A Light Lunch/Cucumber Salad

A Light Lunch/Cucumber Salad

My light lunch did not consist of just cucumber salad. That would be taking the eating snack size meals a bit too far! I did however decide that a light lunch was the order of the day, after last Sunday’s disastrous attempt at eating a nigh-on normal meal. The pain was not going to feast on my stomach again.

I sought out a cucumber salad recipe, as I was having a piece of baked salmon (with a little olive oil), and the two make a very good combination. Besides, four small cucumbers were left on my wall outside the front door the other day, and needed using. My neighbour has kept us in cucumbers for what seems like months. The only time we grew them, they were big and beautiful, but totally inedible. They were bitter, and we don’t know whether it was because of over-feeding – or for not cross-pollinating. No bees in the old greenhouse to do the job – and we were just ignorant first-timers. We haven’t grown them since.

The recipe is a variation on my mother’s recipe, but how much of a variation I don’t know. I have tried to remember what my mother did, but my last attempt at making it went very wrong. I sprinkled the thinly sliced cucumber liberally with salt – a little too liberally as it turned out. I left it in the brine overnight, then rinsed it off the next day, and added cider vinegar as a dressing. It was saltier than the old briny itself.

So here’s my variation:

Cucumber Salad a la Norway

1 large cucumber (or equivalent)

For the dressing:

5 tbsp vinegar (cider vinegar is best, but I used ordinary malt vinegar)
5 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
A pinch (!) of salt and a little white, ground pepper

Mix the dressing and set aside.

Wash cucumber and cut off any blemishes, but do not peel if the skin is okay. Slice thinly. I use a Norwegian cheese-slicer. It’s ideal for slicing cucumber thinly, peeling carrots – and cutting the cheese in nice thin slices. It’s available here in the UK now, but mine was bought in Norway many years ago, and still going strong, despite being in daily use.

Pour the dressing over the cucumber slices, then set aside in the fridge until cold. Nice with fish, but also with a mixed salad, or as part of a buffet.

Did you know that … the green cucumbers we eat are actually not ripe? The ripe, yellow cucumber is generally too bitter and sour.


Health Benefits:


Despite the cucumber containing mostly water (96 %), it also contains a lot of beneficial vitamins and minerals. Its alkaline-forming minerals represent 64.05%, against 35.95 % acid forming minerals and this ratio apparently means that the cucumber is very good for us. Never mind the doc who said cucumbers are nothing but wind and water!

Eating cucumber regularly is supposedly good for maintaining the alkalinity of the blood, as well as being a natural diuretic.

Surprisingly (to me, anyway), the juice of the cucumber is excellent in treating gastric and duodenal ulcers, as well as hyperacidity.

Combined with carrot, beets and celery juice, cucumber is also beneficial to those of us suffering from arthritis and rheumatic disorders, such as Gout, as it reduces the level of uric acid in the body.

Besides several other benefits (it can be used in the treatment of cholera and urinary disorders), it is also very good for treating ‘skin eruptions’. To speed up its healing effect,it’s best mixed with carrot and lettuce juice.
Regular use of grated cucumber as a face mask will prevent pimples and blackheads, and we all know of its cooling effect on tired eyes.

But did you know that… regular use of cucumber mush on the face can also prevent wrinkles and dry skin? And that cucumber juice promotes hair growth (hopefully not on the face after repeated face masks!), because of its high silicon and sulphur content? This is particularly helpful, apparently, if mixed with lettuce, spinach and carrot juice.

Tip: The vitamins and minerals sit close under the skin, so the cucumber should be eaten with skin intact, if possible.

Old Fashioned Homemade Lemonade

Homemade Lemonade

10 lemons
120 g caster sugar
1.5 litre water
1 lime, sliced

Wash lemons well, dry, then peel using a potato peeler. Avoid pith. Place the rind in a large bowl, add sugar and water (boiling). Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, cover and set aside for half an hour or so.
Squeeze as much juice as you can out of the lemons. I tried out a little gadget which I found in my cupboard, new in the box, but looking as though it belonged back in the 60s.I’ve no idea where it came from, but it came to light when I was clearing everything out of the kitchen to have a new one fitted.


