Harvesting the fruits of Spring & cooking with Dandelion flowers

Things have really taken off in a big way over the past month, plants are growing at a phenomenal rate, the outside world is turning green and gold.  I visited Springfield Herb Sanctuary for a workshop day on 9th May.  We had a tour round the herb plots to see the growing herbs, some of which have grown massively since just a month previously.  The meadow adjoining the Herb Sanctuary was full of Ribwort Plantain and Dandelions.  We harvested some Plantain leaves to make a double-infused oil which will be great for skin inflammation as an oil or made into a salve.  I picked some Dandelion flower-heads to take home to dry, to use in an infused oil which should be good for sore muscles.  I also picked some medicinal Comfrey leaves to take home to dry to make into infused oil for a wound salve.  Future workshop dates and details can be found at http://kitchenherbwife.blogspot.co.uk/p/springfield-sanctuary-workshop-dates.html

View over the meadow

 Solomon's Seal

 Elecampane

 Hops

 Comfrey

 Ribwort Plantain

 Dandelion flowers

Baskets of Dandelion flowers & Ground Ivy

For more photos see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153326190842938.1073741893.657002937&type=1&l=99624989ce

Last weekend I bought some herb plants to plant up in pots for the patio at the back of my house.  The patio is sheltered and gets lots of sun which aromatic Mediterranean herbs such as Rosemary love.  Most of the herb plants available at the garden centre I visited were herbs mainly used for culinary use such as Chives, Mint, Oregano & Thyme, though I did manage to find some St John's Wort plants which have been added to the medicinal herb bed at the allotment.  

I harvested a big bag of Nettles as they are beginning to develop flowers and the leaves will be too tough and irritant to use after they have flowered.  I put some of the Nettles in a big jar with some egg shells and cider vinegar to make a mineral-rich vinegar to be left to steep for 3-6 weeks then strained for use in liver-stimulating salad dressings, see recipes at http://herbalacademyofne.com/2014/03/stinging-nettle-recipes/  I also put some Nettles in a jar with vodka to make a tincture which will be left to steep for about a month then strained through a jelly bag.  This can be used internally as an iron tonic and to promote urine flow or externally to help stop bleeding and to soothe burns & other skin problems.  The remaining Nettles have been loaded into the dehydrator to dry for teas & infusions for external use and to add to food in powdered form.  

I picked a selection of fresh leaves & flowers to use in salad, including Wild Garlic, Sweet Cicely, Salad Burnet, Ground Elder, Sorrel which are all growing in the allotment at the moment.  I also picked a bag of Dandelion flower heads to catch the goodness of the flower petals before they all turn into Dandelion clock seed-heads.  I made Dandelion flower cookies, pakoras and burgers with the flower-heads I harvested, which are tasty and nutritious ways to get the benefit of these sun-like flowers.  Recipes and pictures below.

Patio herb pots

 The allotment in May

  St John's Wort plants

 Nettles beginning to develop flowers

Sweet Cicely

 Wild Garlic in flower

 Nettle leaf Vinegar

 Nettle leaf Tincture

Dandelion flower recipes

Some of the recipes call for just the Dandelion flower petals without the green parts of the flower heads.  The easiest way to prepare these is to hold the washed flower tip with the fingers of one hand and pinch the green flower base hard with the other and twist to release the flower petals from their attachment, the required volume of flower petals can then be put into a bowl for use in recipes.  

 Prepared Dandelion flower petals

Dandelion Flower Cookies

1/2 cup oil - I used sunflower which has a nice mild flavour

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 cup plain flour

1 cup oats

1/2 cup Dandelion flower petals

Pre-heat oven to 375C.

Blend oil & honey, beat in the eggs & vanilla essence.

Stir in the flour, oats & Dandelion flowers.

Drop tablespoons of batter onto at lightly oiled baking tray.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

Recipe from http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/dandelion-flower-cookies 

  

 Dandelion flower cookies

Dandelion pakoras

2-3 handfuls of Dandelion flowers with stems

Sunflower oil

150g gram (chickpea) flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 heaped teaspoons ground cumin

2 heaped teapoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon baking powder

cold water

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Slowly add water to the dry ingredients whilst stirring until the batter reaches the consistency of thick custard.

