpkin wedge, peeled and cut into finger-thick moon-shaped chunks 2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp caraway seeds 300g tub fresh beef gravy from the chiller cabinet
Roast pumpkin & spinach lasagne Ingredients
750g Crown Prince pumpkin
2 tbsp olive oil 500g spinach, washed Whole nutmeg, for grating 6 fresh lasagne sheets 100g parmesan, freshly grated
For the tomato sauce 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 1 celery stick, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 400g can cherry tomatoes 2 tsp light muscovado sugar
For the bechamel sauce 500ml full-fat milk 6 peppercorns ½ onion 1 bay leaf 50g plain flour 50g butter
wild hibiscus
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Wild Hibiscus Pavlova Supreme Overview
This Pavlova recipe is from the company founder Lee Etherington's family. It dates back generations and is the quintessential Australian dessert served after a Sunday roast. Pavlova recipe courtesy of lee's Mum, Sue Etherington, Wild Hibiscus Supreme topping courtesy of lee, he couldn't help himself...
Ingredients 4 eggs whites
8 ounces of castor sugar 1 teaspoon of vinegar 1 teaspoon corn flour 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence pinch of cream of tartar
Preparation Method 1. Beat eggs whites until stiff
2. Then add 3/4 of sugar gradually. 3. Add vinegar and one teaspoon of vanilla essence to the last ¼ of sugar. 4. Add teaspoon of cornflour and pinch cream of tartar, mix together while beating. 5. Prepare an 8 inch round pan, well greased. Then apply mixture to pan - building up the sides. 6. Pre-heat oven at 375 F. 7. Add pavlova - cook for 3 minutes only. 8. Reduce heat to 250 F 9. Leave for 1 hour. 10. Leave inside oven and remove once oven is cold. 11. Okay to leave in oven overnight. 12. To Top: Fold 2-3 tablespoons of the Wild Hibiscus Syrup through 1 cup mascarpone or crème fraiche. Don’t overmix or you will lose the swirl effect. Spoon mixture onto pavlova, sprinkle with macadamia chips and drizzle with a little more of the syrup. Crown with a Wild Hibiscus Flowers
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Black Locust Blossom Fritters Ingredients
1 loose (not packed) gallon baggie of Black Locust Flower blooms with stem 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons sugar 4 level teaspoons baking powder 2 eggs 2 cups milk Juice of 1/2 lime Powdered sugar Oil for frying
Preparation Method
1. Place blooms in colander and gently rinse to remove any stray insects and dust. Shake and allow to drain for about 10 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, add oil to pan and heat to medium high. 3. In a mixing bowl, add dry ingredients and mix. Add milk, eggs and lime juice. Mix until well moistened. If the batter is thick, add a bit more milk. 4. Take the blossoms by the picked end stem and dredge through the batter mixture on both sides. Drop or place into the heated oil. Fry until both sides are a light brown. Lower temperature if they are browning too fast. Remove and put on plate with paper towel to drain. 5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve hot.
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black locust No accounting of edible flowers would be inclusive without mentioning the Black Locust, Robinia pseudoacacia. Just about the entire tree is useful in some way including the flowers. Fragrant, they are made into fritters in America, Europe and Asia. For a tree native to the Southeastern US it gets t never fails. Whenever I go out looking for one thing I around. The white flowers are also stumble across something even better! This past week I made into tea. Incidentally, the pink visited Harlinsdale Farm, a park in Williamson County, flowers of the Robinia neomexicana I went to check on the progress of the Curly Dock which is are also edible. The Black all over the fields and starting to produce Locust is sometimes seeds. I waded through the waist high If you are fortunate enough to called the False Acacia, grasses and walked toward the river’s locate this tree and blossoms, which is what its species edge. I discovered that there was a give this recipe a try! name means in Dead mowed walking path along the river Latin. Planted in France, which I followed. It lead up hill to a woodland hiking path it is the source of that country’s Acacia bordered by what used to be farm fields. Along the entrance Monofloral Honey even though it is to the hiking path were some beautiful white blooms hanging not an Acacia. In fact the Black Locus from three trees. I picked a few just because the scent was actually produces more honey than incredible. An hour later I was flipping through my Peterson’s the Honey Locust Guide looking for another plant that I had come across, and
I
there was the exact picture of the blooms that I had picked (this never happens). I nibbled on one bloom to see if it tasted like what was described and it was! They were so good that on my way to Target I kept reaching over to pluck a few more to eat. Of course I stopped myself since I was not 100% sure of what I found. I then went home and researched the plant and today I went back to study the tree and the leaves to confirm that what I had found was Black Locust Blossoms. I must say, these are my favorite find so far!
