Fi Bird2013-05-25T19:20:51-04:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/index.php?author=fi-birdCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Fi BirdGood old fashioned elbow grease.Wild Blossom Ideas From My Hebridean Scented Kitchentag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.32991002013-05-19T08:49:49-04:002013-05-20T11:54:31-04:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/
Cooking with wild flowers is one of the most destructive things that I do, but my bottles and jars are small or half full, as are my glasses of pink violet gin. Forage only where flowers are in abundant supply, leaving plenty, to ensure that others can enjoy the colours and scents of spring. Traditionally, country folk used flower blossom in syrups and wines, and more recently this practice has been taken up commercially, as fragrant blooms are captured in pretty, artisan bottles.The foraging experience can't be replaced, even if the syrup or cordial may now be purchased in a shop. The recipe is easy: steep the blossom in boiling water. Then, when the liquid is cold, strain the scented water. As a rule of thumb, add twice as many grams of sugar to milliltres of liquid and dissolve the sugar slowly, over a low heat. Some blossoms are sweeter than others, so the precise sugar content is an opinion of taste. I also steep edible wild flowers in vinegar (white wine or rice vinegar) with surprisingly colourful results: use Violets for purple vinegar, Primroses for yellow and Lady's Smock (Cuckoo Flower) turns vinegar a Barbie pink.The first two of these spring vinegars are scented and Lady's Smock adds peppery fire.
Gorse flowers steeped in boiling water, dyes it yellow. The yellow water can then be mixed with icing sugar, to make natural yellow icing.The blossom has a heady, coconut scent which you'll often smell before you spy the bright, yellow flowers on cliff walks in spring (or later in the year, it flowers twice); it makes scrumptious syrup. I think that the syrup tastes more like honey than coconut but as with many wild edibles, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact flavour. 17th Century books mention gorse buds pickled in vinegar and they were also used to make tea. When you pick gorse flowers, it is prudent to don a pair of gloves. I foraged flowers on the Isle of Skye recently, whilst awaiting a delayed Outer Hebridean ferry; my fingers bore the gorse thorns, long after my gorse syrup was bottled. Forage blossoms in sunshine and away from sprayed fields, traffic pollution or where animals relieve themselves. I pop flowers into a small jam jar to prevent them getting crushed. There are more tips for gatherers in The Forager's Kitchen (Cico Books 2013). Harvest responsibly, avoid the roots and never forage protected species, such as cowslips, even if you have a plethora of old recipes.
Lady's Smock is purported to have cured scurvy, having the same medicinal virtues attributed to it, as watercress, which is deemed to be a contemporary super food. Its leaves can be used in a wild herb sauce or use the flowers, which have a savoury bitter, peppery taste in salads or vinegar.
Primroses can also be pickled or crystallized, as may the ubiquitous violet, seen on so many shop cupcakes. Crystallising petals requires patience and a pair of tweezers is useful. I came across an interesting, 16th century Primrose pottage recipe, which fuses primroses with almonds, saffron and wine. I have yet to try this and I'll need to be speedy because the season will soon have passed.
Sweet Cicely is one of my favourite wild herbs and I often cook it with rhubarb. There are two recipes using sweet cicely, at the end of this BBC Scotland factsheet http://www.thebeechgrovegarden.com/images/factsheets/Factsheet_7_Final_draft.pdf . When a leaf of Sweet Cicely is bruised, an aniseed aroma is released - this distinguishes it from the toxic Hemlock. Positive identification is imperative and never decorate food with non-edible flowers, no matter how tempting their scents may be.
For more recipes using Violets and other edible spring flowers see
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Foragers-Kitchen-Fiona-Bird/dp/1908862610/ref=pd_sxp_f_i which is also avaialble from Cico Books and all good bookshops.]]>Foraging Water Minttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.31616202013-04-26T09:54:14-04:002013-04-30T06:36:49-04:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/
Harvest mint responsibly from April to October, and use it in vinegar, cordial, syrup, ice-cream or sorbet, sugar, or more traditionally, in mint sauce and jelly.
There is well-documented Roman use of mint for table decoration and bathing, as well as cooking. Culpepper's Herbal gave almost 40 ways in which mint could help with ailments: I like the idea of heating rose petals and mint leaves and applying them topically, to enable sleep and rest. Richard Mabey also cites anecdotal slumber stories, from folk who dried mint for medicinal reasons during the Second World War. "When we had peppermint drying, my mother and I went to sleep in our chairs". A nightly cup of mint tea seems a natural progression for the insomniac. In season, simply add a sprig or two of water mint to a cup of boiling water, or dry mint leaves in a dehydrator, and store in an airtight jar for use out of season.
Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese, which in my opinion benefits from marinating and lemon and mint work well together.
Lemon and Mint Halloumi Salad, serves 4
What to find:
For the Marinade
Juice and zest well scrubbed lemon
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tsps finely shreded mint
For the salad
250g halloumi
400g frozen broad beans
4 ripe tomatoes, washed and diced
For the dressing
Juice ½ small lemon
2 tbsps Extra Virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
What to do:
1. Mix the lemon juice, zest and mint together in a shallow dish. Cut the halloumi into 8 slices and put the slices into the marinade. Cover and leave for as long as possible to allow the flavours to infuse.
