Hibiscus, Sorrel, Roselle – How Do You Use this Versatile Plant!

The times they are a-changin’.

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I make a wine with Sorrel, or at least what Trini’s call sorrel, which is what many  use for Hibiscus tea. My mom uses (tt) Sorrel to make a red cake… similar to the Caribbean black rum cake… Caribbean folks call Roselle–  Sorrel. However sorrel is also a spring greens used to make sorrel soup… Then I learned from my Nigerian friend they cook the green part of the sorrel Which Caribbean folks throw away (as far as i Know) so I decided to read up on Roselle & sorrel

I’m still not sure why it is classed as a type of a type of hibiscus.

Exotic and delicately beautiful, the hibiscus plant is a tall, erect annual cultivated in the tropics and subtropics. There are over 300 species of hibiscus, including Hibiscus abelmoschus (musk-mallow), H. rosa-sinensis (tropical hibiscus) and H. sabdariffa, also known as Guinea sorrel, Jamaica sorrel, and roselle. All belong to the Malvaceae (mallow) family, along with cocoa, okra, and cotton.  www.frontiercoop.com/

Roselle is also high  in anti-oxidants, great for cancer and diabetes… who knew – so it’s great as a daily tea

  • I still prefer my  sorrel as liquor,
  • I can make Jams and jellies also
  • Roselle as hot or cold beverages…
  • I can also always freeze the leaves in ice – cubes…  to garnish  a summer iced tea.
  • It’s a great natural dye
  • I have to  try Roselle in a traditional red velvet cake recipe instead of beets
  • I want to taste  the leaves of the roselle plant for food – Anyone got an African recipes?
  • and try it in  the Polish Sorrel soup recipes  http://localfoods.about.com/od/herbs/ss/Sorrel.htm
  • It’s also a great natural body  hair and skin care, as well as a hair dye…

I have always been fascinated and inspired by both teh Hibiscus flower and the Sorrel that  I have known but  who knew … What a versatile plant!

 

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