WHITE CLOVER- BEE BREAD: FOUR LEAVED CLOVER FOR LUCK

WHITE CLOVER, TRIFOLIUM REPENS, SAFED TARFEEL IN URDU

White clover is not used in medicine or cookery as much as red clover is. Both clovers are native to the British Isles, the rest of Europe, and parts of Asia and the Mediterranean. Red clover grows even in the Arctic Circle, and surprisingly perhaps, this is the one we use most although the honey from white clover is recognized as one of the best. Bees will spend more time gathering pollen from the white variety than they will from the red.

 White clover is used as a pasture crop when crops are rotated as the microbes in the root system fix nitrogen which means that the plant uses atmospheric nitrogen and converts it into a form that plants can utilize. This helps the soil and crops planted in it the following year will produce a better commercial yield than if the white clover had not been planted in it the previous year.

   White clover grows prolifically and when I was a child my father always complained about it as it grew on the lawn along with other weeds such as dandelions, daisies, buttercups and red clover. These days, however, white clover is sold as an alternative lawn covering to grass.

    Trifolium means three leaved, and clover can occasionally be four-leaved. This is believed to be lucky and I remember that while at school we once discovered a small patch of four-leaved clovers on the school playing-field. As the annual fete was coming up we decided to display one of our four-leaved clovers and charge people to search for their own. We made quite a bit of money that way and I think one person actually found one that we had missed.

   You may remember that in Thomas Hardy’s novel “Far from the Madding Crowd”, the sheep get into the clover field and gorge themselves and have to be ‘punctured’ by Gabriel Oak so that they don’t die. These days, white clover has been developed which doesn’t contain the toxic glycoside which turns into prussic acid in an animal’s body. Deer and other animals and birds can now eat clover with impunity, which is just as well as they seem to relish it.

   Masters, writing in 1869 tells us that witches used to gather white clover flowers at night when the moon was full, so that it could be added to their potions along with vervain and other herbs. He also says “…young girls in search of a token of perfect happiness made quest of the plant by day.” By this he must have meant the four-leaved clover, not the ordinary one.

   Ella Higginson (1861-1940), an American poet and story writer wrote these lines about the clover: -

     “One leaf is for hope and one is for faith

       And one is for love, you know,

       And God put another in for luck,

       If you search, you will find where they grow.”

The white markings on the leaves were believed, in the Middle Ages, to be symbolic of the Holy Trinity by the superstitious peasants. The white clover was first cultivated in the Netherlands and so is sometimes called “Dutch clover”.

VITAMINS ARE NECESSARY FOR HEALTH

VITAMINS: HOW THEY WORK IN OUR BODIES AND DIETS

There are two sorts of vitamins, those that are fat-soluble, vitamins A, D, E and K and those that are water-soluble, vitamins C and the B-complex vitamins which we have listed elsewhere. Some vitamins have alphabetical listings but are part of the B-complex group and these are mentioned below.

Vitamin A There are two vitamin As. A1 which is retinol, and vitamin A2 which is dehydroretinol. They are concerned with the normal functioning of the retina, the growth of bones and the growth and differentiation of the epithelial tissue. They are also necessary for the reproductive system and the immune system. Vitamin A promotes the regeneration of rhodopsin (visual purple) in the rod cells of the retina. It prevents the disorder commonly called night blindness, and can be found in bilberries, and other fruits as well as in liver, kidney, egg yolks, the fat compound of dairy products as well as vegetables.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) This resembles glucose in its molecular structure and is found in citrus fruits including pomelo(chakotera), tomatoes, broccoli and cabbage etc. It boosts the immune system and helps us ward off colds and flu. It also has antioxidant properties, and so promotes blood circulation. A vitamin C deficiency leads to the loosening of the teeth, gingivitis (bleeding gums) and poor wound healing.