2. Cook the broad beans as per instruction and drain well. Rinse in cold water to refresh and drain to remove excess water.
3. Mix the drained beans with the diced tomatoes and leave in a colander to drain.
4. Meanwhile, heat a griddle plate or grill until very hot and then cook the halloumi slices on both sides until brown.
5. Put the broad beans and tomatoes into a bowl and pour over the remaining marinade and dressing ingredients. Lightly mix together and season to taste.
Serve the halloumi warm on the broad bean and tomato salad with plenty of crusty bread. You may prefer to dice the cooked halloumi for a buffet style salad
This recipe was created for BBC Scotland's http://www.thebeechgrovegarden.com/
There is a simple Lemon and Sea Lettuce Ice-cream recipe in The Forager's Kitchen http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Foragers-Kitchen-Fiona-Bird/dp/1908862610/ref=pd_sxp_f_i) but this recipe will work equally well if you replace the sea lettuce with finely shredded water mint.]]>Foraging Razor Fishtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.30046502013-04-03T07:30:01-04:002013-04-03T11:59:30-04:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/F oraging Razor Clams Ensis ensis
Towards the end of March, the moon was full (see moon phase http://www.die.net/moon ) and we had very low spring tides http://www.tidetimes.org.uk which meant ideal conditions for foraging razor fish or spoots as they are called in Scotland. The name spoot is apt, the razor fish 'spoots' bubbles of seawater from its shell.
Razor clams reside in sandy bays and estuaries, and are found on the lower shore. Low tide depths vary, even on consecutive days. Sometimes, if you are lucky, as the tide turns the razor fish will push itself up from beneath the sand. The cowardly forager might like to sprinkle salt over the peeping shell to entice the razor clam out further, and then, firmly grasp the razor shell and pull the razor clam from the sand. Take care not to lose the tasty foot, which the razor clam uses as an anchor to pull itself deeper into the sand to escape from predators. The intrepid forager just goes for it. The razor clam is a sound sensitive creature and will react quickly by burrowing, which will mean one less on the supper table.
My first experience of razor clam foraging was with a wise Hebridean. My skills improved by observation rather than verbal communication. "Shall I take my shoes off and ask my son to look after my dog?" "Aye", was the whispered reply.
The thrill of catching your first razor clam is a foraging experience that can't be rivaled. I was taught to forage in shallow water; I describe myself as a 'paddling' razor clam hunter. Clear Hebridean waters make 'keyhole' (a small indentation in the sand, which is the clue to a razor clam hiding beneath the sand) identification easy. Some forage by the edge of the water, pouring salt down 'keyholes' and waiting for the razor fish to 'pop up'. Professional types mark the salted holes with empty razor shells, as they walk down the beach, before returning to collect their bounty.
Minimal cooking is required and some folk eat razor clams raw. Some coastal foraging tips:
Use empty razor clams to mark a line on the lower shore, and use this as a reference point to the turning tide. Or note a landmark's proximity from the sea and make occasional glances to compare and contrast distance, as the tides turns. Be safe. If you are new to the area, ask local advice on tides.
Take salt in small jam jars or plastic containers. Cardboard saltboxes become soggy and plastic nozzles clog, when wet.
Forage for your own supper pot - don't be greedy.
There is a delicious razor clam recipe in The Forager's Kitchen (Cico Books 2012) http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Foragers-Kitchen-Fiona-Bird/dp/1908862610/ref=pd_sxp_f_i but here is simple breakfast idea:Scrambled eggs with razor clams, cockles and finely chopped sweet cicely (if you can forage it) served on a bagel- the perfect breakfast for a coastal forager.]]>Douglas Fir Chocolate Pots for Fair Trade Fortnighttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.28115902013-03-06T07:08:31-05:002013-05-06T05:12:01-04:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/http://www.scone-palace.co.uk/visitor-information/the-gardens-and-grounds.html , which thereby boasts the oldest UK Douglas fir. I love the idea of a tree coming from America to Scotland, bucking the historical trend.Douglas firs are tall, older trees can be over 300 feet in height but its cone is cute, and there is folklore attached to it. A mouse is reported to have sheltered from a fire or a fox (in some versions) in the Douglas fir and If you go in to the woods today ...
You can see the hind legs and the tail of the mouse sticking out from the Douglas fir cone, where he is still hiding from the fox (fire). '
Forage the young tips, picking abstemiously from each tree; a little here and a little there. If you want to cook with fresh Douglas fir, wrap the neddles in cloth because they dry out easily. The leaves can be frozen, dried or used fresh. I make pine needle sugars. tisanes, vinegar, oil, syrup, cordial and tie them in a bunch of bouquet garni to give flavour to stews soups or even rice. Combined with coconut in sugar it makes an interesting combination - a hint of the Tropics.
