Perhaps a little early for the harvest's full bounty, but I find that if I don't prepare and store in season, it's a year before I can enjoy some of my favourite foods again.
So far this year we've had Birch and Sycamore syrups and wines, Beech leaf liqueur, and Ransom flowers in white wine vinegar. The little Ramson bulbels are filling out now and soon they'll be ready for pickling. The ones from the three corner Leek are already dropping off; filled full with all this sunshine we've had recently.
I'm gathering Heartsease flowers daily and drying them for tisanes. The coltsfoot is now in leaf but I gathered some of the flowers very early to make a syrup or robb.
Now is a really good time to spot plants which die back to just roots in case you need them later in the year. Comfrey, Bluebells (I take from my garden though the woodlands around here are carpeted with them) Meadowsweet, to name but a few.
Time to replenish the Sage jar too with fresh new green leaves. Sage is probably the only herb I know that actually strengthens in taste dried and kept for a little while. Still a few Lime flowers around here too.
The Willows are letting loose the fluffy seeds and the dropped 'cones' are good to dry for tinder. Also good dipped into melted scrap wax and used to start a fire with a match.
Dandelions are blooming like miniature suns just now, I keep some plucked so that the roots get the nourishment and a little after the flowering eases off I'll dig them up, roast them and make coffee with them.
The first raspberry and strawberry leaves are big enough now to be taken for tea without stressing the plants too much to affect the fruit production. The wild strawberries are sending out dozens of runners, time to pot up if you want more
Gorse and Broom are both still in flower in many places, good wines as well as dyes.
Nettles are still edible, and before they get too tall or develop the uric crystals they are ideal to gather and dry for tea or as a herb to use on food for those who are trying to cut down on their sodium intake.
Who else does this kind of harvest and storing ?
cheers,
Toddy
So far this year we've had Birch and Sycamore syrups and wines, Beech leaf liqueur, and Ransom flowers in white wine vinegar. The little Ramson bulbels are filling out now and soon they'll be ready for pickling. The ones from the three corner Leek are already dropping off; filled full with all this sunshine we've had recently.
I'm gathering Heartsease flowers daily and drying them for tisanes. The coltsfoot is now in leaf but I gathered some of the flowers very early to make a syrup or robb.
Now is a really good time to spot plants which die back to just roots in case you need them later in the year. Comfrey, Bluebells (I take from my garden though the woodlands around here are carpeted with them) Meadowsweet, to name but a few.
Time to replenish the Sage jar too with fresh new green leaves. Sage is probably the only herb I know that actually strengthens in taste dried and kept for a little while. Still a few Lime flowers around here too.
The Willows are letting loose the fluffy seeds and the dropped 'cones' are good to dry for tinder. Also good dipped into melted scrap wax and used to start a fire with a match.
Dandelions are blooming like miniature suns just now, I keep some plucked so that the roots get the nourishment and a little after the flowering eases off I'll dig them up, roast them and make coffee with them.
The first raspberry and strawberry leaves are big enough now to be taken for tea without stressing the plants too much to affect the fruit production. The wild strawberries are sending out dozens of runners, time to pot up if you want more
Gorse and Broom are both still in flower in many places, good wines as well as dyes.
Nettles are still edible, and before they get too tall or develop the uric crystals they are ideal to gather and dry for tea or as a herb to use on food for those who are trying to cut down on their sodium intake.
Who else does this kind of harvest and storing ?
cheers,
Toddy
