Skip to main content

Walk On The Wild Side, Barnoldswick, 6th July

The summer episode of, Walk On The Wild Side, was held in Barnoldswick, or Barlick, as the locals call it, on Sunday 6th July. Barnoldswick, which is in Lancashire, borders Yorkshire and despite the fact that Yorkshire was gripped by the fantastically, fabulous, fervour that was Le Tour De France - and rightly so, what an historic and momentous occassion - what a fabulous turn out we had! Huge thanks, from Danielle and myself, to everyone that joined us and made the walk the amazing experience it was. The route took in country lanes, open fields, wooded streams (?) and parkland.The plants we focused on included; Ramsons, Meadowsweet, Hogweed, Ribwort/Broad-Leaved Plantain, Cleavers, Common/Wood Sorrel, Pignuts, Elder, Vetch and Wild Rose

This shaded little lane still had Wild Garlic Seeds prime for the picking. A sampling of sweet pickled Wild Garlic Seeds had to be had.









I'd taken along some pickled Hogweed Seeds for sampling, yet none of the Hogweed along the lane had actually come into seed. The majority of the plants along the lane were in flower. or just about to flower, so we discussed their edibility. Carine (red t-shirt), came up trumps and found some Hogweed flowers that were just emerging from their protective sheath - the prime stage for picking.



Danielle extolls the virtues of Ribwort and Broad-Leaved Plantain, both of which are fantastic herbal medicines. Danielle also brought along some freshly made herbal tea, a hayfever blend, which works surprisingly quick, and we were all were treated to a cup at this point.







Wild Rose (Rosa canina). Danielle discussed the medicinal properties/uses of this beautiful flower and proceeded to bring out one of her fabulous tinctures, 'Warrior drops' as Danielle has aptly named it. This tincture, along with others, is being provided by the, Herbalists Against Fracking, for the anti-fracking campaigners based at various fracking sites around the UK. The tincture has a calming effect, perfect for aiding the campaigners subjected to the trauma and upset caused by the fracking.



Sampling the, Warrior Drops.







A social and cook up at the end of the walk.

Salmon & Sorrel Sauce









Elderflower & Orange Cake




Danielle cooking Elderflower & Meadowsweet Fritters
                            


If you would like to book a Walk On The Wild Side for yourself and a group of friends, colleagues, family, please contact edible.leeds@gmail.com or call Craig on 07899752447. It's wild, it's wonderful! X
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Japanese Quince Jelly, Syrup and Sweets

Japanese Quince is one of my autumn favourites and one I make a beeline for every year. You can read more about these delightfully scented,  mouth-puckering and fabulously versatile little fruits here:  https://edible-leeds.blogspot.com/2017/11/quince-quince-glorious-quince.html   Japanese Quince Jelly   This beautifully sharp, sweet and dreamily aromatic jelly is one of the creations that go into my JQ Knickerbocker Glory, it also works well spread on to warm toast or served alongside game meats, particularly wildfowl and is great added to sauces to provide an edge of acidity, sweetness and aromatic attitude. There are many other applications for this jelly, so get busy gathering, creating and playing... 1kg Japanese Quince 750g Golden Granulated Sugar Water Wash the fruits to remove any dirt and then place them whole in a large pan. Add water to cover, (approximately 800ml) and bring to the boil, once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until all the fruits split. Po...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sea Kale

If you are lucky and live close to the sea, especially in striking distance of a shingle beach, then you may just find Sea Kale... As far as coastal edibles go, Sea Kale rocks: it's a true delight! Throughout the winter you will detect very little in the way of signs indicating if Sea Kale is present as it spends the winter tucked up, snugly, beneath the shingle awaiting the Spring. The first signs of life generally begin in early spring (in mild winters it may appear earlier), when the tiniest of shoots, wake from their wintry slumber and start to force their way up through the shingle and, as the season progresses, more and more shoots appear. The leaves, whether new or mature, come in an assortment of varied and magnificent colours (see image top right): greens, purples, reds, greys and lilacs. They are crinkly edged and become more open and rounded edged with age. Eventually, the flowering shoots appear on thick, tender, circular stalks and look remarkably similar to pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum).

'What did the Romans ever do for us' is a phrase synonymous with the UK. Many ancient tribes, cultures and societies have landed on these shores and settled here. Some came with peaceful intentions and others not so (the Romans). Contrary to what is/was reported, there are many members of these various tribes still scattered around the UK. Not only did they leave their genetic imprints behind but also many a plant. I'm not going to delve into the 'horrors of histories past' but I am going to delve into one of the plants of histories past. Alexander Shoots & Seeds Smyrnium olusatrum or as it is more commonly known, Alexanders, is a member of the Apiaceae or Carrot family. Native to the Meditteranean region, it was apparently introduced by the Romans (ta da!) and used widely & extensively as a fodder crop, pot herb and vegetable (all parts are edible and tasty), until it fell out of favour and was superseded by celery. Given the Romans occupied much o...
Post a Comment
Read more