Is Wild Food Calling?

Is Wild Food Calling?

🍄 Adding wild foods to your diet can have several benefits from increased biodiversity to novel flavours. However, it's essential to approach foraging responsibly and safely, with a deep respect for the environment and the knowledge to identify and prepare wild foods correctly.

🌱 Foraging for wild foods encourages a closer connection to the seasons and nature's cycles. It can help you appreciate the natural rhythm of food availability and diversity. Who wouldn't enjoy seasonal eating?

👀 Let's have a look at random stuff you can add to your diet, shall we???!!!

❤️ Hawthorn, May, Maythorn, Whitethorn ❤️

🌿The leaves can be collected in Spring for use in salads or at any time for teas.

💮 The petals can be used for salads.

🔴 The berries are best after a frost in Autumn but as frosts appear later and later try the berries, they are ready when sweet. We also have freezers now so the berries can be ‘bletted’ (frozen) artificially.

🍵 All parts of the hawthorn are good for regulating blood pressure but the leaves are reported as the best and used to make a tea.

👉 Why don't you check my full blog article about Hawthorn here.

🤤 I can't wait to make fruit leather and haws spread or pate whatever you'd like to call it. Last year I made it for the first time and it was wonderful. It is very fiddly business with haws. Honestly, I'm not sure why I do it. It takes lots of time, creates so much mess but somehow I'm attracted to do it. It might be the wild food calling. Therefore, I'm not gonna question it and when the calling comes, I'll go for a walk and bring some haws with me.

🧘‍♀️ There's something therapeutic about picking haws. In case you are freak like me and love trying new stuff here you go:

🫕 Simmer haws for a couple of minutes. Process them in vegetable miller to get rid of stones and make purée. Mix this purée with sunflower seeds, salt and oregano (you can also add garlic cloves, I'll skip the garlic in my case) and put it in a blender. And whoala!

👨‍🍳You can play with this recipe, add something else in case you don't like sunflower seeds, oregano etc. You can make this uniquely yours.

😂 Pat yourself on the shoulder and eat it with pride with a big grin on your face. And find someone else to clear the mess after you if you can. I haven't found that lucky person yet! If you have spare eager volunteers, send them my way!

🍇 The Season Has Started! Hurry Up Though, It Will Be Over Soon...🍇

💜 Blackberry aka Bramble 💜

😂 Thorny as hell and a pain almost all year except when the blackberry fruits and they become a must have Autumn delight.

💪 Protect yourself as best you can from the thorns and just go for it!

🫙 This year I focused on making fruit leather. I just used fresh blackberries and vanilla pods. That's it! It stores pretty well this way in mason jars and I can enjoy it during winter months.

❓ What is your favourite recipe?

⚠️ Guess what???!!! Heatwave arrived to UK in September after washout summer. No, we can't say we didn't have any summer now. It was here! Blink and it's gone!

🌞 I had to use my creativity when summer hit us hard and unexpectedly....

🤔 But I didn't have the right tools to make it happen...

🙏 But I was very desperate....

😂 And brambles were ripe already... The Muffin Ice Lollies were the answer!

🥕 Wild Carrot aka Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) 🥕

⚠️ It is better to identify Wild Carrot when it is in flower due to its similarity to Hemlock.

⛔ Carrot family is definitely not place to start for newbie foragers!!!

💀 It contains quite a few toxic, poisonous and deadly poisonous plants.

Read that again!!!

🧡 This year my heart was stolen by this gentle looking pretty flower.

💮 The flowers can be eaten raw or battered and deep fried.

🍃 The leaves can be used in salads.

🍞 The seeds can be used in breads or soups and stews.

💡 Tip how to identify this beauty:

Lookout for the one red tiny floret among the white, that is often in the middle. There are bracts that are underneath the flower head and has a hairy stem.

🧁 And if you like baking, make sure to collect and dry the seeds. I used them in muffins and enjoyed the unusual flavour.

🍲 I also dried the flowers and will use them as seasoning for soups.

🧡 Rowan Tree/Mountain Ash/Sorbus Aucuparia 🧡

🌳 Common names:

Rowan, Rowanberry, Mountain Ash, European Mountain Ash, Quickbeam, Witch Wiggin Tree, Keirn, Cuirn, Caorthann

Botanical name: Sorbus aucuparia

🥘 Rowan must be cooked as raw berries will cause stomach upsets, but once cooked are perfectly fine.

