One thing I really try to avoid at all times, is to throw food away. Of course, sometimes this happens even to the best food managers, but I believe if we all try to be more aware of what we have, we can add to a sustainable and eco-conscious life.

I had potatoes, kohlrabi, 1/2 bell pepper, butter and an onion. I still had some nasturtiums leaves and flowers and fennel greens on the balcony. My friend Inés came over and we made mashed potatoes with horseradish (that was in the fridge too), and oven-roasted vegetables. Voila, topped with all the greens, it was a delicious, simple and sustaining meal.

You can make a batch of vegetable, beef or chicken broth. Point is, that all cooks very long and on low heat to keep as many minerals and nutrients as possible and warm your system. If you fill it hot into sterilized glass bottles, they are good for several weeks in the fridge.

Elderberryflowers are starting to bloom and there is nothing more delicious than an Elderberryflower pancake as an afternoon snack. Bring Spring into the kitchen!

Lilac, oh what wonderful fragrance. And Yes, that can be captured into a bottle. Make Lilac syrup or jelly and your table offerings will be special.

Lilac flower Syrup
This is like cooking spring into a bottle! Lilac syrup can be added to drinks like non-alcoholic cocktails, wine- schorles, Hugos (sparkling wine with spritzer), or as a topping over desserts.
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for ca. 2 liters of syrup

about 12-14 umbels of lilac
2 liters of water
1.3 kilo of sugar
2 medium size lemons

Best stored in refrigerator and used within 2 - 3 weeks
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1.  wash your lilac umbels and remove from stems
   
2. combine water and sugar in a large cooking pot, bring to heat, so that the sugar dissolves, let simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. let cool
   
4. slice the lemons
5. add your lilac flower, the lemon juice and lemons slices and quickly and carefully stir
6. let sit in a cool place for 5 days
7. strain and fill into clean bottles

The virus crisis is forcing all of us to a halt. At the same time, it gives us a wonderful opportunity to stand still, think and remember, to review our life and to find joy in the kitchen:

We can ask ourselves, what was the favorite cake my grandmother baked, my uncle's homemade pizza, or my mother's party stew?

Maybe it's a great time to organize your recipes?
Maybe it's time to think about forgotten tastes?

Or maybe, in case you are in the country or near a park, you can venture out and collect the first wild herbs and make pesto.  This is amazingly delicious with pasta.