I love Summer. The warm breeze on my face and body. The bees buzzing around. The spectrum of flowers. I take my daily walk either very early in the day or just as dusk is descending. It’s at this time the flowers show their true beauty. As I make my circular walk around the river near where I live. I revel in the multitude of purple, yellow, cream and white
Pascal Baudar was looking at using some our unwanted weeds to make some interesting dips. The result was outstanding.
For ages, I have been experimenting with making wild shrubs. A shrub is a cider vinegar drink popular in the 1920s during the prohibition period in the USA. However, its history goes back into the mists of time. In the 15th century, a shrub was a medicinal drink, which is why I am keen to grow my repertoire. Why take isolated supplements when we can drink delicious herbal elixirs like
Ingredients 2 cups of rosehips 1 cup of sugar ½ cup of cider vinegar 1 cup of water 6 juniper berries (whole) 6 cloves (whole) a pinch of salt 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard seeds (whole) 3 bay leaves Instructions Cut the rosehips in half lengthways. Then de-seed them. Rinse and strain the rosehips. Place the sugar into a large bowl. Then add the water, vinegar and juniper berries, cloves,
The delights of this super quick wild meadowsweet cordial recipe are worth trying. With Summer finally looking like it has arrived, my spirits pick up as I know that meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) is flowering. Culpepper tells us meadowsweet “makes a merry heart”. Something I can definitely attest to. I just perk up whenever I breathe in its delicious honey scent. Yesterday, I walked slowly along a path by the side of the
This black mustard soup recipe came about from wandering. Wandering carefree through the hedge. For a few days, I have been walking past black mustard (Brassica nigra). The delicate little flower buds gracefully adorning tender stems called out to me. “Use me like little broccoli florets”, they sang. And because I have been immersing myself in the history of Japanese food, a flash came to mind. How perfect to include
Sowthistle is delicious. One of my favourite Springtime greens its texture is similar to little gem lettuces yet it has so much more flavour. I pull the leaf blades off the leaf-stalk and use those, along with the young tips in most of my sowthistle recipes. The raw leaf stalk itself is too bitter for my palate, so I use them in cooked sowthistle dishes, where the bitterness dramatically gets
This cow parsley recipe came about as a result of touching and crushing the young stalks. For years I have always wondered why Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) aka “wild chervil” is only used as a herb, with only the leaves being used in small amounts. This demotion to simply a seasoning is a shame. Considering how much food is actually available to gather from this marvellous, gourmet wild edible plant.
This plant-based Oxeye daisy greens recipe is a variation of a dish you might find being sold by Vietnamese street food hawkers. A variation might be a bit of a push, it’s more like inspired by really. But who cares. The fact is it cooks tofu in a way that makes it delicious. No longer do you have to deep fry the death out of it, and eat the equivalent
Quick and nourishing, this dandelion greens recipe worked really well. The maple syrup offsets any bitterness, and the Korean red pepper flakes add a “to die for” additional flavour. Red chilli flakes won’t work nearly as well! Dandelions are one of my go-to plants. Simply because when I want a bit of wild nutrition they are so easy to find. Gather the young leaves before the plant has fully matured,
This plant-based stinging nettle recipe was inspired by my love of Persian food. I love culture-blending. Whether it is food, ideas or some other creative exploit. If foraging has taught me one thing, it is that Nature thrives on diversity. Foraging in Spring Foraging Through The Year Ingredients 300g stinging nettle tops (the first 6 leaves) 400ml stock or seaweed broth 1g fresh mint 1 onion (thinly sliced) 3 garlic