Kitchen Magic // Hollandaise

Firstly, if you're tired or not in the best of moods, I wouldn't recommend trying this! It takes patience, as I found earlier this week!

I'd never made a hollandaise sauce before but, in a moment of whimsy, and upon realising I had far more eggs than I would normally eat on my own this week and some of the season's asparagus, I thought it would be a good idea. Don't get me wrong - it was a beautiful dinner and I felt a real sense of achievement, but it wasn't the easiest of tasks. 

If you want to give it a go you will need:

* 3 eggs yolks

* 150 grams of butter

* 2 tbsp cold water

* The juice of half a lemon

* Salt and pepper to taste

* A heavy-bottomed pan, a whisk and a strong arm.

There were countless recipes and methods online, but I found this one to be the most simple, without the use of a food processor. 

1. Place the egg yolks, butter and water into a heavy-bottomed pan and heat gently, whisking constantly. Do not allow the pan to overheat (the sides should be lukewarm). 

2. When the butter has melted, whisk harder and turn the heat up slightly. Do not allow the mixture to steam. If it does, take it off the heat and continue whisking furiously. 

(AT THIS POINT MY MIXTURE SPLIT - YOU CAN READ THE REMEDY FOR THIS AT THE BOTTOM**)

3. Once you are happy with the thickness of your sauce, remove from the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice, taste and season to your preference. 

4. Enjoy poured over poached eggs / asparagus / salmon. 

** If you find your mixture has split or separated, you can fix this by putting a broken egg yolk into the bottom of a new pan, without heat and slowly, slowly, very slowly whisking the split mixture into it. It will combine into a thicker, glossy sauce. 

Note: If your mixture turns into scrambled eggs, it cannot be saved. This means you have had your pan too hot and you will have to enjoy scrambled eggs on toast instead!

Hedgerow Ramblings // Wild Garlic

Wild garlic, or Ramsons, can be seen around woodland areas, growing in abundance amongst the bluebells, at this time of year. If you brush past it, you get a distinct aroma of garlic. The leaves and flowers are edible - but take care if the plants haven't yet flowered, as you may confuse the wide, flat leaves for those of the poisonous Lily of the Valley. The flowers are distinct, however, with tiny white petals in a loose pompom and if you pick a leaf and crush it slightly, you will know by the smell that it is garlic. 

Wild garlic is of the allium family - closely related to chives - and can be used in similar ways. The flowers add flavour to salads or sprinkled over pasta dishes. You could whizz the leaves up with some oil into a pesto and coat meat, fish or use as a stir-in sauce. Blanched and chopped, the leaves would also make a lovely accompaniment to meat or fish, or in a risotto. Make sure you wash them thoroughly before use and be respectful when foraging. Only take what you need - leave plenty for others - or better still, grow some of your own in your garden.

Kitchen Magick // Prawn Laksa

This recipe was experimental - but I really enjoyed it and it felt very healthy too. It would be perfect for anyone following a low-carb or low-GI diet and for vegans out there, simply substitute the prawns for more veggies (I think aubergine would work well), use red curry paste instead of laksa paste and replace fish-sauce with soy sauce. 

You will need: 

2-3 tbsp red curry or laksa paste (if you want to make your own from scratch there's a recipe here)

400 ml coconut milk (I used half-fat)

50g rice noodles

500 ml vegetable stock

1 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)

A handful of beansprouts

4 chopped tomatoes

150 grams large, uncooked, king prawns

A small bunch of corriander, chopped

8 fresh mint leaves, chopped

2 tsp rapeseed / groundnut oil

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the curry or laksa paste - allow to heat for 2 minutes, until the spice vapours are being released. (If you are using vegetable alternatives, such as aubergines, carrots or pumpkin, add these now so they absorb the spice mix). 

2. Add the tomatoes, beansprouts, coconut milk, stock and fish sauce as well as half the herbs. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer.

3. Add the prawns and noodles to the pan - within around 3 minutes the noodles will be tender and the prawns cooked through. When they are thoroughly pink you know they are done. 

4. Serve in a generous bowl, with the remaining herbs sprinkled over the top.

Kitchen Magick // Pumpkin Pie

Image courtesy of www.bbc.co.uk/food

Last night we made this spiced pumpkin pie and it was really delicious. 

