Hedgerow Ramblings // Elderflower

Although it doesn't really feel like it with all the rain and chill, one sure sign that summer is here is the appearance of the Elderflower in the hedgerows. Every June it pops out, amongst the foliage, offering its sweet nectar to anyone wishing to take a whimsical foray into wine or cordial making. 

I've posted before about this exciting flower, its properties and some lovely recipes for utilising it. Have a gander here to find out more. If you're having a go at foraging elderflower for drinks-making this year, I wish you well and lots of enjoyment - but please take care when picking and using wild food: make sure you know what you're picking and please don't take more than you need. 

Blessings.

Apple and Elderberry Jam

Are you sitting comfortably?

Then I shall begin...

What follows is the incredible tale of how the Hearthwitch Cottage kitchen came to look like a jam-bomb had exploded.

This story begins with around 1lb of elderberries; freshly picked from hedgerow-lined lanes, in the last days of summer. Our little hearth witch protagonist had taken extra special care not to pick more than necessary for she knew the needs of other creatures were far greater than her own. 

Some of the berries had their journey suspended in the enchanted land of frost and ice (they would later be put to good use, adding a sprinkle of sweetness to a sharp apple crumble or two) but the rest were destined for greatness. But what, thought the little hearth witch, would be a fitting finale for these wild berries? 

'Ah ha!' she cried, spying the mound of wind-fall Bramleys on her kitchen table. And thus, a plan was concocted...

Now...the hearth witch had never made jam before and, if she was entirely honest, she would admit that she was a little bit nervous and rather overwhelmed by all the information she read to try and help her brew a batch of deliciously sticky, fruity goodness. How were jars sterilised? What was a 'setting point' and how exactly was a witch to know when the elusive temperature had been reached without a thermometer in the house? Did she really need special jam-making sugar or would ordinary granulated do the job?

With a fretful sigh, the apples were carefully weighed - 1lb was needed to equal the amount of elderberry fruit - chopped and placed in a pan with water to heat and soften.

Next would come the bit about making sure the jars were sterilised...

The hearth witch set about washing the jars in hot soapy water and placed the lids into a pan with water to keep at a boil while she worked. Having read countless instructions (from places like this), our novice jam-maker decided to go for the 'oven-baked' approach and placed her jars, upside down on baking paper, in an oven that had been heated to 170 degrees C. (She was reliably informed that she should ensure her jam was ladled into jars while they were still hot so she left them in the oven until she was finished.)

Meanwhile, the appley-sharpness had bubbled away for ten minutes and the elderberry sweetness added until all fruit was soft and mushy. 2lb of sugar (after resigning herself to the fact that the chances of finding jam-makers' sugar on a Sunday afternoon in rural Wiltshire were slim-to-none, she plumped for ordinary granulated) and 2 tbsp of lemon juice were added and the mixture stirred with care over a low heat until all the sugar had dissolved. At this point, the heat was fired up and the jam was boiled furiously for several minutes until that mysterious, magickal 'setting point' was reached. (For tips on how to do this, see here). 

The hearth witch found that the 'splodge-of-jam-on-cold-plate-in-fridge' method worked far better than the 'waving-spoon-around-outside-kitchen-door' method. Her jam never succeeded in staying on the spoon and her neighbours now think she is a bit strange.

It was within the space of these 10-15 minutes that the hearth witch momentarily awoke from her jam-making reverie and glanced around: her kitchen looked like a jam-bomb had exploded.

She did, however, manage to achieve five jars of sticky (satisfactorily set!) sweetness - as well as a taster pot for herself - all out of an apple windfall and a meander down the lane. 'Quite an extraordinary achievement,' the hearth witch said to herself, as she brushed back her unkempt hair and put her feet up with a cup of tea and a crumpet spread with jam.

Hedgerow harvest

The hedgerow is absolutely teeming with delights at this time of year - a real treat for the wild-food forager.

The wild blackberries, or brambles are prolific here. I have already collected a bowlful which are now in my freezer, ready to add to autumnal crumbles. Remember to wash blackberries thoroughly and soak in a mixture of salt-water and lemon juice, which will draw out any 'wild things' you've brought home with them.

Elder trees are now teeming with umbrellas of dark berries. You may remember my post earlier this year about the healing properties of the elderflower. The berry is equally useful as an immuno-stimulant, rich in antioxidants and vitamin c, very much like blackcurrants. It also acts as a diuretic and anti-inflammatory, making it useful for urinary tract infections. Take care, however, as the raw berries contain toxins which break down with heat - so make sure you cook them before eating. Come back to visit, for an elderberry and apple jam recipe, next time.

The dark blue sloes of the blackthorn are now beginning to appear. These make a fantastic treat infused in gin. However, they are best left until after the first frost so we will have more on sloe picking later in the year.

Rose hips from the wild rose or dog rose are another rich source of vitamin c and make a nourishing tea.

At this time of year you can also find haws from the hawthorn in the hedgerow, windfalls of sharp crab apples for making jellies and jams, and some of you may also be lucky enough to discover wild raspberries growing as well. 

