tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304750072024-02-28T15:43:19.340+00:00Wildfoodie DiaryA seasonal guide to foraging, cooking and eating from the wildUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-15109835579567258862009-05-22T15:02:00.004+01:002009-05-22T15:34:12.628+01:00A fortunate find<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTQ_tjK26g_VoMKCeKhTyJFLoz5q1McqBQuCIptOaENFN5n3CsWUrxbksc5xcshnJM0S6T_5RhbJlMYQp094eKKckKhLoPaaWCPOvfzbR4YseBz3156PIpnD6nj7z0b8xc4NdTg/s1600-h/DSCN0818-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTQ_tjK26g_VoMKCeKhTyJFLoz5q1McqBQuCIptOaENFN5n3CsWUrxbksc5xcshnJM0S6T_5RhbJlMYQp094eKKckKhLoPaaWCPOvfzbR4YseBz3156PIpnD6nj7z0b8xc4NdTg/s320/DSCN0818-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338654416440711090" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">More often than not, my foraging classes and outdoor events are blessed with fine weather and the jammiest of lucky finds. This week was no exception, my Cambridge based weekly forage group struck gold - literally - with an amazing stand of chicken of the woods </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >(Polyporus sulphureus</span><span style="font-family:arial;">) fungus. Why lucky you ask? Well, it's been so dry this year that all my usual COTW haunts haven't yielded much in the way of this excellent edible mushroom, so to find enough for the four of us really felt a lot like Divine intervention!<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-86646140264541762562009-05-20T10:40:00.004+01:002009-05-20T11:28:41.212+01:00watering my weeds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T0n01ZmazwfdeLbE49IyCWcd_kNKG4xbQZ1mynqof5DHl5hYr-NystWdGcOiHjE6yHR5-sw_rW4znuRW4GcZ-xf2QLnAUUmR4k649DR9rjvmuGb5M_9f3wuxrq9WSoE5_nHBAg/s1600-h/Fat+Hen+with+Bergamot+and+Hyssop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T0n01ZmazwfdeLbE49IyCWcd_kNKG4xbQZ1mynqof5DHl5hYr-NystWdGcOiHjE6yHR5-sw_rW4znuRW4GcZ-xf2QLnAUUmR4k649DR9rjvmuGb5M_9f3wuxrq9WSoE5_nHBAg/s320/Fat+Hen+with+Bergamot+and+Hyssop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337851068410145026" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My energy and attention this year has been largely focussed on my garden and veg patch, in part thanks to my new </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.transitioncambridge.org/thewiki/ttwiki/pmwiki.php?n=TTFood.GardenShare">Garden Share</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> partners, Anna and Adam. But as usual I've kept an eye on the wild produce which so far has been stinging nettles, dead nettles, dandelions and chickweed. More recently, sow thistles and my personal Springtime favourite, fat hen have been appearing. This year I've used industrial quantities of home-made compost, and am delighted to find a thick crop of fat hen, sow thistle and chickweed seedlings sprouting from practically every bed and flowerpot. Check out this pot of Begamot and Hyssop, top dressed with fresh compost a month ago!<br />In a couple of weeks, there should be enough for a really delicious fat hen feast... A similar situation is happening on the potato grow bag, where fat hen and spinach seedlings are happily soaking up the sunshine and liberal waterings until the Maris Peer spuds start comng through. At that point it'll be "off with their heads and into the pot!" - I love my weeds, but I love home grown potatoes, fresh out of the ground even more... </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-88338527136479939082009-05-14T12:49:00.006+01:002009-05-14T18:21:57.514+01:00A Foraging ObservationLast week I went over to Suffolk to check out the venue for my next event, <a href="http://www.foodsafari.co.uk/page/wild-food-in-a-day">Wild Food in a Day</a> and to meet the organiser, Polly Robinson from <a href="http://www.foodsafari.co.uk/page/wild-food-in-a-day">Food Safari</a>. After a leg-stretching yomp over a corner of the vast Henham Estate, to look for a suitable area for the guided forage, surprise surprise, the best site was no more than 30m from where we had parked the car! I'd forgotten this small but important Forager's Truism: many edible weeds grow in the most obvious places, and many favour recently disturbed ground - if you have a garden, look along hedges, in flower and vegetable beds or in those out of the way weedy places: fat hen, chickweed and smooth sow thistle are all sprouting nicely! A word of warning about wild food plants in very public places: your chosen foraging site should be clean and free from rubbish, away from high usage areas such as footpaths and entrance ways and obviously away from roads and vehicle pollution: those are three very good reasons for allowing weeds to grow in your own garden. :-)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-69342170272624202482009-04-30T08:51:00.004+01:002009-04-30T09:10:38.044+01:00Food for all!<span style="font-family: arial;">Boo hoo....I've eaten my last dish of nettles and comfrey from the garden.... both these edible weeds are now getting ready to flower and are no longer fit for eating. Well my last dish for the time being anyway, as both stinging nettles and comfrey are vigorous plants and will be back on eating form in just a few weeks. But it's not just me eating weeds; nettles host many different species of hoverfly, moth and butterfly, so I'm leaving one half of my patch for wildlife. The comfrey too will be left to flower - bees, especially bumblebees - love it. My compost bin is also going to have a mid spring feast: when I've chopped down the top growth of nettles and pulled off the lower floppy comfrey leaves threatening to overshadow the broadbean seedlings nearby, it'll all be 'fed' to my compost bin. The compost bin will thank me over the next few months by turning out several hatchings of brandling worms (doing their bit in the composting process) and magically supplying another barrel or three of rich dark crumbly compost. it's win-win all the way</span>!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-53608001903098438732009-04-06T17:34:00.005+01:002009-04-06T18:15:48.201+01:00Lawn Salad ChallengeQ: How many edible weeds can you fit in a spring salad? A: As many as you can find! Seriously, how about 8 for starters? Most can be found in an ordinary suburban garden, and can usefully and tastefully pretty up a basic cos lettuce or if you <span style="font-style: italic;">must </span>buy it, a bag of salad leaves from the supermarket. Oh yes - I don't want to be accused of cheating, so flowers count as one ingredient; flowers and leaves of the same plant also one ingredient. here's my score card for 19 March 2009: a lot came from my garden lawn but I also looked in the flower beds and on the veg patch too.