It’s an electric citrus juicer called Linette - see photo -
and it worked brilliantly. Another of those short-lived gadgets, no doubt – but I found it made the job of squeezing ten lemons easier on my hands – once I got the hang of it. At first it was like a novice trying out a potter’s wheel, endeavouring to centre the clay in order to throw a pot. The lemon shot off a couple of times, but as I was about to give up, I suddenly mastered it. Easy peasy – lemon squeezy.
Strain the juice and set aside, then strain the liquid with the rind and sugar in. Mix strained juice and strained liquid and mix well before covering and putting into the fridge for a couple of hours or more.
Serve with ice when the weather is hot (being October, I did not!). The lime slices can be added to the serving jug, or to individual glasses.
If you’re lucky enough to have any left, it will keep in the fridge for about a week.

Tip: This is a sharp drink - and mixes well with carbonated water.




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As we all know lemon is rich in vitamin C, and because of this it’s beneficial to the immune system. It also contains antioxidants which is important in the body’s fight against free radicals.
Did you know that … despite it’s acidic flavour, it can actually help reduce acid in the stomach? Many seemingly acidic foods have an alkaline effect. It can also act as an anti-inflammatory, a natural diuretic and an antiseptic.
And there’s more: lemon juice aids digestion, dilates blood vessels in the skin, relieves cramp. Just don’t think one cup of tea with lemon is going to be a miracle cure. You’ll need a bit more than that!
As a herbal remedy it’s used in the treatment of arthritis, asthma, gout, hoarseness, inflammation of the mouth and throat, liver and intestinal problems, nervous disorders, sleeplessness … the list goes on. A good excuse for drinking homemade lemonade!
Lemons originated in Northern India and when it arrived in Europe, it was first grown as an ornamental tree in the Mediterranean gardens.
Lemonade itself s said to be first made around 1500 years ago in Egypt, originally as a honey and lemon wine – fit only for peasants.
Did you know that… one single lemon tree can bear as many as 3000 lemons in a year?
… and did you know that it was a ten year old boy, Edward Bok, who first started selling lemonade to passers-by in 1873? His family had fallen on hard times, and he was determined to find a way out of poverty and did all sorts of jobs to this end. He first started to sell iced water to passengers in horse drawn carts, but when other boys cottoned on to his idea, he started to squeeze a couple of lemons into his water, and sold it as lemonade. Where they made two or three dollars from selling iced water on a Sunday, he made five dollars from selling lemonade.


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Mixed Tomato Chutney

Tomatoes, tomatoes everywhere – and not a ray of sunshine in sight.

Well, the above is a bit of a fib. We haven’t got that many tomatoes this year threatening to go to waste. We did some years ago, a real glut of them, and I made green tomato chutney which lasted us years – with the last jar (or content of) possibly better tasting than the first.

The last of the tomatoes are on the turn. Some are turning ripe, which is good – but without the promised Indian summer, it’s doubtful that they’ll make it. Others are rotting before they ripen, so I was on a bit of a rescue mission this morning, kitted out in my husband’s waterproof as the rain and the wind had just set in. I didn’t stay out there long. Ominous squeaking from tall, old trees across on the other side of the river bank (the river runs below our garden wall), made me pick fast and make a hasty retreat. Not that any of the trees are so tall that they could have reached me up at the top end of the garden, but it sure would have made me jump. As I’m treating myself very gently at the moment, due to the Gastritis flaring up badly (in turn due to being given a new medication for the RA, which had the opposite to the desired effect), I’ll stay indoors while the wind doth blow.

Traditionally you're not to pick/harvest anything in the wet, but I can’t see a problem if you’re going to cook it straight away. The result of the harvest was a little tweaking of my recipe for Tomato Chutney, as I had a mixture of ripe, un-ripe and half ripe tomatoes. The resulting chutney has a lovely aroma – so I hope the same can be said of its flavour. Homemade chutney is all the nicer for being allowed to mature, but I’ll leave some un-bottled, to taste... (which I did, on my last slice of rye bread. Yum!)

