Herbivore

Like everyone else this time of year, I have been getting excited about getting my hands dirty. Last year I started with some hanging cherry tomatoes that did fairly well and some herbs in the garden and this year I am trying to expand our horizons with more herbs, lettuce and broccoli. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

After a few weeks of waiting patiently for the herbs out front to yield some of their bounty, I was anxious to use them in new and exciting ways! Sure, you can toss them in pasta sauces, salads and dressings- but I wanted to try something a little different.

I remember reading a cracker recipe that I wanted to try for some time that had flat-leaf parsley in it, so I went a snippin'. I decided to also throw in some chives. As I deviated slightly from the orginal recipe, I was thrilled that it actually worked! They weren't too time consuming and yielded what I would deem a perfect cracker- crispy and full of flavour and fiber. I was thinking they were entirely delicious and couldn't wait to share them with others- until, of course, M grabbed one, made a face and quickly declared: "It tastes like dirt!" But since her little brother seemed to love them, I chalked her distaste up to being a finicky 3-year old with an ever-changing palate. As I was munching on them and some organic cheddar cheese with E, I could only imagine how wonderful they would be with a nice glass of wine...maybe later.

But as I thought of that little break from reality, I began thinking about how I needed to get into the front wee garden and do some weeding. When I got out there, I realized how the Lemon Balm has been spreading. It is amazing how it re-seeded itself from last year and was now occupying some formerly vacant spots. I was trying to figure out how I could make use of this lovely and fragrant herb. I decided that since it smelled like lemon, it would probably make a lovely lemonade. I googled it and found some recipes for lemon and lemon balm "lemonade" but I decided that today I would be a purist and only try to make a lemon balm-ade.

I collected a handful of the leaves, swirled them in some water to lightly rinse them and then I put them in a glass jar and poured boiling water over them. I left it for a few minutes and then I muddled it with a wooden spoon. I set aside the leaves, stirred in a little sugar and poured into a lovely glass bottle. Then I chilled it for several hours. Served over a tall glass of ice and some of the reserved leaves, this was a refreshing tonic! (As an aside, apparently lemon balm can be used to treat anxiety, promote sleep and relieve indigestion- among other things!)

After this foray into medicine making, M and I took an art break and decided to make some solar prints with the new paper we bought down in Steveston the other day. Since I was preoccupied with the herbs from earlier in the day, M insisted on raiding the herb pot for the print-making. At first I didn't really want to sacrifice any more of my lovely greenery for the day, but when I saw the results I was really amazed. I am in love with herbs- in food, drink and now, art! Viva la herbivore!

Here is the recipe for the herb-flaxseed crackers:

1/4 cup whole flaxseed and 1/4 cup flaxmeal (or all flaxmeal as I did)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp coarse salt (plus more for seasoning)

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp finely grated onion

2 tsp finely chopped parsley

2 tsp finely chopped chives

1/2 cup milk (I used buttermilk)

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1. In a large bowl with electric mixer on medium, beat flax, flour, baking powder, salt and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in onion and herbs. With mixer on low, pour in milk. Mix until dough comes together. Divide in half and refridgerate for 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Roll out each piece into approx. 9" square (1/8" thick). Transfer to 2 baking sheets (mine was lined with silpat). With a fluted pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut each square into 36 crackers (1 1/2" square).

3. Brush with egg white; season with additional salt. Bake until slightly firm, about 20 minutes. Rotate sheets; flip crackers. Bake until light brown and firm, 18-20 minutes longer. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.