<br />Common Daisy <span style="font-style: italic;">Bellis perennis </span>- young fleshy leaves and freshly opened flowers<br />Primrose<span style="font-style: italic;"> Primula vulgaris</span> Very young leaves and flowers<br />Dandelion <span style="font-style: italic;">Taraxacum officinale</span> - young leaves and older ones with the midrib removed<br />Sweet violet <span style="font-style: italic;">Viola odorata</span> flowers - beautifully scented and slightly peppery<br />Chickweed <span style="font-style: italic;">Stellaria media</span> - leaves minus stems which are a bit stringy<br />Ground elder <em>Aegopodium podagraria </em>young leaves, still shiny and crinkly have a celery-like flavour<br />Honesty <span style="font-style: italic;">Lunaria biennis</span> seedlings - another peppery crunch element<br />Common Dock <span style="font-style: italic;">Rumex obtusifolius</span> - very, very young leaves and only a couple they can be quite bitter and dominating as a flavour.<br />A few places are still available on my <a href="http://wildfoodie.googlepages.com/wildfooddiarydates">wild food in the woods</a> course 17-19th April 2009 -save money and eat healthily by getting the essential wildfood collecting, cooking and eating knowledge - outdoors!<br /><em><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-45475503289701572482009-04-06T17:11:00.004+01:002009-04-06T17:32:55.275+01:00Recipe: nettle stuffed mushrooms<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At this time of year, I'm always looking for new nettle recipes to try and this one came to me when I saw these huge Portobello mushrooms in the market on Saturday. You'll be amazed at how substantial they are! I thought two would be just enough for a light supper, but I was completely stuffed by the time I'd eaten them both... Vegans can use olive or groundnut oil in place of the butter and if you don't want cheese, add a sprinkle of pine nuts for the topping. Bon appetit! </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">(Serves 4 as starter 2 as main course) </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 colanderful young nettle tops </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">4 large portobello or field mushrooms</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">olive oil </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">75g butter </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">sea salt and black pepper</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">100g goats' cheese</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Set the oven to 220C /Gas 7 and put a baking tray in to heat. Rinse the nettles and while still wet, put them in a pan with about two thirds of the butter. Cover and cook slowly until thoroughly wilted. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Take the mushrooms, prick the tops all over and brush with olive oil. Remove the greens from the pan, squeeze out the bulk of the moisture and chop coarsely, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Add a grating of nutmeg too if you like it. place a quarter of the greens in each mushroom top and add another tiny (half cm cube is plenty) knob of butter to each cap. Put them on the hot baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes. Then take them out of the oven and place a slice of goat cheese on top and return to the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese has started to melt. Serve immediately with a green salad. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-78490394251183233182007-11-22T21:42:00.000+00:002007-11-22T21:58:02.527+00:00Medlar magic<span style="font-family:arial;">Have you tried medlars? I see them fairly frequently, but usually they're rock hard and inedible. That's because the medlar needs bletting before you can eat it - 'bletting' is a posh-sounding term that means rotting. You can't hurry this process, in fact it's not worth collecting medlars until early November. By then, the fruits have started to fall, collect them up and leave for a week or so in a box or bag somewhere not too warm. When you can squish one easily, they're ready to eat. Fear not; the bletted medlar may look a little manky and fit only for the compost bin, but its softened flesh is gently sweet: reminiscent I think of toffee apples, it definitely has potential for exploring in the kitchen. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This evening I processed 2 carrier bags of squidgy medlars... and spent ages researching recipes on line. I didn't do any of the ones I liked the sound of, being a bit pooped from this afternoon's leaf clearance in the garden, short on various ingredients and frankly ready for a glass of wine and a sit down. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But I found some double cream at the back of the fridge, plus some molasses sugar and mixed these up with a few dollops of medlar pulp: thereby proving to myself that sometimes the old traditional recipes perhaps become traditional because they're simple and excellent. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel like trying some more complex recipes with this rather underrated little fruit. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-80147778347422538992007-09-28T11:29:00.000+01:002008-12-09T21:45:48.127+00:00Seeds of Change Big Barn Newsletter 24th September<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOZIhacwoNjod2_dZHWGrZstyxsT-b30H-5QtkU8fwYt-y1lF2TNdrzWNUpyaoebiyNb5ZUfbYp0jOcQe80SdgJIe7YK0mPfFiQhMhL0QVEOIrLhgRgfrFkqqRI5A6HQuWUqIlQ/s1600-h/hazel+cluster+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOZIhacwoNjod2_dZHWGrZstyxsT-b30H-5QtkU8fwYt-y1lF2TNdrzWNUpyaoebiyNb5ZUfbYp0jOcQe80SdgJIe7YK0mPfFiQhMhL0QVEOIrLhgRgfrFkqqRI5A6HQuWUqIlQ/s320/hazel+cluster+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115208070024651234" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">As the year continues into Autumn with shorter days and crisp mornings, we foragers are busier than ever! on my travels in the last week or so I've been gathering nuts and berries and the odd mushroom, although -I hardly dare write this after such a wash-out Summer- a little overnight rain would do wonders for fungi opportunities! It's a tough trick to manage the abundance of an Autumn harvest and still have the time and energy to process it, which reminds me of the golden rule of sustainable foraging is to never pick more than you can use. Fortunately elderberries, blackberries, and sloes all freeze beautifully, either au naturel or cooked and pulped. