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Wild Garlic Oil: A Recipe to Make Yourself

You can make delicious wild garlic oil yourself from fresh wild garlic – you can find it in many shady places from March. In the following text you will find a recipe for wild garlic oil and ideas for its use.

From mid-March to early May you can find wild garlic in numerous parks and forests. The typical smell makes you want spring and invites you to extensive wild garlic harvest. You can conjure up many delicious dishes from the ingredient, such as wild garlic pesto or wild garlic soup. Wild garlic oil is another way of processing wild vegetables and preserving them at the same time.

Make wild garlic oil yourself: recipe

You need these ingredients:

100 g wild garlic (about a handful)
500 ml vegetable oil (olive oil, for example, works particularly well)
You also need a screw-top jar with a capacity of 500 milliliters or alternatively a sealable glass bottle with a wide opening. To filter the wild garlic oil you need a sieve and a large bowl.

The preparation takes about 20 minutes. The oil then has to steep for two to three weeks.

How to make wild garlic oil yourself:

Wash the wild garlic and gently pat dry. Make sure the wild garlic is dry before using it further. Otherwise it can easily rot and spoil the oil.
Roughly chop the wild garlic with a sharp knife and fill it into the glass jar.
Now fill the glass with the oil. The wild garlic should be completely covered with oil and not float on the surface. If necessary, you can swirl the jar a little to cover leaves on the surface. Do this carefully and do not shake the oil.
Seal the jar or bottle and store the wild garlic oil in a cool, dark place for two to three weeks.

After two to three weeks, the wild garlic oil has infused well and has taken on the taste of wild garlic. Get a bowl and a colander ready.

Pour the oil and wild garlic leaves into a sieve and catch the oil in the bowl.
Squeeze the wild garlic leaves well so that as little of the wild garlic oil as possible is lost.
Now you can fill the finished wild garlic oil back into a sealable glass bottle.
Wild garlic oil will keep for about a year in a dark, cool place.

How to use wild garlic oil

Wild garlic oil is particularly diverse:

Wild garlic oil is a good alternative to homemade garlic oil because it tastes similar but smells less intense.
The homemade oil is a tasty ingredient for (vegan) dips or salad dressing recipes.
You can also use wild garlic oil when grilling. For example, you can marinate tofu or vegetables or drizzle it over grilled bread.
Spaghetti, wild garlic oil, salt and pepper result in a delicious and quickly prepared meal. If you like spicy food, refine it with some dried chili.
Otherwise, you can use the wild garlic oil to season hearty stir-fries, vegetables or sauces.
Gift tip: fill the wild garlic oil in a pretty bottle, design a suitable label – you already have a souvenir for barbecue evenings or a small gift for your loved ones.

Important: Harvest only a few leaves per plant to allow it to regenerate. (More tips: wild garlic season: when wild garlic grows – tips for harvesting) You should also recognize wild garlic and not confuse it with the poisonous lily of the valley!

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Make Mustard Yourself: Simple Recipe with 4 Variants

Making mustard yourself is not as complicated as you think. We’ll show you how to make a basic recipe, which you can then expand on as you wish.

Mustard is a delicious and versatile condiment. It should not be missing from any barbecue party and rounds off the taste of sauces and salad dressings. You can make the popular spice paste yourself with just a few ingredients and refine it according to your taste. In addition to the basic recipe, we will tell you four other variants for the homemade mustard: extra hot, fruity, sweet and with a herbal note.

Choose mustard seeds for the homemade mustard

There are white, brown and black mustard seeds – here the rule is: the darker the colour, the sharper the seeds. If you want to make medium-hot mustard, mix white and brown mustard seeds in a 50:50 ratio. You can get high-quality mustard seeds in health food stores or at the weekly market.

The mustard oils contained in the grains are not only responsible for the spiciness – they are also very healthy, have an antibacterial and appetizing effect and promote digestion. According to a study by the University of Freiburg, spicy mustard can even have a preventive effect against cancer.