Pull the flower heads off their stalks and add to the batter, including the green parts.

Chop the stalks into 1/2 inch segments and add to the batter.

Stir the flowers & stalks into the batter until evenly coated.

Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a small pan over a medium heat.

When the oil is hot add dollops of batter with a tablespoon, fry for about a minute or so until browned.

Remove cooked pakoras and put on a plate covered with kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

Sprinkle salt on the cooked pakoras for serving.

Serve hot or cold.

Recipe from http://www.eatherenow.org/dandelion-blossom-pakoras/

Dandelion flower pakoras

Dandelion flower burgers

1 cup packed Dandelion flower petals, green parts removed (as above)

1 cup plain flour & extra flour for coating burgers

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1 garlic clove finely minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Ground black pepper to taste

Sunflower oil

Mix all the ingredients, add more milk if needed.

Divide the mix into 4 to make round patties, toss in flour to coat.

Pan fry in a little oil, turn until browned on both sides.

Serve with desired accompaniments.

Recipe adapted from http://www.eattheweeds.com/dandelions-hear-them-roar/ There are loads of other recipes using Dandelions on the same page

Dandelion flower burgers with potato wedges, spring green salad & plum chutney

Bon Appetit!

References

'Hedgerow Medicine' Julie Bruton-Seal & Matthew Seal
'Letting in the Wild Edges' Glennie Kindred

Celebrating Spring in the Wild Woods

I recently spent a week at the wonderful Wildways on the Borle http://wildwaysontheborle.co.uk/ to celebrate the ancient Celtic spring festival of Beltane with White Horse Camps http://whitehorsecamps.co.uk/ The woods were burgeoning with spring growth, full of verdant green and delicate spring flowers in shades of white, blue & yellow.  I spent some of the time working in the camp kitchen.  We supplemented the food bought for the camp with fresh greens from the kitchen garden and from the woods - Fennel, Nettles, Wild Garlic, Dandelion leaves, Sorrel, Cleavers, Lemon Balm, Mint and others.  These were added to salads, soups and dips and were much appreciated by everyone sharing the camp meals.

During the camp we explored and celebrated our connection with plants, nature and the wild woods in various ways.  The well-known pagan historian Ronald Hutton gave an entertaining and informative talk about the traditions of Robin Hood and Maid Marian and their roots in history.  Ronald's partner Ana Adnam led a session called Fifty Shades of Green in which we all talked about herbs we feel a particular connection with at this time of year.   Then in pairs we stroked each other with sprigs of Fennel, Lemon Balm, Mint or Sage, feeling the gentle touch of the foliage on our skin and smelling the aromatic scents with our noses. 

For the heart of the camp we spent several days divided into smaller groups to do deeper work.  A group of men competed in challenges of skill, strength and wisdom to select someone to represent them as Robin Hood.  A group of women spent time living in the woods, eating wild food and learning skills such as archery, selecting someone to represent them as Maid Marian.  A mixed group spent time connecting with various totem plant and animal species in the woods through shamanic journeying.   Then we each created a mask to help us manifest our spirits to speak at a council of the Wild Woods.  The spirits of the Wild Woods shared their different ways of seeing the world and invited us as humans to share these ways and to learn to live in harmony with the wild.  This was a deep and powerful process.

The three groups rejoined to weave our energies together by dancing round a tree as a living Maypole.  On Beltane eve we kindled the Beltane fire and divided it into two fires to step through to empower ourselves for the summer to come.  This is a tradition practised by our ancestors who drove their animals through the Beltane fires to bless them prior to their journey to the summer pastures.  On May Day we did circle dancing in a meadow of wild flowers connecting with each other and the place through the meditative movement of the dance.   By drawing on the traditions of the past and spending time working together in a beautiful wild place we empowered ourselves to become stronger, wiser and wilder human beings.

