Fresh Honey from Lemon Myrtle Blossoms

April 17, 2017 By prfwebsite Leave a Comment

Autumn 2017 has brought our first harvest of lemon myrtle honey from our 3 hives. Many thanks to Meg Platte from the Bunyip Beekeeping Group for setting up and maintaining the hives for us. The honey does have a distinctive floral taste due to the large crop of lemon myrtle flowers that the bees have been feasting on. We plan to serve the honey in a range of dishes at the Schoolhouse Café such as drizzled over these fresh figs from our neighbour’s old tree.

Because our honey is raw and not heated it retains a long list of nutrients and enzymes said to provide a variety of health benefits and medical uses. Raw honey contains:

antioxidants to keep your cells healthy,

antibacterial and antifungal properties that can kill unwanted bacteria and fungus and has been used to treat wounds ,

phytonutrients that are anti – inflammatory and assist with gut health.

So, a couple of teaspoons a day of this nectar should keep us healthy!

Raw honey is a popular treatment for a sore throat and to treat coughs (see an earlier post here for a Lemon Myrtle and Ginger Tea recipe that would work well with some raw honey). However unpasteurized honey should not be given to babies under 1 year old as it may contain the bacteria that causes botulism.

My father had 70 hives that he managed when I was a child and I have good memories of the delicious honey, however my mother had less happy memories as Dad sometimes processed the honey in our large country kitchen leaving a sticky mess that she was often left to clean!

Have you tried honey made from lemon myrtle blossoms? Do you prefer the taste of raw honey?

Summer recipe from Peppermint Ridge: Make your own Native Creative Dukkah

November 27, 2016 By Julie Weatherhead Leave a Comment

We are expecting a bumper harvest here at Peppermint Ridge as the spring rains have given everything a surge. The Finger Lime bushes are heavy with fruit, the Mountain Pepper berries are looking very plump and the Blue Quandongs have fruited for the first time – can’t wait to taste them!

We have been testing a new Dukkah recipe to take advantage of the bountry – try it sprinkled on top of flatbread drizzled with olive oil and grilled, add a crunchy topping to your home made hummus, add to your favourite crumb mix before you fry fish or chicken, stir into a curry just before serving, sprinkle over kebabs or a fresh salad to add spice and crunch or dip your bread into good quality olive oil and then into the dukkah for an instant flavour treat. This recipe is straight from our new book on native foods – Australian Native Food Harvest – a guide for the passionate cook and gardener – we have added some finger lime which dries easily in a dehydrator when sliced – have a go!

Native Creative Dukkah

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Author: Julie Weatherhead, Peppermint Ridge Farm

Ingredients

¾ cup macadamia nuts – ground and toasted
¼ cup macadamia nut - chopped and toasted
½ cup sesame seeds – toasted
1 tbsp finger lime – dried and ground
1 tsp Mountain Pepper leaf – dried and ground
½ tsp Mountain Pepper berry – dried and ground
1 tbsp – Lemon Myrtle leaves – dried and ground
1 tsp Native Thyme – dried and ground
1 tsp dried garlic – ground to a powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp Cumin seeds - dried and ground
1 tbsp coriander seeds – dried and ground

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and store in glass jar in the refrigerator.

Psst…if you’re interested in learning how to cook with native foods, join us at our Australian Native Food Harvest cooking school on 3 December! Find out more details and reserve your spot here.

Homemade Pizzas Featuring Native Australian Flavours

June 15, 2016 By Julie Weatherhead Leave a Comment

We had a very special family time over the June long weekend. We all worked together to bake pizza in our woodfired oven flavoured with the native food spices of Lemon Myrtle, Mountain Pepper, Native Thyme and Strawberry Gum. These recipes are featured in our new Peppermint Ridge Farm book on growing and cooking with native foods in your own backyard – it will be available soon! We are taking orders for advanced copies if you’re interested.

It is really easy to use these native food plants in your everyday cooking. All of these spices are available right now from the Peppermint Ridge Native Food online store–order and start cooking!

Pizzas

Start by making up a spice mix that you can use on pretty much any savoury dish. The trick is to add some of the mix right at the end of the cooking by simply sprinkling it over before serving.