Make mustard yourself: The basic recipe

For about three glasses of mustard you will need:

200 g mustard seeds
275 ml white balsamic vinegar
100ml of water
80 grams of sugar
3 tsp salt
some turmeric for the color
How to prepare the homemade mustard:

Grind the mustard seeds as finely as possible. The best way to do this is with a coffee grinder, alternatively with a mortar. The finer you grind the grains, the finer the mustard will be. Tip: If you don’t want to grind the grains yourself, you can use 200 grams of mustard flour.
Heat the water with the balsamic vinegar in a saucepan.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the liquid cool to a lukewarm temperature. This step is especially important to keep the mustard from turning bitter.
Mix all dry ingredients together.
Pour the liquid over the mustard flour and mix with a mixer for at least 5 minutes.
Pour the mustard into sterilized, sealable jars.
Leave the mustard for three days and it will lose its initial spiciness.
The mustard can be stored in a cool place for up to three months. So don’t do too much at once.

Make mustard variations yourself

Extra hot mustard: If you like your mustard to be extra hot, add some wasabi paste or crushed chillies to the basic recipe.
Fruity mustard: To give the basic recipe a fruity note, you can add the zest of an organic orange, some fig puree or other pureed dried fruit to the recipe before bottling.
Apple mustard: Replace the white balsamic vinegar in the basic recipe with apple cider vinegar. Instead of sugar, use ten organic dates that you soak in water beforehand and a grated apple. Use just a small pinch of salt. Mix all the ingredients together with a blender. This mustard can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four weeks.
Herb mustard: Supplement the basic recipe with fresh herbs. The following are particularly suitable: wild garlic, rosemary, thyme and dill.

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Freezing Eggs: When Does It Make Sense?

You can freeze raw eggs and store them for up to ten months. If you have leftover egg yolks or whites after baking, you can freeze them too. However, to ensure that nothing goes wrong, you should pay attention to a few things.

Freezing eggs: In these cases it is worth it

You don’t have to freeze eggs to keep them for a long time: raw eggs can be kept in the refrigerator for at least four weeks – provided the shell is undamaged. Hard-boiled eggs will also keep for up to four weeks at a cool temperature. Therefore, in most cases it is not necessary to freeze eggs. Tip: You can use the water test to check whether the egg is still good after the best-before date has passed.

An exception is if you have a lot of eggs in stock or are going on vacation for a few weeks. Then it can make sense to store the eggs in the freezer.

You can also freeze egg yolks or egg whites if you only need part of the egg in a baking recipe. Raw egg yolks and whites would only keep for three days in the refrigerator, but a few months in the freezer.

By the way: When it comes to animal products, organic quality is particularly important. Therefore only buy organic eggs (code 0) – preferably those with additional certification from a nature association such as Bioland, Demeter or Naturland. Also, make sure there is no chick shredding.

Never freeze eggs in shell or cooked

However, freezing eggs can also go wrong. Be sure to note the following points:

Raw eggs in shell: If you put uncooked eggs whole in shell in the freezer, the yolk will expand and the shell will burst. The result: the eggs spread out in the freezer and freeze solid there. A big mess and waste of precious food.
Boiled eggs: In principle, hard-boiled eggs can be frozen. However, the result leaves a lot to be desired: The hard-boiled egg white changes its consistency, becomes rubbery and has a watery taste.

Freezing eggs: step-by-step instructions

If you keep the above points in mind, you can freeze eggs quite easily. The best way to do this is as follows:

If you want to freeze a whole raw egg, you should whisk it well first. Alternatively, you can freeze the egg yolk and egg white separately.
Place the egg in a clean freezer-safe container. Tip: Glass containers are more sustainable than plastic containers. Leave about a quarter of the container empty to avoid bursting in the freezer.
Label the containers with the current date and the number of eggs. This way you will know later when baking and cooking how many eggs, egg yolks, or proteins you have in front of you.
Freezing eggs as ice cubes: If you want to use the frozen eggs in small quantities, you can also freeze them in an ice cube tray and then put them in a freezer bag.

