Haw Flakes and Wolf Berries
Apr. 3rd, 2007 12:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
browngirlOne of my odd culinary habits is trying unusual fruits. This recently led me to buy wolfberries and haw flakes.
One of the interesting things about both fruits is that I can taste their relatives. Wolfberries are nightshade cousins, and while they taste sweetish, smoky and reminiscent of black-tea, there's a tomatoey underbelly to the flavor as well. Their uncooked texture is a stiffer chew than a raisin, and they don't disintegrate (or even soften all that much) when boiled; all in all, I'm finding myself neither hating or loving them, as they taste more "good for me" than "good" to me. A big handful of wolfberries will probably never be a snack I reach for.
Haw flakes, meanwhile, I am really enjoying. They're made from hawthorn berries, and they taste red-fruity, slightly chewy, slightly sugar-crispy. I'm a sucker for rose family fruits, and hawthorns appear to be no exception. And, they appear to keep forever, which makes them sutiable to keep in my desk drawer at work. Next, I intend to find out what their tolerances are in cooking, because I think they'd taste great in fruitcake, as long as they soften to jamminess rather than crunching or melting away.
I have lots of both of these (most of a pound of wolfberries, nine packages of haw flake rolls with ten rolls in each package) so if you'd like to try one or both, let me know and I'll mail you a decent sized sample.
One of the interesting things about both fruits is that I can taste their relatives. Wolfberries are nightshade cousins, and while they taste sweetish, smoky and reminiscent of black-tea, there's a tomatoey underbelly to the flavor as well. Their uncooked texture is a stiffer chew than a raisin, and they don't disintegrate (or even soften all that much) when boiled; all in all, I'm finding myself neither hating or loving them, as they taste more "good for me" than "good" to me. A big handful of wolfberries will probably never be a snack I reach for.
Haw flakes, meanwhile, I am really enjoying. They're made from hawthorn berries, and they taste red-fruity, slightly chewy, slightly sugar-crispy. I'm a sucker for rose family fruits, and hawthorns appear to be no exception. And, they appear to keep forever, which makes them sutiable to keep in my desk drawer at work. Next, I intend to find out what their tolerances are in cooking, because I think they'd taste great in fruitcake, as long as they soften to jamminess rather than crunching or melting away.
I have lots of both of these (most of a pound of wolfberries, nine packages of haw flake rolls with ten rolls in each package) so if you'd like to try one or both, let me know and I'll mail you a decent sized sample.