Wildways at Beltane

For more photos see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153320593512938.1073741891.657002937&type=1&l=4a9bfa3775

Following the camp I have spent time in our own woods near where we live for the first outdoor picnic and first night spent of the year, as the days become longer and warmer.  Members of our local druid grove came to celebrate Beltane in the woods.  We did a simple ceremony meditating in silence then making sounds with drums, voices & other instruments, feeling the energy of life rising through our bodies and rippling out through the woods.  I picked and cooked Nettle tops, Bramble shoots and Cleavers on the fire dish and tossed these with chopped boiled eggs in a little oil, herb vinegar, salt & pepper to make a dish to share for our Beltane Feast, plus an infusion of Nettles and Bramble Leaves.

 The woods in May

Fire Dish with kettle & Nettle & Bramble Leaf infusion

Nettles, Bramble shoots & Cleavers with boiled eggs

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The light and warmth are bringing forth clusters of blossom on our Crab Apple and Bullace (Wild Plum) trees.  I made Crab Apple flower essence by placing a bowl of water collected from a local spring in the branches of a Crab Apple tree and floating some flowers on the surface of the water and asked the tree to bless the water with its essence.   I left the water to infuse in sunlight for several hours then poured it into a sterilised bottle using a funnel and muslin, half-filling the bottle then filling the other half with brandy to make a mother tincture.  This is for invoking self worth, valuing our own abundance and counting our blessings.  It can be used on the skin or in the bath to cleanse the skin and wounds.  It can also be taken in water to help lift a hangover.

Bullace Tree in bloom

 Crab Apple blossom

 Making Crab Apple Flower Essence

I also picked Ground Ivy which is in flower at the moment, to take fresh or dried in teas & infusions or as a tincture.  The tincture can be taken to improve appetite and digestion, cleanse the blood, tone mucous membranes and relieve ear congestion and tinnitus.  Infusions can be drunk or used externally as an eyewash for irritated eyes.  The infused herb is useful to encourage expectoration in chesty coughs and for urinary problems such as cystitis.   It is particularly useful for hayfever and sinusitis.  The fresh herb can be used as a poultice for bruising. 

 Ground Ivy

Ground Ivy tincture

Drying Ground Ivy in dehydrator

Ground Ivy infusion

References

'Letting in the Wild Edges' Glennie Kindred

'Practical Herbs 2' Henriette Kress

'Wild Drugs' by Zoe Hawes.

The gifts of Spring - beauty, food & medicine

I spent Saturday 11th April at Springfield Herb Sanctuary on a work day.  I helped dig over a bed which will be used for planting herb plants.  I kept the Dandelions and Docks I dug up to take home to turn into Dandelion tincture and Dock tincture.  I also had a walk round with Sarah, my herbwife mentor, seeing all the herbs that are coming up in her herb beds at the sanctuary.  This is really helpful for learning to identify plants at different stages of growth, which is one of the things I am learning as an apprentice herbwife.  Sarah very kindly let me dig up a young Tansy plant to take home to plant in my own herb bed for future use. For future events at the Sanctuary see http://kitchenherbwife.blogspot.co.uk/p/springfield-sanctuary-workshop-dates.html

At Springfield Herb Sanctuary

 View from the Sanctuary over the Cotswolds

The herb beds I helped to dig

 Elecampane coming up

 Lady's Mantle 

Solomon's Seal

For more photos see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153255717357938.1073741890.657002937&type=1&l=6c20633d26

Back home in the kitchen I put Dandelion roots & leaves into a jar and filled the jar with vodka to make a another batch of tincture.  I have been taking 2 half teaspoons a day since decanting the first batch, it definitely seems to be helping with my digestion.  I washed and chopped up the Dock roots into a separate jar to make tincture, which should be helpful for poor absorption, anaemia, skin problems, sluggish bowels, constipation & liver congestion.  Any dock with yellow roots can be used as this indicates the presence of the medicinal compounds.