Grind Douglas fir needles as finely as possible in a pestle and mortar (it's tricky to do this in a blender unless you have a large amount) and store the powder in an airtight jar. Its aromatic flavour adds interest to many dishes. I often add a pinch when a recipe calls for rosemary. This delicious chocolate pot recipe is taken from The Forager's Kitchen Douglas Fir Chocolate Pots
This is a very rich pudding so don't be tempted to use large ramekins. I use tiny French chocolate pots.
Makes 6-8 depending on size
What to forage and find:
Sprig Douglas fir (6-8 cm) washed and dried
300ml single cream
200g Fair Trade dark chocolate
Small egg
2 tsps Douglas Fir syrup (or Douglas fir sugar)
What to do:
1. Put the Douglas fir and cream into a pan and scald it over a low heat. Do not allow the cream to boil. Set aside for an hour to allow the flavour to infuse and then remove the Douglas fir.
2. Put the chocolate into a food processor and pulse to break it into small pieces. Take care the machine may need to be held in place.
3. Reheat the cream (do not allow it to boil). Slowly pour the hot cream into the food processor turning it on and off with care and ensuring that the chocolate doesn't overflow down the sides of the machine. If you don't blend the chocolate i.e. leave it in squares it may do this. Slowly does it.
4. Add the egg to the hot chocolate cream, blend and then add the Douglas fir syrup or sugar. Pour into pots and refrigerate until set
Wild notes:
You can adapt this easy chocolate pot recipe by replacing the Douglas fir with another wild herb or flower sugar or wild syrup.
Serve with Douglas fir Biscuits. This recipe is in The Forager's Kitchen which is published by CICO Books at £16.99 and is available from all good bookshops or call 01256-302699 quoting GLR 7ZV to purchase a copy at the special price of £14.99 including free p&p. For further information, please go to www.cicobooks.co.uk ]]>St Columba, Seaweed and an Oatcake Recipe From South Uisttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2013:/theblog//3.25155572013-01-20T11:30:40-05:002013-03-22T05:12:01-04:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/
My interest in seaweed came as a seasoned forager, who moved from the east coast of Scotland to South Uist in The Western Isles, where my husband is the island doctor. I am however not alone, there has been a recent revival of interest in seaweed for use in the biofuel industry as well as cooking. My timing is perfect. Many folk are sadly unable to forage seaweed themselves, due to their proximity to the coast but this problem is easily overcome by the purchase of dried seaweed from one of an ever increasing number of producers http://www.seaweedproducts.co.uk/
On South Uist my opportunities to forage hedgerows and woods may be limited but seaweed is plentiful. My seaweed journey follows in the footsteps of the monks of Iona. One of the earliest documentations of seaweed is in a poem, attributed to St Columba (about A.D. 563) who founded the monastery on Iona, which was to become the heart of the early Scottish church. The monks collected the ruby red seaweed, dulse from rocks and cooked it with oatmeal in a broth.
A recipe in the soon to be published The Forager's Kitchen combines dulse and oatmeal but rather ironically, I developed this idea from one of my 2001 BBC Masterchef competition creations http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/arbroathsmokiechowde_4760.
At that time I had no knowledge of St Columba's recipe. Foragers may embark on culinary expeditions but recipes are rarely new.
This recipe for Sea Lettuce Oatcakes is an adaptation of a wild oatcake recipe from The Forager's Kitchen
Sea Lettuce Oatcakes
Makes 15 small oatcakes
What to forage and find:
Teaspoon lard
15g butter
125g medium oatmeal and extra for sprinkling
Pinch bicarbonate soda
Pinch salt
Tbsp fresh sea lettuce,well washed and very finely chopped
Approx 75ml boiling water
Oven 180°C Gas4
What to do:
1. Melted the lard and butter in small pan over a low heat.
2. Put the oatmeal, bicarbonate soda, salt and sea lettuce in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and lard and enough water to make a moist dough.
3. Turn the dough on to a work surface liberally sprinkled with oatmeal and roll the dough out as thinly as possible.
4. Cut in rounds with a cookie cutter and either cook on a lightly oiled griddle until the edges curl up or bake in an oven for 20 minutes, turning the oatcakes over after 15 minutes of baking. Wild Notes:
The red seaweed dulse will work equally well but it changes colour from ruby red to green when cooked. Sea lettuce retains its emerald green vibrancy.]]>Wild Cherry Christmas Mincemeat and Douglas Fir Icing Sugartag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.23285472012-12-19T06:18:00-05:002013-02-18T05:12:01-05:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/ Pseudotsuga its Latin name. It is a native of the USA but one of the oldest Doulgas Firs in the UK is planted in Scone Palace in Perthshire, Scotland. Forage a few needle tips here and there, without being greedy or spoiling the beauty of the countryside. If you didn't make wild cherry brandy, supermakets will come to your aid. Foraging is seasonal, cherries may be long gone but the Douglas Fir is ever green and bonne chance with the chestnut hunt.
