Tagged: foraging RSS

• Hedgerow Liqueurs and Wild Wines at Woodlands Farm 

  Harumph, just when you thought you were winding down, Woodlands Farm ask for a mention…oh well, can’t really refuse them of all people…plus, I recently noticed they had some fine looking blackthorn bushes brimming with sumptuous looking sloe berries, which reminds me to get foraging myself. Sloe berries can also be found in Oxleas Woods and Shrewsbury Park, and now is probably as good a time as any to collect some, although some people wait until after the first frost, which sweetens their taste a little.

  Hedgerow Liqueurs and Wild Wines

  Saturday 8 October 2011
  1.30pm-5.00pm
  £10 (£6 for Woodlands Farm Trust members)
  Over-18s only
  Pick your own fruit to make exciting hooch for Christmas using wild damsons and sloes.
  Bring your own gin or spirit of choice, together with a container of at least 1 litre capacity with a wide neck (larger than 2.5cm).
  Please dress appropriately for outdoor activities.

   

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  11:07 pm on October 3, 2011
  Tags: foraging, woodlands farm (30)   

• Shooters Hill on Ice 

  

  bramble ice cream

  
-- Ingredients
blackberries - 1 Pound
double or whipping cream - 1 Pint
sugar - ¼ to ½ Pound


  --Steps
whizz and sieve the berries
mix the juice & sugar
whisk the cream into soft falling peaks
fold ingredients together
spoon into a carton
half freeze (about 3 hours)
whisk again, add a few whole berries, and wait...


  Bramble time is here again! I’ve tried various recipes over the years: crumbles, pies, juice, jelly and jam, but when I was on my holidays this year I came across some blackberry ice cream which was so nice I decided to try making some myself, luckily it was easy, the trickiest part being the waiting around.

  hilly, and Plummy Mummy are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • Plummy Mummy 8:29 pm on September 5, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Looks yum. How was it? And did you finish all your sloe gin off from last year too?

    • hilly 11:19 pm on September 5, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      it was very nice, i made it twice, once with double cream, and once with whipping cream, i think i preferred the double cream version though, although that might have just been the enjoyment of making something for the first time.

      the sloe gin was a bit of a disaster last year as it clouded up, still better than the nail polish remover they sell in the shops though, when it’s done right it makes the perfect winter warmer.

  11:18 pm on August 21, 2010
  Tags: food (9), foraging, SE18 (28)   

• Too Sloe 

  Back in October when the sweet chestnut season was in full swing, I mentioned that I was looking forward to the first frost of the year, the seasonal cue to make sloe gin… however climate chaos (or cyclical warming as some would have it) appears to have put a kibosh on my plans, as whilst I patiently waited for jack frost to turn up and ice those berries near the duck pond, someone or something came along and snaffled the lot!

  My first thoughts were that some human(s) had picked them all, but considering how high up some had been, I began to wonder if perhaps those pesky parakeets had been at them?

  Anyway, today I was out testing the unofficial shortcut from Dot Hill to Cheriton Drive (very muddy), and I stumbled upon a whole load of blackthorns at the entrance to the old allotments! Luckily enough I still had a bit of gin left (which I’d been drowning my sorrows in after the loss of the other sloes), so I grabbed about 40 or so, plus a thorn, leaving plenty enough for any other foragers/birds in the area. There’s also a load of rosehips there too, at least that’s what I think they are.

  The home made recipe is totally straightforward, but superior to the shop-bought version, which apparently gets made with rough spirits and cordial. Essentially, you just use the sloes to double the amount of drink, and it makes a very pleasant winter warmer:

  Ingredients:

  • enough sloes to fill bottle of gin
  • one empty bottle of gin
  • one full bottle of gin
  • one thorn

  Method:

  • prick the berries with the thorn
  • drop them into the bottles with gin
  • shake gently every now and then
  • the colour and flavour is optimal after three months, but it rarely remains in the bottle that long
  • decant carefully for clarity

  hilly, and Plummy Mummy are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • Plummy Mummy 4:01 pm on December 2, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    Hmmm. I am sad. I had to look up “sloes” in google image as I had no idea what they are. But I’m intrigued now. My favourite gin is Bombay Sapphire which glows rather prettily under UV lights. What colour does the sloe gin end up?

    • hilly 9:24 pm on December 4, 2009 Permalink | Reply

      hi plummy mummy, well, i poured a bit out today, and it looked liked rather cloudy, it needs more time i think – the ideal colour is a clear ruby red.

  10:47 pm on November 28, 2009
  Tags: foraging, present (14), sheperdleas wood (4), shrewsbury park (8)   

• Got any Nuts? 

  

  Sweet Chestnut from Oxleas Woods

  It was a lovely sunny day yesterday and lots of dogs were out taking their people for a walk and cavorting around the woods at this time of the changing seasons. In august I remarked on the bumper crop of blackberries to be found on the hill, and it’s also been a good year for the Sweet Chestnut trees in Oxleas Woods, with their crop in full swing around about now.

  In just a few prickly minutes, my pockets were full, and before long the nostalgic aroma of roasting chestnuts filled the kitchen (luckily this wasn’t joined by the sound of explosions as they had their tips cut off before going under the grill), I also saved a few to plant in pots. Italian chestnuts, which are about twice the size, are also in season, and can be bought in the run up to Christmas; and the west-end chestnut sellers will probably be setting up their little fires around this time.

  I’m now looking forward to the first frost, which will be the cue to make sheperdleas sloe gin, this time of year is also a busy one for fungi, who make a strong showing in Oxleas Woods in autumn, especially on the lower, damper slopes, although I’m not really sure which ones are poisonous/hallucinogenic/inedible/edible, perhaps the rangers might be able to answer this kind of question on one of their parkland rambles.

   

  12:27 pm on October 19, 2009
  Tags: food (9), foraging, oxleas woods (11)   

• Fruits of the Hill 

  Well, 2009 was not a good year for plumstead plums, well at least in my orchard anyway, the late frost zapped the spring blossoms with the result that I only got 6 victorias this year :(

  On the plus side, the weather conditions this year have led to a bumper crop of wild blackberries, I have never seen so many on the hill, and whilst still a bit sharp tasting, and with sharp thorns for protection – I had a go at my first blackberry and apple pie of the summer today, and it goes like this:

  1. several handfuls of wild blackberries, washed to flush out insects (no pesticides then, could be organic).
  2. the same amount of apple slices.
  3. a pie dish.
  4. sugar to take the sharp edge off the berries (if they are really sweet then this could be skipped).
  5. pastry as you like it, I just mixed together 5 Oz butter with 4 Oz of plain flour and 2 tbsp water for 30 secs, and then added another 4 Oz flour to make the pastry for rolling out on top.
  6. bake for 20 minutes at 200º celcius, then about another 20 at 180º.

  With this year’s yields looking so promising, i’m hoping to make jam next.

   

  11:56 pm on August 16, 2009
  Tags: food (9), foraging