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the garden where I grew up there was a big hazel bush that was always covered in nuts. Each summer we waited for them to swell and the shells to turn golden brown, eagerly anticipating a nutty feast. But every August, from the kitchen window, we watched the hazel branches being jiggled and shaken by a troupe of grey squirrels, well before the first nuts had ripened. Despite racing down the garden to chase away those pesky rodents, all we could find were the still green empty husks and broken bits of shell all over the grass. So it was with enormous pleasure that last week, spying a few nuts on the topmost branches of the hazel in my garden, I took a lesson from the squirrel's guide to harvesting and shook the branches.... my reward was a shower of almost ripe nuts...If you can do the same, simply remove the papery casings crack them carefully with your teeth and eat them straight from the shell. The sweet, mealy flavour of a ripening hazel is quite addictive, having something of the taste of a peeled broccoli stem - and if you haven't tried eating one of those, then I promise you're missing out! </span><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cbr\>Other nut news: beech trees in this part of the UK seem to be promising a good harvest. Wait until they start to fall within the next fortnight or so, then gather the whole unblemished mast (the correct term for nuts fallen and gathered from the ground). In the past I've peeled them by hand which is fiddly and time consuming; this year I'm going to try roasting them in the shell for around 10 minutes at 170C. I suspect that the shells will split and make the job of separating the nut meat much easier. \n\u003cbr\>Now is also the time to start your own wild harvest garden with a spot of seed gathering. Fat Hen \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style:italic\"\>(Chenopodium album)\u003c/span\> and Burdock \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style:italic\"\>(Arctium lappa)\n\u003c/span\> seeds are all plentiful and scattered on a patch of bare ground, will provide you with your own back yard wild harvest next year. You might also be lucky to find some late ripening field poppy \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style:italic\"\>\n(Papaver rhoeas)\u003c/span\> seed heads. These plants, as well as being good to eat, will also help to attract beneficial insects into your garden. \u003cbr\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/span\>\nA Forager's guide to seed harvesting\u003c/span\>\u003cbr\>\u003cul\>\u003cli\>Shake ripened seed heads into a paper bag, remove any insects and label the bag with the plant name. Store seeds in a cool dry place, or sow them immediately.\u003c/li\>\n\u003cli\>Don't waste your time collecting under-ripe seed, it won't grow.\u003c/li\>\u003cli\>Be wary of harvesting burdock seeds with bare hands, as the burrs contain numerous fine hairs which will work their way into your skin. Tip the harvested burdock seeds onto a sheet of paper and shake, then very gently blow away the fluff. You can also rinse them through a fine mesh sieve with plenty of running water. \n\u003c/li\>\u003cli\>Scatter burdock seeds in a sunny location with good moisture- retentive soil for strong plants. \u003c/li\>\u003cli\>Fat hen prefers a rich and fertile soil, ideally with manure added, in full sun or part shade. \u003c/li\>\u003c/ul\>",1] ); //--></script><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Other nut news: beech trees in this part of the UK seem to be promising a good harvest. Wait until they start to fall within the next fortnight or so, then gather the whole unblemished mast (the correct term for nuts fallen and gathered from the ground). In the past I've peeled them by hand which is fiddly and time consuming; this year I'm going to try roasting them in the shell for around 10 minutes at 170C. I suspect that the shells will split and make the job of separating the nut meat much easier. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now is also the time to start your own wild harvest garden with a spot of seed gathering. Fat Hen </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >(Chenopodium album)</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> and Burdock </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >(Arctium lappa) </span><span style="font-family:arial;"> seeds are all plentiful and scattered on a patch of bare ground, will provide you with your own back yard wild harvest next year. You might also be lucky to find some late ripening field poppy </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" > (Papaver rhoeas)</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> seed heads. These plants, as well as being good to eat, will also help to attract beneficial insects into your garden. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span> A Forager's guide to seed harvesting</span><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li>Shake ripened seed heads into a paper bag, remove any insects and label the bag with the plant name. Store seeds in a cool dry place, or sow them immediately.</li><li>Don't waste your time collecting under-ripe seed, it won't grow.</li><li>Be wary of harvesting burdock seeds with bare hands, as the burrs contain numerous fine hairs which will work their way into your skin. Tip the harvested burdock seeds onto a sheet of paper and shake, then very gently blow away the fluff. You can also rinse them through a fine mesh sieve with plenty of running water. </li><li>Scatter burdock seeds in a sunny location with good moisture- retentive soil for strong plants. </li><li>Fat hen prefers a rich and fertile soil, ideally with manure added, in full sun or part shade. </li></ul><script><!-- D(["mb","\u003cspan class\u003dsg\>\n \u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>Jacky Sutton-Adam\u003cbr\>07913 085797\u003cbr\>\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.wildfoodie.com\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>www.wildfoodie.com\u003c/a\>\n\u003c/span\>",0] ); D(["mi",8,2,"114f9af8ec548d4e",0,"0","Edward Haigh","Edward","ed@bigbarn.co.uk",[[] ,[["me","wildfoodie@googlemail.com","114f9af8ec548d4e"] ] ,[] ] ,"Sep 12",["Jacky Sutton-Adam \u003cwildfoodie@googlemail.com\>"] ,[] ,[] ,[] ,"Sep 12, 2007 1:26 PM","Re: forager copy","",[] ,1,,,"Wed Sep 12 2007_1:26 PM","On 9/12/07, Edward Haigh \u003ced@bigbarn.co.uk\> wrote:","On 9/12/07, \u003cb class\u003dgmail_sendername\>Edward Haigh\u003c/b\> <ed@bigbarn.co.uk> wrote:",,,,"","",0,,"\u003cC30D9991.1DA0%ed@bigbarn.co.uk\>",0,,0,"In reply to \"forager copy\"",0] ); D(["mb","\n\n\n\n\u003cdiv\>\n\u003cfont face\u003d\"Verdana, Helvetica, Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0px\"\>Hi Jacky,\u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nUnfortunately we had problems sending the end of August newsletter. Matt was trying to do it from Canada, but to no avail. We should be back on track next week and will include this piece then. Thanks for sending it and I’m sorry for any wasted effort last time – which affected me too, unfortunately.