Vitamin D There are two forms of this vitamin too; D2 which is ergocalciferol and D3 called cholecalciferol. vitamin D2 is synthesized in the skin and scientists consider it to be a hormone. Vitamin D3 is the form of vitamin D which is usually found in dietary supplements. It can be found in some fish liver oils, egg yolks and processed, fortified dairy products. A deficiency of this vitamin can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. The body needs it for healthy bone and tissue growth. However if you have too much vitamin D it will lead to a loss of calcium from the bones and can lead to kidney dysfunctions.

Vitamin E This is high in antioxidant properties, so will help the body combat the free radicals which cause damage to cells and cancer. It is found in wheat germ and cereal germs, liver, egg yolks and green plants including brussel sprouts, milk fat and vegetable oil, and seed oil e.g. pumpkin seeds. It is necessary for the reproduction process and healthy muscle development.

Vitamin G is riboflavin from the B-complex group.

Vitamin H is biotin also from the B-complex group.

Vitamin K . This helps blood clotting for quick wound healing. It is found in leafy green vegetables, including those used to make saag, spinach, fenugreek leaves etc., butter, cheese and egg yolks. It is split into three, vitamin K1 is phytonadione, K2 is menaquinone and K3 is menadione.

Vitamin M is folacin or folic acid. This is also B9 and found in asparagus and turnip tops among other greens.

Vitamins P are the bioflavonoids and include rutin which is found in elder flowers, citrus fruits and apple peel.

RED CLOVER: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF RED CLOVER: RED CLOVER TISANE, RED CLOVER VINEGAR RECIPES

RED CLOVER, TRIFOLIUM PRATENSE

Like the white clover this red variety is native to the British Isles and the rest of Europe as well as to North and Central Asia, the Mediterranean region and up through to the Arctic Circle. It is also known as bee bread, trefoil and purple clover, among other names such as lal tarfeel in Urdu. Red clover can be used in foods just as lavender, marigolds and dandelions can, and is also used in traditional medicine. Clinical trials are still ongoing into its medical value, but it seems as though these may support the traditional uses for this herb.

Red clover has been used to cure coughs, as an expectorant, to help with asthma, and is used externally for skin problems including irritation caused by insect stings and bites, eczema, psoriasis and wound healing. The flowers are the parts of the herb used, either fresh or dried. Sheep and other animals that graze on these plants develop fertility problems and it is thought that this is because of the phytoestogens they contain. Phytoestrogens are less potent than the oestrogen (the major female hormone) produced in the body, and are contained in the isoflavines (genestein and daidzein) in the plant which are being used in ERT (Estrogen Replacement Therapy) for menopausal women. It has also been found that red clover constituents can help in the prevention of prostate and breast cancer, as well as (perhaps) ovarian cancer, but trials are still ongoing. The flowers contain calcium and magnesium which is easily absorbed by the body and which tones and relaxes the nervous system, minimizing stress and headaches associated with this. The reduction of stress symptoms is also helped by the silic acid content of the flowers.

  The recipe for the tisane given below may be boiled down to produce syrup which can be used for the relief of dry coughs. The tisane can also be used externally for skin irritation and as a vaginal douche to relieve dryness and the itching which may accompany the menopause. It stimulates the functions of the liver and gallbladder, prevents constipation and is an appetite booster. It also supports the uterus, so is a very useful herb for women. The dried or fresh flowers can be added to soups and stews to give them flavour. The fresh flowers are also useful additions to salads.

   The dried flowers have been used for bronchitis and asthma and as an expectorant. They are also an alterative, which means that they will produce a gradual beneficial change in the body by improving nutrition, and will act as a blood purifier, getting rid of unwanted toxins. The flowers also have diuretic properties. Like the dandelion and comfrey leaves they are high in protein and calcium.

   The fresh flowers can be crushed and applied directly to wounds or stings and bites, and will alleviate the pain and promote rapid healing. They can be used in compresses to relieve the pain of arthritis and gout, and the tisane can be used as a coolant for the body.

   Red clover contains Vitamin A, iron, chromium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, Vitamin C and some of the B-complex vitamins, as well as calcium (mentioned above).

