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

Comments

Unripe Figs in Syrup

Preserved Unripe Figs. Batch #1 I recently acquired a copy of 'The New Wildcrafted Cuisine' by, Pascal Baudar (many thanks to Dominick Tekos for sending it me). Despite the fact that he resides in California, much of the books content is applicable with regards to techniques, philosophies, creativity and inspiration, and some of the wild plants, regardless of where in the world you reside. Understanding our native floras & faunas is the same the world over I guess. Climates, habitats, techniques, cultures etc do differ but I firmly believe we all have innate and transferable knowledge and practices, whether they be ancient or contemporary (some yet to be rekindled/discovered/attained even), and we can adapt them to our own wild plants, landscapes, seasons, resources and requirements. Now, moving swiftly on to the main them...

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...

Chicken of the Woods

Wild mushrooms have a special place in my heart. My wild food and foraging journey stemmed from an interest in them before branching out into plants and seaweeds. The 'silent hunt', as Antonio Carluccio so beautifully and aptly put it, is one of my favourite things. To find yourself at ease, wandering and treading gently, on the fringes of or deep within and beneath, the multi-layered, multi-coloured patchwork of woodland canopies, or in ancient meadows, in anticipation of the sometimes elusive, yet always magical and mysterious organisms that comprise the 5th kingdom is a pure delight. Fungi are truly fascinating, yet the great majority of the uk population have yet to discover just how awesome, intriguing, fascinating and tasty they can be. Most people think the best time of year for finding wild mushrooms is in the 'autumn' and, although there is some truth in this, it's not the whole truth. Spring, summer and winter can prove very fruitful (fung-ful) when it ...

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

Search This Blog