Hawthorn

Hazel

“Hazel was one of the first trees to colonise the land after the end of the last Ice Age,” writes Gabrielle Hatfield, “and for a great period of time it would have been one of the most abundant tree species.”

Little wonder the hazel tree has become deeply entrenched in our ancient history, beliefs and customs.

Hazel forests provided materials for making houses, fences, furniture, baskets and tools.

Its charcoal gave early people the thrill of gunpowder. The nuts have provided a valuable source of sustenance probably since prehistory.

People told epic stories about the tree and its fruit (hazelnuts) from ancient Greece to Medieval Europe, and it had a magical reputation in many traditions.

Yet, for all its vaunted power, in the language of flowers, Hazel signifies reconciliation and peace.

The Hazel tree has provided people with food to eat, flowers to heal, and wood to build for many centuries.

Scientific Name

Corylus avellana

Family

Betulaceae

Botanical Description

This attractive tree grows up to 6–12 m. Its bark is smooth, reddish-brown and peeling, and the leaves are roundish, downy and toothed. The male flowers are one to four pendulous catkins, and the female flowers are in erect, short spikes with red styles. The roundish seeds are enclosed within large, fused bracts.

Status

Deciduous. Native.

Habitat and Distribution

Native to Europe, Asia, Iran; naturalised in British Columbia, Balkans and Turkey; introduced to North America.

Parts Used for Food

Nuts, leaves, catkins, flowers.

Harvest Time

Spring, Summer, Autumn.

Food Uses of Hazel

Hazelnuts have been an essential part of human diets since the Stone Age. Archaeological excavations in Flanders, Belgium, uncovered evidence that Stone Age people, around c13,000 years ago, roasted hazelnuts to store over winter.

Today, hazelnuts are a world food crop grown commercially in many countries, including Turkey, Spain, Italy and the US.

You are probably familiar with hazelnut chocolate spreads like Nutella and hazelnuts in pralines and chopped hazelnuts for biscuits, cakes, pastries, desserts and sweets.

The leaves of the tree have provided a source of sustenance too. In the 15th century, Hazel leaves made noteye – a spicy pork stew.

People ground Hazel leaves to make flour for biscuits and bread in 18th-century Scotland.

In Slovakia, dried catkins were ground into flour at the beginning of the 19th century.

Nutritional Profile

According to some sources, hazelnuts contain 15% protein and are rich (60%) in fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins E and B (particularly B6), zinc, iron, calcium, potassium, selenium and magnesium.

Herbal Medicine Uses of Hazel

The flowers (catkins) were once drunk as tea for colds and flu.

A decoction of the bark can be taken for fever, and the leaves prescribed for diarrhoea.

People use the bark to treat cuts and boils. Likewise, the ash of burned Hazel can treat burns.

Hazel leaves stimulate blood circulation and bile secretion and are used in remedies for liver or gall bladder complaints.

The bark, leaves, flowers, catkins and nuts are all considered astringent, wound healing, blood purifying, fever-fighting, and sweat-inducing. However, the plant has not been overly used in herbal medicine through the ages.

Other Uses of Hazel

The wood has many traditional uses, including furniture, fencing and wickerwork.

In the cosmetic industry, hazelnut oil is a nourishing ingredient in body and hand creams, lotions, soaps and face masks.

Safety Note

In Europe, hazelnuts are a frequent cause of food allergies, unsurprising given the vast foodstuffs that include hazelnuts, hazel kernels and hazel oil.

Allergies to hazelnut start at a young age and can be severe.

People who suffer from nut allergies should avoid hazelnuts, nuts, and nut oil products.

References

Cleene, M. de & Lejeune, M. C. (2002) Compendium of Symbolic and Ritual Plants in Europe. Ghent: Man & Culture.

Hatfield, G. (2008) Hatfield’s Herbal: The Secret History of British Plants. London: Penguin.

Lim, T. K. (2012) Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 1, Fruits. Dordrecht: Springer.

Luczaj, L. (2012) Wild Food Plant Use in 21 St Century Europe, the Disappearance of Old Traditions and the Search for New Cuisines Involving Wild Edibles. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae. [Online] 81 (4), 245–255.

Mabey, R. & Blamey, M. (1974) Food for Free. London: Collins.

Mac Coitir, N. et al. (2015) Ireland’s Trees: Myths, Legends and Folklore.

Himalayan balsam

Home > Plants > Himalayan balsam

The transportation of seeds or whole plants is an offence under the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 in England and Wales and Section 14AA of the Wildlife and Countryside Act in Scotland. This means that no seeds or plants should be removed from the site where they currently grow, and sowing seeds or planting elsewhere either deliberately or accidentally would be a particularly serious offence. – Curtis Wright (phone: 07920 516559. email: curtis.wright@apha.gov.uk)

When a beekeeper opens the hive to see that many honeybee workers bear a strange white stripe, he knows that the colony has been foraging on Himalayan Balsam. 

The plant tempts the honeybee with its sweet nectar and provides a rich crop in summer. But as the insect crawls inside the flower, its sticky stamen leaves a white stripe on the bee’s thorax.

Often seen as an invasive species, Geoffrey Grigson generously describes the arrival of Himalayan Balsam in the UK:

“Introduced in 1839, it was cultivated at first as a greenhouse annual by gardeners who never imagined the career ahead of it.“

Today, this native Indian plant may be a familiar sight along rivers and stream banks.

Scientific name

Impatiens glandulifera

Family

Balsaminaceae

Botanical description

The prolific flowers of Himalayan balsam are displayed as pink to purple on thick, fleshy, red stems, with fruits later appearing as a capsule. The leaves are dark green and lance-shaped.

Status

Annual. Introduced.

Habitat and distribution

Himalayan Balsam is thoroughly naturalised in the UK and comfortably at home on borders, river and stream banks.

Parts used for food

Seeds.

Harvest time

July, August, September.

Food uses of himalayan balsam

The seeds can be eaten raw and taste like nuts.

Himalayan balsam recipes

Nutritional profile

Not known.

Herbal medicine uses of himalayan balsam

The flowers have cooling properties, and the leaves have been used to soothe burns. In addition, the seeds are diuretic, and the root juice treats hematuria (blood in the urine).

Other uses

A varnish can be made from the seeds.

Safety note

The plant is exceptionally high in calcium oxalates.

References

Bennet, S. (1991) Food from Forests. Dehradun, India: Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education.

Mahajan, V. et al. (n.d.) Ethnobotanical inventory on medicinal plants of North Western Himalayas. Journal of Krishi Vigyan. 6.

National Institute of Science Communication (New Delhi, I. (2000) The Useful Plants of India. New Delhi: National Institute of Science Communication, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research.

Negi, P. S. & Subramani, S. P. (n.d.) Wild Edible Plant Genetic Resources for Sustainable Food Security and Livelihood of Kinnaur District, Himachal Pradesh, India. 12.

Quattrocchi, U. (2016) CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology (5 Volume Set). CRC Press.

Szewczyk, K. et al. (2016) Polyphenols from Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) and their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Industrial Crops and Products.

Watt, G. & India. (1889) A Dictionary of the Economic Products of India. Calcutta: Printed by the Superintendent of Government Printing.

Hawthorn Flower Syrup

One of the things I love about researching plants is having a damn good rummage through ancient manuscripts and cookery books scouting out long forgotten recipes.

Two days ago I visited the Bodleian library in Oxford. Confined to the outside only, so not really a visit more a pinning for what gems lay hidden on its shelves. I imagined a nightime raid with grappling hooks, zip wires and balacalava. 

Then remembered how old I am and my imaginary exploits of breaking into ‘The Bod’ pettered out rather quickly.

I don’t think breaking into such a cultural heritage site would have put the foraging movement in good favour with an already twitchy media and government.

So today in order to satiate my consumption of knowledge I went to virtually rummage recipes online. Coming across delightfully titled subjects as ‘To pickle sparrows’, ‘To pickle broom buds’ etc.

Last year I had created the most divine hawthorn flower syrup imaginable. Even I was astounded that my ‘all fingers and no thumbs’ style of cooking crafted such a fine beverage.

Sadly, it was done on the spur of the moment and I had not been as disciplined as I usually am. So the ingredients and instructions for making it had failed to be recorded.

I knew however, that I had reworked some centuries old recipe. And it was this that I was searching for today.

After much digital page flicking and for some reason I still lick my finger when doing this. Old habits and all that die hard. There it was. The source of my creation.

In these bygone tomes, the publisher would print the S as an F, so it sounds when prounoucing the words, as though one has a lisp (or no teeth).

Here is the original recipe, translated into modern English by myself.

And no, I’m not telling you which manuscript it came from. People steal enough of my work without handing it to these scoundrels on a platter.

For this recipe you will be making a makeshift ‘bain marie’. So will need a wide mouth saucepan and a large jar with a cap. The jar needs to sit inside the saucepan.

Hawthorn Flower Syrup Instructions 

Weigh your hawthorn blossom (having removing any twigs, insects and faeries etc.). Weigh out an equal amount of caster sugar.

In a jar first layer some flowers, then cover with a sprinkling of caster sugar, then more flowers, sugar, flowers, sugar etc. until the jar is full. Dribble three dessert spoonfuls of water over the contents and tie some muslin on top. 

Place the jar inside your saucepan and pour water around the edge until it is two-thirds up the jar. Bring to a very low simmer allowing the caster sugar to dissolve. Keep on a low simmer for about an hour. Top up the water around the edges if its is going down. You do not want it to go dry!

After an hour take the jar out of the saucepan, screw on the cap and allow to sit over night. In the morning strain out the flowers and pour the flower syrup into sterilised jars, cap and store. 

Due to the high sugar content, it should keep for a few months without going off.

Further Reading

Hawthorn

Introduction

Common hawthorn in blossom is a familiar sight along hedgerows, woodlands and scrubs in spring.

It was famously known as the May-Tree or may-blossom for it was said to flower in May, and it once played a large part in May Day festivities.

Today it is no longer a fairy tree but it is a useful plant to herbalists and foragers of wild edibles.

Scientific Name

Crataegus monogyna

Family

Rosaceae

Botanical Description

A tree reaching up to 13 ft; it takes around 20–50 years to reach its ultimate height. The bark is deeply fissured with orange lower layers and greyish-brown upper layers. The spiny twigs are stiff red-brown or greenish with brown buds.

The leaves are long, roughly oval and lobed into three segments, dark green above and paler below with a tough feel, the stem is tinged pink. Flowers are five-petalled and white (although sometimes described as creamy and tinged pink); they appear as flat, spraying clusters. Dark red berries appear in autumn.

Status

Perennial. Native.

Habitat and Distribution

Found in deciduous woodland, hedgerows, scrub. Native to Europe, Britain and North Africa.

Parts Used for Food

Leaf, flower, fruit.

Harvest Time

Spring and Autumn.

Food Uses of Hawthorn

Traditionally hawthorn berries are used to make jellies, wines and ketchup. Honeybees foraging on hawthorn blossoms bring a harvest of dark amber and nutty hawthorn honey.

The young leaves and shoots of common hawthorn are edible and were once known as “bread and cheese”.

Hawthorn Recipes

Nutritional Profile

Hawthorn contains flavonoids with heart-friendly antioxidant activity, as well as tannins, essential oils, fruit acids and sugars. The plant also contains vitamins B and C.

In some parts of Portugal, children were given haws to eat because of their high nutritional content.

Herbal Medicine Uses of Hawthorn

Hawthorn has been described as “nutrition for the heart” being widely recommended in herbal medicine for heart complaints.

Other Uses of Hawthorn

Common hawthorn remains a frequent shrub of hedgerows in Britain and is an effective barrier against livestock and humans thanks to its thickly twisted, thorny branches.

The tree’s finely grained and tough timber can be used for engraving, carpentry, furniture, boxes and even boat parts.

Safety Note

Do not eat the seed.

Haws, or berries may cause a mild stomach upset.

It is advised that pregnant or breastfeeding women avoid the herb. However, other sources suggest that there have been no adverse effects caused by hawthorn during pregnancy or when breastfeeding.

It is best to speak with a qualified medical herbalist if you are unsure.

References

Banbery, S. (2010) Collins beekeeper’s bible: bees, honey, recipes and other home uses. London: HarperCollins.

Kress, H. (2018) Practical herbs vol. 2. UK: Aeon Books.

Sánchez-Mata, M. de C. & Tardío, J. (eds.) (2016) Mediterranean wild edible plants: ethnobotany and food composition tables. [Online]. New York: Springer.

Sterry, P. (2007) Complete British trees. London: Collins.Thiselton-Dyer, T. F. (1889) The folk-lore of plants. London: D. Appleton.

Yance, D. R. (2013) Adaptogens in medical herbalism: elite herbs and natural compounds for mastering stress, aging, and chronic disease. Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press.

Tasting terroir – why the plant is not the problem… you are

Today I want to share with you a little about what I have learnt as a forager.

And it goes against the grain about how we usually look at food.

I have an aphorism: “Wild culture is not mono-culture”.

“What the bloomin’ heck does that mean Robin?” I hear you think.

Let me explain.

Note: I am using hawthorn as an example. It might not actually be in season when you read this.

So bare with me.

It’s the PRINCIPLE rather than the specific plant that I am trying to teach you.

Note: Please read the hawthorn safety guidelines here.

If you’ve never tried hawthorn berries raw, then do.

They taste a little like small apples.

“Small apples Robin, are you sure?”

I often get this response from folk attending one of my foraging courses, and I totally get it.

Chances are you have nibbled on a hawthorn berry.

Turned your nose up.

Then posited the usual, universal response…

“That’s AWFUL! What on EARTH is it doing in the wild food books!”.

It’s a common reaction. One I had too, in the early days.

Yet it led me to an understanding that “wild culture is not mono-culture”.

Our industrial agriculture systems have to grow plants that look and taste the same.

Regardless of whether they are in the north, south, east or west of these isles.

Food that is uniform (and on the whole bland). So that most of the 65 million souls in this country will want to eat it.

In the wild this doesn’t happen.

In the wild a plant can taste very different to the same species you find a few yards away.

It’s ‘terroir’ at a granular level.

Terroir simply means…

“the complete natural environment in which a particular food is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate.”

And hawthorn is a brilliant example of this.

Back in 2004 when I returned to foraging. I was going around my grazing grounds nibbling on everything I could find.

To clarify. I only nibbled on what I was 100% CERTAIN was edible.

I DID NOT nibble on all and everything!

That would have been dumb.

And hawthorn had me foxed for quite awhile.

I was going to give up on it.

Then one day, I chanced upon a hawthorn tree laden with fruit.

As soon as I nibbled on some of its berries, I realised why it was in the wild food books.

It tasted amazing.

Not the usual dry, tasteless bad mouth experience other hawthorns had given me.

Another of my aphorisms is…

…“the plant is not the problem – you are”.

So the next time you have a bad taste experience, don’t give up on the plant.

Chances are you have just gathered it at the wrong time in its life cycle.

Or maybe it was growing in depleted soil.

There could be any number of reasons.

Just keep playing with it until you find the perfect time to gather its gifts.

This will vary depending on where you live in the country. As well as a whole range of other reasons.

See it is an exercise in “tasting terroir”.

Becoming more intimate with the place where you find your feet.

And that means, getting outside every day. Paying attention to the plants around you.

Dragon’s Breath Hawthorn Relish

There is an old Scottish proverb “Mony haws, Mony snows” meaning that an abundance of haws (hawthorn berries) will bring a severe winter.

It will be interesting to see if this old folk belief pans out this year. I have a suspicion it will.

While on a train to London back in late October, I remember noticing how red the hedgerows looked as we sped along, and the impression they made on me.

The redness came from the Hawthorn trees heavily laden with early Autumn fruits. In some areas, the hedgerows where more red than green!

This year I have been particularly captivated by Hawthorn. I’m putting it down to my visit to Ireland earlier in the year, where I sat in Hawthorn glades, under trees that some locals believed dated back 2000 years.

I’m not too sure that time frame is correct, but I do know that some Hawthorn trees can certainly live to be at least 700 years old.

And so Hawthorn caught my attention.

How was I going to work with this delightful, beautiful and mysterious tree?

If you look in the recipe books, you’ll find most of the offerings are sweet.

Jams, jellies, fruit-cheeses etc. adorn the pages of them. Books that conjure up feelings of bygone days. Of a yesteryear where we mostly lived in closer relationship to Land.

Yet I wanted to do something different with the Haws.

Although I like sweet, it isn’t my primary ‘taste’. For instance I don’t eat sweet food in the morning, and instead savour… well, savoury foods. Even spicy gets in there occasionally.

Muesli with chilli flakes anyone?

So there I was lovingly touching the Haws, when an image drifted through my mind.

“Nah” I thought initially. Immediately dismissing as usual, my intuitive hunches.

Oh, the joys of being such a habituated human being.

Fortunately, I caught myself doing so, and returned to posit that this ‘hawthorn-human’ interaction I was having might be revealing something worthy of paying attention to.

And so I set about crafting a new recipe. I call it Dragon’s Breath Relish because trust me, this is not something you want to eat on your own.

It’s incredibly easy to make but does take a few days for the final results to be revealed.

I like that. Uncomplicated slow food.

With Winter drawing in, and fires being kindled across these Isles, what better nourishment than a dish that will get you all hot and bothered just with one mouthful!

Before I tell you how to make this hawthorn recipe, I do need to bring to your attention…

A Few Hawthorn Safety Guidelines

  1. Do not eat the hawthorn seeds. They are poisonous as they contain amygdalin, which basically is cyanide bonded with sugar. This turns to hydrogen cyanide in your small intestine. It’s perfectly fine to cook the berries containing the seeds, just don’t eat them. The seeds that is.
  2. Seek professional medical advice before consuming any part of Hawthorn if you have a cardiac or circulatory disorder, and especially if you take pharmaceutical heart medicine. Traditionally hawthorn is used as a heart remedy.
  3. Hawthorn can also reduce your blood pressure, so again if this is a problem for you then seek medical advise.

Right, now that my lawyer has stopped whispering annoyingly in my ear about ‘litigious society’, let’s get on to the fun stuff, crafting this blunderbuss of a recipe.

Hawthorn Recipe Relish : Ingredients

  • 150g hawthorn berries
  • 15tbsp water (basically 1 tbsp per 10g of hawthorn berries)
  • ¼ – ½tsp of pink salt or sea salt (the amount depends on your taste-buds… use them!)
  • 1 red Thai chilli (thinly sliced)
  • 1 green Thai chilli (thinly sliced)
  • 4 garlic cloves (chopped)

Hawthorn Recipe Relish : Instructions

  1. Feel free to improvise with this Hawthorn recipe!
  2. Put the hawthorn berries into a pestle and mortar along with the water, and pound gently until the flesh has pretty much all come off the stones. Don’t whack the haws because you don’t want to crack/break the stones. You’re just gently pounding to remove the Hawthorn flesh.
  3. Mash through a conical strainer and gather the hawthorn pulp in a bowl. You can use a regular sieve but I find they don’t last very long if you are doing a lot of this.
  4. Mix the chillies, garlic and salt well into the hawthorn mash stirring well.
  5. Place in a loose top fitting jar (a Kilner jar without the rubber seal on is perfect), and put on a shelf in a warm place. I use the shelf in my bathroom, much to the annoyance of my bliss-companion.
  6. Stir everyday and leave for between 3-5 days. The fermentation isn’t vigorous, and gradually over the days the relish thickens.
  7. Taste every day to find the optimum flavour you like. The flavours develop over time, and when ready put into little sterilised jars, and place in the fridge.
  8. I don’t know how long this will keep, but it should last a good few weeks, maybe even a few months.
  9. Serve on cheese, or with meats. Basically anywhere that you would use a very garlic, and pungent relish. Use your imagination!

I found it pretty delicious to be honest, but I am used to strange flavours and combinations.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Enjoy…

Further Reading

Why does that plant taste disgusting?

A week or so ago I mentioned that I was pondering what to do with hawthorn berries.

Something a little different to the usual sweet dishes that they are used in usually.

At the weekend while out with the grand-urchins I gathered a small bag of hawthorn berries. I was wanting to experiment.

If you’ve never tried hawthorn berries raw then do so, as they taste a little like small apples.

“Small apples Robin, are you sure?”

I often get this response from folk attending one of my foraging courses, and I totally get it.

Chances are you have nibbled on a hawthorn berry, turned your nose up, and posited the universal question “that’s awful, what the bloody ‘ell is it doing in the wild food books!”.

It’s a common reaction, which I too had in the early days, yet it led me to an understanding that “the wild is not monoculture”.

You see in our industrial food systems we have to grow plants that look and taste the same whether they are in the north, south, east or west of these isles.

Food that is uniform (and on the whole bland), so most of the 65 million souls in this country will want to eat it.

In the wild this doesn’t happen. In the wild a plant can taste very different to the same species you find a few yards away.

It’s terroir at a granular level.

And hawthorn is a brilliant example of this.

In the beginning when I returned to foraging… actually I prefer the word gathering, I was going around my grazing grounds nibbling on everything I could find.

To clarify… I only nibbled on what I was 100% certain was edible. I didn’t simply nibble on EVERYTHING! That would be dumb.

And hawthorn had me foxed for quite awhile.

I was going to give up on said plant, until fortunately I chanced upon a hawthorn tree laden with fruit, that as soon as I nibbled on it I realised why it was in the wild food books… it tasted amazing, and not the usual dry, tasteless bad mouth experience other hawthorns had given me.

One of my aphorisms is “the plant is not the problem, you are”.

So when you have a bad taste experience, don’t give up on the plant.

Chances are you have just gathered it at the wrong time in its life cycle, or maybe it was growing in depleted soil.

There could be a number of reasons, however just keep playing with it until you find the perfect time to gather its gifts.

And this will vary depending on where you live in the country as well as a whole range of other reasons, as I’ve just mentioned.

Currently the hawthorns I collected at the weekend are sitting fermenting (not alcohol) on a shelf in my bathroom. It’s nice and warm in there.

What am I creating?

Ah, well all will be revealed within the week, but suffice to say so far my little creation is coming along rather well.

In the meantime while you’re waiting for me to send over the recipe, why not go out and find the tastiest hawthorn tree around your landbase.

See it is an exercise in “tasting terroir”, becoming more intimate with the place where you find your feet.

Further Reading

Hawthorn Jelly Recipe

Introduction

This is a lovely, simple hawthorn jelly recipe that you can have with cheese or meats. Make it now and you’ll be in time for giving it away as Christmas presents.

If your celebrating is more earth-centric, then you’ll be in time for the return of the sun on December 21st.

Enjoy this autumnal hawthorn jelly recipe.

Hawthorn Jelly Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Find a nice Hawthorn bush (Crataegus monogyna) laden with lovely red haws.

Step 2

Pick 1.5lbs of hawthorn berries (haws). This will make 1 jar of hawthorn jelly, so obviously if you need more jars, pick more fruit.

Make sure that you remove the stalks. A good way is to simply roll a clump of berries (stalks and all) in between your hands, and you’ll find the haws just roll off. It’s certainly easier than individually pulling off each stalk.

Step 3

Now wash your haws and then drain.

Step 4

Put the haws into a heavy saucepan, and cover with 1.5 pints of water.

Step 5

Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Step 6

Now strain the mixture over night using some muslin, or as I did, a jelly bag.

To keep the jelly clear do not squeeze the jelly bag, just let the juice drip. If you’re not bothered whether your hawthorn jelly is clear or not then squeeze away.

Step 7

For every 1 pint of juice measure out 1lb of sugar.

Step 8

Now squeeze the juice of 1 lemon.

Step 9

Mix the sugar and lemon juice into a heavy saucepan along with the hawthorn juice. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved.

Now rapid boil for 10 minutes until …

Step 10

… the jelly  has reached setting point.

Step 11

Now skim off any foam from the top of the jelly liquid, and pour into sterilised, warm jars and screw on the lids.

Eat at will. There is no need to leave the hawthorn jelly for a month or so.