I’m a bit nonplussed, underwhelmed even about foraging. My Dad, an ex boy scout, was always telling us of things we could eat… you know.. like hawthorn leaves. So us kids would dutifully pick a leaf and chew it.. and wonder why anyone would bother. The truth is, although there are a lot of things you can eat that just grow wild… mostly.. you wouldn’t care to.
Of course there are exceptions.. elderflower champagne is the taste of my childhood, wild strawberries a gem, but I think the best of wild foods are to be found in autumn.
Over the weekend we gathered lots of hazelnuts, the first of the elderberries, lots of sloes, and yet more blackberries. All of these are definitely worth picking.
We also gathered a load of haw berries.. easy to find at the moment, as I want to try the recipe for spicy haw ketchup in the Riverford preserves book. I am not sure how it will work out.. will it receive the same facial expressions us kids gave my dad on sampling hawthorn leaves.. or will it be a winner… well there is only one way to find out.
We have just picked a load of haws this weekend with the idea of doing the same pickle from the River Cottage. We have tried the making the wine route with them and winced when we tasted, we’ve tried the leaves in the salad route too – marginally more successfully. But our final hopes for using the haws rest on this book! I shall let you know how it goes 🙂 fingers crossed.
yay – great minds an all that…:)