Wild Christmas Mincemeat
Makes 3 pots
What to find:
Lemon, Lime and Orange, well scrubbed- zest
100g dried apricots finely chopped
100g wild glace cherries
600g dried fruit: raisins, sultanas, currants
50g dried cranberries
100g chestnuts peeled and finely chopped
220g Light Muscovado sugar
200g shredded suet
2 eating apples cored and finely grated
Carrot, peeled and finely grated
Teaspoon cinnamon
Teaspoon nutmeg
150ml wild cherry brandy
What to do:
1. Put all of the ingredients apart from the cherry brandy in a baking tray and mix well. Cover and leave overnight.
2. The next day, cook the mincemeat in a low pre-heated oven: 120°C gas ¼ for 3 hours or until the suet has melted. Stir in the brandy and leave to cool
3. Blend the mincemeat briefly (in batches) in a food processor and pot in sterile jam jars. Seal with a lid or cellophane and store in a dark place. Douglas Fir Icing Sugar
Makes a small jam jar What to find:
100g icing sugar
Handful washed and dried Douglas Fir needles What to do:
Put the icing sugar and Douglas Fir into a food processor, cover with a tea towel (to avoid a fine layer of escapee white dust ) and blend well. Pot in a sterile jam jar and store until use.
Sift Douglas Fir Icing Sugar before use.
For extra pine flavour in mince pies, add a tablespoon of Douglas Fir icing sugar to a fat, rich shortcrust pastry (half lard and butter to flour).]]>"Foragers, a Group of Predominately Middle-Aged Women Looking Back in Nostalgia'tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.22114562012-11-30T04:42:07-05:002013-01-29T05:12:02-05:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/
Beatrix Potter was a privileged child, who, in summer months could connect hands on experience of nature with her imagination. Many Victorian City children wouldn't have enjoyed countryside foraging experiences, and indeed the concept of childhood, as we understand it today didn't exist. Children today, can and do go 'into the woods'. Indeed schools encourage field trips within school curriculums. However, we can no longer take the perfection of nature for granted, as Ash dieback Chalara fraxinea clearly demonstrates. Time and fear are also obstacles, not just for the involvement of children with nature but foraging full stop.So Rosa canina spectacled and with clouded memories,I perished the thought that I fit rather snugly into the group mentioned here http://www.plant-talk.org/uk-where-hunter-gatherers-gone.htm
"Those out foraging for plants today are likely to be female, aged between 30 and 59 and very well educated."
I'll not quibble over education but are foragers predominately female? For the sake of argument, a forager is generally perceived as pedestrian (as opposed to equestrian or aquatic) and a sensible one will have a Little Red Riding Hood basket (mushrooms and berries don't fare well in carrier bags).However, surely clutching a basket doesn't give a forager a predisposition to being female? The original hunter gatherers conjure up images of harsh weather and times of famine and in my mind, these foragers were predominately male.My thoughts then turned to witches and powerful female herbalists "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble."
Possession of Enchanter's Nightshade Circaea lutetiana or Circe, the plant of the sorceress, was in bygone days, enough to warrant a poor lady being accused of witchcraft. Fortunately for me, modern day foragers or herbalists aren't immediately associated with meddling in the occult.
This week I had a foraging wake up call, quite different to the question of gender. Two friendly landowners, in quick succession, expressed dismay that I'd written a book for foragers. The reason on both counts, the 'taking' of prized chanterelles from their land. One said that a certain forager would offer half of her (it was a lady in this case) bounty to the Estate office, but this infuriated because a landowner can pick his or her own wild edibles.
So, if you don't own the land on which a wild edible grows, can you pick legally?
The Theft Act 1968, for England and Wales, states that:
"A person who picks mushrooms growing wild on any land, or who picks flowers, fruit or foliage from a plant growing wild on any land, does not (although not in possession of the land) steal what he picks, unless he does it for reward or for sale or other commercial purpose
However, one must be aware of Byelaws, which, in places may remove foraging rights.
Fi Martynoga edited A Handbook of Scotland's Wild Harvest http://saraband.net/sustainability-environment/300-a-handbook-of-scotlands-wild-harvests and her book gives sensible advice about harvesting responsibly and sustainably. The anecdotal and historical information make it an enjoyable read. I've had a quick tot up of contributors to the book and can't see a gender bias.
Let's encourage everyone to cook in season and include a little from his or her local natural larder in the supper pot. Prudent foragers may have glacé wild cherries, chestnuts and softened haws squirrelled away for Christmas mincemeat and puddings, but sadly I rarely do this. If I'm honest, I aim to forage and eat in season. My cherry picking days are over until next summer but I may find a chestnut or two If forager's luck is on my side.]]>Chewing the Dulsetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.21382982012-11-16T06:07:52-05:002013-01-16T05:12:01-05:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/Palmaria palmata
The end of the tourist season on the wind swept Outer Hebridean island,where my husband is the island doctor, heralds the return of cattle and sheep to the Tom Morris Golf course and Machair (coastal fertile land). Inevitably the animals meander their way down to the sea, where they dine on kelp but in bygone years, crofters would gather and store seaweed to feed to animals over the winter months.Seaweed is abundantly rich in nutrients and alkaline and so, it was, (and still is) used as a fertiliser on lazy-beds and vegetable plots, avoiding the need for crop rotation.