You will need:

* Shortcrust pastry to fill a 9inch pie tin - we used ready made, but if you have more time you could make your own

* 450 grams pumpkin flesh, chopped into small cubes

* 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

* 75g soft brown sugar

* 275 ml double cream

* 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice

* 1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp ground cinammon

~ Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Place the pastry in your tin and blind bake (using baking beans or hard chickpeas) for about 15 minutes.

~ While the case is baking, steam the pumpkin flesh until soft (this may take up to 20 minutes). I did this using a colander over a pan of boiling water. 

~ Push the pumpkin down into a coarse sieve to drain any excess water. 

~ Lightly whisk the eggs and egg yolk into a bowl. 

~ In a small pan, heat the cream, sugar and spices until simmering gently.

~ Pour the cream mix into the eggs, continuing to whisk gently.

~ Add the pumpkin to the mixture and whisk to ensure it is thoroughly mixed. 

~ Pour the filling mixture into the pastry case and bake for around 35 minutes. The pie filling should be firm but wobbly when you take it out, like a set custard.

It is delicious warm, but would also work well chilled, with some cream or creme fraiche. 

Enjoy!

Herbcraft // Parsley

Now, I've never been much of a parsley fan - particularly not the curly-leaf variety which I always associate with garnishes on gastro-pub food from the 1980s. 

However, I am learning to make use of the flat-leaf variety in my culinary explorations - and it does have some fantastic medicinal qualities. 

Parsley is actually from the same family as the carrot - they have very similar leaves - and there is a variety of parsley which has an edible root, much like its culinary cousin. It has a 'grassy' scent and flavour and works well as a palate cleanser. 

Try adding parsley to soups, stews and pasta sauces for mild flavour or, if you really like the taste, you can whizz up a parsley pesto using a large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, a couple of garlic cloves, some pine nuts, parmesan cheese and a glug of olive oil in the food processor. This makes a lovely, fresh, summery pasta sauce - particularly with a generous squeeze of lemon. 

Medicinally, parsley's beneficial effects seem to be endless: anti-microbial, anti-spasmodic, anti-rheumatic, laxative, mild brain tonic, diuretic, carminative, expectorant, gastric tonic, uterine tonic and a warming remedy for cold conditions. 

Parsley has traditionally been used in the treatment of urine and bladder disorders, inflammation of the prostate gland, PMT and menopausal hot flushes. Mashed and unheated, leaves were once apparently applied to the breasts of nursing mothers to arrest the flow of milk. 

Whether seeking to utilise its medicinal properties or simply adding some flavour to your cooking, it cannot be denied that, as it is so rich in minerals such as calcium potassium and silica, parsley is good for you. Apparently this combination of minerals will help to strengthen the hair, nails and skin - so it can make you beautiful too! 

I am a convert!

Kitchen Magick // Spicy Courgette Chutney

This is actually one of the easiest ways of getting rid of a small mountain of courgette and it creates delicious smells in your kitchen as its cooking down. 

You will need the following ingredients:

500g (I actually used more like 750g) courgette, diced

500g tomatoes, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

300g brown sugar

350 ml white wine vinegar

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp ground mixed spice

Thumb-sized piece of ginger, minced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

Simply place all the ingredients into a large pan and bring slowly to a simmer.

Leave to simmer with the lid off for around 2 and a half hours - by this point the mixture should look 'chutney-like'!

Pop the mixture into sterilised jars and seal. The chutney will be ready to eat in around 2-3 weeks and should keep for several months if kept in a cool, dark cupboard. 

Allotment Tales // The Courgette Glut

I have made...

Warm courgette, feta and pine-nut salad, with chilli, lemon and mint.

Courgette, Tomato and Parmesan Muffins

and 

Italian Courgette and Parmesan Soup

Courgette Chutney (more on this tomorrow)

Courgette, chickpea and coconut curry

Courgette fritters

Courgette and pesto pasta (at least fifty times!)

Lemon and poppyseed muffins, using courgette instead of butter

We've given countless courgettes away to family and friends.

So how can this still be sitting in my kitchen??!

Please help! If you can think of any more (preferably freezable) courgette recipes, we've still got about 3kg to go!

Hearth and Home // Lemon, Blueberry & Poppyseed Muffins

I have discovered a really tasty way of using up some of our courgette glut!

