TARRAGON & THYME

Another good tea substitute can be made with wild rose leaves.  Being as I have made Wild Rose Petal Conserve this evening, it seemed a pity not to make use of the leaves, so it was two items for one basically. Not bad - if not good on its own may well be good blended with china tea. To dry wild rose leaves: Season late Spring to late Summer: Pick the young leaves from the tips of the stems of any variety of wild rose. Spread the leaves in layers on trays and leave in a warm place to dry. After 3 or 4 days when the leaves are quite dry and crisp put them through a parsley mill and store in air-tight jars away from the light. To use as a tea Put two teaspoons of the dried leaves in a jug and pour on 1/2 pint boiling water and infuse for 10 minutes.  Strain into a cup and drink hot or warm or iced with a sprig of mint or a slice of lemon.  This is a very green tasting tea.  I am not keen on commercial bought tea, but I quite liked this.  If you find th...

I found this recipe last year by chance and determined that as soon as our native wild rose the dog rose was in flower this year I would give this recipe a go. By the time I found it last year it was too late to have a go. I have started it this evening - it smells lovely so far and is a pale yellow colour at the moment. The recipe comes from A Country Harvest by Pamela Michael ISBN 1-85052-070-4.  This book if you are fond of foraging on the wild plants is a must it has lots of lovely recipes and practical uses.  Ingredients 1 litre/5 cups/1 quart measure of dog rose petals 1 litre/5cups/1 quart of water Juice of a lemon 1kg/5 cups/2 1/2 lb sugar Method Remove any insects, then strip the rose petals from their stems; discard any stems and buds etc, but keep any leaves to one side in a separate bowl.  We have a different use for these.  Place the petals in a saucepan with the water and simmer very gently for about 15 minutes.  Pour int...