\u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nEd",1] ); //--></script><span class="sg"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-40180153613728768742007-08-31T08:33:00.000+01:002007-11-22T22:39:08.336+00:00Big Barn Newsletter 31 August 2007<span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Berry Bonanza </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If you've been out for a walk in the last week or so, you must have noticed the abundance of ripening fruit: blackberries, sloes, hawthorn and one of my personal favorites, the elderberry. I'm particularly drawn to this hedgerow fruit, partly because they are so abundant, and in case you're wondering if they're ready to pick, the clusters have a considerate habit of drooping downwards when most of the berries are ripe. I also like them because they appeal to my subversive side; last year I overheard a mum telling her son 'Don't pick those, they're poisonous! ' Although a large quantity of raw fruit might cause a tummy upset, the elderberry is one of our native power plants, the berries contain weight for weight, more vitamin C than oranges, vitamin A, plus high levels of the free-radical busting nutrient, beta carotene and potassium, which is essential for a healthy nervous system. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So what can you do with elderberries? Recipes abound on the internet, from country wines and cordials to pickle and desserts. A mixing bowlful of ripe berries is enough for a pint of </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://wildfoodie.googlepages.com/drinks" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"> cordial </a><span style="font-family:arial;">- which you can use to flavour apple pies and cakes, and to make a hot toddy - one part cordial to around 7 parts hot water, a slice of lemon and a dash of whisky. Mmm, that thought </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" > almost </span><span style="font-family:arial;">makes me look forward to winter! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Elderberry: essential foraging facts</span><br /><ul><li style="font-family: arial;">Avoid under-ripe green or pale purple berries, pick only the black ones.</li><li style="font-family: arial;"> Choose elderberry heads which are beginning to droop. </li><li style="font-family: arial;">Process them as soon as you can as the high water content will quickly turn them mushy.<script><!-- D(["mb","\u003c/li\>\u003cli\>The easiest way to remove the berries from the stalks is to rub them gently between finger and thumb - the ripe ones will come away easily, although your fingers will be a scary shade of purple... \n\u003cbr\>\n\u003c/li\>\u003c/ul\>\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>Jacky Sutton-Adam\u003cbr\>07913 085797\u003cbr\>\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.wildfoodie.com\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>www.wildfoodie.com\u003c/a\>\n",0] ); D(["mi",8,2,"114b192d86429d28",0,"0","Edward Haigh","Edward","ed@bigbarn.co.uk",[[] ,[["me","wildfoodie@googlemail.com","114b192d86429d28"] ] ,[] ] ,"Aug 29 (19 hours ago)",["Jacky Sutton-Adam \u003cwildfoodie@googlemail.com\>"] ,[] ,[] ,[] ,"Aug 29, 2007 1:22 PM","Re: forager copy","",[] ,1,,,"Wed Aug 29 2007_1:22 PM","On 8/29/07, Edward Haigh \u003ced@bigbarn.co.uk\> wrote:","On 8/29/07, \u003cb class\u003dgmail_sendername\>Edward Haigh\u003c/b\> <ed@bigbarn.co.uk> wrote:",,,,"","",0,,"\u003cC2FB23A1.19E3%ed@bigbarn.co.uk\>",0,,0,"In reply to \"forager copy\"",0] ); D(["mb","\n\n\n\n\u003cdiv\>\n\u003cfont face\u003d\"Verdana, Helvetica, Arial\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:12.0px\"\>Hello Jacky,\u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nThanks for this – our next newsletter goes out at the end of the week so it’ll go in that. And yes, perfectly happy for you to archive them on your blog.\u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nAll the best\u003cbr\>\n\u003cbr\>\nEd",1] ); //--></script></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">The easiest way to remove the berries from the stalks is to rub them gently between finger and thumb - the ripe ones will come away easily, although your fingers will be a scary shade of purple...</span> </li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-62238738461350252982007-07-31T08:14:00.001+01:002007-11-22T22:32:44.368+00:00Big Barn Newsletter 31 July 2007<span style="font-family:arial;">I've been writing a foraging column for the email newsletter of <a href="http://www.bigbarn.co.uk/">bigbarn.co.uk</a>, the excellent local food portal website. As I've been a bit busy recently and have been neglecting my blog, I'm going to post the articles here.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Opportunity Knocks!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The heavy rains of the last few months are proving a mixed blessing for foragers... on the one hand, there are plenty of lush greens such as lawn daisy, fat hen, sow thistle and common mallow still around, on the other, edible mushrooms such as puffballs, and fairy ring champignons are definitely not enjoying these wet conditions. Summer fruits such as blackberries and bullace plums, gorged on rain, can be a bit watery and prone to splitting. But foraging is opportunity driven, and my tips this month will help you make the best of what's available. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Common Mallow (</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">M</span>alva sylvestris</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >) </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The showy purple blossoms of this lovely plant continue in profusion. If you look along the flower stems, you might find a few green seeds: peel off the calyx (the green, papery bits below the seed) , they make a pleasant nutty flavoured trail snack. If you have the patience to collect a handful, try roasting them in a tiny bit of olive oil to bring out the sweet nuttiness. I like them as a salad sprinkle or scattered into a sandwich. Young mallow leaves can be given the spinach treatment, washed and cooked gently over a low heat in a little butter. The more adventurous might like to try this </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://wildfoodie.googlepages.com/snacks" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">recipe</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> for Melokhia, a traditional middle eastern dish full of warm, spicy flavours.