Expert Advice On Beds And Pillows (Part 3/3)

Garden of Refreshment
Quench your thirst with delicious beverages and
desserts taken right off your little plot of green

By Wilson Wong | Photos by Koh Boon Wei | reprinted with permission from Home Concepts magazine
Thanks to Hortpark for the venue

Click here to read about the Aloe Vera
Click here to read about the Passion Fruit and Dragon Fruit

The Roselle
The roselle is another plant that can be used to make refreshing drinks. Botanically known as Hibiscus sabdariffa, roselle grows as a shrub with attractive red stems and deeply lobed leaves.

The plant grows up to two metres tall and produces yellow hibiscus-like flowers with dark red centres. After the flowers are pollinated, they fade away and fruit production begins.

With time, one will notice a bright red, crown-like, fleshy calyx that forms around the base of each fruit. The useful part of the roselle is this fleshy calyx which is boiled in water to yield a sourish and deep red beverage.

It is best served chilled and sweetened and is rich in antioxidants like vitamin C and anthocyanins.

The plants can be grown in the ground or containers using well-draining and fertile soil. Roselle thrives when grown under semi-shade or full sun. Plants do get straggly over time and new ones can be started from seeds and stem-cuttings.

If the calyces of the roselle plant are not to be used immediately, they can be harvested, dried and stored in a cool and dry place.


COOL RECIPES!
1. Passion fruit juice can be made by blending fruit pulp and some cold water at low speed. Filter seeds away using a sieve. Add sugar to sweeten the drink and more cold water to achieve the preferred taste. Best served chilled.

2. Make dragon fruit jelly by dropping small cubes of the pulp into agar-agar. Some people mash up the pulp and add that instead. Allow the jelly to set and the dessert is best served chilled.

3. Peel away the ‘skin’ of a fresh Aloe vera leaf and rinse away any green sap using water. Cut the translucent gel into cubes and boil them in water with rock sugar to taste. The dessert is served chilled.

4. Boil one part of roselle calyces in three parts of water to yield a dark red decoction. Filter away the calyces and add sugar to taste. Allow the beverage to cool and serve it chilled.

Source: Expert Advice On Beds And Pillows (Part 3/3)