Lemon Myrtle Spice Mix

Process together until a fine – 15 large fresh Lemon Myrtle leaves, 10 fresh large Mountain Pepper leaves, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, pinch of ground black pepper.

If using dried leaves use 1 Tbsp Lemon Myrtle and 1/2 Tbsp Mountain Pepper, or 1.5 Tbsp of our Lemon Myrtle + Mountain Pepper Spice Mix (available here).

Strawberry Gum Spice Mix

Replace the Lemon Myrtle with 1 Tbsp dried Strawberry Gum powder.

Pizza Dough

This is the recipe that never fails us here: Makes about 4 large pizzas.

200g medium ground Semolina flour
250g white “tipo 00” flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp dried yeast
290 mls warm water

Mix and knead until smooth. Place in a bowl and cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to double in size (about 90 minutes).

Pull off handfuls and roll out to cover your pizza pan.

Brush with olive oil, spread over some of our Warrigal Greens pesto or any other pesto and sprinkle over some of the Lemon Myrtle spice mix. Now place your favourite toppings over the base – we used a combination of salami/ham, capsicum, mushroom, onion, pineapple and topped our selection with mozzarella cheese, or we used roasted pumpkin, onion, blue cheese and honey. Bake until the base is golden and the top crisp – around 10 minutes. Sprinkle more spice mix over the cooked pizza and enjoy!

The secret to good pizza is to have the base of the oven very hot and it cooks from underneath as well as from on top. If you don’t have a wood fired oven, a heated pizza stone in your kitchen oven will do the trick. You may need to pre-bake the pizza dough before adding the toppings when using a conventional oven to ensure the center cooks thoroughly.

For our second pizza we used the Strawberry Gum spice mix with tomato pasta sauce or tomato paste on the base, mix in about 1 tsp of the spice for a small pizza. When the pizza is cooked sprinkle a little more of the Strawberry Gum powder over before serving. Strawberry Gum has an amazing affinity with tomato and will create a wonderful taste experience.

Have fun cooking your pizzas!

Lemon Myrtle + Ginger Tea: Cold Remedy

May 2, 2016 By Tara Leave a Comment

With the latest cold front to arrive, I can definitely tell that winter is coming. And of course, like clockwork, I’ve come down with a nasty cold to welcome the season.

When I got sick as a child, my mum used to make me boiled ginger tea with a squeeze of lemon. At the time, I wasn’t a fan of the spicy, sour concoction, but I really did notice how the warming tonic improved my sore throat.

Taking those lessons from my mum, I’ve created a simple concoction that not only improves on the original recipe, but adds a shot of health from Lemon Myrtle as well. Here’s what I add to about 250ml of boiling water:

1 tablespoon Lemon Myrtle Tea
3-5 slices fresh ginger
1 teaspoon honey (optional, mix in once tea is brewed)

Lemon Myrtle is amazing in this mixture because it contains zinc, vitamins, and antioxidants to help your body fight the nasties. It also adds a delicate flavour that is slightly sweet and has a hint of citrus that isn’t overpowering or sour.

Ginger provides the finishing notes on the palate and its spiciness helps soothe a sore throat. Additionally, if used, honey helps with coughs and adds a bit of sweetness to the mix.

For an extra bit of spice on the palate, try adding some mountain pepperleaf to the tea mixture!

Let me know what you think here! Do you have any other natural cold remedies?

Lemon Myrtle Anzac Biscuits Recipe

April 25, 2016 By Julie Weatherhead Leave a Comment

For Anzac day every year, I make these delicious Lemon Myrtle Anzac Biscuits that add a native Australian twist to this traditional treat.

Anzac biscuits were originally sent to soldiers in World War I because they kept long enough to survive the long journey. It has been claimed that the original Anzac biscuits from Queensland actually had Lemon Myrtle in them! Now truly a part of Australian culture, it’s hard to imagine an Anzac Day without them.

Enjoy these delicious Anzac biscuits this Anzac day (or any day, for that matter)!

