Monday 13 May 2013

Foraging in a Forest



Beech tree in Rendlesham Forest




I often go foraging in the local countryside, but I only gather the more familiar wild foods such as elderflowers, blackberries, ramsons, sloes etc.  I don't know as much about wild foods as I'd like to, and so I've been missing out on many of the hedgerow plants that I could use in a meal.  I'm also aware that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing in foraging; especially when many of the hedgerow plants can look like each other.  So, to improve my knowledge, I've just been on a short course. I can only learn so much on a single course, but it has taught me about a few more plants to gather on a foraging trip.  The course I joined was run by Food Safari and held in Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk.  Our group wandered along a forest path identifying plants and tasting them, before gathering leaves to make a salad.  Amazingly, on such a dull, cloudy day, the rain actually held off (I think it would have been pretty miserable in a downpour).

The first food we identified was a fungus, with the common name of  jelly ear, which was growing on an elder tree.  I'm often foraging food from elder trees but the food has always been the flowers or the berries; I didn't know about the fungus. I think the fungi we saw on this particular tree weren't fresh enough to eat, and in any case they have to be cooked (so, to be honest, I've still to find out what they really taste like).







We also gathered the common plant chickweed...








Chickweed can be added with young leaves from different trees and plants such as hawthorn, hedgerow garlic (or garlic mustard/Jack-by-the-hedge) and wild herbs to make a forest salad. I find some of these leaves have a mild taste so a good dressing is definitely needed. Fresh, young leaves are important as "older" leaves can taste bitter. On our course, we tasted hedgerow garlic in a pesto with Parmesan cheese and ground almonds.  I was a bit hesitant to try this, because I don't usually like almonds, but it was really delicious.

We also made up some woodsman's tea with nettles and pine needles. I have to admit that I've never fancied trying stinging nettles in anything, although I have been told that nettle beer is good.  But one drink I was keen to try was some already prepared beech leaf noyau.  I've heard of this and always fancied making it - and now I'm definitely going to, because it was very good.  Beech leaf noyau is a liqueur that combines fresh beech leaves, gin, sugar and brandy - and I'll be gathering some beech leaves in the next few days to make it.  It should be ready to drink in the next few weeks, so I hope to post my results of my own concoction, then!

The foraging course lasted about two hours.  David and I both went on it, and we've come away with some new ideas for recipes to try over the summer.  I'm also keen to improve my (still) limited knowledge of wild food.

On the smallholding

Back at home, our rhubarb-in-a-barrel is ready.  I've promised myself I'm going to explore some new rhubarb recipes for it this year (although I'm still tempted to fall back on crumble and fool, because they're such favourites...)








In the trees and hedges, the summer visitors are still returning, like this little whitethroat...





The "local" cuckoo came back at last on 7 May (which is much later than usual) making a dramatic entrance by flying right over my head calling loudly. It's the first cuckoo I've heard this year, which I think ties in with other reports that they're becoming much rarer.

And this is my first sight of an orange tip on the smallholding this year...




And a speckled wood by the beehives...









I'm behind with my weeding in the cottage garden patch, but now everything is on hold because Pip has decided to nest amongst the lupins...








I'm sure she's crushing one of my favourite perennials - and I think from her sideways glance she knows that too. The wire fence at the back, which she's now bent, was supposed to keep her out. Still, if she's happy, I'll just have to live with it for a bit.
 
The apple blossom is out at last, and my bees are collecting the pollen from it...





Bluebells

Finally, I had to include more pics of my local bluebell wood, because I can't get over how stunning the bluebells look this year...








36 comments:

  1. Ah I loved reading this post Wendy. The course sounds fascinating. If you haven't already tried frying nettle leaves in butter you must- it is delicious. Loved the pics of the butterflies and the white throat (never seen one before to my knowledge). I've also been wondering how your bees are faring after introducing the two colonies together? Hope they are ok. Gorgeous bluebells too.

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    1. Thanks CT, the course was fascinating. I know I should try nettles (there's so much free food there) and I love butter, so your suggestion may convert me! The united hives are doing well and have settled down OK under one queen - I'll be checking on them again this week.

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  2. I was lucky enough to see some Bluebells this weekend at a National Trust Woodland. I couldn't get over what a beauitful sight in was. To be fair the display wasn't as breathtaking as your local woods, but still, it was enough to make me use one of the pictures as a screen saver on my laptop!

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    1. Great to hear that you've visited a bluebell wood, too, Mici. Aren't they looking beautiful? I think they're stunning this year because they seem to have come out all at once after the long winter - rather than over several weeks.

