Wednesday 21 July 2010

Monday 19 July 2010

Elderflowers and Summer



Elderflowers


Elderflower fritters frying


Celeriac chips doing the same

Elderflower fritters and a banana fritter

How to make Elderflower fritters
recipe taken from "Wild Food" by Roger Phillips, ISBN 978-0-330-28069-3, highly recommended reading

1. Wait until June/July next year (they're past it now)

2. Make simple batter
4oz flour
1 egg
1/4 pint tepid water
pinch salt

3. Dip elderflower heads into batter, hold by the stems. This batter mix will do at least a dozen elderflower heads

4. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown

5. Optionally dress in icing sugar, they go nicely with fresh fruit like raspberries or a blob of ice cream

tip: if you have batter left over, use it to make some banana fritters as I did above ^^^, it's quite hard to run out of elderflowers when they are in season though as they grow so profusely. If you pick them next year be sure to not decimate a patch as that will limit the harvest of elderberries


Prize for figuring out what this is^


note: the dates on the pictures are all inaccurate

Tuesday 11 May 2010

The Height of Spring - Wild Food


It is the middle of May and there is a glut of food in our back gardens. Dandelions are our first port of call, they are a surprisingly useful weed as every part can be used. The flowers can be eaten raw and a wonderfully sweet, especially if picked in the early morning before the bees have got to them. (click on pictures to enlarge)


The leaves can also be eaten, though if they are not very young they will be bitter. I tried one and it is bitter indeed, though not unbearable by any means and possibly something one could get used to. A solution to this problem is to 'blanch' the leaves, this is done by removing and discarding the leaves on the plant then covering the dandelion with a small dark pot. The leaves will be back in a couple of days magically mild to the taste. The roots can also be used to make a coffee substitute through a slow roasting process similar to that used to make coffee. Naturally this is caffeine free and full of nutrients. Dandelions are incredibly nutritions and can help with, amongst other things, bowel function and preventing ailments of the liver, check out what The Leaf Lady says for more about this. WARNING: Eating too many dandelions will give you the trots.



My main harvest this day was the Stinging Nettle, a plant of which people are generally very misinformed. It is incredibly high in Iron and Folic Acid (which is the cause of the sting, the same substance that ants sting with), also great for the blood, skin and ailments such as rheumatism. There is a fab little patch right on my back doorstep.




The culinary uses for nettles are many. They can be pureed into something like pesto, treated like wilted spinach or served like cabbage as a side dish. Great in stuffings, soups, wine, beer... the list is endless. My personal favourite way to enjoy them is raw straight from the plant (just make sure they're high enough that dogs can't have done wee on them).



It is generally recommended that you use gloves when picking, but with practice you can learn to not get stung so much, and feel like a hard man. To eat them raw without getting a sting in your mouth you need to ensure that you get the nettle between your molars without making any contact with your mouth. Bite down on the nettle and magically the sting is disabled via a mechanism which I could not possibly try to explain here.


Pansies pick nettles like this (below)



Tender handed stroke a nettle
And it will sting you for your pains,
Grasp it like a man of mettle
And soft as silk it remains!

The blighters pictured below are Cleavers which often grow near nettles, they're the things you used to stick on peoples backs when you were a child. They too are edible, but they sort of stick to your tongue which is disconcerting but not unpleasurable. They're not too tasty, but at least they're free.


A cleaver doing its thing on my picking bag (below)


Another fab patch of Stinging Nettles which I shall be using later this week to make lots of lovely nettle beer. Seriously, there are lots of nettles around, it is a crime not to use them.



However, it is important to remember that insects like nettles, possibly more than I do, so if you go picking make sure you don't absolutely decimate a patch as certain creatures are dependent on them, like this fly chilling (below). I forgot to mention that you should only pick the top couple of bracts (layers) of leaves as a) they are the less bitter than the larger, older leaves and b) the aforementioned reason of leaving a habitat intact.


Ducks nearby with their own nettle patch.


These blue flowers are actually Red Dead Nettles, which also can be eaten, though they are not a true nettle, they are a member of the mint family. They are very pretty and don't grow anywhere near as commonly as the Stinging Nettle, though they are surely not rare.


Another wonderful spring leaf is the relatively little known Hedge Garlic, which grows more sporadically than its Wild Garlic cousin, which grows in large stinking patches. I prefer the flavour of hedge garlic which is wonderful raw with a strong but not overwhelming garlic flavour. Great in salads or soups.


(below) A small taking of Hedge Garlic


Hawthorn is the most commonly planted hedge crop, and is indeed a source of good eating. The leaves are a bit past it now, they are best eaten as they are just budding, when they are very tender. They have a gentle lettuce-like flavour. In Autumn they yield dark red berries which can be used (carefully) for such things as Wine and Jelly.

Traditionally May Day was celebrated two weeks after the first of May, and if the Hawthorn was in bloom (it has delicate white flowers) boys would pick the blossoms and put them on the doorstep of the prettiest girl in the village. As the date has been moved in recent times, it is very rarely the case that the hawthorn is flowering before Mayday. I'll keep an eye out for the first flowers (should be any day now). Hawthorn pictured below.


The golden find of this short trip (I didn't travel more than fifty yards from my house) was Yarrow (pictured below). This unnassuming herb hides itself well in the grass beside roads, it is a wonderful herb to keep in the cupboard as it has a wonderful relieving effect on colds and flu, and is also preventative of such ailments if drunk in a tea regularly. Make sure you are certain of the species before picking as there are some dangerous look-a-like species, later in the year yarrow grows distinctive smelly white flowers which make it much easier to distinguish.


Yarrow Tea
A couple of sprigs of Yarrow
1/2 pint nearly boiling water
Teaspoon Honey
Slice of Lemon

Just leave to infuse for 12-15 minutes. Great for a cold or refreshing beverage.

Yarrow in my pot (above).

Brambles (below) I shall be collecting blackberries off these come September. Again notice the relaxed flies.



Shiny spring Tree


Nettles and Hedge Garlic getting on well together (below)


An oddly planted patch of mint and lavender at the entrance to the barns. Very lovely smelling.


Odd mint. If anyone can identify its exact species I would be grateful.


So here is todays yield, Dandelions, Yarrow, Hedge Garlic, Nettles and I grabbed a couple of dock leaves for my stings (though it is not proven that they relieve stings, some people swear by it whilst others say it is only relieving because of the coolness).


Mashing docks to make juice to wash hands in. Just mash well, add a little water and strain through a muslin. Actually makes a nice handwash, stings or no stings.


Stringing up the Yarrow for drying.


Each and every nettle knotted individually (below). You can just lay them out to dry but to hang them is a lot more efficient.


Here is a crappy shoe rack I have transformed into a wild food drying rack. Surprisingly decorative.


Here is where they shall live for a couple of days - the utility room. Nice dry heat and a not an oft disturbed room.


Hope you feel inspired to start eating your garden. More elaborate recipes on their way.

Tuesday 9 March 2010

The Onset of Spring, March 2010


Some photos I took this week in search of the signs of spring in my local vicinity. There are a few buds on the trees, primroses and the odd nettle popping up. Forgot to capture any snowdrops.














A horsie who lives nearby.
The Road to Oblivion



A temporary lake









Chaffinch

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