Sunday, January 4, 2009

Sorrel, it's not Christmas without it

Do you know sorrel? Have you ever heard of it? Sorrel has been a part of Christmas in Trinidad since, forever! It is a delicious drink made from a fruit grown on trees, the tree is a relative of the hibiscus and while in bloom the flower looks very much like the hibiscus. It is boiled with a little fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks and a few cloves and makes a delicious drink! It takes a lot of sugar so, like everything at Christmas time it is quite fattening!

No Christmas morning is the same without home made bread, ham and a drink of sorrel, if you don't have sorrel at Christmas, go ahead and call it Easter!

Quite by accident, maybe a neighbor threw a seed into my yard, a tree started to grow, I was so elated!
This is the flower that falls off and the petal is what we make the drink with. Dosent it look somewhat like hibiscus?


This is the lone sorrel tree in my yard, it is pretty laden.



Here is a close-up of the fully grown sorrel, I stood in the midday sun and picked them all!




The result of my labor, a nice sized bowl of sorrel! Sorrel usually sells for approx 1 us dollar per pound, however on Christmas eve which is when I bought i paid twice that amount, I got approx 2 1/2 lbs off my tree.

Picking sorrel is hard work, they dont come off the tree that easily, I had to use a scissors! Did I mention it was the mid day sun?
I found this video of someone picking sorrel, pretty much the way we do it in Trinidad, Jamaica seems to lay claim to sorrel being in the Caribbean, but I dont know about that! A few sites call it 'Jamaican sorrel' ha! It's a Trini thing I tell you!

20 comments:

nikkicrumpet said...

Very interesting...and cool that it does double duty as a beautiful flower and a tasty beverage!

The Muse said...

i have not yet heard of it, so i am delighted to learn something new!

i do say that the images are most delightful...here we are so cold and dreary..no flowers or blooms (except those indoors) :)

i would love to be on your list of blogs you read...and i would love to do the same for you!

Raxx - A day in the life said...

Nikki and The Muse you guys are so right! It is a very pretty flower! I mostly think of the drink when I see it! lol!!

artis1111 said...

Oh that is funky. Sounds yummmmmy!Kathy

SmilingSally said...

You've taught me something new. Thanks, Raxx.

Anonymous said...

Never heard of this before, thanks for my little history lessons today.

Love Ya,
Chris

Justine said...

I don't know about this drink, Raquel. Sounds a bit funky to me! LOL! But the tree is pretty!

Justine :o )

Penny said...

Oooh, I would love to try this sometime. How cool to have a drink made from a flower for pete's sake!!! Right now I'm drinking a little mix of things I put in the blender with some crushed ice. Rum, kahlua, pineapple/orange juice, pina colada juice, hmmm... I think that's it. Just those four ingredients. It is quite yummy. I'm never going to lose weight with a thirst for these fun drinks. I wish you were here so we could sample each others drinks. Better yet, I wish I were in Trinidad! Thank you for the sorrell lesson. I really enjoyed that!

Hugs,
Penny

Terrie's Lil' Piece of Serenity said...

I loved hearing about your traditions. It was really interesting. And they are so.. pretty.

Jill said...

I have never heard of it but when it comes to you I always look to try new things in my future. Sounds interesting!!

Anonymous said...

I've heard of sorrel but didn't really know what it was, but now I do!

It's very pretty on the tree, and how awful for you to have to stand out in hot sunshine to pick it!!!

Can you tell I'm missing the sun?

Jessica said...

I have never heard of Sorrel before and the flower is gorgeous! I bet the drink is amazing,too!

Enjoy! J. :)

Deb said...

Hi Raxx! Sounds delish! I wish I could try it. How many flowers does it take to make, and how much does it make, (a gallon maybe?). It's a beautiful flower. Maybe you can host a giveaway of the flowers and the recipe. :O) Deb

Helen said...

VERY interesting ... the only sorrel I ever knew about were the sorrel boots I used to buy for our kids in MN.

SG said...

Interesting. I heard of sorrel but didn't know what it was!

Unknown said...

Hi there...love your blog! Very interesting. I'd heard of Sorrell but wasn't up on all the details.

Happy New Year from Texas!

Anonymous said...

Afternoon, most Beautiful One. No, I've never heard of sorrel! But it does look like our hibiscus! The bush is just beautiful!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Tootsie said...

never heard of it...and now I NEED ONE...thanks girl...you are torturing me with all this beauty!

Anonymous said...

Hey Girl! I love those flowers! I wish you would have us what it looks like. (yum) Miss you a million.

talk to you soon,

xoxoxoxo
Donna Marie

mrsben said...

I always so enjoy your Trinidad(ian) posts. How fortunate to live where you do. I am so hoping some day I will be able to visit your beautiful country and perhaps have a cuppa of Sorrel! :)

Many hugs -Brenda-