Shelf Life: Whole eggs will keep in the freezer for around eight to ten months. Frozen egg whites will keep for up to 12 months. Nevertheless, you should not store the eggs for too long: the longer they are in the freezer, the more they lose their taste.

Thawing: Frozen eggs should be thawed slowly in the refrigerator. Depending on the quantity, this takes half a day to a whole day. It goes a little faster if you put the container with the frozen eggs in a cold water bath. Under no circumstances should you thaw the eggs at room temperature or under heat.

Use: If the eggs or egg yolks or egg whites are completely thawed, you can continue to use them as usual. Don’t eat frozen eggs raw. Therefore: Heat properly before consumption!

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Make Soft Carrots Crunchy Again – a Simple Trick

Who doesn’t know it: You left carrots for too long and now they’ve gone soft? No problem! This simple trick will make them crunchy again.

If you leave carrots for too long, they will become soft and take on a rubbery texture. Of course, they are still suitable as an ingredient in cooking – but most people simply prefer crunchy carrots in salads or as a raw food snack.

Luckily, there’s a simple trick you can use to refresh soft carrots. Not only do you enhance their taste, but you also avoid potential food waste.

Tip: When buying carrots, make sure that they are organic if possible. You are supporting ecologically more sustainable agriculture that, for example, does not use chemical-synthetic pesticides. Root vegetables such as carrots absorb these pesticides particularly strongly from the soil. The organic seals from Demeter, Naturland and Bioland are particularly recommended.

Make soft carrots crunchy again: Here’s how

Here’s the trick to making soft carrots crunchy again:

Place the carrots in a tall glass.
Fill the jar with cold water so that all the carrots are covered.
Place the jar in the refrigerator or other cool place for at least 8 hours.
After this period of time, you can take them out and enjoy them fresh.

In another article, you will learn how to store carrots correctly so that they can be kept for a long time.

Making carrots crisp again: important tips

Depending on how soft the carrots are, they can take up to 48 hours in water to crisp up again.

Tip: tend to put the carrots in a larger glass, as they often become plumper and therefore more voluminous in the water.

Good to know: You can also freshen up other root vegetables such as radishes or turnips with this trick.

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Carrot Salmon: This is How You Make the Vegan Salmon Substitute Yourself

Carrot salmon is quick to make and a surprisingly good substitute for smoked salmon. We will explain how to make the spicy carrot strips yourself.

Salmon is one of the most popular edible fish, but there are many reasons not to eat it: Overstocked aquaculture, ethoxyquin, endangered wild stocks – the fish comes with many problems on the plate.

The carrot salmon does not have these problems. In addition, it looks quite similar to smoked salmon and even tastes like the original. Carrot salmon is also a great way to rediscover the vegetable.

Carrot Salmon: The Recipe

Ingredients:

3carrots
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
2 tsp soy sauce
0.5 tsp smoked salt
1 teaspoon horn syrup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Peel the carrots and slice them lengthways into thin strips with a vegetable peeler.
Boil the carrots in unsalted water for 3 to 4 minutes. Rinse them with cold water and let them drain.
Mix together the remaining ingredients for the marinade.
Mix the carrots thoroughly with the marinade. Tip: The carrot salmon tastes particularly good after it has been allowed to sit in the fridge for a day or two. Keep it airtight and shake the storage jar every now and then to distribute the marinade well. The carrot salmon tastes particularly good on bread with (vegan) sour cream. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and finely chopped dill for added flavor.

Ingredient tips for carrot salmon

The carrot salmon comes even closer to the original if you also stir finely chopped seaweed into the marinade. For example, you can use dried nori seaweed or wakame. You should note a few things:

Many seaweed farms are far away in Southeast Asia, so the seaweed has to travel a long way to reach us. However, there are also algae farms in Europe. If possible, buy seaweed that has been proven to come from Europe.
An organic seal certifies that the algae come from a body of water with good water quality.
Algae sometimes contain a lot of iodine. If possible, buy products that list the iodine content – ​​because while iodine is very important for the body, an overdose can cause problems. Important: If you have thyroid problems, an iodine overdose can be particularly critical. It is therefore better to avoid algae or seek medical advice.

