So enjoyed this article. I think people, in general, have forgotten to enjoy the process...of cooking, growing, foraging, preserving, working, living. They (and, yes, who are they?) have made it all about the end goal. Considering that the end goal for every living thing is, eventually, death it may be a very good idea to slow down and enjoy the journey.
Yes I quite agree Deb! I always try to be charitable and do my best to understand the many sides and perspectives on such topics, but equally, when we stand to lose so much in the way of tradition, skill, and culture, I instinctively resist.
My mother used to say that the downfall of humanity will be they can no longer recognize food. She told me how when she was a young girl in the mountains of Austria she could pick 40 useful herbs and could make a delicious soup from "nothing" but a spoonful of lard, a rue and herbs! I miss her.
That’s the kind of knowledge I fear we have largely lost. I’ve spent so much time talking with older people involved in food about their memories and experiences with it. And not chefs, much as I love them, I’m talking about home cooks. The beating heart of a family and the passion that drives such knowledge.
I cannot believe my good luck in finding your substack. Two weeks in a row you've offered instructions for things I am thrilled to ferment but didn't know you could. Today I'm harvesting the plums, just ahead of the bears, and later this week the lemon verbena. How can the man possibly do this again?? I ask. But then, I asked myself that last week too.
With thanks from a little mountain village in British Columbia, and very much looking forward to your book.
Thoroughly enjoyed and resonated with the tangent. I’m always reminding myself to do things the right way and not the quick/easy way. Of course the easy way could be the right way as you alluded to but in order to get to that conclusion you have to go through the process. Ultimately, it’s always so much more rewarding in the end when you take that time with the task at hand.
Can’t wait to grow some lemon verbena next season and give this tea a try!
Love tea and love this recipe for making fermented verbena tea cakes. What a lovely gift it will make for my tea drinking friends. One problem...I have very little verbena in my garden but I have a mass of lemon balm. What do you think? Can I make a simple switch? I loved your inspiring words, "nature is the true master of making simple delicious." Indeed she is the gracious mother who inspires us all to create and connect with her. Thank you!
Do you have any other ways to use lemon balm, Heide? I also have lots of this in my garden, but dislike the smell so haven't got any further than to avoid it! ;)
Following on from the comments above was wondering if you had tried this with figs leaves?
Our fig tree is resolved to teasing us with only a handful of fruits each year (about 20 eaten on the spot as they ripened one after the other.. we have propagated it hoping younger trees will be more generous 🙏)
But of course we are blessed with fig leaves and all the possibilities that come with them which I am slowly exploring...
Flaminia, have you tried fig leaf gin? Wonderful in a negroni... the secret that was shared with me, and which I used, was to toast the fig leaves in the oven for a few minutes to release the oils, c10 leaves per bottle of gin and leave to infuse for 2-3 days.
Thanks Abby that sounds delish! :) definitely putting some in Gin!!
Yes I usually toast them if I'm infusing them into dairy for ice cream, panna cotta, creme brulée etc.. the flavour shifts to nuttier aromas and is wonderful.
Will try oxidising the blanched leaves for tea thank you Sam!
Also currently making a fermented fig leaf lemonade with a sliced lemon and the whey from yogurt as starter culture (leaves blanched first) which makes me think they might still ferment if making tea with the method you mention.
I do love reading your posts Sam, they are a cue to sit and focus, I will be AWOL when your book arrives I dare say! My children are all about the fast and furious, they are impatient and have absolutely no interest in food/cooking/tasting (They are kind and all that, but boy do I wish they would eat something fresh!) Trying to get a vegetable, or fruit, past their lips has been a lifelong mission. I grow, I provide, I cook and now I begin my fermenting journey - mostly booze at the moment to be fair, but we have to start somewhere no?- in the hope that modelling for them will eventually win out. Failing that, hopefully they will meet a vegetarian and fall in love, challenging their abstinence hehe! Anyhow, lemon verbena....it's glorious! My plant is small and has been picked to the brink this summer, perhaps it's time to expand my collection! P.S I've made a batch of your Lacto Tomatoes, which are on day 5 and I can't wait to dive in! Have a good week.
