Bircher Muesli Recipe and story
when i was a small girl
we lived in the West Australian wheatbelt
summer days frequently kissing blue skies and 40~celcius
after school the seemingly endless burnt orange gravel drive
shimmered and baked me
chasing after bigger faster sisters on bicycles
anxious in the hot vast expanse of golden crisped paddocks
i don’t remember a single tree on that km stretch to the house paddock
was there shade along the way?
and then i was there
pushing through the small side gate
often teary often late
there was our sturdy brick home with deep shaded verandahs
and my calm mama waiting in the cool dim kitchen with
hugs cheerfulness and
bircher muesli
sweet tart chilled textured cooling surprising delicious
was it so tasty because it was made with genuine swiss hands
and the apple grated with an authentic swiss bircher grater {so i call it}
what secret ingredient did you infuse this refreshing meal with mama?
mine never meets the reputation of my memory
so here i am now
on a meltingly hot day
waiting for my little to come dancing into home again after a long week
and i make bircher muesli
and think of cool kitchens and dark, even cooler pantries
{where i used to sneak crunches of dried pasta or other goods and lat on the cold floor
or draw on the back of door chalkboard}
now i think of
mama love
growing up
sour apples and yoghurt
i am blessed to be using yoghurt from the cows milk provided by yonder dexters
which forms a coveted cream top
thankyou to C for making it
there is an abundance of Bircher Muesli recipes out there in the world
i wouldn’t say mine is traditional as my bircher grater is still in storage and i chopped the apple instead…
you know i’m kidding right?
so I won’t do more than list the ingredients i used this particular time
2 handfuls organic unstabilised rolled oats
2 oranges squeezed over oats fresh from orchard
2 cups natural yoghurt from neighbours cows
1 handful dessicated coconut
2 tablespoons unhulled tahini
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 small handful raisins
1 handful chopped almonds
1 tspn cinnamon powder
1 green apple from farmers market
1 green pear
1 banana from big market
1 handful blueberries
1 handful wild rasberries picked by a neighbour
mix and refridgerate
be inventive be flexible use what you have
the idea is softened oats yoghurt and fruit
i tend to soak the dry goods in the orange juice for a while before i add the yoghurt and fruit section
some people soak the oats overnight in the fruit juice til morn
for me that becomes a super digestible breakfast but kind of slimy and sticky, what do you think?
i forgot to add chia seeds, that might be nice
my mama used to put in stone fruits and grapes in later summer
and i hear tell she used some condensed milk to sweeten it…
is that true? did i forget any other special ingredient mamala?
how do you make this dish?
what would you add?
what was waiting for you when you got home on hot days?
what do you make for your kidlets now?
**peace be with you and your bellies**
RosaLindenTree 