Last weekend I harvested a big bag of Nettles and a bag full of Cleavers at the allotment, plus a few Wild Garlic leaves.  Some of the Nettles were used for Nettle Aloo (see recipe on previous post) as part of a dinner for friends, accompanied by raita made with natural yoghurt and finely chopped Wild Garlic leaves.  I also made Nettle Pasties (see recipe below) to take to the woods for a New Moon picnic.  My husband got in the act and made Nettle Soup with onion, potato, celery and nettles, with some Miso added at the end to make a nice rich dark nourishing broth.  The Cleavers were roughly chopped and put in a jar with vodka to make Cleavers tincture, which should be useful for lymph congestion or swollen glands such as Tonsilitis.

I also paid a visit to the woods and picked Hawthorn leaves to make a tincture with brandy, which can be combined with tinctures of the flowers and berries as they appear, to get the maximum benefit.  Hawthorn is renowned as a tonic for the heart and circulatory system.  My husband dug up a patch of Lesser Celandine, also known as Pilewort, after the nodules on the roots which look like haemorrhoids.  This is an example of a traditional plant signature in which physical features of plants were thought to indicate what sort of conditions the plant would be beneficial for.  And indeed Pilewort is a remedy for piles, both as dried herb used to make an infusion for internal use and to make an ointment from fresh herb by making a double-infused oil and adding beeswax, to use externally.

Recipe for Nettle Pasties - makes 2 large pasties or 4 small pasties

Pastry:

8oz plain flour

Pinch of salt

4oz butter

3-4 tablespoons of cold water

- Sift the flour & salt into a bowl, add the butter chopped into lumps and stir to coat the butter in flour.

- Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

- Sprinkle the water over the mix and stir with a round-bladed knife till the mixture sticks together in large lumps, if it is a bit dry add a bit more water.

- Collect the dough together into a ball.

- Knead it lightly on a lightly floured surface to make a smooth dough.

- Wrap the dough in cling-film and leave in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

Filling:
Large colander of washed nettle tops with stalks removed
Medium onion finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves very finely chopped
1 medium mushroom finely chopped
Wedge of blue cheese crumbled
2 beaten eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
- Saute the onion to soften it, add the garlic & mushroom.
- Steam the nettle tops in a little water for a few minutes till well wilted.
- Squeeze out the liquid with a wooden spoon, drain the liquid into a jug to use in stock for soup.
- Mix the vegetables with the cheese & eggs, add seasoning.
- Roll out & cut the pastry to make rounds.
- Put filling in the middle of pastry rounds and top with another round, press the edges together all the way round to seal.
- Use any left over pastry to make pastry decorations, stick on with a little water.
- Bake in a medium oven for about 25 minutes.
- Eat hot or cold, they are perfect for taking out for a picnic.

Nettle Pastie

Dock roots being prepared for tincture

Dock Root Tincture

 Cleavers Tincture

Hawthorn Leaf Tincture

Lesser Celandine/Pilewort

Making Pilewort Double-infused Oil

References

'Hedgerow Medicine' Julie Bruton-Seal & Matthew Seal

'Letting in the Wild Edges' Glennie Kindred

'Wild Drugs' Zoe Hawes

Food and medicine from the Wild Woods

On Sunday I went on the excellent Spring Foraging day course with Woodland Ways in Leicestershire http://www.woodland-ways.co.uk/buy-online-spring-forage-2.html It was a real treat of a day.  Our very knowledgeable instructor Adam took us on a walk through the woods, pointing out lots of plants with uses for food, medicine and practical tasks along the way.   He took care to make us aware of any potential risks of toxicity or confusion with similar looking poisonous plants, to help give us confidence in what we can pick and use safely.  He also briefed us on the legalities of foraging and showed us a selection of excellent reference books for identifying and using wild plants.

We picked supplies from the woodland larder as we walked along to incorporate into our lunch which was cooked back at the well constructed and equipped base-camp.  We filleted the breast meat from a brace of Pheasants, having been shown how to by Adam, this was surprisingly easy to do.  The breasts were pan-fried in a dash of oil.  We cooked up the Nettles, Bramble shoots and Hogweed shoots we had collected by boiling for a minute then tossing in butter and lemon juice.  We also had mashed potatoes with the addition of chopped Wild Garlic leaves and a salad of fresh leaves including Rosebay Willowherb, Dandelion and Hairy Bittercress.  The meal was absolutely delicious.  I left the day feeling inspired to get out into the woods to forage for wild food.