Lemon Myrtle Anzac Biscuits Recipe

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Author: Julie Weatherhead

Ingredients

1 tbsp dried Lemon Myrtle spice (heaped) or 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh Lemon Myrtle leaves (heaped)
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup Self Rising Flour
½ cup plain flour
¾ cup coconut
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ tsp bicarb soda
2 Tbsp boiling water
125g melted butter
2 tbsp golden syrup

Instructions

Mix together all ingredients except bicarb soda, water, butter and syrup.
Dissolve ½ tsp bicarb soda in 2 tbsp boiling water and add to the dry ingredients along with melted butter and golden syrup.
Mix well and place teaspoonfuls of the mix (or roll into walnut sized balls) and place on a lined baking tray
Bake at 160 degrees C for 15 mins.

Do you enjoy Anzac biscuits at this time of year? Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Great new bushfood mushroom sauce

September 9, 2014 By Julie Weatherhead Leave a Comment

My aim is to encourage foodies and gardeners to plant Australian herbs and spice plants into their own gardens and have them ready to harvest every day. I have been using Lemon Myrtle and Mountain Pepper in a wide range of dishes to great effect. I have found the best way is to grind both of the leaves together in a food processor and they are ready to use in many dishes.

Mountain Pepper is an interesting plant. Like many plants they have male and female plants. The flowers on each are quite different. The picture shows the male flowers, they have the stamens that provide the pollen to fertilise the female flowers (which have the stigma to receive the pollen) – these flowers then develop the peppercorns that are dried and used for cooking. However, both male and female plants have lovely green leaves and red stems – all of which have a spicy peppery oil that is delicious in cooking.

Mountain Pepper prefers some protection from frosts and hot winds – provide some summer watering. This recipe uses the pepper leaves. I used it on top of a perfectly cooked steak, but you can use it on chicken and it is great with stir fries, curries, soups, risotto, pasta, fritters and frittatas.

Bushfood Mushroom Sauce

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Author: Julie Weatherhead

Recipe type: Sauces

Cuisine: Australian

Ingredients

2 tbsp ground fresh Lemon Myrtle & Mt Pepper leaves (add more for extra flavour) (if using dried leaves use ½ tbsp)
1 clove garlic - crushed
1 white onion - finely chopped
½ cup vegetable or chicken stock or white wine
2 cups chopped mixed fresh mushrooms
Salt
Ground Mountain Pepperberries

Instructions

Add a splash of olive oil to a pan and sweat the onion & garlic.
Add mushrooms and cook till slightly softened.
Add stock or wine - bring to simmer and cook until mushrooms are softened, reduce liquid by half.
Add salt & pepper to taste, stir in the Lemon Myrtle & Mt Pepper mix.
Pour onto steak or chicken or vegetable fritters.

New Bush Food Spice Mix and Slow Winter Soup

August 10, 2014 By Julie Weatherhead 1 Comment

We continue to experiment with our Australian Spices, full of flavour and punch and then add all of those vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and lutein (keeps your macular healthy) how can you lose? We have been blending the spices and have some great combinations. Our favourite at the moment is Mountain Pepper and Lemon Myrtle. Add the blend to any dish you want to give a real zing to. The Mountain Pepper provides a great flavour with hot afternotes – add as much you like for even more flavour. I’ll post my recipe for fresh bush herb sauce next.

Spice Mix Recipe

10 Fresh Lemon Myrtle leaves
5 Fresh Mountain Pepper leaves

Chop finely in a food processor, store covered in the refrigerator. Add to all of your favourite dishes. Here’s one we made today.

Bush Spice Slow Winter Soup

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Author: Julie Weatherhead

Ingredients

Bush Spice Blend
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Silver beet stalks
Parsnip
Leek

Instructions

Saute a chopped onion with 2 tbsp of the Bush Spice blend and ¼ tsp salt.
Stir in any chopped vegetables, we used carrot, cauliflower, celery, silver beet stalks, parsnip and leek.
Add 1.5lt stock and cook in a slow cooker for 6 hours or put on slow heat on the stovetop until veges are tender.
Add chorizo if desired.

Taste and add more bush spice if you want even more flavour.

I have used this mix also for frittatas, curries and stir fries – a winner every time.

Are Bush Foods Superfoods?

July 9, 2014 By Julie Weatherhead Leave a Comment

Australian bush foods show tremendous potential in many ways particularly in providing health benefits, so I think they could be superfoods. Testing at the CSIRO and comparing to Blueberry has revealed that plants such as Lemon Myrtle, Anise Myrtle and Mountain Pepper (these grow well in Victorian gardens) contain high levels of antioxidants, Vitamin E, Vitamin B and lutein (keeps the macular in the eye healthy). These plants also contain very high levels of micronutrients such as Magnesium, Zinc and Calcium.