Although the hedgerow can provide us with a cornucopia of nourishing autumnal fruits, please remember that we are not the only ones who will be making use of them. Birds, insects and small animals consider the hedgerow their only food source, so while it is a fun activity for us to go berry picking, please don't take more than you need.

Happy foraging!

Elderflower

Delicate as lace, the creamy elderflower is held up against the sunlight by remarkably sturdy green stalks. Sunlight is necessary for these pretty little flowers to transcend the decorative, turning them into a flavoursome staple of summertime beverages.

Taste aside, the elderflower has some interesting healing properties which make it a handy ingredient to have in your herbal repertoire. Acting particularly effectively as an anticatarrhal and expectorant, it is useful at this time of year for those of us who battle with rhinitis (hayfever) and sinusitis, as well as inflammations of the mouth and throat. 

Brewing the flowers into a tea is particularly tasty when combined with blackcurrant, which has high levels of vitamin C. Soaking cotton wool pads in the cold tea and placing over the eyes provides soothing comfort for eye strain and conjunctivitis. You can also gargle with a mouth wash infused with elderflower to aid sore throats and even use the cold tea to heal chapped skin and cold-sores (herpes simplex). 

However, perhaps the most enjoyable use of the flowers is in cordials, wines and champagnes. Here is a simple little recipe for traditional, syrupy Elderflower Cordial, from Joanna's Food...

* 25 elderflowers -  stalks removed

* 1kg sugar

2 lemons -  grated, squeezed and chopped up

* 50g citric acid (your chemist should stock this)

* 1 litre cold (previously boiled) water

Put all the ingredients into a bowl in a cool place (not a fridge) for two days. Stir occasionally and after the forty-eight hours are up, strain and pour into sterilised bottles using a funnel. As long as the bottles are kept in the fridge, the cordial should keep for months. Dilute to drink. 

Happy foraging fellow summer-lovers!

Foraging

The village wise-woman of yesteryear would not have had access to online pagan shops, sending her sage bundles and juniper berries via express delivery; nor would folk have a Waitrose or Sainsbury's round the corner to buy pre-packaged bananas which have been flown thousands of miles and had their ripening process artificially sped up with chemicals.

Granted, these are extreme examples, but the principle behind them is simple: today we literally have our food put on our plates. Comparatively few people 'hunt' or 'gather' any more. While many still tend a garden to grow some herbs, vegetables and fruit and some may rear animals for their produce, this is a decreasing number in the UK. I would put money on fewer still going out into the countryside and 'foraging' for their food. 

At this time of year the hedgerows are springing back to life. We see nettles, dandelions and yarrow sprouting up; in a month or so the wild garlic will be out; come summer there will be elderflower to collect and by autumn the rosehips, blackberries and sloes will be ready for harvesting. According to researchers at Emory University, Atlanta, our ancestors ate 200 more plant species than us, gaining five times more micro-nutrients and three times more vitamins as a result.

Today I will focus on the humble nettle, more well known for its infamous sting than its culinary and medicinal properties. In the UK the nettle is ubiquitous, making it a perfect food for wild foraging. You can find them in fields, hedgerows, along pathways and - with all probability - in your own back garden. 

At this time of year, the leaves are tender and fresh, so you can pick the whole stem. You should avoid larger leaves as the plants get bigger, instead choosing only the shoots, and don't pick them once the plant has flowered. Remember to take care whilst picking them as they can give a nasty sting. I recommend wearing tough gloves - the kind of thing you would usually adorn for gardening. 

Once you have gathered enough, there is a variety of culinary uses for these mineral-rich leaves: soups, teas and juices are the most well-known, although our favourite seasonal chef - Hugh Fearnley-Wurnley - has a slightly more ambitious recipe for nettle tagliatelle if you fancy having a go! I'll be posting up a recipe for nettle soup tomorrow.

Nettles are rich in vitamins and minerals: they are an important source of beta-carotene, vitamins A, C and E as well as iron, calcium and phosphates. Medically, it is renowned for its astringent, anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties all of which combine to recommend it for use as a remedy against hepatic, arthritic and rheumatic conditions, as well as in the treatment of allergies, anaemia and kidney diseases. 

Nettle tea, for example, is useful in the treatment of diseases and inflammations of the urinary tract; it is also said to be helpful in the elimination of viruses and bacterial infections. A nettle infusion or tincture used to wash the scalp is said to help with the regeneration and growth of hair, as well as reducing dandruff. Nettle juice, drunk before meals has the effect of reducing high blood pressure and improving anaemia; it is also of benefit in the case of renal insufficiency to drink one glass per day in the morning. 

Some words of warning!

With any wild foods, it is important that you take due care and consideration when foraging. Firstly, do not gather and eat plants, mushrooms or seeds unless you are 100% certain that you know what they are. Although there is a rich abundance of food sources in our countryside, there are also many highly toxic species to be found. 

Secondly, please be considerate of the environment and tread lightly upon it. There are many creatures who make their homes in hedgerows and fields so take care not to disturb them. Please also be aware that although some plants - like the nettle - are considered ubiquitous weeds, others are rarer and should not be gathered. 

Happy foraging!