 Bramble shoots

Bramble shoots picked for lunch

Basket of Nettle tops

 Hogweed shoots


  Rosebay Willowherb 

  

Wild Garlic leaves & roots

Cooking the greens over an open fire

Pan-fried Pheasant breasts, Mashed potato & Wild Garlic, Spring Greens

My lunch - nom, nom, nom

For more photos from the day see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153240409342938.1073741889.657002937&type=1&l=a18a1bfb5d

Back home I made a Spring Green Pie with Nettles & other spring leaves picked in the allotment.   

Spring Green Pie Recipe

Pastry:

8oz plain flour

Pinch of salt

4oz butter

3-4 tablespoons of cold water

- Sift the flour & salt into a bowl, add the butter chopped into lumps and stir to coat the butter in flour.

- Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

- Sprinkle the water over the mix and stir with a round-bladed knife till the mixture sticks together in large lumps, if it is a bit dry add a bit more water.

- Collect the dough together into a ball.

- Knead it lightly on a lightly floured surface to make a smooth dough.

- Wrap the dough in cling-film and leave in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes before rolling it out.

- Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to an even thickness about 2-3 inches larger than the pie dish you will be using.

- Line the pie dish with the pastry, keep some back to make a top for the pie.

- If you have some left-over pastry make some pastry shapes to decorate the pie top with.

Filling:

A colander full of washed & processed Spring leaves such as Nettles, Cleavers, Dandelion, Wild Garlic, Ground Elder, Sorrel

A medium onion finely chopped

2 large Garlic cloves very finely chopped

2 beaten eggs

100g grated strong cheddar

Salt & Pepper to taste

- Steam the Spring leaves for a few minutes.

- When the leaves have softened strain the liquid (keep it for stock or sauces) and squeeze the leaves with the back of a wooden spoon to leave a spinach like consistency.

- Roughly chop up the cooked greens.

- Add to a bowl and mix with the chopped onion & garlic, beaten egg, grated cheese and seasoning.

- Pour the mix into the lined pie dish and cover with the pastry top.  Brush the top with beaten egg and add any decorations, stick them on with beaten egg and brush the tops with egg to make a nice glaze.

- Bake in a medium oven (about gas mark 6) for about 25 minutes.

- Serve hot or cold.

Pastry recipe from the 'Good Housekeeping Cookery Book', filling recipe from 'Letting in the Wild Edges' by Glennie Kindred.

Spring Green Pie with decorations

Slice of Spring Green Pie

I also made Bramble Vinegar with Bramble roots & shoots harvested in the woods & home-made Crab Apple Cider Vinegar made from last Autumn's Crab Apples using the recipe in my Herbwife Apprenticeship mentor Sarah Head's blog at http://kitchenherbwife.blogspot.co.uk/2008/04/developing-relationships.html This is a traditional remedy for diarrhoea and for relieving the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  It can be used in salad dressings or in boiling water with honey as a soothing drink.

Bramble roots

 Bramble shoots

 Bramble Vinegar

I also made Chestnut Bud flower essence with Horse Chestnut buds I cut in the woods during the foraging course as these were at the perfect stage for picking to make this flower essence.  I followed the instructions at http://www.herbs2000.com/h_menu/bfr_chestnut_bud.htm to make a Mother Tincture, then made a Stock bottle by putting 2 drops of this into a 30ml bottle of brandy, then a treatment bottle by putting 2 drops of the Stock into a 30ml bottle of spring water.  This is a subtle energy remedy for difficulties in learning lessons from experience, making the same mistakes repeatedly in life.  

 Horse Chestnut buds opening

Horse Chestnut buds being simmered in Spring water

Chestnut Bud Mother Essence, Stock bottle & Treatment bottle