It is said that whilst coastal Irish and Scottish cows chewed the cud, the farmers chewed the dulse. Raw dulse requires considerable chewing but dried and stir-fried, as in this recipe, it becomes a rather moreish nibble. The recipe is original but was inspired by Margaret Hornhttp://www.butnbenauchmithie.co.uk/, the talented cook of Arbroath Smokie fame. Margaret told me that Dundonian landlords would set plates piled high with dulse at the bar, in the hope that those who frequented pubs would increase their beverage consumption. Traditionally dulse was roasted in fire embers and served with or without vinegar as a snack.
Dulse is a pretty, pinkish red seaweed, which dries to a deep wine red and goes greenish brown when cooked. It grows on rocks or often hitches a ride on kelps. The fronds resemble fingers and the stalks (stipes) are short. In the photograph it is attached to kelp, which has been thrown up by winter storms; ripped from the seabed by the force of the waves. Dulse is rich in nutrients and a useful thickener in stews and soups. It can be cooked in its raw state or dried. I dried fresh dulse (a carrier bag which was a third full) to leave 30g dried dulse and made it into Dulse and Poppy Seed Crisps with a hint of chill - delicious. Here's the recipe. What to find:
2tbsps groundnut oil
½ red chilli deseed and finely chopped
30g dulse dried and crushed into bite-sized pieces
Dessertspoon poppy seeds What to do:
Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the finely chopped chilli. When the oil begins to smoke, quickly add the dulse and stir-fry briefly, to coat with the chilli oil.
Add the poppy seeds and it's ready to serve.]]>Sea-Buckthorn is Coming to a Health Food Shop or Drizzle Cake Near Youtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.20215602012-10-26T05:32:27-04:002012-12-26T05:12:01-05:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/
The common sea buckthorn Hippophae rhamnoides is the most widespread variety; it grows in coastal areas where it can withstand salt sprayed from sea. Interestingly, Angus Council has planted a sea-buckthorn border to a football pitch, perhaps as a thorny deterrent to vandals but birds and foragers will be grateful.I suspect other, thoughtful coastal councils do likewise - a stroke of luck for foragers.
Foraging the orange berries is a labour of love. The berries are embedded in the thorny branches and squish, if the harvester's touch is anything but delicate.The Forager's basket will take time to fill and even a careful gatherer will find escapee slivery green leaves in their basket. The sea-buckthorn leaf is not dissimilar to that of the herb Rosemary, albeit slightly thinner.Leaves are used in tisanes but I cook with them too.
If you manage to gather the high in pectin berries before the birds devour them, you can cook with an ingredient that has been used for centuries. The berries survive at up to 14,000 feet in Tibet and the Himalayas, where their medical benefits have been well documented. The Greeks fed this ancient food to their horses, whose coats were said to have benefitted, hence its botanical name (Hippophae means 'shiny horse').
Recently, there has been a revival in the use of sea-buckthorn because scientists have acknowledged that it is 'nutrient dense'; rich in vitamins, omega 3, 6, 7 and 9, fatty acids, amino acids, folic acid and flavonoids. It has been suggested that it has more omega oils than any other food source and considerably more Vitamin C than oranges. Its new addition to the 'super food' range is impressive but it remains an ingredient that is free to coastal foragers. The courteous gatherer will of course, ensure that he takes enough for his own cooking pot and no more; leaving plenty for others including the birds. Bird carriage will encourage the distribution of sea-buckthorn further afield.
Wear gloves and be prepared to spend time gathering the berries. Ideally choose firm berries that you can then flash freeze and bag.
Recipe ideas:
Pack the washed and dried sea-buckthorn berries into a small bottle with sugar, vodka or gin for liqueurs or use them in vinegars or jellies, they are rich in pectin so mix well with fruits with poor setting power.The extracted juice can be sweetened with honey and diluted with sparkling water as a refreshing drink or used in sorbets (two parts sea-buckthorn juice to one sugar syrup) and ice creams. My book The Forager's Kitchen (2013) has a yummy sea buckthorn recipe but that one is under wraps until the Spring, so here is an equally delicious recipe
:
Sea-Buckthorn Drizzle Cake.
What to find:
225g soft butter
225g caster sugar
4 large eggs lightly beaten
250gself raising flour
75g sea-buckthorn berries, washed and tailed
Tbsp chopped sea-buckthorn leaves For the Drizzle
50ml sea-buckthorn juice *
30g caster sugar
What to do:
Oven 180°C 160°C Gas4
1. Line a (21x 9) loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl and gradually beat in the egg, adding a tablespoon of sifted flour with each addition of egg, when halfway through (to prevent curdling).
3. Sift in the remaining flour and gently fold the mixture to combine.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, level the surface with a knife and
sprinkle the sea- buckthorn berries and finely chopped leaves over the top.
6. Bake the cake in the pre-heated oven for 50 minutes or until the cake is golden and a skewer comes out of the centre of the cake clean.
7. Leave the cake to cool in the tin and prepare the sea-buckthorn drizzle by heating the sea-buckthorn juice and caster sugar together.
8. Make some holes over the cake's surface with a skewer or fork and drizzle the sweetened sea-buckthorn juice over the top. Leave to cool in the tin.