These healthy muffins contain very little fat or calories, thanks to the secret ingredient which acts in place of butter: grated courgette. Thanks to the rice flour and almonds, they are also wheat and gluten free.

You will need:

* Muffin tray (and cases if you prefer)

* 160g rice flour

* 180g ground almonds

* 2 tsp baking powder

* 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

* 60g poppy seeds

* 3 medium free-range eggs

* 160g fruit sugar

* 250 g grated courgette

* Zest of 3 and juice of 2 large lemons

* 100ml buttermilk

* 150g blueberries

* Pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 200c and line the muffin tray with cases. Combine dry ingredients (flour, almonds, baking powder, bicarb, salt and poppy seeds) in a bowl and set aside.

2. In another bowl whisk the eggs and sugar until a light creamy colour and consistency; then add the courgette, lemon zest and juice, blueberries and buttermilk.

3. Quickly stir the dry mixture into the wet and fold lightly, so as to keep as much air in as possible. 

4. Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin cases and cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool thoroughly (they tend to stick to the muffin cases if they haven't cooled properly) before enjoying with a steaming cup of tea. Delicious for breakfast! 

Allotment Tales // Onions

For our first year of allotmenteering, we have done pretty well with onions, in spite of some worrying moments. We tried two different approaches: before we knew we had secured an allotment we planted some red onion seeds in a planter on the windowsill. These grew well - the seedlings are whispery thin - and we eventually knew we would have to plant them out for more space. 

Image courtesy of Vegetable Garden Guide

Once we knew we had the allotment plot, we planted these out with lots of space between them and also bought some white onion 'sets' (tiny bulbs, each of which will grow into an onion) to plant. These grew more like a bulb would, with a thick shoot to begin with that very quickly developed into tall onion plants.

Image courtesy of Garden Direct

The seedlings and sets were planted out in late April, early May and by July were starting to show signs of decent sized onions poking up through the soil. Apparently, we planted our onions too deep, because we couldn't see much of the bulb protruding - most other people at the allotment, by this point, had onions almost sitting on top of the soil. 

As the month progressed, we started to notice the leaves drying and blackening. A neighbour mentioned that this is a sign of blight and the onions at our allotment seem to be prone to it. I am unsure whether it is powdery  mildew or onion leaf blight - if anyone recognises it, please comment to let me know! However, the neighbour assured us there would be nothing wrong with the onion bulbs, as long as we pulled them up quickly and dried them out - they may not last as long as unaffected onions, but would still be tasty and perfectly fine to eat.

We now have onions strung up around the whole house, to try and dry them out so they keep as long as possible. This is easily done by chopping off the leaves so a stalk of around 2 inches remains and simply tying string around the stalks. 

Our onions are fairly mild tasting and absolutely lovely. We tried them in Nigel Slater's recipe for baked onions with parmesan and cream (number 5 on this list): very naughty but delicious with a side of garlic spinach and some home-cooked potato wedges. 

What are you harvesting and cooking up this week?

Hearth and Home // Eating Seasonally - Zuccini cakes with dill and feta

It was one of my resolutions this year to try and eat more locally sourced, seasonal produce. This mostly means vegetables as B and I barely eat meat nowadays and only really when we visit friends and family. The thinking behind these goals was both environmental and economical - buying produce which is out of season is costly and often requires long distance shipping. There were discussions about getting seasonal veg boxes delivered but then we lucked out with our allotment and we are now naturally eating what is in season and is locally grown!

Two of our favourite food writers - Hugh Furnly-Wurnly (as he is known in our household - to everyone else he is Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall) and Nigel Slater - have long championed fresh, seasonal, locally sourced produce and, as a result, their books are filled with delicious recipes categorised by season. Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries has rapidly become my all-time favourite recipe book - if you can really call it that. There are recipes in it (by the fistful) but it is also a journal in the traditional sense, chronicling Mr Slater's day-to-day encounters with food. It is absolutely delightful to read and this recipe, from the July section was absolutely perfect for us to make use of the two things we have a glut of in the allotment currently:  courgettes (zuccini) and dill! You can read my recent post about the benefits and other culinary uses of dill here, but this recipe is a great starting point. 

