juicy roots

Winter pickle salad is a wonderfully versatile recipe, offering a flavorful addition to a wide range of dishes. Whether you’re planning a cozy dinner or looking to enhance roasts, casseroles, sandwiches, burgers, or hodgepodges, this simple yet delicious recipe has you covered.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilogram of small or medium-sized field cucumbers
• 1 large pepper
• 2 medium onions
• 2 tablespoons of salt
• 2 cups of water (500 ml)
• 1/2 cup of 10% spirit vinegar (60 ml)
• 6 tablespoons of sugar
• Several dried bay leaves
• Several black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon of coriander seeds
• 4 half-liter jars (or similar-sized containers) to hold approximately one and a half kilograms of vegetables and liquid.

Recipe:

1. Begin by washing and draining the vegetables.
2. Cut the cucumbers into quarters, slice the onions, and remove the seeds from the pepper before cutting it into strips.
3. Place the prepared vegetables in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt, and mix thoroughly. Allow the mixture to sit for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. This step helps the vegetables release excess water. Afterward, drain the vegetables, discarding the salty water byproduct.
4. Prior to filling, ensure your jars are properly sterilized. I wrote more about this process here.
5. Evenly distribute the vegetables into the jars, taking care not to pack them too tightly, so they can be evenly covered with the liquid.
6. Prepare the marinade: In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add vinegar and spices, and simmer for 2 minutes.
7. Immediately pour the hot marinade into the jars with the vegetables, ensuring they are completely covered but leaving about a centimeter of space at the top.
8. Gently shake the jars or use a stick to remove any air bubbles. Top up with more marinade if needed.
9. Place the jars in a pot with a cloth lining its bottom. Pour water into the pot until it reaches three-quarters of the height of the jars. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.
10. Carefully remove the jars from the pot and turn them upside down for 10 minutes to create a seal.

Enjoy your delicious creation!

Hello and welcome back after a long…long break to my blog. Welcome back in April 2020. This year has started particularly good for the average folk don’t you think? The UK itself has experienced sky-rocket unemployment in the job market, 0% interest rates on the housing market, inflation combined with stagnant wages, Brexit, two hurricanes and the cherry on top – the famous COVID-19 outbreak. I must admit if for the last few months you haven’t really fought for your life then you have missed all the fun that 2020 has to offer but on the other hand I salute you and your peaceful lifestyle.

Considering the above it should literally be no wonder that all the elderly people are especially vulnerable and exposed to this new virus outbreak in comparison to the younger people. Pollution, dirty water & air, Monsanto food and constant avoidance of avocado toast has compromised the immune system of the older generations. Unlike the young generations for which every day is an economic episode of “hunger games for survival” – no amount of amassed wealth and access to the best health care services in the world can save you if your healthy lifestyle hasn’t prepared you for the worst by now.

In fact, if you think that today’s pandemic is something special, I have a small historical fact for you to cheer you up. After reading this post I recommend… you go to Google or Wikipedia and search for a term: “Marian columns in Central Europe”.

What you should be able to find is the information about great baroque columns known as “murrain columns” which are the symbols of different plagues that have affected humanity in the past, each column for a different set of plague. For example, plague epidemic of smallpox, cholera and bubonic decimated and sometimes even depopulated entire cities and the only from of defence at the time was the prayer.

I believe the moral of the story is that humanity was and inevitably always will be affected by various cataclysms and plagues but the one constant that seems to change is the likelihood of our survival therefore let us all focus on boosting our natural immune system with optimism, clean and healthy air, water and food, as well as nature naturally growing herbs and home-made healthy juices for which the recipes you can find on this blog.

Wishing you a very strong immune system and a peaceful Easter, Eva.

Twinkling lights, the forest shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, lanterns floating on the lake, a cascade of fireworks above the water, mulled wine and festive music are what you can experience in the  Blenheim Palace park located in Woodstock. I tried to capture for you the great atmosphere in the pictures, but if you have the opportunity to see it live, don’t miss your chance. I highly recommend.

What are your plans for New Year?
If you could, would you like to spend the New Year in Blenheim? Let me know your thoughts.

Happy New Year!

Ewa.

” I wish you all, my dear brothers and sisters, you survived it triduum sacrum, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Christmas Eve big bottom then Easter, deeper and deeper. Survived, but also gave a certificate. Praise our Lord Jesus Christ !”-Pope John Paul II

Happy Easter 🙂

Today is International Women’s Day 🙂
My food suggestion for this occasion is edible tulips.

The recipe is very simple. You only need to remove the internal edible part, with tomatoes and replace it with your favorite cream cheese.

You need :
Cherry tomatoes
chives
favorite cream cheese
sticks for skewers
syringe

I am very curious how you celebrate International Women’s Day.
Please let me know in a comment.

I've never been a fan of romantic comedies, are boring and predictable. I have never watched this kind of movies and I can not recommend you any. What I have for you to offer it is a beautiful and moving story with a historical background. Simple Life, integrity, tradition and the beginning of the pogrom of Jews in Tsarist Russia. If you do not know yet Fiddler on the Roof it is high time catch up on.

My favorite part

and the most popular part.

Have fun 🙂