   The phrase “to be in clover” means that a person will have a rich and prosperous, carefree life, and it seems as this may be because of this humble plant’s medicinal properties.

RED CLOVER TISANE

Ingredients

10-15 gr dried red clover flowers or 2 oz fresh flowers

1 cup boiling water

Method

Pour the water over the flowers and allow to steep for 15 mins. Strain and drink 3 times a day.

RED CLOVER VINEGAR

Ingredients

Enough clover flowers to fill a jar

White wine vinegar

Method

Use vinegar that is at room temperature. Pack a Kilner jar or any jar with an airtight seal-but not metal as it may corrode with the action of the vinegar- with red clover flower heads and cover with vinegar. Store in a cool dark place and turn once a day for two weeks. Leave to stand for a further week, the use. You can strain the vinegar or leave the flowers in it for a more intense flavour.

These recipes have Taste and are a Treat.

KEPEL FRUIT: BENEFITS AND USES OF KEPEL FRUIT

KEPEL FRUIT or KEPPEL APPLE, STELECHOCARPUS BURAHOL

Kepel fruit grows straight from the tree trunk and not on branches, like most fruit. It originated in Indonesia, and is the floral emblem of Yogyakarta Special Region of Indonesia. It still grows wild in secondary forests of Java, where it is mainly cultivated. It is grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree and has been introduced to parts of South America, such as Honduras, and to Florida in the USA. It has also been introduced relatively recently to the Philippines and Australia. It is a member of the custard-apple family which now grows throughout south-east Asia, in Malaysia and the Solomon Islands. Another botanical name for it is Uvaria burahol, and as uva is Latin for egg, I guess this refers to the shape of the fruit.

   Unfortunately it is an endangered species, although it is being cultivated now in Indonesia for its possible further use in the perfume industry. In fact this is where it is unique. It was once used as a way of giving fragrance to the bodily excretions, including urine. It is said to make the liquid expelled by the body and the breath, smell of violets. The Sultan of Jogjia had his consorts eat kepel fruit so that they would smell good naturally and it was also used as a contraceptive as it temporarily renders women infertile. In fact he restricted its consumption so that only his court members could eat the fruit.

   The fruit also has diuretic properties, and it is said to be good for the kidneys, preventing stones forming and their function healthy. If you scratch the brown outer casing of the fruit, it is orange underneath when ripe, and it can be found nestling in the bright pink leaves of the tree. It has pink-cream flowers which grow straight out of the trunk of the tree. The fruit’s flesh is a light orange colour and is creamy like a chikoo (which it resembles, at least on the outside) or ber. There are seeds inside, again rather like those of the chikoo. However it is said to have a spicy flavour, a little like a mango.

    The wood of the tree is used in construction and for making furniture, and probably gathered for firewood too, which might explain why it does not grow wild in many places in Java.

ONION SOUP IN PAKISTANI STYLE: EASY AND TASTY RECIPE

ONION SOUP PAKISTANI STYLE

You can’t make French onion soup in Pakistan as the ingredients aren’t readily available. However, it is winter now, and here is our version of a good, warming soup, made primarily with onions, which purify the blood, are rich in antioxidants and the vitamins and minerals needed to stave off a cold.

 

Ingredients

6 large onions, sliced

10 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp sugar

1 beef bone (preferably a marrow bone)

1 tbsp chilli powder

3 green chillies, finely chopped

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1½ litres of water

fresh coriander leaves

oil for frying

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the cumin seeds and mustards seeds, then the onions, garlic and chilli powder and fry for 7 mins, turn down the heat and add the sugar, and stir well. Keep stirring for 5-10 mins so that the onions and garlic don’t stick to the pan.  Add water a little at a time and the beef bone and chillies. Keep stirring, until the liquid boils.

Cover and simmer on a low heat for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve with crusty French bread or roti or naan.