Tip: You can also use Liquid Smoke instead of smoked salt. You can also give the carrot salmon even more flavor with a pinch of smoked paprika.

 

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Make Herbal Liqueur Yourself: Basic Recipe for Different Herbs

Making herbal liqueur yourself is not difficult. If you prepare your own liqueur, you are free to choose which herbs you use. Here you will find tips for choosing herbs and a simple basic recipe.

Herbal liqueurs are part of the culinary tradition in many cultures. In Europe, they are often served after a rich meal to stimulate digestion. Many also appreciate them simply for their aromatic taste.

Herbal liqueurs can vary greatly in composition. Normally, a mixture of different herbs forms the basis of the taste. Which varieties are used and the proportions in which they are to each other depends on the recipe in question.

If you make your herbal liqueur yourself, you can decide for yourself which herbs you use. This makes it easy to adapt the liqueur to your personal taste. In this article, we give you an overview of different flavors and present a basic recipe that you can modify as you like.

Make herbal liqueur yourself: fresh or dried herbs?

You can prepare herbal liqueur with either fresh or dried herbs.

If you want to use fresh herbs, pay attention to the respective harvest times. Basically, you should buy organic kitchen herbs to avoid chemical-synthetic pesticides. This applies not only to fresh goods, but also to dried ones. Conventional dried spices in particular are often contaminated.

Make herbal liqueur yourself – these herbs are suitable

Which varieties you use is entirely up to you if you make herbal liqueur yourself. For example, the following varieties are good:

Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano or basil. Thyme and rosemary are evergreen varieties that you can harvest fresh all year round. This is also often possible with basil if the plant is perennial. The best time to harvest oregano is between July and August when it is in bloom. In principle, however, you can harvest it in the entire period between spring and autumn.
Lovage has a spicy, very characteristic taste of its own, to which it also owes the nickname “Maggikraut”. You can harvest fresh lovage from spring to autumn.
Sage is a strong spice with a slight bitter note. Its aroma is also sometimes compared to camphor or pine. Its harvest time is between May and August.
Mint contains menthol and therefore tastes cool and refreshing, but also slightly spicy. You can harvest fresh mint from spring until the first frost.
Chamomile has a mild, floral and slightly earthy flavor. Their harvest time coincides with the flowering period between June and September.
Aniseed has a strong, liquorice-like taste of its own. You can harvest them a few weeks after flowering, i.e. in September or October.
Fennel seeds are very similar in taste to anise seeds. They are ready for harvest in late summer or early autumn as soon as they turn grey-brown.
Laurel tastes very bitter when fresh. If you are making herbal liqueur at home, it is better to use dried leaves for a more pleasant taste.
Cloves are very flavorful and taste flowery and a bit spicy at the same time. You should only use them when they are dry.
If you want the individual herbs to harmonize with each other, you should use them in equal amounts. As a rule of thumb, we recommend adding two grams of each variety to the liqueur. However, you can also use certain herbs in larger quantities if you want them to have a stronger flavor. It is best to use a clear spirit such as Korn or vodka as the alcoholic basis.

Herbal liqueur: The basic recipe

Ingredients:

1 l clear alcohol (e.g. vodka or schnapps)
800 gsugar
2 g herbs (per variety)
Zest of an organic lemon (optional)
honey or agave syrup (optional)

Directions:

Pour the alcohol into an airtight container, such as a bottle. Note that the bottle must be big enough to hold the rest of the ingredients afterwards.
Add the sugar. The easiest way to do this is with a funnel.
Wash, clean and chop the herbs of your choice. Then pour it into the bottle as well.
Finally, you can add some grated lemon zest if you like. Be sure to use an organic lemon that is not contaminated with synthetic pesticides.
Seal the bottle or jar airtight and leave the homemade herbal liqueur in a warm place for four to six weeks. Shake or stir the liqueur well every day.
When the brewing time is up, strain the herbal liqueur through a fine-mesh sieve. Then fill it into a dark glass bottle and refine it with a little honey or agave syrup if you wish.
Keep the herbal liqueur cool and dark. Due to the high sugar content, it can be kept for several years without any problems.