You will need: 

* 3 large courgettes (about 500 grams)

* 4 spring onions (or a medium onion)

* Olive oil

* 1 clove garlic

* 3 tbsp plain flour

* 1 large egg

* 100 g feta cheese

* A small bunch of dill (chopped)

* Salt and black pepper to season

Grate the courgette into a colander, sprinkle lightly with salt and allow to drain over the sink for around 30 minutes (you could do this into a tea towel and squeeze the water out if you are in a rush).

Chop the onions finely and warm them gently with a little oil in a pan. Add the garlic and courgette to the pan. When all is soft and turning a pale golden colour, add the flour and continue cooking for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat the egg lightly and stir into the onion mixture, then crumble in the feta and chopped dill. Season to taste.

Finally, heat three tablespoons of oil in a shallow pan and drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil to cook. When golden on one side, turn over gently (they are pretty delicate so you will to be careful!). Lift the cakes out and drain on some kitchen paper. Serve as you wish...

We had ours with some home-made tzatziki and chunky potato wedges - also home-grown. Very satisfying!

Herbcraft // Dill

Dill is one of my favourite herbs - I absolutely love its flavour, largely, I think, because it brings back such strong memories of happy travelling experiences in Russia and Scandinavia, where it is native and used widely in culinary preparation.

Dill looks a lot like fennel, due to its bright green, feathery leaves and umbrellas of tiny flowers which turn to seed. However, it does not have the same aniseed scent, instead offering a sweeter, more subtle flavour that compliments fish well. The seeds are traditionally added to pickles in Russian and Scandinavian cuisine, and coupled with yoghurt and cucumber, make a fresh, cooling dip. More on the culinary uses of Dill to come later...

Medicinally, Dill has historically been used as a digestive aid, acting as a carminative, preventing gas and intestinal bloating. The seeds and leaves can be used in any number of recipes to calm the digestive system.  Dill's essential oil can also be used to encourage milk production in breastfeeding women. However, Dill should be avoided during pregnancy.

Allotment Tales // Flowers as Food

In addition to providing us with vegetables, fruit and herbs, gardens and allotments are places of sanctuary and enjoyment, so it is wonderful to see so many colourful flowers in bloom through the summer as well.

What is truly delightful is the thought that, as well as being visually pleasing, many of these flowers have culinary uses too.

As I wrote earlier in the month, herbs such as borage and chamomile produce incredibly useful and pretty flowers. Chives, likewise have lovely purple pom-pom flowers, which can be eaten cooked or raw and have a strong flavour - something of a mixture between garlic and spring onions.

Courgette flowers can also be eaten, stuffed with cream cheese and herbs, or battered 'tempura' style. Nasturtium flowers are another edible treat; they taste distinctly like cress and really brighten up any plate of food. 

This meal was concocted almost entirely from allotment produce. I simply fried some chopped yellow courgette and chopped chive flowers in a little olive oil; cooked the pasta and stirred through with the cooked veg, some wild rocket and nasturtium flowers (well washed, as they do attract tiny beasties) and added a sprinkling of feta cheese. 

Delightful summer food!

Allotment Tales // Rocket and Mizuna

Currently, we have more salad leaves than we know what to do with down at our allotment. We pick some every two or three days to have accompanying our meals and it just keeps growing in abundance!

This year sowed some rows of mixed leaves seeds and also some rocket on its own. What would grow from the mixed leaves was down to luck and the elements. This year we seem to have an abundance of mizuna.

Mizuna is an oriental salad leaf, sometimes also known as Japanese Greens or Japanese Mustard, because of its peppery taste. It is similar to rocket in that sense, but its leaves are more feathery. It grows vigorously and the stalks can get rather thick very quickly. As you can stir-fry them as well as eating them raw, this isn't really a problem. The smaller, tender leaves are great on their own or dressed simply with a bit of oil and balsamic or lemon juice. As it is a 'cut-and-come-again' variety, if you grow a patch, it should keep you going all through the summer. 

Rocket is a bit trickier to grow - it isn't as vociferous in our patch and seems to be a real favourite for little beasties to chomp their way through. For this reason, I've started growing some more in a tray on the windowsill as well as outside. Most of what I pick from the allotment has tiny holes in it! A good wash and it's absolutely fine to eat, however, and I absolutely love its deep, peppery flavour with a few slices of parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic. It is rich in Vitamin C and potassium as well, and has long been considered an aphrodisiac!

What are you picking from your gardens and allotments this week?