You can add beef too, along with the bone but it isn’t necessary for this hearty soup.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

STAR FRUIT: HOW TO USE A STAR FRUIT: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND HISTORY OF STAR FRUIT: STAR FRUIT SALAD RECIPE

STAR FRUIT, CARAMBOLA, AVERRHOA CARAMBOLA

It is easy to see how star fruit got its name, as when you slice the waxy green or yellow-orange fruit, the slices are like stars. When it first hit the supermarket shelves in Britain in the late 1970s it was hardly known, so the big chains produced leaflets with recipes for the fruit, however they were either for its inclusion in fruit salads or for its use as a garnish with sea food and avocados. There are two basic types of star fruit, one is green and tart, the other is a golden yellow and sweet. The tart variety may be pickled or salted, and used in conserves, such as those given in our recipe for apple conserve; prick the fruit and follow that recipe, leaving the star fruit whole.

   Star fruit originated in Sri Lanka and the Malaccan islands, but spread throughout the Indian subcontinent and South East Asia, where they have been cultivated, or at least domesticated since prehistoric times. They are a relative newcomer to the US as they were only introduced there around 150 years ago, although they are now produced commercially in Hawaii. You can eat these fruit raw, straight from the tree, or use with other fruit in salads, or you can make jams and preserves with them.

   Star fruit come with a health warning as if you have been diagnosed with renal failure or end-stage renal disease, don’t eat even a little of this fruit. They contain toxins including a neuro-toxin which it is thought, accumulates in the blood, crosses the blood-brain barrier and eventually causes irreversible damage.

   For healthy individuals the fruit are fine, and are rich in vitamins A and C in particular, so are good for the eyesight (vitamin A) as are bilberries and chikoo or sapodilla. They also contain B-complex vitamins along with 3 of the essential amino acids, tryptophan, methionine and lysine, as well as the minerals, iron, calcium and phosphorous. They have a high carbohydrate and protein content and are a rich source of dietary fibre, so good for preventing some forms of cancer, especially that of the colon, piles and constipation. They have antioxidant properties, so are good at helping to lower the risk of heart disease and increasing the blood flow.

   Star fruit contain asparagines too and are related to asparagus, lavender and orchids as they are all from the Oxalidaceae family of plants. If they are under-ripe when you buy them they will ripen at room temperature in a day or two, especially if kept in their plastic wrapping. In Malaysia they sometimes stew the star fruit with sugar and cloves, and may add apples, and in Queensland, Australia they are cooked and eaten green, as vegetables. Two or three star fruit are generally about one pound in weight. The leaves from the tree can be substituted for sorrel leaves in recipes (they are a relative of wood sorrel or the shamrock).

   In the Indian subcontinent they have been used in medicine for centuries, and the ripe fruit are used to stop haemorrhaging and bleeding piles. The dried fruit (or fresh juice) is given to people with fevers and the conserve mentioned above is believed to stop vomiting, diarrhoea and the symptoms of hangovers. A salve is made from the fruit to help with eye problems.

   In Brazil they are used for their diuretic properties to relieve kidney and bladder problems and to treat eczema. It has been found that the fruit has antimicrobial properties and is effective in combating the E. coli bacteria and several others. A decoction of the leaves and fruit can stop vomiting, and the fresh leaves placed and kept on the temples are said to get rid of headaches.  Crushed leaves and young shoots are made into poultices to relieve the itchiness of chickenpox and to get rid of ringworm. The flowers are good to expel worms from the intestines, and the powdered seeds have a sedative effect when given to sufferers of asthma and colic. Powdered roots from the tree when mixed with sugar are given as an antidote for poison.

STAR FRUIT SALAD

Ingredients

2 star fruit, ribs trimmed and removed, then cut into slices

2 bananas, sliced

small bunch black or green seedless grapes

punnet of strawberries, hulled and cut in half

1 small honeydew melon, seeds removed and cubed

¼ wineglass of cointreau or other orange liqueur

¼ wine glass white wine

Method

Mix all the fruit together and macerate in the wine and liqueur in the fridge for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

You can top the salad with crushed walnuts or decorate with extra slices of star fruit or with fresh lavender flowers or fresh basil or lemon balm leaves.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

WHAT IS CHIKOO OR CHICKOO? SAPODILLA: HEALTH BENEFITS, USES AND HISTORY OF CHIKOO: SAPODILLA FRUIT SALAD RECIPE

CHICKOO/CHIKOO, SAPODILLA, SAPOTA, MANILKARA ZAPOTA

The chickoo or chikoo fruit as it is known in the Asian subcontinent is elsewhere called the sapodilla (plum) or sapota. It originated in Yucatan, Mexico, Eastern Guatemala and Belize. The Spanish explorers took it to the Philippines and from there it spread through Asia.