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Dewberries </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > (Rubus caesius)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If, like me, you've found plenty of fat but blandly flavoured blackberries, hunt around for the blackberry's smaller cousin, the dewberry. The plant looks like a weedier, less robust blackberry plant and tends to grow lower to the ground. The fruits are just three or four berry segments which are covered in a dense bloom, giving them a bright blue-purple appearance. Despite their small size, they pack a good acidity punch and a small handful will perk up a dish of watery blackberries a treat! </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Mallow: Essential foraging facts</span><br /><ul><li style="font-family: arial;">Choose fully green seeds only, and discard any which are starting to turn brown.</li><li style="font-family: arial;">Avoid mallow plants infested with rust virus, shown by bright orange spots on the leaves and stems. </li><li style="font-family: arial;">The older leaves may produce a harmless but slightly slimy result when cooked, simply rinse the cooked leaves in fresh water to remove it if not to your liking. </li><li style="font-family: arial;">Best quality leaves are the young ones to be found by reaching down into the centre of the plant.</li><li style="font-family: arial;">Avoid collecting from busy roadsides. </li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Be mindful of the Countryside Code </span><span style="font-family:arial;">when out foraging.</span> </li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-82242181770263009822007-07-02T17:21:00.000+01:002007-07-02T17:41:34.571+01:00The chicken day<span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Funny how things come in threes....</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">On a wild goose chase today ( excuse the phrasing!) for a free range chicken, I eventually tracked a 'Label Anglais' one down at a butcher's on the other side of town, late on when the traffic was beginning to get nightmarish. So many agressive motorists hogging the kirb side, making life harder for us bikies, grrr! So I took the longer but less traffic clogged way home across the common, and was rewarded by my second 'chicken' , a big clump of chicken-of-the-woods fungus on one of the old riverside willow trees, just above head height! Rich pickings indeed. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">At the base of the tree there was my third chicken of the day - a lovely lush patch of young chickweed! I haven't decided what to do with my forage haul yet, I was set on a Thai chicken curry but that was this morning. Humm, time to get a bit of inspiration with a nice cuppa! </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-31643500748798683252007-06-25T06:58:00.000+01:002008-12-09T21:45:48.420+00:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyT4QTdPZdYa5C9qLOvMfsiNCpp3_mm6weFD0nwP9se-bHGhcLuKoN4LstgKNZNsl3oyqh8RCAZGnAn1GxONthUNHtfALaBHCHo5jf65n9gep-uvUum7K5caY1MuKZdTwPkfruPg/s1600-h/DSCN3747.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyT4QTdPZdYa5C9qLOvMfsiNCpp3_mm6weFD0nwP9se-bHGhcLuKoN4LstgKNZNsl3oyqh8RCAZGnAn1GxONthUNHtfALaBHCHo5jf65n9gep-uvUum7K5caY1MuKZdTwPkfruPg/s320/DSCN3747.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080620002844414066" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >What's your most craved dessert?<br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />That's the theme of the June <a href="http://www.domesticgoddess.ca/pages.php?page=10002">Sugar High Friday</a> challenge, hosted by SHF founder, Jennifer, on her blog, <a href="http://www.domesticgoddess.ca/">the Domestic Goddess.</a> This one's taken me all month to narrow down.... holy guacamole - so many desserts, so little spare room inside my waistband!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">I finally settled on a cheesecake, one of those proper baked ones which are miles easier to do than their flavour would suggest... and I've teamed the basic recipe with some of my haul of wild cherries - another bumper year, possibly thanks to all the late spring rain? My wild ones were perhaps a little smaller and not quite as juicy as canned ones, but hey, they were free, fresh, organic and they tasted fabulous. My twist of originality is to make individual 'cheesecakelets' using a flexible silicon muffin tray. I think paper cake cases would also work, as the cheese mixture in this recipe seems firm enough before cooking. This would make them ideal for a midsummer's picnic: no messy cutting and they can be made in advance and stored for a day or so; add the topping just before serving or packing your picnic. This recipe made 8, although two got eaten before I could photograph them!<br /><p></p></span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 153, 255);font-size:130%;" >Wild Cherry Cheesecakelets</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Ingredients - base:</span><p></p> <span style="font-family:arial;">75g plain digestive biscuits,</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">30g melted butter</span>.<span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">middle:</span></span> <span style="font-family:arial;">300g plain cream cheese,</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">1 egg,</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">30g golden cane cugar</span>, <span style="font-family:arial;">1 tablespoon plain flour,</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >topping:</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">300g pitted cherries (that's about 400g whole cherries)</span>, <span style="font-family:arial;">1 tablespoon golden cane sugar,</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">mint leaves.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Method:</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Preheat the oven to Gas 3/140C, pit the cherries and melt the butter. In a bowl, crush the biscuits to fine crumbs and add the melted butter.Mix until the crumbs are fully coated. Firmly press a small amount of crumb mixture into the bottom of the muffin tray or paper cases if using.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Beat the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla until smooth, then add the egg and flour and beat in until the mixture is firm and creamy.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Place a dessertspoonful on top of the crumb base and smooth with the back of the spoon or a palette knife. Bake for around 40 minutes or until the edges turn lightly brown. Allow to cool then put in the fridge to set firm.