Foraging Favourite #1 - Cherry Blossom
It’s time to put your boots on, head outdoors and get foraging!
The Kino team love making the most of the free harvest growing in and around the city to give their dishes extra flavour and interest. As we move through the year, they’ll be sharing some of their seasonal favourites so you know what to pick and when.
First up in their spring suggestions is Cherry Blossom. Go sweet with sugar or sour with vinegar – the choice is yours.
To make Cherry Blossom Sugar:
You will need, caster sugar and either opened or unopened cherry blossoms
- Add 75g open cherry blossoms – or around half this quantity if unopened – to 500g caster sugar.
- Using either a pestle and mortar for small batches or a food processor for larger amounts, blend the flowers with the sugar until incorporated. You should get a floral aroma with a scent of almonds. If it seems a little weak, simply add more flowers.
- Once mixed, store in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer for up to a year.
Top Tip: Cherry Blossom Sugar can be used in any recipe as a substitute for caster sugar. Try it in cakes, meringues, crème anglaise, biscuits and pastry. In Kino, the team replace the sugar with salt and use equal parts of the flavoured salt and sugar to cure fish.
A good use of slightly older cherry blossoms is to make a floral vinegar which can then be used for pickles and salad dressings.
To make Cherry Blossom Vinegar:
You will need some cherry blossoms and a good quality white wine or cider vinegar
- Pack an airtight jar with cherry blossoms and cover with vinegar.
- Allow to steep at room temperature for two months.
- After this time, add 150g sugar to every 800ml vinegar and stir every day for a week.
- The vinegar is now ready to use.
Top Tip: replace the lemon juice in lemon curd with the vinegar. If you have also made the sugar, use that too!
With all foraging, ensure you know what you are picking and that you’re not trespassing on anyone’s land.