Edible Leeds - Wild Food Foraging Courses and 4 Wild Seasons Pop Up Dining Events

Due to very high demand and my other Autumn foraging dates being fully booked up in advance, I've added two new dates to avoid disappointment (probably the final dates of 2019 before I down tools and focus over the winter on the 4 Wild Seasons: Wild Food Pop Up Dining events).

Saturday 2nd November:
Autumn Hedgerow and Fungi Foraging. 11am - 4pm.
On this course we will explore a range of autumn fungi, berries, fruits, plants, roots, seeds and herbs and discuss key identification techniques and how to cook and preserve them. Includes woodland cook up with some of the days finds. Adults £40 Children £10. To book email: edible.leeds@gmail.com



Sunday 3rd November: Autumn Fungi Foray. 10am - 3pm.
Explore the fascinating world of fungi including edible, medicinal, useful and poisonous.
Fungi come in all manner of shapes, colours, aromas and tastes (though some you really don't want to chow down on!). This course will introduce you to a range of interesting fungi, how to identify them, …

21st/22nd.


September is a month renown for it's wide ranging species of edible, medicinal and poisonous fungi. The hedgerows, meadows and forests will also be in full swing, displaying their diverse tapestry of fruits, berries, nuts, herbs, roots & seeds.

Over the course of the weekend we will:

Spend approx 6 hours out each day exploring, discussing, touching, sniffing, tasting and gathering a range of in season, wild foods - there will be ample rest periods included.
Discuss safe identification techniques, mindful foraging, habitats, cooking, preserving and storing techniques, cultural associations and mythology (we may bust a few myths too).
Explore the sensory aspects to aiding safe identification and culinary applications
Include some plant and fungi first aid applications and other outdoor uses ie fire lighting
Enjoy daily woodland cook ups with our findings and a range of foraged preserves, seasonings, infused oils and vinegars and ferments for inclusion.
Relax, have plen…

Another flash back to 2015: Trying to stock up as much as possible before moving house this weekend. This pickle is an absolute cracker! Big on flavours but at the same time mellow, fruity & unctuous. This version is tweaked from a recipe in Roger Phillips, Wild Food book.

Recipe:

600g Elderberries                                        
3 Apples
1 Red Onion (finely chopped)
65g Soft Brown Sugar
250ml Cider Vinegar
50g Sultanas
Ground Hogweed Seed
Spignel
Ground Wood Avens Root
Ground Mace
Ground Ginger
Chopped Fresh Ginger
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Salt


Strip and wash the elderberries and put in a pan with the chopped apples and cider vinegar, bring to the boil and simmer until the apples are soft. Remove from heat and push the fruit pulp through a sieve into a clean pan. Add the sugar, onion, sultanas, fresh ginger and all the herbs/spices except the salt (add that at the end). Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for approx 20-30 minutes to reduce some of the liquid content (it may take less time…

A flash back to 2015. After making a Hawthorn only version last year I thought I'd experiment this year. Autumn is the season of fruits & seeds among many other lovely wild treats so why not combine a few to create something even more delicious and use some of that available abundance. Hawthorn & Apples go well together and I've got quite a love affair going on with common hogweed seed which, in my opinion, is one of our finest native wild spices - I've been putting hogweed seed in just about anything I can! This ketchup is fruity, zingy, aromatic and down right delicious and has many uses.

Recipe:

750g Hawthorn Berries
2 Apples (large)
Powdered Toasted Hogweed Seed (to taste)
350ml Cider Vinegar
300ml Water
150g Golden Granulated Sugar
Salt & Pepper

Strip the haws from their stalks, wash, drain & place in a saucepan. Chop the apples and add to the same pan. Add the vinegar and water and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for approx 25-30 minutes. Remove from…

I was approached by David Laycock, creative visionary and driving force behind Independent Life Magazine: Leeds and York in Spring 2017 and after several conversations and a meet up over coffee, I wrote my first article for them in July 2017: https://leeds.independentlife.co.uk/wild-gathering/

I've been contributing regularly as an independent food writer for their publications ever since then and hope to continue doing so.

My latest offering explores the theme 'What The World Needs Now' in relation to current global food systems, the issues with them and offers beneficial, logical and sensible alternatives to those damaging practices and of course wild and feral foods as part of those new, innovative, biodiversity beneficial, integrated global food systems. I hope you enjoy reading it: https://issuu.com/independentlife/docs/il_mag_vol17_june_3

Links to my other articles for Seasonal Eats:
https://leeds.independentlife.co.uk/seasons-eatings/
https://leeds.independentlife.co…