Mixed Tomato Chutney

1kg mixed ripe, green and half ripe tomatoes (2/3 of mine were ripe)
3 medium cooking apples - or tart eating apples
2 onions (I used 1 red and 1 white onion)
350 g brown sugar (I used Demerara, as I had it in, but Muscovado is even better)
200 g raisins and sultanas mixed (or just one kind)
2 level tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
350 ml mixed cider vinegar and white vinegar.

Chop tomatoes, peel, core and chop apples, chop onions. Add all to a large thick-bottomed saucepan, together with all the rest of the ingredients. I would have used all raisins, but on raiding the grandchildren’s boxes of raisins, found they hadn’t left me enough (bad nanny! But I will replace them in the next shop), so mixed some sultanas in. Mix well then boil for 1 hour 10 minutes, till fruit is tender and chutney has thickened.

Ladle into sterilised jars, through a wide-necked funnel, and cap at once.

Did you know… that chutneys and pickles are alkaline foods, rather than acidic? A little of either will help balance over-acidic stomachs. Should be good for the Gastritis.

Ginger is anti-inflammatory, and eating onions may help prevent gastric ulcers by mopping up free radicals, as well as by preventing growth of Helicobacter Pylori, an ulcer-forming micro organism. Onions have also shown to be beneficial in the fight against several diseases and disorders. These include cataracts, cardiovascular disease, various cancers and disorders of the stomach and the bladder.

Tomatoes, although part of the Nightshade(Solanaceae)family – foods which should be avoided by RA sufferers (including peppers, potatoes and aubergine) – are beneficial cooked, as they then contain Lycopene, an important substance found to be protective against a growing list of cancers.
I also find that I can eat a small amount of home-grown tomatoes, sun-ripened and without any kind of pesticides or herbicides used.

…and did you know that... the tomato is the fruit of the plant called Lycopersicon Lycopersicum, and that the first part of the name means ‘wolf peach’ in Latin? It was at one time thought to be dangerous like the wolf, hence the name – and the leaves are indeed slightly toxic.

The French call the tomato ‘love apple’ (pomme d’amour), the Italians call it ‘golden apple’ (pomodoro), which probably stems from the fact that the earliest imported tomatoes were yellow.

The tomatoes originated in South America – and an Aztec recipe is in existence, which includes tomatoes. Something like a Salsa, unbelievable as it may seem.

Grandma Smith’s Blackcurrant Cordial

Grandma to me, was Mormor (mother’s mother), as my mum was to my daughters. I chose to translate it to grandma, rather than granny – as Granny Smith is as we all know, a delicious apple – and I’m talking blackcurrants. And if I’m not making any sense, blame the new medication. I am!

The Smith name is from a Scottish forefather, way back in the distant past – the only non-Viking blood in my family until my generation – when me and my brother mixed it up real good with our respective spouses. But I digress.

I didn’t know what a convenience meal was when I was growing up in the 50s and 60s in Norway. My mother considered being a housewife her career, and she was very good at it. I think my sister takes after her, but alas, not me. I’m afraid I would rather write a short story than wield a duster, ponder over a haiku than wash the floor – but I’m getting just a little bit more domesticated of late – at least as far as cooking is concerned. Needs must!

We never had shop bought squash/juice. My mother made cordials, and I recently found some of the recipes she sent me. This is the cordial I remember best. My grandmother’s original recipe.

Grandma Smith’s Blackcurrant Cordial

2 litres blackcurrants
1 litre water
375 g sugar per litre strained blackcurrant juice.

Simmer blackcurrants and water for half an hour, squashing the berries to release the juices. I use a potato masher and give it the occasional mash as it boils.
Strain through a sieve or muslin - I used a fine nylon sieve – and leave to run off for a couple of hours before measuring the resulting liquid. Don’t try to push the juice through. You want a nice, clear juice. Add sugar, then boil for ten minutes before ladling into sterilised bottles, using a funnel. Cap at once. Let bottles cool before storing in a cool place. My mother’s cellar was ideal – and bloomin’ scary. I got a larder cupboard doing the same job, if not quite as cold.

Tip: do not listen to know-it-all men (sorry – but there were three of them telling me!) who reckon the bottles will blow if bottled hot. This is a cordial, not wine. It’s more likely to ferment if not capped while hot.