🍎 Rowan berries are naturally bitter, but cooking them with sugar tames the flavour. They are traditionally paired with crab apples and used to make jelly to accompany meats and cheese, as they are high in pectin.

🟠 Rowan berries are an astringent, a laxative and a good source of vitamins C and A.

🤤 I made some fruit leather and rowan berry jelly.

😂 Note from me, they are bitter like hell! So basically, if you fancy lump of sugar and pretend it's healthy go for it.

The fruit leather has pretty good consistency though. Next time I'm going to mix it more with sweet fruit (figs, dates or something like that).

🤎 Homemade Flour From Dock Seeds 🤎

Rumex crispus, commonly known as curly dock or yellow dock, is a perennial flowering plant that belongs to the family Polygonaceae. Its seeds can be ground into flour, which offers various potential benefits similar to those of dock seeds in general:

1. 𝗡𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁: Rumex crispus flour is rich in nutrients, including proteins, dietary fibre, vitamins (such as vitamin C and some B-vitamins), and minerals (like calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium). Incorporating this flour into your diet can provide a nutrient boost.

2. 𝗚𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻-𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: As with other dock seeds, Rumex crispus flour is gluten-free, making it a suitable option for individuals with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.

3. 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵: The high fibre content in Rumex crispus flour can promote healthy digestion and regular bowel movements, aiding in gastrointestinal health.

4. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀: The fibre in Rumex crispus flour can act as a prebiotic, nourishing beneficial gut bacteria and supporting a healthy gut microbiome.

5. 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Due to its relatively low glycaemic index, Rumex crispus flour may help stabilize blood sugar levels, making it potentially beneficial for people with diabetes or those looking to manage blood sugar fluctuations.

6. 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Some studies suggest that Rumex crispus contains antioxidants that can help protect cells from oxidative stress, which may contribute to overall health and disease prevention.

7. 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: The combination of protein and fibre in Rumex crispus flour can increase feelings of fullness and satiety, potentially assisting in weight management efforts.

8. 𝗜𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: Rumex crispus is notably high in iron content, making its flour a potential source of this essential mineral. Iron is crucial for the formation of haemoglobin and the transport of oxygen in the blood.

9. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝘀: In traditional medicine, various parts of the Rumex crispus plant have been used for their purported medicinal properties, such as for treating skin conditions, liver problems, and digestive issues.

🤤 Check this easy recipe below:

🍩 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dock seed flour

• 1/2 cup nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, etc.)

• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (for a vegan option)

• 1/2 cup rolled oats

• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed

• 1/4 cup shredded coconut

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• A pinch of salt

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, combine dock seed flour, nut butter, honey (or maple syrup), rolled oats, ground flaxseed, shredded coconut, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.

• Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly combined.

• Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for about 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.

• Once chilled, take a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball between your palms.

• Repeat with the remaining mixture until all the energy bites are formed.

• Store the energy bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a quick and nutritious snack.

The resulting flour is quite bitter and you should mix it with other flour. On its own it's great for making dock seeds crackers - on my to do list.

🔥 Harvesting Rosebay Willowherb | Fireweed Stem Pith 🔥

🔥The common name comes from its propensity to be the first plant to appear after fires and is usually found in large numbers.

😮 And guess what???!!! This little rascal appeared in my garden, it escaped from my neighbours' garden. I was upset, I tried to fight and get rid of it. And then I actually done some research. It is very versatile and has many uses.

🍵 Next year I'm going to try Oxidised Fireweed Tea. This is my first year when I started doing my own oxidised teas. It can be either done from leaves or flowers. I used Lilac Flowers for this. You can find out more here.

🥬 The very young shoots can be treated like asparagus and served with butter and lemon, the older leaves get very bitter.

🍃 Young leaves can be added to salads. The soft inner part of the stem can be easily removed and used as a thickener for soups or stews.

🥒 The mature stems, up to when the flower buds start to open, can be split down the middle and their sweet, cucumbery pith scraped out and eaten as is, or used to enrich soups, stews and smoothies.

I had to scrape it out purely out of curiosity. It was pleasantly refreshing.