Thanks Kerry! It’s hard to see the poignancy of slow, significant living, in an age obsessed with speed, spectacle, and progress. But have faith, when I was a kid all I ate for a while was tomato soup haha! Then I fell in love with food, largely thanks to my mum’s home cooking. So keep leading by example, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that lemon verbena tea is the plant that converts them for you!
Lovely post reminding me that for autumn I have to pull out my classic crumble recipes again! Sadly I don’t have any verbena growing but I might be able to find someone who does… Would love a more in depth post about compound butters in future, Sam. I’ve recently started making my own butter and have been experimenting with the countless flavour combinations. I’m a firm believer that butter is definitely good for you, I would be very interested in your favourite compound butter combos (just leaving a lil free post idea here for you)
My lemon verbena plants are my cossetted babies. After seeing giant bushes of verbena in Italy and Portugal I'm always delighted it can grow in the UK. Picking a few leaves for an infusion is one of the best simple pleasures. Is there a minimum amount needed for fermenting? I have so little, I'd hate to waste it, getting the recipe wrong.
So enjoyed this article. I think people, in general, have forgotten to enjoy the process...of cooking, growing, foraging, preserving, working, living. They (and, yes, who are they?) have made it all about the end goal. Considering that the end goal for every living thing is, eventually, death it may be a very good idea to slow down and enjoy the journey.
Yes I quite agree Deb! I always try to be charitable and do my best to understand the many sides and perspectives on such topics, but equally, when we stand to lose so much in the way of tradition, skill, and culture, I instinctively resist.
My mother used to say that the downfall of humanity will be they can no longer recognize food. She told me how when she was a young girl in the mountains of Austria she could pick 40 useful herbs and could make a delicious soup from "nothing" but a spoonful of lard, a rue and herbs! I miss her.
That’s the kind of knowledge I fear we have largely lost. I’ve spent so much time talking with older people involved in food about their memories and experiences with it. And not chefs, much as I love them, I’m talking about home cooks. The beating heart of a family and the passion that drives such knowledge.
I cannot believe my good luck in finding your substack. Two weeks in a row you've offered instructions for things I am thrilled to ferment but didn't know you could. Today I'm harvesting the plums, just ahead of the bears, and later this week the lemon verbena. How can the man possibly do this again?? I ask. But then, I asked myself that last week too.
With thanks from a little mountain village in British Columbia, and very much looking forward to your book.
We must be in perfect sync! Or at least a few weeks within each other. Next up for me is Rowan (Mountain Ash), I don't suppose you have that too?
And hi from a little coastal town in Wales! Thank you so much for preordering my book as well as joining me here.
Thanks Sam, so important to keep these skills alive and value what we can grow or forage in our area.
I agree too, that I like the way you read out your article 🙏🏻 I listen whilst doing.💫🌸
Thanks Jo! I’ve always loved audiobooks so I can totally relate, even though I don’t like hearing myself read haha!
Thoroughly enjoyed and resonated with the tangent. I’m always reminding myself to do things the right way and not the quick/easy way. Of course the easy way could be the right way as you alluded to but in order to get to that conclusion you have to go through the process. Ultimately, it’s always so much more rewarding in the end when you take that time with the task at hand.
Can’t wait to grow some lemon verbena next season and give this tea a try!
Thanks for that Jon, I’m glad we’re on the same page. And of all the things to get “right” in life, food is not to be underestimated.
You wait until you try your own verbena! It’s incredible.
Love tea and love this recipe for making fermented verbena tea cakes. What a lovely gift it will make for my tea drinking friends. One problem...I have very little verbena in my garden but I have a mass of lemon balm. What do you think? Can I make a simple switch? I loved your inspiring words, "nature is the true master of making simple delicious." Indeed she is the gracious mother who inspires us all to create and connect with her. Thank you!
Do you have any other ways to use lemon balm, Heide? I also have lots of this in my garden, but dislike the smell so haven't got any further than to avoid it! ;)
Fermented soda with lemon balm tastes like gin!