Did you know… that what we call currants, were named so by mistake? They were actually just a small raisin, imported into the US from Corinth, and the Greek writing for Corinth was mistakenly translated into Currant at the port. This was supposedly in the 1920s, and as the real currant, the blackcurrant, had been banned from being grown for many years, the name stuck.

Tip: I remember the days when my mother was making blackcurrant cordial very well. It was a tedious job topping and tailing all those berries. But – good news - if you’re making cordial today, you don’t need to. Just pick them, give them a rinse and they’re ready. If freezing, make sure they’re dry first. If you don’t like the debris floating on top as it comes to the boil, just skim off the loose stuff with a spoon. Hours worth of work saved. Time for a bit more writing.

Blackcurrants are very beneficial to our health. I’ve promised myself a glass a day as long as it lasts, for its anti-inflammatory properties alone. Besides that, they are very rich in vitamin C, as well as containing potassium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin B5.

It has also been demonstrated that the fruit has properties which might just help inhibit the root cause of heart disease, cancer and some infections, as well as neurological disorders like for instance Alzheimer’s. A good enough reason to enjoy some cordial with my water.

Fact: During the WW2 blackcurrants became the main source of vitamin C for British children, and from 1942 onwards almost all of the blackcurrant crops were made into blackcurrant syrup or cordial. This was what we know as Ribena, then produced by the Carter company, and was distributed free of charge to the country’s children.

'Eggs on Rye' anyone?

Rye was introduced to Great Britain some 1500 years ago, by the Danes and the Saxons and soon became a staple in the diet. Rye is well suited to the colder northern climate, and is still an important part of the diet in several countries, although – much as it ought to be – not in the UK.

Rye bread itself originated in Germany, and a well known variety is Pumpernickel, but I am using a Norwegian recipe which I have adapted to suit my needs.
Rye gluten is not as elastic as wheat gluten, and holds less gas during the proving/rising process. This means that bread made with rye flour is denser than bread made with wheat. For a lighter variety, some wheat flour is usually added, but I used a gluten free white bread flour.
Rye flour retains a large amount of nutrients, which cannot be said of refined wheat flour.

Norwegian Rye Bread with a Difference

2 1/2 tsp dried yeast
1 2/3 cup gluten free bread flour
1 3/4 cup rye flour
5 dessert spoons mixed grain or gluten free muesli with various seeds and nuts
2 2/3 tsp caraway seeds
1/3 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp margarine/butter
3 dessert spoons treacle
1 cup warm water (115 degrees)
1 egg.

All ingredients except water must be at room temperature. Add
ingredients into the bread machine as listed. I melted margarine, then added treacle and poured this in, followed by the egg mixed in the water, then all the dry ingredients – which I had first mixed together in the mixing bowl.
My bread machine is a Morphy Richards, and I selected setting 5, which is for a large wholemeal loaf, but suits this recipe best. It takes 4 hours 30 mins, but the first 30 minutes is standing time, allowing the flour to take up the liquid ingredients. Two minutes after the actual process has started – so after 32 minutes, open the lid and using a spatula loosen the mix from the sides, then close lid and leave till baked.
Cool slightly, then turn out to cool.


Did you know… that a common saying in modern day Alaska is ‘eggs on rye’? It is supposedly an expression they use when something tastes extra nice.

…and did you know... that eating foods high in insoluble fibre – as rye is – can aid in the prevention of gallstones forming (in women)? (According to American Journal of gastroenterology.) It also aids weight-loss, as it’s water-binding and so make you feel full very quickly. I can attest to the latter. I can only eat one slice at a time.
It is also helpful in maintaining good overall health, preventing heart disease, some cancers etc. In short, it’s very good for you. Lately it has also been discovered that the gluten in Rye, since it is so different to that in wheat, should not be lumped in with the foods to avoid if you have gluten intolerance. Even coeliac sufferers should be able to eat it, but should first ask their doctor, as some might not.

Wheat is the main gluten culprit and there’s more and more evidence, apparently, to show that other grains do not affect people in the same way.