Sea buckthorn juice can be bought from health food stores or you can make your own by juice by simmering 50g sea-buckthorn berries with a tablespoon water for 2-4 minutes and then straining through a fine sieve. Don't worry about the odd escapee leaf or stem, it's strained before going into the drizzle.]]>Graveyard Foragingtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.19345822012-10-07T02:00:27-04:002012-12-06T05:12:01-05:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/
Historically blackberries were planted around church graveyards to deter sheep or folklore claims, to keep the devil away. Whatever the reason, at this time of year there is plentiful supply of blackberries, hips and haws on both town or country church land. Blackberries, rosehips and haws can be combined together to make delicious fruit leathers, which are a rich source of Vitamin C.
The Elder tree is a member of the Honeysuckle family, which like contemporary life is very fast growing. It can frequently be found bending its way around mature trees or intertwined with brambles. In early summer the heady scent of elderflower blossom permeates the air and its creamy, delicate flowers can be steeped with slices of lemon in sugar syrup to make elderflower cordial. Don't over-forage the flowers because in autumn, its branches won't hang heavily with berries, which can be used in pies, preserves, ketchup or syrups. Elderberry wine is for many synonymous with Joseph Kesselring's play Arsenic and Old Lace but when, made to the correct recipe, it is delicious. Be prepared for purple hands and allow plenty of time to strip the Lilliputian sized berries.
In graveyards in spring, there is often a generous supply of Bishop's Weed; this somehow, seems appropriate and there will be violets, which were planted by the Victorians, as a traditional mourning flower. I confess to having gathered violets after Kirk in the full view of the Minister and congregation. I don't feel that picking edibles on church ground is wrong, unless you are gathering greedily or the flowers are protected. In spring, primroses bank graveyard hedgerows and these crystallize well or can be used in curd. I often mix primroses with violets for a splash of graveyard colour when I decorate my baking. Foraging such beautiful, delicate flowers in moderation should not be frowned upon or considered morbid. Graveyards are by far the most peaceful place to forage in, especially in the heart of a busy, bustling city. If I happen to glimpse upon a child's tombstone, it saddens me, but it also makes me count my blessings. A Christian isn't 'spooked' because a cemetery is simply a place, where we remember those once loved physically. During graveyard foraging there is the opportunity for interest in those who have died before us - a lesson in social history as well as foraging for the supper pot.
In the bible Paul in (2 Cor 12 v 7) speaks of a thorn in his flesh, although we are not told what the thorn is. A forager can take this biblical verse literally, when he or she gathers haws or blackberries. Let nobody say that foraging is without cost.
Graveyard Syrup
Makes 350ml
What to find:
250g rinsed elderberries
250ml water
300g caster sugar
Whole star anise
What to do
1. Simmer the berries and water in a non-aluminum pan for 30 minutes until the berries are soft.
2. Use a potato masher to mash the berries and then strain the juice into a glass (plastic may strain) jug.
3. Return the juice (approx 250ml) to the pan with the sugar and star anise and simmer for 20 minutes. Boil rapidly for 2-3 minutes and pour into a hot sterile bottle. When cool seal with a plastic coated lid.
Store in a cool place and serve with ice cream or fresh fruit. Children can dilute the syrup with still or sparkling water to make a rather wicked Hallowe'en style drink.]]>Wildfowling - Not Strictly foragingtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.19039382012-09-24T07:20:10-04:002012-11-24T05:12:01-05:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/
The sheer wall of noise from nesting birds evident on my visit to the Hebridean Isle of Mingulay, deafened me and views from the cliffs to the swirling sea below scared me witless.I salute the brave St Kildan 'birdmen', who developed claw-like fingers and toes, to enable them to scamper up and down the highest cliffs in Britain, in their quest for eggs and birds.The taste preference of the St Kildan was the fulmar and they used the oil, which the bird squirted 'in fear and self defence' for any number of things including as their replacement for butter.
Last year, we spent a few days in The Minch, on http://www.shiantisles.net/ which I nick-named Puffinville, but none, I hasten to add, ended up in my foraging pot. We dined on limpets a couple of times, but the general verdict was they were far too tough to excite even the most determined foraging cook. Here on South Uist management of the Greylag Goose is needed http://www.uist.co.uk/public-meeting-on-goose-problem/ and as a consequence, I am often the lucky recipient of a pair of geese. My husband, Stephen is the island doctor and I smiled, when one of his nurses told me that her son had given her 26 geese to 'deal' with. I am indeed a fortunate lady. Here is a simple recipe using the livers; do note that greylag geese aren't forced-fed. This pate, which uses the lung too, is rather delicious with oatcakes.
Greylag Liver Pate
What to find;
Seves 2-3
15g butter
shallot, peeled and finely diced
Clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Large pinch mace
2 greylag geese livers and lungs
Dessertspoon gin*
Large tbsp crowdie (textured cream cheese)
2tsps chives finely snipped What to do:
Heat the butter in a frying pan and saute the shallot until translucent.
Add the garlic, mace, livers and lungs and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the gin and allow to cool briefly. Scrap the pan into a in food processor and blend well.