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">To make the topping, put the sugar into a pan over a high heat and when it begins to melt and caramelise, add the pitted cherries. Cook for around 4 minutes until they start to release their juice; be careful not to overcook the cherries, or they'll collapse into a pulp. Allow to cool then strain the juice back into the pan and reduce it down over a gentle heat until it becomes thick and syrupy. Take the cheesecakelets out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving and spoon over the cherry topping. Give the syrup a quick blast in the microwave or over a bain marie if it's set firm, then spoon over the cheesecakes and allow to set. Decorate with a small mint leaf and serve</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-34435054651477608472007-06-10T07:27:00.000+01:002008-12-09T21:45:48.440+00:00<span style="font-family:arial;">On an errand into the depths of East Anglia's Fenland the other day, I came across vast quantities of one of my favourite summer eating greens, fat hen. The grey green leaves were at their absolute peak for picking: young, around 10cm high with very little stem and refreshed from some heavy rain the night before. It didn't take me long to fill a basket! Some for a salad and plenty more for cooking.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's quite rare for me to find enough of one weed to serve as a single veg: in order to keep my foraging within the bounds of 21st century living ( short on time and living in an over populated country) my strategy is to gather a little of this and a little of that, reducing the distance I need to travel to find my wild food. so tonight's menu is: Fat hen pizza - I'll post the pic later!</span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"> <span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">Below: young fat hen nestling amongst stinging nettles</span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBZxxYqLM4zXN5RiLxWPGfRgWhIxuXoaRCoQcTVsSG6zKjiGGkmq_BKGfpoagqlq_vMxyjaS6MiaaVesY6iHfWLVFxde5jTWdjF5mwde5F30Iic8c-h7GB3nCaBSJWhJQhiCJww/s1600-h/DSCN3653.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBZxxYqLM4zXN5RiLxWPGfRgWhIxuXoaRCoQcTVsSG6zKjiGGkmq_BKGfpoagqlq_vMxyjaS6MiaaVesY6iHfWLVFxde5jTWdjF5mwde5F30Iic8c-h7GB3nCaBSJWhJQhiCJww/s320/DSCN3653.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077663094770848370" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-34619160173511650182007-06-01T16:45:00.000+01:002007-06-01T16:56:54.557+01:00I found this yesterday - an online <a href="http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Fruit-in-parks/">petition </a>to get more fruit and nut trees planted in parks and public spaces. Seems sensible, free fruit with zero air miles, and fruit trees cost the same to maintain as the usual varieties we see in municipal plantings. You need to be a British citizen or resident to sign it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-61272726969866714462007-05-31T07:23:00.000+01:002008-12-09T21:45:48.578+00:00<span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">Magic: mushrooms at last!</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">It's hard to remember that April was actually pretty pleasant weather wise, we've had so much rain recently. The wet is great when the sun comes out, but foraging can be tough going in heavy downpours. Increasingly, Nature dictates when and where I forage: rain makes low lying plant matter stick together, mushrooms go soggy, flowers droop or shut themselves up tight. My basket after a wet forage contains more than the usual haul of slugs and snails - yeuch.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Why bother: the principle of least effort is a good one to follow!</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But in between the storms, it's really quite warm and pleasant. Elderflowers continue to come, I notice the first signs of fruit set, next to a spray of green unopened buds, beside another flower head with trembling, creamy yellow pollen showers. 3 litres of cordial to date - the <a href="http://wildfoodie.googlepages.com/drinks">recipe</a> is so simple, I can't resist making another batch!<br />St Georges mushrooms - traditionally an April treat - are beginning to show themselves. Maybe it's me and I've been too busy, but it seems as if this spring was the pits for wild 'shrooms. Happily, I gathered enough yesterday for breakfast this morning: St Georges on toast with last night's bottifara negra (Spanish black pudding) , Veggies, avert your eyes! :-)</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvfVvf1YyN99w-6bU8taI7l5h3v5ByfQxwncO0uj4DFHMY7jsiLMTy8i5GrXMqpECPjEQjS0u4EZ77m5wWDzAxKD42zZrmR18M3fUT7zGHnXz4Rjwwqte6cTpj57LyiwWsYIZpw/s1600-h/st+georges+breakfast.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvfVvf1YyN99w-6bU8taI7l5h3v5ByfQxwncO0uj4DFHMY7jsiLMTy8i5GrXMqpECPjEQjS0u4EZ77m5wWDzAxKD42zZrmR18M3fUT7zGHnXz4Rjwwqte6cTpj57LyiwWsYIZpw/s320/st+georges+breakfast.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070717439486220498" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-88243599514965944942007-05-29T07:03:00.000+01:002007-05-31T06:57:49.769+01:00<span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wild and Wet in Norfolk</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">So I should have known better than to book some quality outdoors time with the other half on a British bank holiday weekend. A walk in the countryside? No, a spot of camping was the order of the weekend.<br />Camping in a lovely 5 star campsite? Er no, wild camping: wild as in remote, in the woods <span style="font-style: italic;">sans</span> mod cons. And rain. Plenty of it too! Still it was a chance to hang out together in the fresh air - literally, as we use a hammock and tarpaulin system for shelter.<br />Foraging was a mixed bag; to one side of the woods was a field full of baby lettuce, and a few small fat hen plants. The field margins were full of burdock, dandelion, nettle and dock. All a bit too mature for tender eating, and it's been very dry, so a lot of the plants were looking tough and chewy. They may have been ok in a survival situation, but it was a tad too far out of my comfort zone!<br />Better news on the other side of the wood, which was sandy heathland dotted with oak, hawthorn and rabbit holes: there was a simply astounding red tinge to the grass, which turned out to be the flowering stems of sheep sorrel- yay! Something good to eat! Further on I found some wild strawberry plants - not yet fruited, but noted for a return visit later on this year. Last but not least, a good quantity of very slippery slippery jacks (<span style="font-style: italic;">suillus luteus</span>) They were delicious fried up with an onion and some wild garlic paste and eaten with slices of bread and butter, as we watched the the tree tops whipping around in the wind and listened to the hiss of raindrops on the fire... time to go home, methinks!