Articles
Foraging
- elderflowers & berries
Karen. June 17 2011
Foraging
- wild about food
Karen. June 9 2011
Nettles,
a sting in the tale
Karen. April 21 2011
Yes
Chef! II - Cauliflower tempura
Karen. April 5 2011
Yes
Chef!
Karen. March 11 2011
Further reading ::
Is foraging fruit legal? BBC website >
Picking wild fruit and plants to eat – where do you stand legally? >
Wild flower society - code of conduct >
Legal issues ::
Not sure? Don’t pick it.
Foraging on private land? The landowner’s permission is needed.
It’s illegal to uproot plants or sell foraged food without the landowner’s permission.
It is illegal to pick anything in your local park.
Foraging on a Site of Special Scientific Interest is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
The National Trust has byelaws on their land that forbid foraging.
Steer clear of nature reserves that are managed to protect wildlife.
Foraging a commercially grown crop is theft.
Fruit on overhanging branches belongs to the tree owner.
No more than 1.5kg of mushrooms should be gathered per session, for personal use only.
Respect the environment; take care not to trample rare species.
Look out for bye law notices.
Walden Local Food sells a small amount of foraged food, with permission of the landowner (who is one of our directors).
The flip side ::
Wildlife is under much pressure due to mans activities and population size. Rotting fruit can benefit wildlife such as butterflies, badgers and voles, specially over winter when food is scarce.
Articles
Forgaging - elderflowers and berries Karen. June 17 2011
In the hedgerows of England Elder’s (Sambucus nigra) existence is pretty much inversely proportional to that of hens teeth. Steeped in folklore, some consider it a weed, others a bad omen; yet over the centuries every part of this tall, scruffy shrub has been of use to mankind. It bears tiny off-white flowers that cluster together in sickly-sweet smelling, upright, umbel sprays from May to July. By August, glossy, deep purple berries drip from its branches, tempting foragers and birds alike with the promise of juicy delight.
Fresh elderflower buds may be scattered in salads, or preserved by pickling for echoes of summer in winter months. If the whisper of cordial, champagne, sorbet, jelly, mousse Gather the younger of the elderflowersand tempura, or the thought of getting into a jam with gooseberries, makes your heart pound, then gather the younger of the elderflowers (fresh, fully open ones only) and work with haste on your chosen recipe to exploit their fragrant flavour.
Try our recipe for Elderflower tempura >
Elderflowers may also be dried indoors, For goodness sake, do the elderflower shakewhich captures the floral essence with some success, for further culinary adventures. Give the flowers a little shake to remove excess pollen and unwanted items of protein. Washing will remove the scent, so simply drag a fork through the fresh or dried flower head to release this aromatic ingredient from its stalk (except for tempura of course, where the stalk is essential for deep fried success).
Come August and September, it’s time for a another forking as the berries ripen - perfect for jellies, wine, vinegar, juice, accompanying apples beneath a pie crust or side-by-side with crumble topped blackberries. A word of warning, elderberries must always be cooked to remove toxins.
A well deserving
addition to the
wild food aficionados larder