   It looks a little like a round potato or a kiwi fruit, but if you scratch the skin if one and it’s green underneath, don’t buy it, it’s not good to eat. I think that these are an acquired taste, as they are not, like ber (Indian jujube), my favourite fruit. They have a brown-yellow flesh and contain seeds; the texture is mushy.

  They are, however, extremely good for you and have a myriad health uses. The Aztecs used to chew on the gummy latex of the tree bark, and called it chicle. The main purpose of cultivating the trees is now to use this latex in chewing gum.

   Eating the fruit will give you an almost instantaneous energy boost as it contains the simple sugars, fructose and sucrose, and as it is a rich source of vitamin A (like bilberries) it is good for he eyesight. It also contains some of the B-complex vitamins and a lot of vitamin C, as well as minerals such as copper, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese and zinc. It has a high fibre content so is good for relieving constipation and helping to lower the risk of colon cancer and piles.

  It is very good to eat during pregnancy as it helps prevent morning sickness. Because of the electrolytes in it the nervous system functions are boosted, and it also helps give you a feeling of well-being. It’s one of nature’s “happy” foods, like the kiwi. It also helps promote collagen production and will help rejuvenate the skin; so chikoo is good at slowing the aging process of the skin and can help prevent the formation of deep wrinkles. Try some of the pulped fruit as a face mask. It has a high tannin content and so is useful in curing diarrhoea and dysentery. The antioxidant properties of sapodilla help lower the risk of breast and colon cancer. The fruit also has anti inflammatory properties so eases the pain caused by gastritis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

   Paste made from the seeds is applied to stings and bites, and the juice from the seeds has antihistamine qualities. Actually the juice extracted from the seeds is also an effective sedative and has been used to treat anxiety and depression. The liquid from the seeds is also a diuretic and will help remove stones from the internal organs.

   A decoction of the young fruit and flowers is said to be good for the lungs and will help with pulmonary problems. You need young fruit and leaves from this evergreen tree and boil them so that the liquid is reduced by half, then leave to steep overnight, strain and use a small cupful at a time, no more than four times a day. This is also an expectorant and will get rid of phlegm and mucus. To prevent colds, coughs and flu, a tisane made from the yellow leaves (the older ones) will assist. Take a handful of leaves and boil them in two pints of water, until it boils down to 1 pint. Leave to steep for a few hours, then strain and drink as for the decoction above. This is also a diuretic, so don’t take too much of it.   

   The wood from the Archas zapota tree or Manilkara zapota is hard and durable and is used to make furniture, farming implements and tools. The tannins from the tree are good for the preparation of dyes, so almost all parts of the tree, which can grow up to 40 metres high, are useful.

   Chikoo are good in milk shakes with bananas, make sure all the skin and seeds are removed from the chikoo before blending with milk and one or two bananas. You won’t need to add extra sugar!

SAPODILLA FRUIT SALAD

Ingredients

4-6 sapodillas (chikoo)

2 ripe mangoes

2 red-skinned apples

100 gr walnuts, chopped

2 oranges

cherries (optional)

juice of 1 orange

Method

Remove the pith and seeds from the sapodillas and the skin and stone from the mangoes and cut into cubes or slices. Wash then core the apples and slice.

Remove the pith from the orange segments and put them in a bowl with the rest of the fruit and walnuts. Cover with the juice of an orange and chill for an hour before serving with ice cream or whipped cream, or natural yoghurt.

This has Taste and is a Treat.