<br /><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-65372218497450429162007-05-21T16:00:00.004+01:002009-05-14T10:32:10.059+01:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOizrdNVk5UMnmMCVzlKY5uaY3ruPjzW9_EmN1JYT26UflbMVaNBesJXo1Px8-17k-HItP6WrrbfvkVBKBCXjV6uk72vNAJSnLu4ASR8V_V2ZHA4VYz6TusyYL3hUXta1CepqJg/s1600-h/pana+cotta+with+strawberry+coulis+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOizrdNVk5UMnmMCVzlKY5uaY3ruPjzW9_EmN1JYT26UflbMVaNBesJXo1Px8-17k-HItP6WrrbfvkVBKBCXjV6uk72vNAJSnLu4ASR8V_V2ZHA4VYz6TusyYL3hUXta1CepqJg/s320/pana+cotta+with+strawberry+coulis+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067044310633186818" border="0" /></a><br /><h3 style="text-align: left; color: rgb(255, 255, 153);font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" class="Heading1Char" ><span lang="EN-GB">E</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-weight: bold;">lderflower Panna Cotta with a Strawberry Coulis</span></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left; color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">The subtle, indefinable taste of elderflower is a wonderful </span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-weight: normal; font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >foil to the luxurious texture and muted flavour of panna cotta. I first came across the panna cotta recipe by Richard Phillips from www.uktv.co.uk </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family: arial;">and have since adapted it to intensify its floral flavours by using elderflower infused sugar:</span> (a doddle to make; follow this <a href="http://wildfoodie.googlepages.com/morerecipes2">link</a></span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" >to find out how)</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" > <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">The strawberry coulis adds a welcome dimension of acidity without overwhelming the elderflowers. Result: a dessert symphony with haunting descant notes of one of the </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(255, 255, 153);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >’s most prolific, edible wild flowers… enjoy! </span><o:p></o:p></h3> <p style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:12;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:12;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">Serves 6 - 8 <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i style=""><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">Preparation time: 25 minutes plus chilling – 4 to 6 hours<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">Ingredients <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">250ml fresh milk<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">250ml double </span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB"> cream<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">25g granulated elderflower infused sugar <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">2 large heads fresh elderflowers <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">1 sachet gelatine <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">For the coulis<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">300g fresh, ripe strawberries<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">3 tablespoons elderflower cordial<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Squeeze of lemon juice to taste<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">Method<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">In a heavy based saucepan, mix the milk, cream and sugar. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Bring to a gentle simmer then remove from heat. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Shake the elderflowers to remove any insects, then place them, stalk side up, into the hot mixture. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Remove the flower heads and re-heat gently, do not allow it to boil. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Add the gelatine to 50ml freshly boiled water and whisk well until the gelatine is dissolved. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Add this to milk and cream mixture. Stir briskly until the gelatine solution is fully incorporated, then pour into individual dishes, or a flexible silicon muffin tray. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Place in the fridge until set. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">To make the coulis, simply blitz the strawberries and cordial for one minute with a blender.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Adjust the acidity with a little lemon juice to taste. <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Pass the coulis through a wire mesh sieve. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Store chilled and bring it back to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">To serve: <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-GB">Drizzle the coulis around the panna cotta and garnish with a scattering of fresh elderflower blossoms and a little elderflower sugar if desired before serving<o:p></o:p>.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-16830359367244044982007-05-17T08:21:00.000+01:002008-12-09T21:45:49.076+00:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1yVKA_2ZI9rhAO4RGoTJlKmqDahyLHAjrfkCLfn8KmUB9OewyVc1qdHF9ksNpK99ZfefPOCDLACH6XZc3DNpdiGBMe_zenVs9Fdu4e-mQ4yOGdg8alYCyC9eQvyBOBuDB-fXsw/s1600-h/morel.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1yVKA_2ZI9rhAO4RGoTJlKmqDahyLHAjrfkCLfn8KmUB9OewyVc1qdHF9ksNpK99ZfefPOCDLACH6XZc3DNpdiGBMe_zenVs9Fdu4e-mQ4yOGdg8alYCyC9eQvyBOBuDB-fXsw/s320/morel.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065433899760649698" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"></span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102); font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Beech, rain, mushrooms?</span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">n just a couple of wet weeks, the garden has reached jungle proportions... everything is so.... green! The ground squelches most satisfyingly underfoot... Hooray for a bit of wet!