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You are here: Home / Archives for wild flowers

wild flowers

Activity: Traditional Marshmallows

July 21, 2022 by Chantel Carr

Out on our Froglife reserves the pathways are carpeted with lots of wildflowers and plants. Hampton is extremely lucky to have a blanket of narrow-leaved birds-foot trefoil which is great for lots of invertebrates.

Here our Reserve Warden, Chantel, gives us some information on a very common plant that you can forage even if you do not have access to a green space, as they grow on kerbsides!

Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris) is a very common wild flower that grows on most soil types and thrives in urban wasteland and roadsides. It contains blood-sugar-controlling insulin, antioxidants, vitamins A, B and C along with nourishing our skin and airways.

Common Mallow. Credit: Eden Jackson

 

Historically marshmallows were made using mallow root but it is now replaced with gelatine. Here is the traditional marshmallow recipe:

Ingredients:

  1. 500ml of water
  2. 10cm of fresh mallow root
  3. 125g of sugar
  4. 75g glucose syrup
  5. 1 egg white
  6. Flavouring of your choice (vanilla, orange blossom, rose water etc.)
  7. Small amount of oil 

 

Method:

  1. Boil the 500ml of water in a pan and add the fresh mallow root. Leave on a low heat and stir occasionally until the liquid thickens. 
  2. Strain and pour 100ml of the mallow root liquid into a saucepan, adding the sugar and the glucose syrup. Bring to boil until reaching 121 degrees on a sugar thermometer.
  3. In a bowl whisk 1 egg white to form stiff peaks, then slowly add the mallow root-infused syrup. Keep whisking for 10 minutes.
  4. Add your choice of flavouring
  5. Use your oil to oil a dish and pour your mixture into it. Leave to set overnight 

 

Filed Under: Activities Tagged With: Activity, cooking, Mallow, Mallow Root, Malva sylvestris, marshmallows, recipe, traditional, wild flowers

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