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  3. Your photos are really lovely - I am becoming more and more interested in using plants that grow in the wild, and a book that I use is Roger Phillips, Wild Food. It is good because it has good photos of the plants and also gives recipes.
    I am hopefully off to our local bluebell woods if the rain holds off this afternoon.

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    1. Thanks Rosemary. That's very interesting about the Roger Phillips book because I'm actually already thinking of buying it. This book - and his "Mushrooms" book - were both recommended to us on the course.
      Hope you enjoy your visit to the bluebell woods; I can't wait to visit my local one again.

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    2. I have his fungi book too which is just as good.

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    3. Thanks for the recommendation.

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  4. What a lovely post! We found bluebells in a local wood this morning although not in such great profusion as in your photos. They look wonderful. The course you went on sounds very interesting, like you I've only ever foraged for things I'm sure of like elderflowers and berries, wild garlic, crab apples and rosehips. I'd like to learn more about other useful plants:)

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    1. Thanks Rosie. I wonder how long the bluebells will last now, especially as they flowered so late. And I've decided to improve my knowledge of wild food by learning a little at a time. The course was very helpful on teaching about the dos and don'ts of foraging.

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  5. Oh a foraging course sounds so much fun, the bluebells are beautiful.

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    1. It was really enjoyable, Joanne, and it was great to finish with a tasting of different wild food. As well as looking beautiful, the bluebells also have this wonderful scent.

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  6. Hi Wendy, Lovely photos and an interesting read. So nice to see the Whitethroat. I very rarely get one on camera, they can be rather furtive! Love the butterfly pics too. My apple blossom was also late. I thought it was never coming out. Your Bluebell wood is beautiful, a sea of blue :-)

    I remember frying Field (or they may have been Horse) mushrooms once which I found growing in the garden. I was certain my identification was correct and they were delicious but I still wondered all evening if I had got it wrong and whether we would go down with food poisoning ;-)

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    1. Thanks Jan. I agree about the whitethroat; I often hear them in the hedgerows and only just glimpse them through the branches. I'm pleased I'm seeing more butterflies now after not seeing my first one this year until very late. And I'm less confident about foraging for mushrooms, I'd like to learn more because I love eating them.

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  7. A lovely post and photos :) The bluebell woods look beautiful and I really like the butterfly photos :)

    The foraging course sounds really interesting - only ever collect blackberries every autumn. Wild Garlic and nettles are two that I would like to try. Not sure about wild mushrooms and toadstools though - don't think I would ever trust my id skills enough!

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    1. Thanks Caroline. As I still don't know much about wild mushrooms, I'm considering a local course in the autumn where an expert identifies edible mushrooms and then cooks them at the end. But how long it will be before I have the confidence to forage for them myself, I don't know!

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  8. Hello Wendy
    I went on a forage course last year, but I'm afraid it was a roasting hot day on open hilly ground so I didn't enjoy it as much as I might have. We did pick some interesting things though, and like you had a tasting at the end. Our leader decided to cook ours though (?)
    I'd love to go on one of the 'fungi forays' that is held on Cannock Chase in the Autumn this year.
    I don't think we have whitethroats around here, I shall keep a special eye open for them
    Pip certainly looks settled amidst the lupins :)
    Your rhubarb is coming on a treat - I picked some of mine two weeks ago, but of course we plumbed for crumble! (I add orange zest and a little juice to mine.)
    The bluebells certainly ARE stunning, if I were you I'd have one of those wonderful shots framed.
    Have a great week.
    Rose H
    x

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    1. Thanks Rose. I'm sorry your own course wasn't as good as you hoped; I thought our one would be ruined by rain and was all prepared for a downpour. The 'fungi foray' sounds interesting. Pip is very settled in the lupins, they're late like everything else so I'm not sure if they'll flower around her. I like idea of adding something different to my usual rhubarb crumble; orange zest and juice sounds lovely. I think I will probably make rhubarb crumble, too.

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  9. Apologies if this is a duplicate comment - my laptop is playing up and all manner of strange things are happening.

    Anyhoo.. I can't get enough bluebells, your pics are fantastic, and Pip reigns supreme! The course does sound interesting. I'd like to know more about foraging myself. I don't have the confidence in my identification skills to do it at the moment.

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    1. Thanks Jessica. I can't get enough bluebells, too - they've really amazed me this year. Pip has no concern for my garden, I think I spied bits of my flowers in her nest, too. I'm going to learn a handful of new plants a season to forage and become really confident with those

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  10. I am a keen forager too - but generally stick to what I know - the course sounds very interesting and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Oh JOY bluebell woods - the pictures are wonderful - we don't have any round here - sigh - thanks for sharing yours. I think the fungus used to be called Jews Ear Fungus but isn't considered politically correct any more!