I wonder whether the wheat problem has arisen because of the kind of wheat that is grown. In Scandinavia a soft grain is grown, producing a harder bread – and in Great Britain, and elsewhere, a hard grain is grown, producing soft bread. It sounds back to front, but I remember reading about this when I first encountered problems with eating bread.


Tip: Substitute some rye flour for wheat flour in your favourite baking, whether it be bread or muffins, cup cakes or pancakes.

Elderberry Cordial

Walking along the leafy country lanes with little grandsons in tow is a pleasure in itself – and the gathering of a little of nature’s bounty along the way, a bonus.
Yesterday we went in search of elderberries, armed with jugs and bowls, not knowing how much we would find. We spotted more than we could pick, as lots were hanging far too high for any of us to reach, but that just means that the birds get their share, too.
We filled a carrier bag of bunches of berries, which made one and a half litre when cleaned off the stalks. That's enough for me to make some elderberry cordial with, although I’m giving you the recipe for two litres, which is the way my grandmother gave it to my mother, and she to me.

Elderflower cordial is an excellent remedy for winter colds and flu, but should then be served hot, like a toddy, and quite concentrated.

Elderberry Cordial

2 litres elderberries
1 litre water
300g sugar pr litre of liquid when strained

Remove berries from stalks using a fork to pull them off. Boil berries with water for half an hour, crushing the berries with a wooden spoon when softened. Strain well. A jelly cloth on a stand - which is what my mother used - would be ideal. I have to rely on a fine sieve, a big pan, and plenty of patience.
I let the mixture cool before straining. I have been splashed with hot juice one time too many!

Once strained, measure the liquid and add 300 grams sugar per litre of liquid and boil up for about 10 minutes, then bottle up in sterilised bottles. Use a funnel – and take care! The cordial will be hot and will also stain whatever it hits.

Tip: The elderflowers make an excellent elderflower champagne. I’ll let you in on my recipe when the time is right and the elder is in bloom.

My son-in-law told me of another way to use the elderberry to treat and ward off an approaching cold. Simply dry bunches of elderberries, suspended inside a brown paper bag, and then, when needed, take a couple of bunches and steep in boiling water. Strain, add honey and drink while hot.

Elderberries are also used as a herbal remedy, as an anti-inflammatory, as well as a diuretic. It’s also believed to boost the immune system. It’s best known as an aid to treat and relieve bronchitis, asthma, colds and flu. As a bonus it helps lower cholesterol. What it lacks in flavour it makes up for in positive benefits!
Can be used in pies and jams, but I don't fancy trying that myself.

Did you know… that the berry shouldn’t be eaten raw because they are mildly poisonous? Eating them in their raw state can induce nausea and vomiting – as one of my daughters found out years ago. Thank goodness she stopped her little one eating them yesterday! Instead he gripped tightly his two pint jug, containing half a dozen blackberries (we found blackberry bushes still in flower, and it's September!).

Cooked, the elderberries are perfectly edible, and good for you, but remember that all the green parts of the tree are poisonous. This may sound strange in the light of the fact that parts of the elder tree has been used for flutes and whistles since ancient times, as well as for pop guns or blow pipes for children.
But – it was not all fun and games. The elder (which had many names over the years) is also known as The Judas Tree, as Judas supposedly hanged himself in an elder (eller):

'Judas he japed with Jewen silver
And sithen an eller hanged hymselve.'

(Langland’s ‘Vision of Piers Plowman – pre Chaucer)


In yet another old tradition The Cross of Calvary was said to be fashioned of elder. No wonder it became associated with sorrow and death:

'Bour tree - Bour tree: crooked rong
Never straight and never strong;
Ever bush and never tree
Since our Lord was nailed on thee.'



…and did you know… that gypsies are not allowed to use elder as firewood? It’s thought to bring bad luck.
In most countries, Denmark in particular, I understand, the elder was closely connected with magic. A dryad, Hylde-Moer (Elder-Mother) supposedly lived in the tree, looking after it. Should anyone be as foolish as to cut it down and make furniture out of the wood, Hylde-Moer would haunt the owners. We'll stick to picking the flowers and the berries then!