Filed under: V's Rants on N-E & EvRYthing | Tags: life, food, west indian culture, random stuff, caribbean food
My Dear Distant Lover,
I must reiterate that I am a Guyanese FIRST and an Yankee second, despite your brief analysis of said details. haha. ya dig.
The sorrel plant
is a member of the hibiscus family and according to folklore, yields its flowers just in time for the Christmas season. The plant has dark green leaves with the red stems and yellow hibiscus-like flowers with deep red bloches at the base. The flowers, fruits and leaves of the sorrel are all edible. The seeds likewise may be eaten. They are best roasted or ground for making flour for baking. In the Caribbean however, the fruits are brewed to make a tea and also used in salads, jellies, sauces, soups, jams, beverages, chutneys, pickles, tarts, puddings, syrups and wine. In addition sorrel used as medication, the heated leaves are applied to cracks in the feet and on boils and ulcers. A lotion made from the leaves is used on sores and wounds. There are several varieties of the plant namely the “Rico”, “Victor” and “Archer”.
Now how I make it is, I fill up my biggest pot 3/4 way, put some ginger, some heads of clove and a few sticks of cinnamon then let it boil on medium flame for like a 35mins to an hour (depends how strong I want it). Let it cool, strain it,put it inthe fridge and c’est fin!
T.