The best news is that these benefits are released with heat, so all you have to do is to put a few fresh leaves into a teapots, add hot water a brew yourself a pot of goodness. The fresh leaves can also be chopped up and put into any dish you fancy to add wonderful flavours.

I like to use Lemon Myrtle to replace lemongrass in curries, added to sweet muffins, or steeped in hot milk to make wonderful custards, pannacotta and ice cream. Lemon Myrtle is an essential ingredient to my Warrigal Greens Pesto recipe.

Mountain Pepper gives a lovely pepper/chilli kick to any dish, have a go yourself and experiment with these amazing flavours.

To grow Lemon Myrtle give it a little protection in the garden – to the south of a larger shrub, it prefers not to be hit with hot or cold winds, keep it watered for its first summer and also feed with fish and seaweed emulsion and mulch every 3 or so months.

At Peppermint Ridge Farm we are passionate about Australian native foods and spices. We run bush food cooking classes, tours of our Australian Spice Garden, and foodie events on site in Tynong North, Victoria. We are also available for private functions. Find us on our website: www.peppermintridgefarm.com.au.

Lemon Myrtle Tea Infusion

June 24, 2014 By Julie Weatherhead Leave a Comment

Lemon Myrtle is a wonderful native spice. We make a delicious Lemon Myrtle Tea Infusion daily and really enjoy the benefits. Here are some quick tips on how to use this bush food:

Lemon Myrtle Tea Infusion

We make Lemon Myrtle tea everyday – it is very uplifting. All you have to do is to pick a handful of fresh leaves from the bush and put into a tea pot. Pour in the boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes.

If you don’t have access to fresh Lemon Myrtle leaves, we sell packets of dried Lemon Myrtle Tea at Peppermint Ridge Native Food.

The tea is highly aromatic and full of antioxidants, Vitamins E & B, Iron, Magnesium and lots of calcium. It also has Lutein that is a compound that helps keep the macular in your eye healthy – pretty good eh? The tea has no caffeine or tannins – we drink at least 2 pots every day.

Lemon Myrtle Oil.

The oil from Lemon Myrtle can be extracted by steam – try a few drops in your bath or mix with olive oil for a wonderful dressing.

Growing Lemon Myrtle.

It grows well in Victorian gardens. It prefers some protection from hot and drying summer winds and winter frosts. I grow it to the south of larger shrubs which give the ideal protection. In my garden it grows to about 2.5 to 3 metres tall. If you’d like to try growing your own Lemon Myrtle, we propogate and sell Lemon Myrtle plants at our bush food nursery so you can grow them in your backyard.

Hummus Recipe with Mountain Pepper and Lemon Myrtle

June 23, 2014 By Julie Weatherhead Leave a Comment

lemon myrtle mountain pepper hummus

Hummus is one of my favourite fast food treats. I am sharing a much loved hummus recipe that I have created to showcase the wonderful flavours of bush foods. My passion is to encourage people to grow Australian spices in their own backyard – you can then use these native spices in everyday recipes. Experiment with these flavors – and most of all – have fun!

I created a Hummus recipe that has a kick of Mountain Pepper with the background of Lemon Myrtle in a creamy texture using some ingredients not usually used in traditional Hummus.

I would love to hear from you if you give this Hummus recipe a try.

Hummus with Mountain Pepper and Lemon Myrtle

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Author: Julie Weatherhead

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

1 can of drained chickpeas - reserve the liquid
2 tbsp fresh Lemon Myrtle leaves - finely chopped*
1 tbsp fresh Mountain Pepper leaves - finely chopped*
1 tbsp sesame sauce**
1 tbsp tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 clove crushed garlic
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground Mountain Pepper berries or ordinary peppercorns

Instructions

Process together until smooth and add some of the reserve liquid if mix is a little dry.
Enjoy with plain biscuits or sticks of carrot and cucumber.

Cooks notes:
* Available from Peppermint Ridge Farm as a plant from our nursery or in bags of fresh leaves.
**A roasted sesame seed sauce available from Asian groceries – worth the hunt for the extra flavor.

Have you tried this hummus recipe? Please feel free to comment below.