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Dry Wild Garlic: This is How You Make It Last for the Rest of the Year

If you dry wild garlic, you can also use the delicious wild herb out of season. Here you can find out how you can dry wild garlic yourself and what you should consider.

It is worth drying wild garlic. The weed is only fresh and ready to harvest in spring, but you can use it dried all year round.

Wild garlic normally grows outdoors as a weed. But you can also plant wild garlic in the garden. Find out beforehand when wild garlic season is.

To dry wild garlic, you have two options: let the leaves dry in the air or in the oven. We recommend that you air-dry the wild garlic if possible to save energy.

Dried wild garlic can be kept for a few months if you store it in a dry place that is protected from light.

Wild garlic dry in the air: This is how you do it

How to air dry wild garlic:

Wash the leaves and gently pat dry with a kitchen towel.
Tie the leaves at the stems into a small bouquet. Use a cord made of natural materials, such as raffia, or kitchen twine.
Hang the bouquet in a dark and dry place. Make sure the place doesn’t have high humidity.
Let the wild garlic dry for about a week or two.
Pick up the dried bouquets. If necessary, you can crumble the wild garlic or keep it in the form of a leaf. Store the dried wild garlic in a dry and cool place, preferably in an opaque container.
Tip: You can tell if the leaves are done drying by the fact that they rustle when they rub against each other. You can also easily rub the dried leaves between your fingers and snap off the stems.

Dry wild garlic in the oven

If you don’t have a suitable place for air drying, you can alternatively dry the wild garlic in the oven. However, this process is very energy-intensive.

How to do it:

Wash the leaves and gently pat dry with a kitchen towel.
Remove the stalks from the wild garlic leaves.
Spread them out on a wire rack or baking sheet so they don’t touch each other
Set the oven to 40 degrees Celsius and put the tray in the oven.
Leave the door slightly ajar to allow the moisture to escape.
Turn the leaves regularly so they dry evenly.
After three to four hours, the leaves should be dry. However, check the degree of drying regularly beforehand to avoid burning the leaves.

Use dried wild garlic

Wild garlic is a popular herb for cooking and seasoning. The taste is reminiscent of garlic and gives your food a subtle spiciness. Use your dried wild garlic in a variety of ways in the kitchen.

Make your own wild garlic butter or wild garlic soup. Dried wild garlic is also a suitable spice for wild garlic bread or wild garlic dumplings, or you can use it to refine a wild garlic pizza.

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Lentil Pancakes: How to Make Vegan Pancakes with Just 3 Ingredients

Lentil pancakes not only taste delicious, they also contain a lot of protein. Here you will find a simple and quick recipe for the vegan pancakes.

Lentil pancakes are not only nice and crunchy, they are also a good source of plant-based protein. The preparation of the vegan and gluten-free pancakes is very easy and only requires a little preparation time for soaking the lentils.

Both red and yellow lentils are best for the lentil pancakes. When buying legumes, pay attention to organic quality and regionality as much as possible. Not only are you supporting ecologically more sustainable agriculture, but with lentils from Germany you are also making sure that the legumes have not had any long and therefore CO2-intensive import routes behind them.

Lentil Pancakes: A simple basic recipe

Ingredients:

150 large lentils
300 ml water
0.5 tsp salt
2 tablespoons vegan margarine

Directions:

Place the lentils in a saucepan with plenty of cold water. Let them soak for at least three hours.
Drain them through a colander and puree them in a blender along with the water and salt. Alternatively, you can puree them in a tall container with a hand blender.
Heat the vegan margarine in a pan over medium-high heat. Add a large spoonful of the lentil mixture to the pan for each pancake, then fry the lentil pancakes on both sides for about 4 minutes or until golden brown. Complete!

Lentil pancakes: ideas for the filling

You can enjoy the lentil pancakes both sweet and savory.