Yum! do you use a culture to ferment it?
Thank you Heide! I haven’t tried it with lemon balm but I have tried fermented soda with it and that’s delicious! So I’d say it’s worth a go!
Following on from the comments above was wondering if you had tried this with figs leaves?
Our fig tree is resolved to teasing us with only a handful of fruits each year (about 20 eaten on the spot as they ripened one after the other.. we have propagated it hoping younger trees will be more generous 🙏)
But of course we are blessed with fig leaves and all the possibilities that come with them which I am slowly exploring...
Thank you for the lovely article!
Lemon verbena currently being picked :)
I haven’t tried this one yet but I’m confident they will work. I wonder how it will taste… they might be best off blanching and oxidising
I adore figs and fig leaves! Such a beautiful coconut-like flavour! I made a delicious granita from them earlier in the year.
Flaminia, have you tried fig leaf gin? Wonderful in a negroni... the secret that was shared with me, and which I used, was to toast the fig leaves in the oven for a few minutes to release the oils, c10 leaves per bottle of gin and leave to infuse for 2-3 days.
Thanks Abby that sounds delish! :) definitely putting some in Gin!!
Yes I usually toast them if I'm infusing them into dairy for ice cream, panna cotta, creme brulée etc.. the flavour shifts to nuttier aromas and is wonderful.
Will try oxidising the blanched leaves for tea thank you Sam!
Also currently making a fermented fig leaf lemonade with a sliced lemon and the whey from yogurt as starter culture (leaves blanched first) which makes me think they might still ferment if making tea with the method you mention.
Great article and recipes Sam. Slooowww Foooddd! 😍
Thanks Martin! Hell yeah! Slow growing, considered eating, tasty cooking 😊
Cheers Sam. Great slogan for a t-shirt or a (big) cap!
I have a pretty large head, I reckon we could make it fit!
🤣 Make it two! 🧢🧢
Time to join Slow Food. Twice a year they have a join for any amount day...coming up on Sept 15 and the 29th.
I do love reading your posts Sam, they are a cue to sit and focus, I will be AWOL when your book arrives I dare say! My children are all about the fast and furious, they are impatient and have absolutely no interest in food/cooking/tasting (They are kind and all that, but boy do I wish they would eat something fresh!) Trying to get a vegetable, or fruit, past their lips has been a lifelong mission. I grow, I provide, I cook and now I begin my fermenting journey - mostly booze at the moment to be fair, but we have to start somewhere no?- in the hope that modelling for them will eventually win out. Failing that, hopefully they will meet a vegetarian and fall in love, challenging their abstinence hehe! Anyhow, lemon verbena....it's glorious! My plant is small and has been picked to the brink this summer, perhaps it's time to expand my collection! P.S I've made a batch of your Lacto Tomatoes, which are on day 5 and I can't wait to dive in! Have a good week.
Thanks Kerry! It’s hard to see the poignancy of slow, significant living, in an age obsessed with speed, spectacle, and progress. But have faith, when I was a kid all I ate for a while was tomato soup haha! Then I fell in love with food, largely thanks to my mum’s home cooking. So keep leading by example, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that lemon verbena tea is the plant that converts them for you!
Lovely post reminding me that for autumn I have to pull out my classic crumble recipes again! Sadly I don’t have any verbena growing but I might be able to find someone who does… Would love a more in depth post about compound butters in future, Sam. I’ve recently started making my own butter and have been experimenting with the countless flavour combinations. I’m a firm believer that butter is definitely good for you, I would be very interested in your favourite compound butter combos (just leaving a lil free post idea here for you)
Very nice ramblings. LOVE💗
My lemon verbena plants are my cossetted babies. After seeing giant bushes of verbena in Italy and Portugal I'm always delighted it can grow in the UK. Picking a few leaves for an infusion is one of the best simple pleasures. Is there a minimum amount needed for fermenting? I have so little, I'd hate to waste it, getting the recipe wrong.