Herbcraft // Borage

Borage is a beautiful and, sadly, nowadays underused commodity in terms of medicinal and culinary herb-craft. Mostly it is grown commercially for its seed-oil and by savvy gardeners, who know that it attracts bees who pollenate their other plants. 

Borage is also often known as 'starflower' thanks to its exquisite sapphire-blue star-shaped blossoms, which hang delicately for a day or two, before being scattered like confetti across the garden by even the lightest of breezes. 

The nutritional and medicinal benefits of borage are wide-ranging.  It is often used by medical herbalists as a metabolic regulator, hormonal regulator (making it useful in the treatment of symptoms of PMS or the menopause) and anti-inflammatory - particularly for respiratory inflammations such as bronchitis. Many gardeners also claim it improves the health and taste of vegetables and fruit next to which it grows. 

You can eat raw borage leaves in salads; apparently it lends a flavour akin to cucumber. Also, the leaves can be cooked, similarly to spinach and used in soups and pasta dishes. In some Italian regions, borage is used to stuff ravioli - I love the sound of that! A cup of raw borage contains large quantities of vitamin A as well as several of the B vitamins, a significant amount of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, manganese, calcium, zinc and selenium - to name a few!

Borage flowers can also be eaten and provide a honey-sweet taste to deserts, salads and even drinks. A lovely trick to add interest and colour to summer drinks is to pop some of these flowers into your ice cube trays, before making ice. They add a beautiful summery something to a chilled glass of wine or elderflower cordial. 

So if you have some of this delightful summer herb growing in your garden, try one of these traditional culinary uses before the flowers all scatter to the wind.

Allotment Tales // A Warm Summer Salad

I was delighted this week to spend an evening working at the allotment, my reward for which was this handful of fresh produce to cook up for my dinner.

This time of year sees courgettes, mange tout and peas, as well as handfuls of fresh lettuce, spinach and chard growing in abundance. I just loved the colourful combination of the mange tout, yellow courgettes and blue borage flowers in my bowl! 

When I got them home I gave them a rinse, chopped the courgettes and simply tossed them in some garlic oil in the frying pan for 2 minutes. They were served up with a dollop of tzatziki.

A delightful, warm summer salad. 

Hearth and Home // Magick Mojitos

Summer, to me, means BBQs, picnics and any other form of al fresco dining you can think of, preferably with lots of family and/or friends and refreshing drinks a-plenty. Yesterday, we decided to add a little minty magic to our annual family June BBQ and make mojitos. Mmmmm.

For whipping up some of these oh-so-fresh summery cocktails you will need...

* Limes

*Fresh mint sprigs

*Soft brown sugar

* Soda water

* Crushed ice

* White rum (this can be omitted if you're going 'virgin')

You should squeeze the juice of your lime(s) - the quantity you need will obviously depend on the number of drinks you are serving. 

In the bottom of each glass put two teaspoons of the sugar and then pour over your squeezed lime juice. You don't need much, just enough to cover the sugar. 

Next place two or three sprigs of mint (you can leave the stalks for extra minty flavour) and one or two lime wedges in the glass. 

Now you're going to 'muddle'...

You can use the end of a wooden spoon or anything similar you have to hand in your kitchen for this. You basically bash the ingredients in the glass, to release all the minty, limy flavour.

Once this is done, add your crushed ice to the glass, pour a 50ml shot of white rum over the ice, (or not, if you're going alcohol-free) top up with soda water and stir.

Finally, enjoy!

Allotment Tales // Beetroot

 One of the most wonderful things about having an allotment, is the sense of community spirit and generosity it promotes. So far we have been inundated with helpful tips from our gardening neighbours and even had some pumpkin plants donated to our patch. 

This week we have been given a handful of beetroot from one of our co-allotmenteers' early harvest. 

We do have some of our own beetroot growing from seed but, as we only found out we had successfully acquired an allotment in April, we are quite behind many of the others. Hopefully we will have a bunch of our own deep-red roots later on in the season, to return the favour. 

Beetroot seems to be a pretty hardy vegetable to grow - we had no problem with it in a tiny scrap of stony earth last year, although the lack of space did make the beets rather small. It prefers moist, fertile soil and a sunny spot and grows best when seeds are sown directly into the ground from mid-Spring.