Add the crowdie and blend until smooth. Season to taste, mix in the chives and spoon into a small ramekin.
*Dedicated foragers might like to use: blackberry, wild raspberry, gean (wild cherry) or hazelnut gin, or of course, any other wild brandy or vodka. I used a store cupboard special, the secret ingredient of which will be revealed in my cookery book for foragers (publication Spring 2013).]]>Brambling in the Outer Hebridestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.18732132012-09-11T07:50:03-04:002012-11-11T05:12:01-05:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/
The fruit and vegetables in my local Co-op are often out of season and look tired into the bargain but then, it's not rocket science to understand why the broccoli goes yellow after a day or so, it's all down to time spent in transit or ferry miles. This is a quite separate issue to the much talked about food miles. However, all is not doom and gloom for the discerning Hebridean foodie. It really is a question of eating local, even if the larder is limited and using the bounty of the natural larder of Scotland. This larder is by its very nature, seasonal but those with a tendency to plan and prepare can perfect the aged skills of preserving, drying and the more contemporary advancement, freezing.
The Hebridean Isle of South Uist doesn't have many trees but wild cooks may in season, gather: elderflowers and berries, mountain sh berries and deliciously scented wild honeysuckle, which hangs over cliff and there is plenty more at ground level. This week, during wind breaks, I've been gathering brambles for vinegar and jams. Hardy bramble foragers wear old clothes and cover up well, even when the late summer sun is shining.The more prudent forager carries antiseptic pads and perhaps a plaster or two to tend to a sneaky thorn wound. A basket is more beneficial than a carrier bag, especially if you want to freeze the berries and use them at a later date.
I created this recipe for BBC Scotland's Beechgrove Garden, with the suggestion to gardeners, that it is easily adapted to use end of season raspberries too. Sometimes, I add a few sweet cicely leaves when simmering the brambles, this adds a hint of aniseed to the curd.
Bramble and Lemon Curd
Makes one large jar
What to find:
200g brambles, washed
50ml water
2 lemons, zest and juice
100g butter
200g sugar
3 eggs 2 yolks
What to do:
1. Simmer the brambles in a pan with the water until soft (5 minutes).
2. Push the brambles through a sieve into a large, heat resistant mixing bowl.
3. Put the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add the lemon juice and zest, butter and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved and butter melted.
4. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the lightly beaten eggs and yolks.
5. Return the bowl to the pan and stir over a gentle heat until the mixture thickens (coats the back of the wooden spoon).
6. Pour into warm, dry sterilized jars, cool, seal and label.
Refrigerate and use within 2 weeks.
This recipe was created for Tern Televison's Beechgrove Garden]]>Gluten and Almost Fat Free Christmas Puddingtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.11250642011-12-02T06:23:56-05:002012-02-01T05:12:01-05:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/BBC Masterchef. The competition has long changed, indeed I wouldn't dare enter today's show, there is far too much competition and as for those stints in professional kitchen I would be doomed; I am a cook, not a chef. However, there is something about cookery competitions that gets my juices running and earlier this year, I entered and won the Merry section in the The World's Original Marmalade Awardshttp://www.marmaladeawards.com/ an interesting concept for the author of a kids' cookery book, where the inclusion of alcohol is not permitted. Fuelled by success rather than alcohol, I continued the marmalade and Cointreau theme with a Christmas Pudding entry to The Taste of Christmas, again with some success.
I spend time in primary schools encouraging children to cook and, increasingly, I seem to come across more and more food allergies and intolerances including coeliacs. As a direct result, I am very aware of the difficulties that families have at festive time -- most shop-bought Christmas cakes and puddings will contain gluten. This year, my Christmas pudding recipe is gluten free and contains minimal fat (the greasing of the pudding dish). It is delicious and brings with it the scents and tastes of orange and spices which are synonymous with an old fashioned Christmas.
1. Ask young helpers to chop the cherries and apricots (a cutlery knife and chopping board works well).
2. Put the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well with washed hands.
3. Put the marmalade, eggs, fruit juices and Cointreau in another bowl and mix together.
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, stir well, cover and leave to stand overnight.
5. Butter the inside of a large pudding basin and spoon in the mixture (the pudding is flourless so you can fill it to almost the top of the basin). Cover with pleated, buttered greaseproof paper and muslin and secure with string.
6. Put the basin on a trivet (up turned saucer) in a large pan and half fill the pan with boiling water. Put a lid on the pan and bring to the boil and then, simmer for 6 hours topping up water as required.
7. Allow to cool completely and then re-warp in greaseproof paper and muslin and store in a dry place.
Steam for two hours before serving.]]>Wee Black Berriestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9753152011-09-22T05:12:11-04:002011-11-22T05:12:01-05:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/
We've been gathering brambles (blackberries) for as long as I can remember. I think brambles must be one of the most extensively foraged berries in the UK. Even those who aren't serious wild food hunters and gathers seem to go brambling. Found in woods, hedgerows and wasteland from August, the best fruit is at the tip of the lowest cluster and is usually the first to ripen. Pick on into October, if you dare, but legend reports that on September 29th, the Feast of St Michael The Archangel, the Devil is said to spit or urinate on brambles. The berries are also known as Lawyers' berries because the thorny branches are tricky to escape from. Perhaps this is why they are often found at the edge of old graveyards, a natural deterrent to sheep and who knows, even the Devil.