For example, the following classic pancake toppings are suitable as a sweet filling:

  • Syrup to taste
  • homemade jam
  • (vegan) yoghurt
  • roasted nuts
  • nut butter
  • hot berries or red fruit jelly

For example, for a savory filling, use:

  • (vegan) yoghurt dip
  • fried tofu
  • a simple tomato salad
  • homemade hummus
  • steamed spinach
  • fried mushrooms (e.g. fried porcini mushrooms)
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Make Dandelion Honey Yourself: This is What Makes the Syrup so Special

The special thing about dandelion honey is that it is actually not real honey. Instead, it’s a mixture of sugar and dandelion flavor in syrup form. We reveal how you make the vegan “honey” yourself.

General information about dandelion honey

In contrast to bee honey, dandelion honey does not contain any animal components and is therefore vegan. However, it tastes similar to real honey and has a similar consistency – hence the name.

Collecting dandelion flowers requires some effort. But it’s worth it. When collecting, make sure that:

  • you collect the dandelions in places with little or preferably no traffic.
  • you take the young, juicy blossoms.
  • you don’t remove the whole plant. Unless you want to remove the dandelions from your vegetable beds.

The flowering period of the dandelion is in April and May.

Dandelion honey recipe

First, you need enough dandelion flowers – depending on how much “honey” you want to make. For starters, 200 grams should be a good guideline.

You also need:

  • 1 liter of water
  • 1 kg of sugar
  • 1 half organic lemon

Proceed as follows:

Put the flowers in a pot and pour the water over them.
Cover the pot with a lid and let the mixture steep for about two hours.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then let it cool down again.
Let the water and dandelion blossoms sit overnight and drain the blossoms with a colander.
Add the sugar and some grated zest of the lemon.
Bring the mixture to a simmer.
To test whether the mixture has the right consistency, you can put a small amount on a plate and let it cool. If the consistency is similar to that of “normal” honey, then the dandelion honey has simmered long enough.
If it is not firm enough, let the mixture simmer a little more and test the consistency at regular intervals.

Store dandelion honey properly

There are a few things to note:

  • Use sterilized jars to bottle the “honey.”
  • Be careful not to pour the dandelion honey into jars that are wet or too cold. Otherwise, the spread will crystallize. Therefore, use well-dried glasses.
  • Protect the “honey” from too much light and heat as well as cold. Store it in the closet or pantry. It can be kept there for about a year.
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Freezing Asparagus: How to Make It Durable

You can freeze fresh asparagus and eat it out of season. This works just as well with white asparagus as with green asparagus. We show you what you have to consider.

You should always buy fresh asparagus during the asparagus season and from the region. Because imported asparagus causes high CO2 emissions, which are not necessary. If you also want to eat asparagus out of season, you can freeze the asparagus spears.

When buying, make sure to choose organic asparagus, as conventional asparagus is often contaminated with chemical-synthetic pesticides.

Tips for freezing asparagus

Before you freeze the asparagus, be sure to peel it. You can find out more about this here: Peeling green asparagus and peeling white asparagus. You don’t have to throw away the peel – how about an asparagus soup made from the peel as a starter?
You should also cut off the woody ends now.
Don’t blanch or cook asparagus before freezing it. Because otherwise it loses its taste.
It is best to freeze the asparagus in portions and airtight. So you can easily remove it without having to defrost all the sticks at once.

After freezing: Thaw and prepare asparagus

While many foods should be thawed gently, exactly the opposite makes sense with asparagus:

It is best to put the still frozen asparagus directly into the boiling salted water. If the asparagus thaws beforehand, it loses its taste with the melted water. The asparagus needs about eight to twelve minutes in the boiling water until it is cooked.
Frozen asparagus is also good for grilling: after freezing, asparagus cooks a little faster than fresh spears. After about five minutes on the grill, you can eat it.
If you want to fry the frozen asparagus, you should cut it into small pieces before freezing. After about five minutes they are done.


You can also use the frozen asparagus for salads or vegan chicken fricassee. This is a good alternative if the asparagus has lost too much flavor during freezing.
After freezing, the asparagus can be kept for at least six months.

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