Clary, a close relative of common sage, is native to southern Europe. The specific name is derived from the Latin word 'clams', meaning clear, bright.
The berries contain a deep red juice, hence the name Sambucus, derived from the Greek word `sambyx', meaning red colour. Both the flowers and fruits are used in cookery. The inflorescences are cut off as soon as they open, spread out on nets to wilt, the blooms are then stripped from the stalks and rapidly dried so they do not discolour.
Dried blooms should be stored in air-tight containers. During the growth period it is best to use the fresh flowers. These have a refreshing fragrance and for this reason were at one time used in Europe to improve the flavour of Moselle wines that were not up to par.
Nowadays they are used to flavour compotes, jellies and jams. They may also be added to flaky pastry. The flowers or extracts prepared from the flowers are also used by the pharmaceutical industry in medicines that stimulate secretion of the sweat glands. The berries have a strong flavour and are used to make jams and juices rich in Vitamin C.
Their chief attraction in cookery is their lovely red colour which dissolves well in water. In former times elderberries were used to colour wine, chiefly port. They are added in small amounts to apple and pear compotes. In some north European countries they are used to make a fruit soup, eaten with baked apples and dumplings or toasted bread. They are also the principal ingredient of an old English ketchup called poulac.
The seeds are used whole in pickling gherkins and vegetables, in making marinades and like coriander to flavour sausage meat. In England young seedlings are added to green salads. They may be grown readily and rapidly at home from seeds sown in a dish covered with a piece of damp flannel, where they will produce seedlings ready for picking within a week. An annual herb reaching a height of 80 cm (32 in), it is readily distinguished from other mustards by the seeds (1) which arc contained in pods (siliques) terminated by a prominent beak (2,3). They arc straw-yellow in colour and are larger than other mustard seeds. Mustard has a brief growth period and ripening and harvesting depend on the time of sowing. It is harvested when the pods turn brownish-yellow and the seeds harden.
The berries contain a deep red juice, hence the name Sambucus, derived from the Greek word `sambyx', meaning red colour. Both the flowers and fruits are used in cookery. The inflorescences are cut off as soon as they open, spread out on nets to wilt, the blooms are then stripped from the stalks and rapidly dried so they do not discolour.
Dried blooms should be stored in air-tight containers. During the growth period it is best to use the fresh flowers. These have a refreshing fragrance and for this reason were at one time used in Europe to improve the flavour of Moselle wines that were not up to par.
Nowadays they are used to flavour compotes, jellies and jams. They may also be added to flaky pastry. The flowers or extracts prepared from the flowers are also used by the pharmaceutical industry in medicines that stimulate secretion of the sweat glands. The berries have a strong flavour and are used to make jams and juices rich in Vitamin C.
Their chief attraction in cookery is their lovely red colour which dissolves well in water. In former times elderberries were used to colour wine, chiefly port. They are added in small amounts to apple and pear compotes. In some north European countries they are used to make a fruit soup, eaten with baked apples and dumplings or toasted bread. They are also the principal ingredient of an old English ketchup called poulac.
The seeds are used whole in pickling gherkins and vegetables, in making marinades and like coriander to flavour sausage meat. In England young seedlings are added to green salads. They may be grown readily and rapidly at home from seeds sown in a dish covered with a piece of damp flannel, where they will produce seedlings ready for picking within a week. An annual herb reaching a height of 80 cm (32 in), it is readily distinguished from other mustards by the seeds (1) which arc contained in pods (siliques) terminated by a prominent beak (2,3). They arc straw-yellow in colour and are larger than other mustard seeds. Mustard has a brief growth period and ripening and harvesting depend on the time of sowing. It is harvested when the pods turn brownish-yellow and the seeds harden.
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