First Forage

[UncleEbenezer]

On my walk today I collected a seasonal ingredient. My food is currently baking, and in less than ten minutes I shall be eating it. Sadly most of the ingredients are still shop-bought, but my first foraged food of the year seems a minor milestone.

Mushrooms stuffed with nuts and grated cheese, and flavoured with pepper and ultra-fresh wild garlic. And rice on the hob, and a white wine in the fridge. Must go now, grab a spot of salad to go with it.

[AsleepInYorkshire]

On my walk today I collected a seasonal ingredient. My food is currently baking, and in less than ten minutes I shall be eating it. Sadly most of the ingredients are still shop-bought, but my first foraged food of the year seems a minor milestone.

Mushrooms stuffed with nuts and grated cheese, and flavoured with pepper and ultra-fresh wild garlic. And rice on the hob, and a white wine in the fridge. Must go now, grab a spot of salad to go with it.

We should arrive at about 4am. Don't wait up we an microwave it.

AiY

[vrdiver]

Six portions of blanched wild garlic leaves picked yesterday and now in the freezer. (I put 50 or so leaves in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, then cool them under running water, squeeze them into a ball and freeze. A small portion to add to a full plate, or take a couple if it's the main greens).

I'll pick more, and also some nettle tops as they are just coming up about now. Lovely greens with a bit of butter!

VRD

[UncleEbenezer]

Six portions of blanched wild garlic leaves picked yesterday and now in the freezer. (I put 50 or so leaves in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, then cool them under running water, squeeze them into a ball and freeze. A small portion to add to a full plate, or take a couple if it's the main greens).

I'll pick more, and also some nettle tops as they are just coming up about now. Lovely greens with a bit of butter!

VRD

Not so many nettles around any of my regular walks, but yes, they're nicely in season. Now that you mention it, I think I know where I can find them locally (the same meadow where I put the butterfly out a year ago), and I suddenly rather fancy a nettle tea.

[feder1]

Hi Uncle,
Slightly offtopic.

I couldn,t help notice your aversion to "shop bought" and it is the same for us regarding a range of food items.

We couldn,t bear the thought now of eating a shop bought cake, bread or bakery item since our home made stuff is incredibly superior in texture and flavour - partly because we use only half sugar.

We normally cook main meals from scratch anyway and don,t do takeaways.

The lockdown has given us time to get in a big variety of ingredients and interest to experiment. Also time for home grown toms, garlic and spring onions!

[vrdiver]

The lockdown has given us time to get in a big variety of ingredients and interest to experiment. Also time for home grown toms, garlic and spring onions!

A neat trick with spring onions; if you do buy them, buy them with the roots on and when chopping, sacrifice a little bit of the bulb along with the roots and plop it in a spare bit of garden bed and water it in. 9 out of 10 of these will regrow and can be harvested by cutting the bulb off of the roots, leaving them to regrow again and again.

A couple of bunches in Spring and you may not have to buy any more for the whole summer

VRD

[UncleEbenezer]

Hi Uncle,
Slightly offtopic.

Nowt wrong wi'that.

I couldn,t help notice your aversion to "shop bought" and it is the same for us regarding a range of food items.

Not aversion: almost everything I eat is shop-bought. Just a love of a bit of a change, and something I've gathered myself.

The lockdown has given us time to get in a big variety of ingredients and interest to experiment. Also time for home grown toms, garlic and spring onions!

All very well for those of you with a garden to grow them in. Sadly not all of us do.