Folklore aside the young leaves infused in boiling water and sweetened with honey are an excellent treatment for soothing mouth ulcers and the berries lend themselves to inclusion in a multitude of recipes: crumbles, fools, crowdie, jams and jellies, syrups and fools. A simple recipe is to press the berry juice through muslin into a bowl, and leave it at room temperature for a few hours- it will turn into 'easy peasy bramble junket.'
By contrast one of the most difficult wee, black berries to harvest is the Bilberry, Blaeberry or Whortleberry. They are best foraged on hands and knees and lurk amongst heathers on moors. Although they are tricky to spy initially, once you get your eye in, you will be richly rewarded -- the taste is delicious. The task is laborious because there is often only one berry on each, low-lying stem. My daughter, Lili's Scottish school had rooms name after Scottish wild flowers and berries: Honeysuckle, Broom, Cloudberry Juniper and Blaeberry; we wondered if bygone staff had been keen foragers. Lili and I picked blaeberries on a heather moor, for well over an hour (with the Landowner's foraging permission) but still gathered a meagre 100g - just enough for this muffin recipe (taken from Kids' Kitchen). The recipe works equally well with brambles.
What to do:
Put the oven on 190˚C 170ºC Fan Gas Mark 5
1. Put the muffin cases into the muffin tray.
2. Put the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, into a mixing bowl.
3. Measure the milk and oil into a large measuring jug and beat together (the liquids).
4. Add the egg to the liquids and mix well.
5. Add the liquid ingredients and blaeberries to the dry ingredients and fold until the mixture is 'just' mixed.
6. Use a tablespoon, to spoon the mixture into the cases. Use a spatula to scrape the last of the mixture out of the bowl.
7. Put the muffin tray into the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
8. Transfer the hot muffins from the tray to a cooling rack - they will go soggy if you leave them in the tray to cool.
]]>Wild Honeysuckle Jelly and White Clover and Carrot Caketag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9445972011-09-01T07:57:21-04:002011-11-01T05:12:01-04:00Fi Birdhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/fi-bird/Cooking with Summer Flowers
As soon as I see a patch of violets or primroses, I know that spring is here. These fragrant flowers can be used in salads or crystallized by using egg white and caster sugar and preserved for decorating cakes later in the year. The fragile petals of early summer's, candy-floss pink dog roses can be gathered and made into rose cordial which will delight any young child. As the seasons progress, harvesting rosehips for a rich syrup or healthier rosehip tea will give a mega dose of vitamin C drink.
The smell of wild honeysuckle is intoxicating, especially at night when it is pollinated by night flying moths. However, although one can easily identify the smell, how do you describe the taste of honeysuckle - this was the question I was asked after making wild honeysuckle jelly.
Looking at wild honeysuckle it has a delicate structure and the frequent visits of industrious bees suggest that it is a very worthy flower, an intricate part of our food chain but I still haven't answered the question, how to describe the taste of honeysuckle?
Many children of cocoa bean producers don't get to taste chocolate and their's is a similar conundrum to my honeysuckle question - how do you describe chocolate to them? Perhaps by using the adjectives: velvety sweet, dark brown and rich. The wild honeysuckle jelly was certainly sweet and thickly gelatinous (there must be lots of pectin in honeysuckle). In the words of one of my children, it tasted of the garden. Quite delicious, as was a white clover sponge cake I made recently after a qucik forage.
Keen gardeners will be be harvesting carrots and this recipe is quite perfect for the knobbly, wobbly carrots that would be rejected on a supermarket vegetable catwalk - they still taste fabulous and in this recipe, which uses honey scented clover too, they'll even look fantastic.
Carrot and White Clover Cake
Serves 8
What to find:
200g carrots
150ml rapeseed oil
125g caster sugar
6 white clover flowers (washed & segmented)
2 large eggs
250g self-raising flour
Heaped tsp baking powder.
For the icing
50g soft butter
150g sifted icing sugar
3 white clover flowers (washed & segmented)
Scrambled eggs with razor clams, cockles and finely chopped sweet cicely (if you can forage it) served on a bagel- the perfect breakfast for a coastal forager.]]>
By contrast one of the most difficult wee, black berries to harvest is the Bilberry, Blaeberry or Whortleberry. They are best foraged on hands and knees and lurk amongst heathers on moors. Although they are tricky to spy initially, once you get your eye in, you will be richly rewarded -- the taste is delicious. The task is laborious because there is often only one berry on each, low-lying stem. My daughter, Lili's Scottish school had rooms name after Scottish wild flowers and berries: Honeysuckle, Broom, Cloudberry Juniper and Blaeberry; we wondered if bygone staff had been keen foragers. Lili and I picked blaeberries on a heather moor, for well over an hour (with the Landowner's foraging permission) but still gathered a meagre 100g - just enough for this muffin recipe (taken from Kids' Kitchen). The recipe works equally well with brambles.
