Enjoy Mulled Wine Jelly and Grow Cut and Come Again Celery

SPICE IT UP

Mulled Wine and Mulled Wine Jelly

Are you missing the Christmas spirit? In Australia it was mostly too hot around Christmas time to partake in mulled wine. Winter isn't that far away, and for some people, Christmas in July is a thing.

That would include mulled wine.

Right now though, you could make some mulled wine jelly to relive some of that Christmas cheer which just seems like a faded memory.

You may have heard of the spices that go to make mulled wine, a traditional drink in the northern hemisphere at that time of year.
But here in Australia, it’s too hot, so what else can we do with these spices?

Traditional mulled wine spices contain allspice berries (ground), cassia bark (Asia version of cinnamon), ginger, dried orange peel, and cloves.

METHOD: Mulled Wine

In a saucepan 

POUR 1 bottle of red wine

ADD1 cup of brown sugar,

ADD 1 fresh lime

ADD 1 fresh quartered orange.

ADD2-3 tablespoons of mulling spices.

SIMMER gently for 30-40 minutes DO NOT BOIL

STRAIN: into a jug and serve while warm.

If you’re keen to experiment with your own recipe, then use real vanilla pods, cinnamon quills, fresh citrus and star anise at the very least.

Apart from mulled wine jelly, and mulled wine fizz, there’s also mulled wine glazed ham. So experiment away. Listen to the podcast to find out more.

I’m talking with Ian Hemphill from herb and spice expert from www.herbies.com.au

If you have any questions about spices in mulled wine spice mix, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write to 2rrr PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

VEGETABLE HEROES

Today’s vegetable hero is -Celery Leaf , Leaf Celery or Chinese Celery. Leaf celery is also called Cutting Celery, Parcel, Smallage, Zwolsche Krul, and German celery.

• Celery Leaf is botanically-(Apium graveolens var. secalinum).

Leaf celery sounds like it’s all leaf, but that’s not the case.Yes there’s a lot of leaves, but they’re on top of long, albeit thinner stalks.

• Leaf celery is a more primitive form of familiar supermarket celery but it’s a great cut-and-come-again veggie.If you cut or harvest leaf celery plants often, it will constantly send up new stalks.
• The stalks are hollow, crisp, and packed with flavour, cutting celery is an essential veggie at our house.
  

In colder zones, if you can nurse year-old plants through winter, they will send up a huge flush of stems in early summer, followed by lots of flowers and seeds.

• The ground seeds make a great seasoning for dozens of dishes.

As a true biennial,  cutting celery is happy to produce zillions of seeds at the end of summer here in Australia.

• If you’re an occasional celery user who find that the bunch of celery that you buy from the supermarket turns brown and mushy before you finish it, then you may want to try growing this alternative.The best thing is the stalks aren’t bunched closely together.
• So if you just want one or two stalks of celery to flavour your soups or Bolognese sauce, then just go out into the garden and cut two stalks.

Celery Leaf tastes similar but slightly better than regular stalk celery!
I would say it tastes a little stronger than stalk celery or celeriac.

A Bit of Hsitory
Did you know that leaf Celery has been around for a long time and was in fact used by the ancient Romans as a medicinal herb.
Supposedly, Celery seed has been used for around 3000 years as a seasoning for food.
Did you also know that crushed celery seeds are steam distilled to make celery oil?
This oil is used for flavouring sauces, meats, liqueurs, perfumes, cosmetics and soaps.

 
Some gardeners have run out of room in their veggie bed already-full of tomatoes, Basil and whatnot.
Never fear, Leaf Celery will grow in large pots because it’s a compact plant that grows to 45-60cm in height.

• If you live in a cool temperate district, container veggies can be moved under cover during winter.
• Leaf Celery is a darker green with thin stalks and leaves that look like a cross between the Italian Parsley and the Curley Parsley.
• Celery leaf is perfect for container gardens because it’s a cut and come again plant and is great used as a herb in stews, dressings and salads.

When to plant:
In cool temperate districts, Spring and Summer are your sowing times, in temperate and sub-tropical zones, you have from Spring right through to Autumn, 

Arid areas, the only time you can’t really sow it is in summer, and tropical districts win the jackpot, because they can sow it all year round.

How to grow:
From putting the seed into the ground or pot, it’ll take around 2-3 months.
Like most veggies, Leaf Celery needs full sun but can do alright in part shade in soil that’s not too dry.
You can start them off in punnets if you like because they don’t mind being transplanted.

• Keep in mind, Leaf Celery isn’t frost tolerant.

Sow the very fine seeds thinly, and only 5mm (1/4”) deep.
Be careful not to cover the fine seeds too much because they need light to germinate.
For fine seeds I tend to use a light cover of vermiculite which I then mist to make moist.

• They can be slow to germinate taking up to 21 days at 100C-180C, so be patient.
• In warmer areas, seedlings should emerge in 1-2 weeks.

Once the seeds have germinated it’s a good idea to thin them out around 30cm (12”) apart.
TIP: number 1: Don’t let them dry out.

• TIP: number 2:-If you believe in companion planting, then leaf Celery is supposed to be an insect repellent for cabbage white butterfly.Try planting some around your Brassicas like Broccoli, Cauli, and Cabbage.

TIP: number 3 and now for the Celery Seed.
If you leave your Celery leaf over winter, the plant will bolt to seed in Spring.
What can you do with that?
Apart from replanting fresh seed, the seeds are actually edible.

• Ever heard of Celery salt?

What you can also do is grind it up in your mortar and pestle with a little sea salt. Better than from the supermarket shelf.
Plus you can enjoy the dainty white umbels of flowers.
After a couple of months, pick leaves as you need them to put in soups, stews, stocks and sauces.
A few eaves go well in salads with a strong blue cheese or some or cured meats.

• How else to use leaf celery?

Packed with flavour and fibre, it's best to thinly slice cutting celery crosswise or diagonally.
A sharp knife makes quick work of slicing and dicing any type of garden celery.
Use it as you would regular celery, eat it raw or cooked in long slow cooked meals, or as flavouring in sauces.
Why is it good for you?
The leaves are brimming with five times more magnesium and calcium than the stalks. They're also a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidant’
The good thing is Leaf Celery is low in carbs, and has even a small amount of fibre.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY