I picked these to make Rowan Berry Jelly. They are not poisonous but they are quite bitter (an acquired taste!). Rowan Berry Jelly is particularly delicious served with venison, hare… Read More
Category: All Recipes
Hedgehog fungus – Hydnum repandum
Luckily for foragers, hedgehog fungus is far less well-known that it’s cousin the chanterelle. It is easily identified by its spines or teeth under the cap which look vary different… Read More
Wild Chorizo Salad
Sadly I forgot to photograph this before we ate it all as it looked very pretty! Ingredients Go for a walk and see what you can find! Today I found… Read More
Common Wood Sorrel – Oxalis acetellosa
These pretty leaves have a distinctive sharp sorrel flavour and make a lovely addition to a wild salad, or as a garnish to a soup or dish. They are best… Read More
Blackcurrants
There’s a lot of plump blackcurrants (Ribes nigra) this year and luckily 101 things to do with them. Full of vitaminC and flavonoids, they bestow many health benefits as well… Read More
Meadowsweet Cordial
If you like Elderflower Cordial you’ll love this! It has a sweet, honeyed flavour that is perfect diluted with fizzy water. “Children’s Champagne” I told a young man who tried… Read More
Crispy Dulse Seaweed Snack
I was given some dried dulse Palmaria palmata last night by Fi Houston, a fellow forager and a seaweed aficionado who sells wonderful sea spices at www.seaspice.co.uk. Below is the dried… Read More
Pink Purslane
Pink purslane (Claytonia sibirica) is an edible plant in the Portulacaceae family related to Spring Beauty (Claytonia perfoliata) and Common Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) which is high in Omega 3 oils… Read More
Eat your greens. They really are good for you!
There’s a lot more to eating greens than making sure you have enough dietary fibre and vitamin A. I think the majority of people think of their daily vegetables as… Read More
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Dandelion Taraxacum officinale is high in vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. For comparison, spinach contains around 9,000 –… Read More
Easter Banquet featuring Venison in Elderberry and Hawthorn
To those of you who imagine that a forager’s fare is stark or unexciting, then think again. A fortuitous gift of venison (I love living in the country) turned Easter… Read More
Oyster Mushrooms on the Menu
Both of the large horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum trees that fell in the January gale were host to some fabulous oyster mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus. Fried in butter with an egg… Read More
Rowan Berry Wine
Ingredients 2.25 kg rowan berries 1.2 kg finely granulated sugar 1 large lemon (zest and juice only) (or 2.5 tsp acid blend) 1/2 tbsp pectic enzyme 1 tsp yeast nutrient 1… Read More
Crème de Sureau (Crème de Cassis mais avec Elderberry!)
I love Crème de Cassis, the traditional French liqueur made from blackcurrants. You can dilute it with fizzy water to make a drink, add it to cocktails such as the… Read More
A Jar of Beetroot – Beta vulgaris
Beetroots contain potent antioxidants and nutrients, including Vitamin A, Thiamine (Vit. B1), Riboflavin (Vit. B2), Niacin (Vit. B3), Pantothenic acid (B5), Vitamin B6, Folate (Vit. B9), Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron.… Read More
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Pasteurising Elderberry, Nettle, Cleavers and other juices
How do you make sure you have a year round supply of your favourite herbal power shots and wild juices? Pasteurising is the best way to ensure you can keep… Read More
Coltsfoot Wine
Spring is very late this year but one thing I have in abundance are hardy coltsfoot flowers. They are a favourite of mine as, in past times, they were painted… Read More
Hawthorn Berry Gin ready for Christmas
Around October I wrote about making Hawthorn Berry Gin. Well, I’m pleased to say it is DELICIOUS. And I can keep a clear conscience by knowing it’s also good for… Read More
Elderberry: Making a Syrup
Elderberry syrup can be made purely for its great taste or for its vitamin content and medicinal properties in helping the whole family to fight off colds and flu. Pick… Read More
Hawthorn Berries: Gin, brandy or tincture?
October/November, after the first frost, is also the time to pick hawthorn berries. Hawthorn is relatively unused as a hedgerow berry being mainly used for hawthorn gin or hawthorn brandy. It… Read More
Rose hips: Winter ‘Vitamin C’ Syrup
Rose hips are extremely high in Vitamin C and also contain Vitamins A, D (made by sunshine and often missing in the winter months) and E, as well as antioxidants.… Read More
Nasturtiums: Salads, Pickled, Tempura and Home Medicine.
Nasturtiums are great plants. They are easy to grow. The seeds are large and germinate quickly, so great for getting children interested in the garden. All parts are edible. The… Read More
Beech Leaf Noyau and Beech Nut Nocino
Noyaux is French for ‘nut liqueur’ which makes me wonder if the beech nuts (beechmast) were ever used to make a liqueur, as well as the leaves? Here is a… Read More
Foragers Dió Pálinka aka Green Walnut Grappa
Green Walnut Grappa Adapted from a Dió Pálinka (Walnut Brandy) recipe that I tried in a Hungarian cellar at Somló – amongst many others!! Pálinka is traditionally a fruit brandy but… Read More
Ash Cider recipe (Frenette) using green leaves
Ash Cider (aka Frenette) using ash leaves without manna ash Frenette is a mildly alcoholic drink made from fermented ash leaves. Read more about it’s history and the type of… Read More
Frenette Recipe: Using ash leaves with manna ash
Frenette from ash leaves with manna ash Frenette is a mildly alcoholic drink made from fermented ash leaves. Read more about it’s history and the type of ash and leaves… Read More
Manna of Sicily
Manna of Sicily ~ Tapping the Ash ‘Manna of Sicily’, if you can buy it – extremely hard these days – was traditionally stocked in European pharmacies. It is white… Read More
Ash Cider ~ Frenette
Ash Cider ~ aka Manna Ash Leaf Frenette Frenette is a mildly alcoholic drink made from fermented ash leaves. It is an ancient drink, possibly made in Gaul around the… Read More