As for what to do with it - once you get past the thought of jar upon unopened jar of the pickled stuff - its actually pretty versatile and yummy. Tonight we had ours roasted, with some other veg and cous-cous but you could try it in a warm salad, add it into some brownies, make a delicious, Russian-inspired borscht soup or even add it to some fruit in a nutritious smoothie. Not only does it add a splash of colour to any meal, beetroot is high in nitrates proven to lower blood pressure. See here for more information on the health benefits of this seasonal vegetable.

What are you harvesting and cooking up this week?

Herbcraft // Lavender and Lemongrass Tea

On warm summer days we need refreshment and this tea is fragrant and fresh enough to do just that.

Step One: Gather dried herbs - lemongrass and lavender flowers.

Step 2: Mix herbs together - 2 parts lemongrass to 1 part lavender. 

(If you want a milder lavender flavour, try 2 1/2 parts lemongrass to 1/2 a part lavender).

Step 3 - Option A: Put a teaspoon of the mix into teabag sachets, and use one per cup.

Step 3 - Option B: Add herb mix direct to your teapot if you have a strainer. 

Enjoy the soothing and refreshing properties of these wonderful herbs...

Lavender: eases depression, benefits the digestion, antispasmodic, soothes anxiety and tension headaches, relieves exhaustion and migraines.

Lemongrass: antispasmodic, soothes the digestive system, has a positive effect on nervous conditions and provides a boost if you're feeling tired. 

Herbcraft // Turmeric and Ginger Tea

After yesterday's post about the healing benefits of turmeric, I thought I would share a recipe for turmeric and ginger tea. This is absolutely perfect for warming the body and soul on these bitter cold, wintry days.

You could of course cheat and buy these Pukka Herbs 3 ginger teabags. They are lovely, but pricey and I find there is something 'off' about treating the body to some healing, natural goodness if it comes in a tea-bag which has been made most unnaturally (possibly with a chemical called epichlorohydrin, a compound also used in insecticides,  which when combined with water creates a chemical called 3-MCPD, a known cancer causing agent). 

I know, I know, practically everything today is potentially carcinogenic, but  if I create my tea from scratch using fresh ingredients, it feels less likely to be 'poisonous'. Plus it will save me some pennies. And taste better.

So...you will need...

2 cups of water

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger or 1/2 cm piece finely chopped ginger root

1/2 teaspoon powdered turmeric or 1/2 cm piece finely chopped turmeric root

(optional, 1/2 piece finely chopped galangal root)

2 teaspoons honey

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Simply bring the water to the boil, add the herbs and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add the lemon juice, strain the tea into a mug or cup and stir in the honey.

Drink warm.

Herbcraft // Turmeric

Only yesterday did I learn about this spice's wonderful medicinal properties and I have made sure it is on the shopping list for my trip out to buy groceries. (Thanks for the tip, Mum!)

Turmeric root is a member of the ginger family (you can see above how similar it looks to root ginger) and is used in South-East Asian cooking readily for its warm, spicy flavour. One of the active ingredients in turmeric is known as 'curcumin' and it is this which makes turmeric one of nature's most powerful healers.

Images courtesy of www.net-doctor.co.uk

Here are some reasons to ensure you have a jar of powdered turmeric, or some turmeric root, in your pantry at home...

1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent. You can use it to make a paste which can be placed directly on cuts and burns, to disinfect and promote quick healing.

2. It is a natural liver de-toxifier, acting against toxins such as alcohol.

3. It is a potent anti-inflammatory and can work as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs, without the nasty side-effects.

4. It has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.

5. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and other rheumatic conditions.

6. Likewise, it can aid in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions. 

7. Clinical studies have shown that turmeric may help to slow the progression of Alzheimers, by reducing the build up of amyloid proteins in the brain. 

8. Because of its rich stores of antioxidants, laboratory studies indicate that curcumin is useful in the treatment of many types of cancer. For example, it kills cultures of leukaemia cells; it appears to cause melanoma cells to 'commit suicide', slowing the growth of the cancer; and studies are ongoing to determine the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma. 

Turmeric is considered a 'safe' herb and is used widely in cooking throughout the world. Although overdoing it could lead to an upset stomach, it would seem that a little sprinkle of spice in our food would do us all the world of good!

If already taking blood thinning medicine, such as warfarin, turmeric should be avoided. If you are pregnant, consult your doctor before taking a turmeric supplement.