Tag Archives: Roselle

What Happens To January?

What happened to January?  We are  more than half way through already!!  Despite this, we are still doing our New Year’s greetings…maybe it is just us because we don’t see people that often.  Anyway, there is always work to be done and there is never enough time to do it all.  I have been catching up with harvesting; what we both hate is leaving stuff on trees and watching them drop to the ground.  Today, I harvested the sorrel (roselle).  I have to admit that I feel very lazy when I think about these because you have to sit and take off every single sepal.  My problem is that I don’t like sitting down and this task forces me to be sedentary.

Sorrel Plant with Flowers.

You have to remove the sepals from the pods:

Seed Pods Separated From the Sorrel Fruit.

These are the sepals all nicely cleaned up:

Fresh Sorrel.

It is however very satisfying once it is all done.  This year, I am making Sorrel Elixir (liqueur); I am making two versions: one has very little sugar and they other is more syrupy.  I think that the sugary one will do very well poured over ice-cream and desserts.  The colour is really amazing when you see the sorrel infusions.  It looks better than this in real life.

Roselle Elixir.

But then it gets very dark as it matures:

Mature Sorrel Elixir.

Once it is mature, it tastes a bit like a sherry.

Here is the sepal picture again just because it is rather beautiful!

Fresh Sorrel.

Have a lovely day!!

Hibiscus (Sorrel/ Roselle) Spring Rolls.

Munchkin.More.EatingHi Everyone!!  There was no post yesterday because we had a power-cut in the evening.  We had to rummage around in the dark for all our candles…it was most inconvenient.  We really need to get energy independent one of these days.

Again, boredom and excitement (what an oxymoron) are stimulating us to run around like busy little bees.  Right now we are starting our day at 5.30am… as soon as the sun comes up.  After that, it is a race to get things done before the on-slaught of heat!  Today, Gnome was mashing and his comment of the day was, “I had good results from the Mashing today, tomorrow I will be Sparging.”  Other than that, he didn’t say much else.  He also made some nice sandal-wood scented soaps.

I have posted up a recipe for Hibiscus Spring Rolls…catching up an a back-log of old recipes. Hibiscus is also known as Roselle; here in Belize, everyone calls it Sorrel.

Sorrel Plant with Flowers.
Sorrel Plant with Flowers.
Fresh Sorrel.
Fresh Sorrel.

And these are my yummy Hibiscus spring rolls with shitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots (my own, of course) and water chest-nuts.  No meat, so they are vegetarian spring rolls.  The hibiscus adds colour, crunch and a mild sourness to the whole culinary experience.  Lovely!!

Hibiscus Spring Rolls.
Hibiscus Spring Rolls.

A Bit About Our Elixirs: Just A Smidgen.

Liqueur.Tasting.TogetherI have not written formally about our Elixirs but I am preparing the way for further pages on this subject.  The dictionary definition of Elixir is as follows:

An elixir is a clear, sweet-flavored liquid used for medicinal purposes, to be taken orally and intended to cure one’s ills.

And so to fill you in on the background of Elixirs, or Liqueurs, they were once used as a preservation medium for plant-based medicine.

We make Elixirs because we enjoy the process of making them from different herbs and fruit on our farm, which vary from year to year.  In addition, there is a seasonal variation so it helps to keep up our interest through-out the year.  Elixirs can be enjoyed as a pleasurable drink for the tasting experience alone but for us, the important thing is that it is also Medicine preserved in a bottle.

This is just a brief introduction and I will be writing more about this over the next few weeks.  We are preparing for an Elixir tasting at Cotton Tree Lodge which is a few miles down the Barranco Road.  So, today I brought out some to bottle.  Here are a few pictures to show you the clarity and clearness of these products:

Mature Roseele (Sorrel) Elixir.
Mature Roselle (Sorrel) Elixir.
Passion Fruit Elixir.
Passion Fruit Elixir.
Cacao Fruit Elixir.
Cacao Fruit Elixir.

When we first make the elixirs, they are cloudy and gunky with all the raw materials mashed together.  So, when we eventually get this clarity, which takes at least 12 months, we are tremendously proud and pleased with the results.  It is a representation of our time, patience and love.

I bottled the Elixirs into Just A Smidgen 2 oz bottles which are great as little tasters:

Row of Just A Smidgen Elixirs.
Row of Just A Smidgen Elixirs.

Also…

today, Gnome bottled some of his mysterious beverage…I hope he will write some time to tell you about it:

Siphoning Mystery Wine.
Siphoning Mystery Wine.

Have a good evening!!

Tropical Italian Sauce with Roselle and Star Fruit.

Munchkin.Eating.BunSince we are in the Tropics it is great idea to use exotic fruits and vegetables in an Italian sauce.  In this recipe, I have added starfruit, roselle (sorrel) and malabar spinach.

Sliced Starfruit.
Sliced Starfruit.
Sorrel Plant with Flowers.
Sorrel Plant with Flowers.

Here is the yummy Tropical Italian Sauce with Pasta…

Tropical Italian Pasta.
Tropical Italian Pasta.

It tastes great and is really easy to make.  For the full recipe click on this link: Tropical Italian Pasta.

Ok guys, have a great Monday and hope you are all eating something yummy for dinner!!

Sweet and Sour Roselle Sauce.

Food.MunchkinThe Roselle plant (known as Sorrel in Belize) can keep on producing fruit if you pick it regularly.  I am on my third picking and still drying the sepals for tea.

Fresh Sorrel For Sun-drying.
Fresh Sorrel For Sun-drying.

In my research, I have not seen much culinary use for this hibiscus except for teas, drinks and jams.  Because of this, I have decided to come up with a few ideas of my own.

My first invention is Sweet and Sour Roselle Sauce with Chicken Bites:

Sweet and Sour Roselle Sauce with Chicken Bites.
Sweet and Sour Roselle Sauce with Chicken Bites.
Serving Suggestion 2: Sweet and Sour Roselle Sauce with Chicken Bites.
Serving Suggestion 2: Sweet and Sour Roselle Sauce with Chicken Bites.

The chicken is seasoned with cinnamon and cumin which compliments the subtle berry-tones in the sweet and sour sauce. Wow…look at the colour…it is such a gorgeous red!!

If you are interested, read my full recipe in Sweet and Sour Roselle Sauce with Chicken Bites.