The scent of these flowers are similar, in my opinion, to lilacs with a bit more of a vanilla side. If you cross their path, it will stop you in your tracks to locate the origin of this most incredible smell. The taste is similar to their smell. It is slightly sweet with a fresh crisp texture. I never thought I would enjoy eating flowers so much! The blossoms are the only edible part of the tree. My guide said that they made great fritters so I plucked a bag full and took them home! Apparently they only bloom for about two weeks and then they are gone. Today I could see about a quarter were already drooping with age, a quarter had yet to bloom and the rest were in perfect blossoms. So now is the best time to get these! Even my kids thought these were awesome, both raw and cooked.
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Dahlia seeds With a multitude of different colors, shapes and sizes, Dahlias bring life and beauty back to your landscape in late summer and into the fall months. The diversity of the Dahlia allow you to use them in many different aspects of your landscape design, from low growing border plants to stately background plantings that may reach six feet in height! Dahlias make excellent cut flowers, which will typically last about a week in the house.
Milk Dalia (Breakfast)
Preparation Method
Ingredients
3. On other side boil the milk .Add cooked dahlia and suger in it and stir it for 5 minutes .
2 cup milk
4. Add raisins,coconut in it and stir it again utill dahlia mixed well with milk.
1/2 cup Dahlia(cracked wheat) 4tbsp sugar 1tbsp crushed or sliced coconut 10-15 Raisins or Kismish
1. In a pressure cooker ,heat ghee and saute the dalia util it turns little brown or you get the aroma . 2. Add twice amount of water in pressure cooker and cook it on medium heat, until one whistle. keep it aside
5. For granshing sprinkle almond on the top. you can serve it warm or if you want cold then put it in to refrigerator for 1 hour and enjoy this meal.
5 Almond (coarsely sliced) pinch of cardamom powder
Note - If you do not want to boil the dalia in the pressure cooker then you can directly cooked it with milk after toast it . - To boil the dalia in the milk, take some more milk or mix 1/2 cup of water in the milk. - Cooked it with milk on medium heat and stirr it untill it trun in to thick milk dalia.
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edible eastside birmingham
THE VISION
- To create and amazing new space in Birmingham where we can explore a new aesthetic in our urban areas where productive and sustainable landscapes are integral. - To teach skills and demonstrate the value of considering alternative ways of doing food in cities. - Raise the profile of food and urban agriculture in Birmingham - Prepare for the future – become adaptable for a city with less fuel, water and resources - Show how important art & culture is to the transformation of space, place and cultural change Create a place that people want to visit that has integrity, people led - a Spontanous Landscape!
What do we do? - Rent out raised beds to local people and city workers and dwellers - Cook our home grown food for our cafe and cookery school - Offer training in food production, temporary growing and cookery - Offer a space for artists and designers to research and experiment - Offer support and guidance to community groups growing vegetables in their community gardens - Sell our produce to restaurants in the city and aim to promote urban food production in the city - Hold art and fetes to promote our work and help regenerate the area
Rent a Plot Be part of the most unique gardening club in Birmingham Raised beds are available for £8.00 a month (£100.00 per annum) Manageable size (2 meter x 1 meter) and ready to grow complete with compost A key to the garden with 24 hour access to the site Be part of the sociable, ‘growing’ community of Digbeth A share in all the exciting events, arts projects and parties Discounted training courses and news of all our latest offers Enjoy the use of this relaxing canal-side space throughout the Summer Of course you also get to grow your own food! We have a gardener on site for some of the days at least who will help you to learn how to grow your own fruit and vegetables, offer suggestions for what to plant and give general advice. You will need to bring your own trowel and fork, seeds, or plants to grow – it is up to you.
EVENTS Warwick Bar Summer Fete A moveable feast of art, culture and food SATURDAY 26 JULY, 12-6PM, FREE Join us for the Warwick Bar Summer Fete, a moveable feast of art, culture and food. Experience Digbeth’s canal side afresh with street food, guided walks, visual art & performance, aerial theatre, music, family friendly workshops, and shopping from a bike! This year we have Bicycle Bazzaar curated by Trevor Pitt Gardeners Workshop with Pete Hennessey our resident Gardener at 2pm until 4pm We will be selling tea, coffee and of course our very own herby cocktails!
courses Our courses are run by Kitchen School. To access information about our future courses such as bread making and foraging go to
www.kitchenschool.co.uk
OUR NEXT COURSE IS: GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS learn the basics of gardening - soil, water and light....the science of growing. SATURDAY 26th July 2pm-4pm the course is free so come along and start growing fresh veg!
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