This month's bushcraft challenge should not be too taxing, it is the season of plenty!
I would recommend a trip to the coast, though the woods and fields are rich with fresh greens, too. Why the seaside? Well, there is an 'r' in the month and shellfish are still in peak condition. The sandy shores are full of cockles. Here's how to find and cook them plus some slightly less common ingredients for a meal that give a particularly coastal flavour.
Steve Kirk (editor)
As the tide falls many cockles get left high and dry on the surface. After a while they pull into the sand. This is the sort of thing to look for.
Dig with your fingers - and there it is.
Another, almost invisible. It will not take long to gather a meal. However allow a good few hours (overnight if possible) before you intend to cook the cockles. They need to be kept in a bucket of seawater for a period to allow them to open up and spit out any grit.
This was a more unusual cockle field sign.
As you can see they are wearing rounded caps of sand.
Purple sprouting Sea Kale - Crambe maritima, will be another ingredient. These can be abundant but please don't over-harvest. 3or 4 sprouting or heart stems per person, from young fresh plants.
Succulent and glossy green Sea Beet - Beta vulgaris, subspecies: maritima. Spinach and beet ancestor.
1.8 kilos of cockles in the shell will give you about 125g of meat. Bring a big pan of water with a knob of butter and and glug of white wine to the boil. Add the cockles. Stir and as it comes back to the boil they should all open. That's all it takes. If any are reluctant to open afterwards or don't close before cooking, discard them.
There are three more seaside ingredients in this photo. Fennel - Foeniculum vulgare, on the left. In front of the Sea Beet are Tree Mallow - Lavatera arborea leaves. These are destined for a tea. Beside them is a bunch of stems resembling Chives but which are, in fact, Crow Garlic - Allium vineale. Common and abundant in grassy areas near the sea, they look and taste like chives - just a little more fibrous - at this stage in their development. They are going to provide an onion/garlic flavour to the bacon and sea beet. Behind them is the Sea Kale.
In this photo there is some non-forageable bacon and two salmon fillets from a supermarket. We would have got fresh fish but the nearest fishmonger was a drive away and we were without car.
Steam the Sea Kale in a little water for about 15 minutes - al dente, not too soft. Chop the Sea Beet, Crow Garlic and the bacon and fry gently in a little butter until soft. Add the pre-cooked cockles right at the end and mix in.
As you can see in the end result the Fennel was for the fish. Poach lightly in milk and Fennel for 10-15 minutes. It all coordinates nicely.
Seriously satisfying in so many ways.
We would love for you to forage and photograph your meal and show us what you come up with.
Again this is just a small glimps into the type of content within the pages of our magazine, and hope that you have enjoyed our challenges so far.
I would recommend a trip to the coast, though the woods and fields are rich with fresh greens, too. Why the seaside? Well, there is an 'r' in the month and shellfish are still in peak condition. The sandy shores are full of cockles. Here's how to find and cook them plus some slightly less common ingredients for a meal that give a particularly coastal flavour.
Steve Kirk (editor)
As the tide falls many cockles get left high and dry on the surface. After a while they pull into the sand. This is the sort of thing to look for.
Dig with your fingers - and there it is.
Another, almost invisible. It will not take long to gather a meal. However allow a good few hours (overnight if possible) before you intend to cook the cockles. They need to be kept in a bucket of seawater for a period to allow them to open up and spit out any grit.
This was a more unusual cockle field sign.
As you can see they are wearing rounded caps of sand.
Purple sprouting Sea Kale - Crambe maritima, will be another ingredient. These can be abundant but please don't over-harvest. 3or 4 sprouting or heart stems per person, from young fresh plants.
Succulent and glossy green Sea Beet - Beta vulgaris, subspecies: maritima. Spinach and beet ancestor.
1.8 kilos of cockles in the shell will give you about 125g of meat. Bring a big pan of water with a knob of butter and and glug of white wine to the boil. Add the cockles. Stir and as it comes back to the boil they should all open. That's all it takes. If any are reluctant to open afterwards or don't close before cooking, discard them.
There are three more seaside ingredients in this photo. Fennel - Foeniculum vulgare, on the left. In front of the Sea Beet are Tree Mallow - Lavatera arborea leaves. These are destined for a tea. Beside them is a bunch of stems resembling Chives but which are, in fact, Crow Garlic - Allium vineale. Common and abundant in grassy areas near the sea, they look and taste like chives - just a little more fibrous - at this stage in their development. They are going to provide an onion/garlic flavour to the bacon and sea beet. Behind them is the Sea Kale.
In this photo there is some non-forageable bacon and two salmon fillets from a supermarket. We would have got fresh fish but the nearest fishmonger was a drive away and we were without car.
Steam the Sea Kale in a little water for about 15 minutes - al dente, not too soft. Chop the Sea Beet, Crow Garlic and the bacon and fry gently in a little butter until soft. Add the pre-cooked cockles right at the end and mix in.
As you can see in the end result the Fennel was for the fish. Poach lightly in milk and Fennel for 10-15 minutes. It all coordinates nicely.
Seriously satisfying in so many ways.
We would love for you to forage and photograph your meal and show us what you come up with.
Again this is just a small glimps into the type of content within the pages of our magazine, and hope that you have enjoyed our challenges so far.
