Ash Keys (Fraxinus excelsior) provide a unique taste sensation. If you’re into Slow Food then this is certainly a slow recipe as it takes three months before you can indulge your taste buds.
One thing to make sure is that you pick your Ash Keys when they are very young, and the small seed within the ‘wing’ has barely developed. You can see the seed if you hold the Ash Key up to the sunlight.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of Ash Keys without stalks
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 bay leaves
- 8 peppercorns
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- water
Suggested Instructions
- Wash your Ash Keys, then place in a pan covered with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Strain off the water and return to the pan with some fresh water, then bring back to boil and simmer a further 5 minutes.
- Drain off the water again, allow to ‘dry’ slightly and then pack into warm dry jars, but allow an inch of space from the top of the jar.
- Put the spices, salt and sugar into a bowl and add the vinegar.
- Put the bowl into a saucepan (cover it), add some water (not to the bowl but just into the pan) and bring slowly to the boil. I’ve never been very good at this so my one splutters and bubbles furiously, even when its on simmer. I’m sure there’s some scientific reason, but as I failed miserably at science I don’t have an answer. Allow to gently boil for about 5 minutes, then remove the bowl and let it sit for about 4 hours or until it is cold.
- Strain the liquid through a muslin or sieve into a jug and pour over the Ash Keys filling the jars right to the brim.
- Screw on the tops or better yet use the kind of jars I have in the picture above.
- Store for 3 months and let the pickle ‘mature’.
- Give your friends a shock when you serve this up as an after dinner treat, along with some fine cheese.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
What a wonderful idea! I never imagined that ash keys could be consumable. It just goes to show what we (mankind) has forgotten in terms of the little goodies that mother nature provides, free of charge… all we have to do is look after her, and she will in return provide for us (not only in staples, but in the little extra bits that add the cherry to the cake). Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
Thank you for the recipe it sounds wonderful! I wonder, do you know if Sycamore and Field Maple keys are also edible? I have mixed thoughts on this based on the scant information I can cobble together from the internet. I’m not sure if we have any Ash trees nearby but I know for certain we have several Sycamores and a few Field Maples so I’d love to know if I can gather these for some sort of tasty treat!
MladyF: I have not heard or know of anyone that has eaten Sycamore keys. However according to Stephen Facciola, Field Maple keys used to be sucked by children because they have a sugary taste to them. Personally I wouldn’t eat any of these keys until I had done more research and testing on how my body responds.