Hawthorn Booze

Now what did I do with the hawthorn blossom? Well it has been used to infuse some vodka and brandy and the results are quite nice.

On Sunday evening I put the blossom into some muslin cloth to make a teabag. I then looked at our drinks cupboard and found the dregs of some vodka and some brandy. I simply poured them into some kilner jars and shoved in the tea bag. A good shake, and a sniff, every day for four days and now I have something quite interesting.

The vodka (on the left) has really taken on a brown colour. The brandy started off much darker so no change there. Both smell strongly of a beautiful almond, almost marzipan, aroma. I then poured them back into their bottles. I had to give the teabag a good squeeze as a good percentage of the drink was absorbed into the cloth and blossom. The initial drink was clear but squeezing the teabag move some musty liquid into the mix.

Opening the teabag I can see that not all the blossom parted with its flavours. It must have been packed too tight. Next time I do this I will not use a teabag, I'll just pop the blossom in straight and filter it afterwards.

The real question is what does it taste like?! As I said before the smell is amazing which for any drink is important. I am not a vodka fan but the result was quite nice. There is a dry earthy taste on top of the almond taste. Just the same taste as if you eat the blossom straight from the tree, maybe not a surprise. The brandy however worked slightly differently. The brandy and almond combination was perfect. It took on a creamy taste that then disappeared to leave a more subtle earthy taste. I think I need to go and pick a lot more blossom and buy a new bottle of brandy...

Walking Weekend

Just had a fantastic weekend with a couple of friends. We went on two brilliant walks. With my inspired "wild food" head, out looking for some good finds.

The first walk on Saturday was around a local reservoir. We found a few hawthorn trees on the main route around, but surprisingly the blossom did not smell or taste that nice. In fact it had a slightly burnt taste. Half way around the reservoir we decided to extend the walk by heading into the woods. We found a little apple tree that may need another visit in the future. An enjoyable day but only 1/10 on the wild food Richter scale.

Now our Sunday walk was a different story. We headed to the moors and came across lots of bilberry bushes. There are acres around but these are the nearest to my house I have found yet, a good find. As we headed away from the open moorland and down towards a reservoir we found a hawthorn tree. Now this hawthorn was very different - strong, rich almond fragrances. In fact I have never smelt such a nice blossom. We collected some and they have gone to some good use... I will talk about that later this week.

The next stage of our walk was an eye-opener. We found the most amazing forest. The whole floor was covered in bluebells. I found loads of wild garlic, which made me very happy. And the biggest beech trees I have ever seen. Over 4m in circumference! I want to try and harvest these come autumn. I also found Yellow Archangel, part of the dead nettle family, which can be put in salads or stir-fried. I must remember to get a photo next time.

Heading home we found an area that looked like it was once an orchard. Two surviving apple trees may yield some nice fruit one day. I also spotted a tree I could not identify. I now know it is a Wych Elm. Several healthy specimens, a wonderful sight to see. What a great weekend.

Barmy for Berries

We have just come through a very cold winter for the UK. And I think this has made nature think twice about its efforts this year. Are we looking at an abundance of berries?

As part of a plan to map my local wild food resources I thought I would drive the scenic route back home through the moors. In previous years we have enjoyed the fresh bilberry pickings near by. Unfortunately last year we were too busy with our new baby to get involved. This year though I am determined to make the most of these most delicious wild berries on our doorstep.

It is obviously months before the crop is due, and there are many other foods to pick before then, but I had to stop the car and check out how the plants had fared through the weeks of thick snow. There was no doubt they would be fine but I was really happy to find the thousands of plants covered in lots and lots of new red flowers ready to make my favourite fruit.

The same goes for the hawthorn at the back of our garden. This has now fully recovered from the major pruning operation of two years ago and is riddled head to toe with buds ready to flower. As a plant known for its May blossom I wonder if it has been delayed by that cold weather or will we see it in its full glory very soon?