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    1. Thanks Elaine. I'd like to go on another course; if I could be sure I'd learn about a new selection of plants. We're fortunate we have bluebell woods here, but they would have been part of one vast woodland once, with unbroken acres of bluebells. A lovely thought. You're right that the fungus was once called Jews Ear, I think it was linked in folklore to Judas and elder trees, so got its series of names from this.

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  11. I would absolutely love to go on a foraging course, yours sounded really interesting. We get lots of different types of mushrooms around here but I'm to nervous to try any of them in case I've misidentified them.

    I LOVE the whitethroat and the butterflies, I've hardly seen any butterflies this year.

    That bluebell wood is an utter delight, how lucky to have one nearby. My bluebells are hardly out!!! xxxx

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    1. Thanks Snowbird. Well, I really enjoyed my course and did learn some interesting information, so I think it is worth looking out for a good one. I love seeing the butterflies, too, especially after last year being so dreadful for them. I'm hoping this year to see one or two I've never seen before. The bluebells looked wonderful in dappled sunlight, but it's raining here at the moment, so all trips to see them are off!

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  12. Gorgeous images Wendy, especially that lovely Bluebell wood of yours and all the butterflies :-) I haven't actually seen an Orange-tip this year yet :-(

    I also enjoy foraging from time to time and we make a number of jellies/conserves and wines from what we collect (our Elderberry wine is as good as anything you'll find in the shops if we say so ourselves ;-)). However I am very cautious about fungi and I would have to be very certain of ID before I ever actually ate any wild ones !

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    1. Thanks David. I'd been waiting to see my first orange tips, and I'm glad I've seen a few now, this year. As they love hedgerow garlic (garlic mustard), I might have expected to see some when we were foraging, but I didn't see any on our course. That's interesting about your own foraging, especially the elderberry wine. My dad makes a gorgeous elderflower wine and I agree, these excellent country wines are as good as any other wine.

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  13. Those bluebells look like blue foam - absolutely beautiful. Wonderful to see a Whitethroat; I've never seen one, or at least, not knowingly! No Orange Tips here yet and am very envious of your Speckled Wood. What a lovely post - I'm so pleased I came your way.

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    1. Thanks Em. I agree about the look of bluebells in a wood, there is something aqueous about them. I love the way their blue colour shimmers and changes with the light. The whitethroats here are usually hidden in the hedgerows so it isn't easy to see them. I always hear their song first.

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  14. What a wonderful post, Wendy! Those bluebells look stunning en masse and your foraging course sounds really interesting. I wouldn't have a clue what to pick from the wild, other than the obvious berries. Pip looks nice and settled there among the lupins :-) .

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    1. Thanks Paula. I love the sight of bluebells stretching as far as the eye can see in all directions in a wood. It is breathtaking. I'm hoping to learn about a few plants at different times of the year that I can forage. And I haven't been able to assess the damage caused by Pip's nest yet; I may have to put annuals in this spot this summer!

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  15. Your photos of bluebells are stunning, that is how they should be grown, by the thousand in woodland! We try to get to our local wood each year, you have reminded me to make time. Your course sounds fascinating and essential if you are going to forage, we could all learn such a lot that would have been common knowledge years ago.

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    1. Thanks Pauline. I'm impatiently waiting for the strong wind and any rain to pass to visit my local bluebells again. I'm glad I did a foraging course before I became more adventurous, I've picked up such useful information. It is a shame much of the knowledge of foraging has been lost and relatively recently, too (foraging was common in 1940s, for example).

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  16. Hello Wendy, so lovely to find you and your fantastic blog .. your photographs are stunning! Thank you for stopping by Earth and Tree, its so great to meet a kindred spirit in the same part of the world. Warm wishes, Steph

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    1. Hello Steph - and thanks for your kind comment about my blog. I look forward to reading about the local butterflies you come across.

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  17. Blimey, where do I start! You are (were) about the same level as me regarding foraging and although I know a fair amount I'm also very wary of picking the not quite so sures. I would love to do a course like this so I must investigate to see what's in my area. We were going to go on a Bluebell walk today but it was chucking it down for most part and of course now, early evening the suns here and it's too far just to pop there! Your bluebell photos are stunning. Suzy x

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    1. Thanks Suzy. The course was definitely just the start; now I've discovered several new edible plants, leaves and fungi, I'm going to have to discover new recipes for them! It's sunny here, too, after a grim day; I just hope the sun stays around for a bit - I'm not sure how long the bluebells will last around here for more visits.

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