Seasonal Living

A Vintage Lemonade Recipe (and a modern one, too)

July 17, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 2 Comments

This simple vintage lemonade recipe will quench any thirst, and so will the modern recipe for a frosty and frothy blended basil lemonade!

THE INSPIRATION FOR A VINTAGE LEMONADE RECIPE

A few years ago, my mother came across a well-loved copy of Canada’s Favourite Cook Book in an antique shop.

It’s aged and ragged with faded sauce stains and bonus recipe cards that were cut out of cereal boxes.

This book dates back to 1910 and is a compilation of recipes sent by ladies from both Canada and the United States who were eager to share their best recipes.

The only problem?

Well, if you’re the least bit familiar with vintage recipes, you’ll know that they can be a bit vague…

Canada's Favorite Cook Book antique copy

Lemonade should be made in the proportion of one lemon to each large goblet. Squeeze the lemons and take out any seeds. If you do not like the pulp strain the juice. Sweeten the drink well though that is a matter of taste. The pleasant tart taste should be preserved. Add water to the juice and when serving put cracked ice and a thin slice of lemon to each glass.
E. J. C. (a contributor to Canada’s Favorite Cook Book)

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Cucumber Salad: a Victory Garden Recipe

June 26, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 1 Comment

Looking for a cucumber salad recipe? When cucumbers and herbs are plentiful in the victory garden, it’s time to make this refreshing cucumber salad. Tossed in a light and creamy herbed yogurt dressing, it will leave everyone wanting more!

VICTORY GARDEN-GROWN IS BEST!

I’ll be honest.

I make this cucumber salad year-round, but only when cucumbers are less than $1 apiece.

I wish I was joking about this, but I’ve seen cucumbers selling for $3 each on more than one occasion.

Crazy!

By the way, there are many reasons why I call gardens victory gardens, which you can read about in my victory garden post.

Whichever way you cut it, victory garden-grown herbs and cucumbers are best.

Let me tell you why.

Did you know that most produce loses 30% of their nutrients within three days of being harvested?

Unless you’re buying the herbs and cucumbers from a farmer’s market, it’s pretty hard to pinpoint when they were picked and how long they’ve been sitting on the shelf for.

Fortunately, cucumbers aren’t on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list for 2021, but they have been on that list in the past.

Unless you’re buying organic produce, it’s more than likely that storebought cucumbers have been treated with something.

Therefore, not only are garden-grown cucumbers fresher and more vibrant, but they’re safer and more nutrient-dense, too!

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Bacon Parmesan Dandelion Salad (a way to eat your wild greens)

June 12, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 2 Comments

A dandelion salad in spring is a gift to your liver. It turns out that those pesky dandelions growing in your backyard are one of Nature’s greatest gifts!

DANDELIONS ARE NATURE’S GIFT

At some point in history, someone decided to go to war against the dandelion.

Troops of herbicidal homeowners were riled up to destroy this sunny plant and the war continues to this very day.

I really don’t understand it, because dandelions are one of the healthiest plants out there, and they’re FREE!

Dandelions are truly God’s gift to humankind because they are brimming with vitamins and minerals.

These nutrient-dense weeds are full of vitamins A, B, C, K and E, and pack more potassium than a banana.

Sulphur, magnesium, manganese, calcium, iron, and silicon, are just some of the other minerals found in dandelions.

One thing that might turn some folks off from eating dandelions is that they are bitter, but not so fast!

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Foraging for Garlic Mustard and How to Use It

May 5, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 9 Comments

Garlic mustard is an invasive species that was brought over to North America by European settlers at the turn of the 19th century. Foraging for garlic mustard not only helps the native plant species in affected areas, but it’s fun to play with culinary-wise, too!

WHAT’S GARLIC MUSTARD?

If you’re new to foraging, garlic mustard is an invasive plant species that was introduced to North America at the turn of the 19th century.

The European settlers valued it for its medicinal and culinary properties.

Today, it’s seen as a weed and for conservationists, one that’s threatening native species.

In forests, garlic mustard is starving native plant species by robbing them of the soil fungi they need to thrive.

This is why conservationists are starting to encourage people to pick this plant.

Some other names that it goes by include Penny Hedge, Poor Man’s Mustard, and Garlic Root.

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Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Sesame Salad

April 24, 2020 by Sylvia Rose Leave a Comment

This asparagus and cherry tomato sesame salad is as striking as it is flavourful. Tossed in an Asian-inspired vinaigrette, this summery salad aims to please.

THE BEST ASPARAGUS SALAD EVER

The idea for this salad probably would have slipped by me completely had I not worked in pastry.

For a couple of years, I worked for a boulangerie that not only sold bread and pastries, but also breakfast, lunch and dinner. This included hot meals, sandwiches, soups and salads.

One of these salads was this asparagus and cherry tomato salad with an Asian-inspired dressing that always knocked my socks off.

It was (and still is) my favourite salad in the whole wide world, but despite working there for two years, would you believe I never got the recipe?

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How to Make Old-Fashioned Sauerkraut from Scratch (A Beginner’s Guide)

January 31, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 32 Comments

Jar packed with raw sauerkraut submerged in brine for fermentation"

Before modern conveniences like refrigerators and freezers found a place in every home, folks needed a way to preserve their harvest. While root cellars were excellent for storing potatoes, squash and other hardy produce, a lot would have gone to waste without a means of preservation.

Fermentation is an art that goes way back and is a means to preserve produce, dairy, and even fish. Today it’s a skill that is slowly being reclaimed, although in some parts of the world it still lives strong (ex. Korea’s totally healthy obsession with kimchi). While you can ferment pretty much anything, today we’ll be looking at how to make sauerkraut from scratch.

Related: How to Make Milk Kefir

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