Found them! I love these little fruits and I'm not sure what I should call them as I've heard so many different names: ashwagandha, physalis, Indian ginseng, winter cherry... They are lovely. And hard to find. At least in my neighbourhood. I didn't try really really hard to be honest so they may be just around the corner. But I stumbled upon them yesterday in this great reasonably new fruit and veg shop in Amsterdam called Green Haven.

www.greenhaven.nl

Not only do they have Ashwagandha, but also, for my culture quirky items, such as bitter melon (sopropo) and black garlic. Bitter melon is very uhm... bitter, and black garlic is basically fermented garlic and tastes like... heaven! Back to the Ashwagandha: it's delicious in salads. Even my picky 10 year old likes them as a stand alone snack. To me it tastes like a mix between tomato and orange. The best part is: it's HEALTHY! It is one of the most important and powerful herbs in Ayurvedic healing and was and still is used for a wide variety of conditions, such as stress, lack of energy, concentration problems just to name a few.

So, off to the shops where they DO sell it, and if not, there is always Geenhaven in Amsterdam :o)

My daughter looked at me with an expression on her face saying 'are you kidding me?'. She said "No mom, because I'm sure yours will be different than oma's". Bummer. At least I know the recipe, it's not really a recipe but I know how to prepare it. This brings me back to my own grandma. I remember her food was always delicious! I remember her chicken soup, profiteroles, macaroon custard, and shrimp cocktail. Thank goodness my mom knows the recipe of the best shrimp cocktail in the world, honestly, it's the best and Michelin Star Worthy! But I have no idea about the chicken soup. How wonderful would it be to have a little Grandma Family Cook Book? My advice to you is to write down and collect all the best recipes of your mom or grandma, or dad or grandpa, so that you and future generations can enjoy. Because one day, I'm sure, my daughter would love a piece of fried white fish, with love from grandma, but prepared  by ME!

Do you have favorite family recipes you would love to share?