</span><br /><br /></span></span><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">But a week after our return from France, I suddenly noticed the beech trees on my way to work had come into leaf. Delicious silky green foliage- a classic spring moment for me is standing under the canopy of delicate new leaves (ideally in the sunshine for best light effects) munching, basking and foraging: as in: 'one in the bag, one in the mouth, one for the pot, one for me...' lol</span><br /><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">Beech leaves have such a short season - they're only edible while soft, and so far, I've only managed to do a couple of things with them... one is </span><a href="http://www.downsizer.net/Projects/Processing_Food/Fruit_Liqueurs/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(153, 255, 255);">beech leaf noyau</span>,</span></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;"> a liqueur type of drink and the other - a sandwich made with good bread, a generous slathering of butter, packed with shredded beech leaves and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. The arterially challenged may prefer olive oil to butter - it tastes just as good!</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;">Mushooms have been dismal so far this year, but I have a good 'shroom feeling in my bones - all this rain plus a bit of sun: we should soon be seeing morels, (see the pic above) fairy ring champignons and St Georges around these parts...</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:100%;" ></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-74036335712655910542007-04-26T09:49:00.000+01:002007-05-17T07:51:15.095+01:00So, it's end of April and miraculously my wild food experiences have leapt ahead to what I'm usually looking for in May - June.... That's because we're currently holed up in a lovely villa in Grasse France, enjoying 25C weather and a swimming pool.... :-)<br />This afternoon I went for a walk down the lane, the air was sweet with the scent of jasmine and elderflower... so I hopped over a wall and picked a few (elderflower) heads to fritter.... and made a mental note to do elderflower cordial and champagne when I get home.<br />Our friends here say it's been a wet and rainy start to Spring, so there's loads of wild greens to feast on.... Poppies... I love them! It's possible to make a scarily red cordial from the flower petals, though the flavour is a bit indistinct. On one of the old cultivation terraces behind the villa I found a big patch of very lush looking poppy plants, the greens make a good veg- I wilted them in pan and added them chopped to some rice and peas.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30475007.post-1157119585826848282006-09-01T14:23:00.000+01:002008-12-09T21:45:49.346+00:00<p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3MPv3iCMaRNO0vJLc3GHzEQli3LXCel58vopLUypojTVL7mpAA_ivtBBDb6g7cDMVl1WQ91FtnRTXHF4OcSLcmjjn_CT46aQS4YUznjuuryD-qWD7D3hteML5cunk0wMamTo5Q/s1600-h/plums+reduced.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057645754100264594" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3MPv3iCMaRNO0vJLc3GHzEQli3LXCel58vopLUypojTVL7mpAA_ivtBBDb6g7cDMVl1WQ91FtnRTXHF4OcSLcmjjn_CT46aQS4YUznjuuryD-qWD7D3hteML5cunk0wMamTo5Q/s320/plums+reduced.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center"><em><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">some of my plum harvest...clockwise from yellows: </span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">Mirabelles, C</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">herry Plums and</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);"> a variety of greengage, the 'Yellow Egg' </span></em></div><div align="center"><br /></div>So it's been a busy old month of August and here we are in September - have to confess I feel a bit ashamed that I haven't blogged more frequently. What the hell - no idea if anyone's reading this, so it's really just a writing discipline for me :-)<br /><br />So August. A plummy month if ever there was one. So far I have 40lbs of plum jam waiting to be labelled and then some for the storecupboard, the rest for sale at a couple of fairs I'm doing later in the month. I also made some fruit leathers, thanks to access to a food dehydrator - courtesy of my mate Dave. Fruit leathers are delicious, you simmer the fruit uncovered in a bit of water for as long as it takes to soften, mash it through a seive to get a fruit pulp, then spread the pulp thinly on cling film and pop in the dehydrator. After about 12 hours it has dried to a leathery texture, and is ready for eating or storing on sheets of greaseproof paper. Leathers are excellent trail snacks, bursting with fruity flavours. They keep for ages too.<br /><br /><br />Plums were ( still are actually) dripping from hedgerows all around here in all shapes, sizes and colours. My favourite has to be the cherry plum (<em>Prunus cerasifera</em>) round, smaller than a traditional plum, and red to yellow in colour. It has good acidity and is a decent size, so you can collect a good carrier bagful in no time at all. Mirabelles are also common, yellow cherry sized fruit, less acidic so I ate plenty while I was picking them...<br />It's been fairly wet this month, which is not great for the end of a late starting summer ( it was freezing cold and very wet in May) but on the plus side, loads of young nettles and chickweed are now sprouting and that's good news for wild food fans. Blackberries are off to a good start, although with lots of rain they need a couple of days of sunshine to convert all the water to sugars before they're worth collecting. I've also been harvesting elderberries but have to compete with the birds - they definitely have the upper hand as the best berries are high up.<br />It's also been amazing for fungi, warm and wet provide ideal weather conditions for most species: field mushrooms, horse mushrooms, fairy ring champignons are springing up almost daily in fields and along wood margins.<br />Yesterday I was out in some woods and found my second ever giant puffball in good eating condition. Cooked up with a little garlic and a slug of white wine it was fab.<br />September is looking good for nuts: beech and hazel seem to be having a productive year although the ever present grey squirrels usually get most of the hazelnuts before they've even turned brown.... And by the end of the month it will be time to start foraging for roots.<br /><br />There is a legal issue with digging up plants - totally illegal here in the UK unless you have permission from land owners. Fortunately I was slack with the weeding so I have some good stands of dandelion which I kept flower free over the spring so as to concentrate the plant energy into leaves and roots. I also earthed up some of the dandelions on the veg patch, this encourages the lower leaves to blanch white and they become extremely palatable with very little bitterness. I'm also looking forward to some Burdock root chips from some seeds that I planted in my garden last summer.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0