Winter in the forest floor

Now that the season is well underway the remnants of the summer herbs and vegetables are still to be see fading into the background.
Now the chick weeds mosses and thicker ferns cone into season, and mushrooms still holding strong although I suspect not much longer left in them ( please identify mushrooms correctly as they can be toxic)

Seeds and nuts are now in depending on where you are oak and pine check the floor for acorns and pine cones if the pine cones is fully opened with a white milky ring it’s empty no point trying to get the tasty nuts inside. If they are closed and still attached pick them leave them by the fire for a few days to open them then tap them to release the beautiful nuts inside, can be eaten raw and most often roasted or toasted and used in pesto’s.

If neither of these apply to you try the beech nuts which have a fuzzy casing that can be easily burst, again eat raw or roast or toast them as a healthy snack. Should you be lucky enough to find sweet chestnuts still hanging around these are the ones with the prickly casing on the outside these can be used to make a puree or as part of your stuffing for your Christmas dinner.

Spruce trees produce cones they are edible but are overpowering, so instead clip the tips off the branches and steep in hot water but not boiling water to make a tea which native Americans still enjoy.

Fir trees take the needles and dry them out by the fire or the hot-press, blend once dried and add to hot water to make tea or to fish, chicken dishes or soups to add a lemony taste.

Now that’s one way to get rid if your Christmas tree as it’s works with pine and spruce also. Use the wood in the fire and the needles in the dinner.

While there are many different types of each of these trees here’s a general how to tell the difference between pine spruce and fir. While they all grow here, are coniferous and needle bearing. The difference lays in the needles
Pine has long needles, by comparison with the other 2.
Fir and spruce are the 2 most similar, both needles are short difference is the needles themselves fir needles are flat while spruce needles are rounded

See James piece for more info on the pine
Follow on Twitter James @boilingjames and myself @chefpaulc

Have you ever wondered what a caper is??

A caper is the bud of a bush that is called a Capparis Spinosa AKA a caper bush also known as flinders rose. The buds are then salted and after a certain amount of time gently washed and pickled with vinegar.

The best capers though are just sea salted. You can also get smaller capers which are generally more expensive but for other reason then they are harder to gather or forage.

Pickled or sea salted capers go well with pretty much everything. Meat, fish or salads. They are also used to enhance the flavours of other dishes such as caponata which is a zesty aubergine dish (which origins are a mystery but believed to be connected to the caper) and one on my personal favourites pepperonata which is a vegetarian dish but can be served with so many different dishes.

The capers we get from the islands between Italy and Africa are the best because of climate and the islands that have volcanic minerals are the best of all. Here are some photos of where they come from and some photos of what you can do with them

follow kevin on twitter @parsnip78

Art by @wattonarts instagram

Haws and Sloes

Both of these are common across Ireland and form a staple in the hedgerows of much of the Irish countryside. Depending on where you are you are more likely to see one more than the other, with the haws (hawthorn) preferring the more acidic soils and the Sloes (blackthorn) preferring a more alkaline soil.

For years I had known that Sloes were used with gin but did not know of any use for the haws. That’s the great thing about being a chef there is always something new, everyday a learning experience, a chance to try new things, create and experiment.

Traditionally haws were used in a variety of ways, including a haw sauce for use with roast dishes, haw tea drunk with the addition of sugar or honey (it needs it these berries are bitter), as well as medicinal uses which some believe helped in the remedy to bladder and kidney stones and a digestive aid and more recently has been linked to heart benefits and general well being.

Haw Tea

Place a handful of the berries into a mug and add boiling water, and leave to infuse for 10/12 minutes. Then remove the berries and drink with sugar or honey.

The Sloes are however have also some medicinal properties when boiled in water until they form a syrup they have been used as a purgative medicine.

The blackthorn can be found along roadsides and in hedgerows around the country and come into fruit around the same time as the haws in the late summer early autumn

Sloe gin

Collect ripe Sloes and wash thoroughly, traditionally each sloe is pricked with a thorn from the blackthorn, but freezing them overnight and defrosting then the next day has the same effect

Place into a wide mouth jar that can be closed tightly half fill with the berries and for every half litre of gin add 100g sugar (add cloves or cinnamon for some added flavour)
Invert daily for 2 weeks then once a week for 12 weeks.
Now it can be decanted into bottles through a fine sieve to ensure sediment and fruit stay separate from the gin.

These can then be turned into a really flavour full jam (so no waste)

Over the coming weeks I will be picking blackberries again see other posts here by @chefnoelk for ideas. (The chutney is really good on its own or on a slice of homemade bread)
Also it’s time for nuts to be appearing on trees soon so keep an eye out for a man climbing a tree with a black tub.

See pictures when I’m doing this on Twitter or Instagram @chefpaulc

 

cowberries

These berries are new to me in that I don’t associate them with my childhood, finding out about these quite recently

Alternatively known as lingonberry or foxberry. They can be found across ireland and Scotland and parts of England, found predominantly in bogland and woodland areas.
The berries are edible but are acidic and unpleasant to eat until they are cooked. They are revered in Germany and the Scandinavian countries.

Cookery

They are bitter and until baked or cooked with the addition of sugar. In Nordic countries they make it into a jam and use it as a condiment to meat dishes.

As a member of the heather it is thought to have medicinal uses, some suggesting that it eases cold and flu symptoms, helps with stomach discomfort and dahrreoa

Jam/jelly recipe

In a heavy pot
1 kg of washed and destalked
Add 250ml water and bring to the boil and leave boil until the berries are soft
Add 500g sugar and dissolve
Boil vigorously for 15 mins
Pass through a sieve or muslin cloth if making a jelly
Add 500g sugar for every 600 ml liquid
Boil vigorously for a further 6 minutes until it begins to set.

How do you know it will set
Take a side plate and chill it
Place a spoon of the liquid on the plate it should solidify in a matter of minutes

A big thanks to James “Macdaddy” for the intro to these berries

by paul cotter @chefpaulc