99 Station Street

One of my favourite activities is talking the children to one of our village parks. To get there, you walk across a couple of fields and some well trodden footpaths. A common feature of any of these treks is the variety of food that is literally there for the taking. At this time of year the blackberries and elderberries are at their peak. Rosehips are all around and if you have the patience, try making the syrup. A sad fact is that many things in hedges or with painful foliage get ignored. The blackberry is certainly in that group as well as one of my real favourites, the stinging nettle. The sting is deactivated as soon the leaves hit boiling water, straight out and into ice water to refresh. It makes a great alternative to spinach and is fantastic as a stuffing for chicken breasts.

The key to any foraging is not only in the understanding of where you can find produce but also in when it is at it’s best. Whilst there is no strict calendar there are a couple of hints that nature will give. If you want to harvest nice, juicy sloes, wait till at least after the first frost. The cold will freeze the liquid inside, this expands and causes damage to the cell walls and thus, the juice is unlocked. It also saves a mountain of time when you don’t have to prick them with pins before immersion in the gin