Things you should be doing NOW!

[match]

I thought I'd start a thread listing all the things I will be doing at this particular time of year - thought I'd inspire others to go and make use of the seasonal plants on offer right now. I've left out activites that can happen all year round, and I've tried to just list those things that I do most with, or get most fun out of - but there are obviously hundreds of other bushcraft things out there you could be doing

Nettles - make Beer, wine, cordial, soups and stews, dry them for nettle salt, fibres for cordage
Dandelions - leaves for salads, roots for coffee
Beech - pick the leaves and make Noyaux
Birch - time to start collecting bark - curls for tinder, or cut sections for Basketry
Gorse - Pick the flowers for making gorse wine
Sweet Cicely - flowers and seeds for sweetening and flavouring jams, pies etc.
Ramsons - Tasty wild garlic useful in all sorts of dishes

Just a few of the things I'll be doing some time soon! If anyon else had seasonal activities that are tied to this time of year, please post them here!

 

[Toddy]

Stripping willow bark for bast.
Watching where the bluebells, comfrey, coltsfoot, lesser celandine, ramsoms flower in case you want the bulbs/roots later in the year when there is no foliage.
For dye stuffs, Ivy berries if you can get them before the wood pigeons do.
Keep a look out for self sown plantlets that are good for moving to a better site. Wild strawberries, lemon balm, foxglove, St. John's wort, etc. It's a good time to shift them.
Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Gail]

I shouldn't be sitting here in front of my computer now ! Why aren't I outside doing something more useful ??

 

[martin]

Eating Thistle shoots, this time of year when they are about 18 inch tall they are delish...
Just pick one, pull the leaves and scrape away the outer skin and then eat the cleaned stalk. One of the best wild munchies to be had.

 

[Moonraker]

Some nice tips, thanks

I will be trying some elderflower recipes this Spring. Here are a couple:

Elderflower Syrup

100g elderflowers
60cl water
800g sugar
juice of 1 lemon or citric acid

Soak the elderflowers in water, making sure that they are fully submerged. Allow them to macerate for 24 hours in a cool place. After maceration, filter the liquid to ensure that no traces of the flowers remain. For each 50cl of macerated liquid, add the appropriate quantity of sugar and dissolve it by stirring. In order to accelerate the process, a blender can be used, turning at a slow speed. To sharpen the syrup, add the lemon juice or citric acid. Decant the liquid into a hermetically sealed bottle and then pasteurise for 20-40 minutes at 70-75°C. Store in a cool place.

Elderflower Lemonade (also called Elderflower Champagne)

30-40 g dried elderflowers
1cl vinegar
1 slice of lemon
70 g sugar
1l. water

In a jar, place the elderflowers with all the other ingredients and allow to macerate for one week, stirring from time to time. Then decant the liquid, taking care to ensure that none of the deposit passes. Fill old fashioned beer or lemonade bottles (capable of withstanding pressure) and store in a cool place.
Wait for a fortnight, before tasting. A refreshing drink, sparkling with flavour.

 

[Tantalus]

which thistles martin ? or just any old ones?

and blimey moonraker our elders hardly have leaves up here let alone flowers

there was snow night before last

Tant

 

[Moonraker]

which thistles martin ? or just any old ones?

and blimey moonraker our elders hardly have leaves up here let alone flowers

there was snow night before last

Tant

One of the advantages of living 1400 km south of you Tant

We had the last snow two weeks ago and everything is around 2 weeks late this year! But despite that everything gave up waiting, and with the first ray of warm sun it all burst into life I reckon the elder will be in flower within the next two weeks.

 

[match]

Something very useful I learnt last year - i you spread elderflowers out in the sun (having picked them off the stem) they dry very nicely, and keep their full flavour and can b stored for up to a year. then, if you want to make cordial, just use a tbsp or so of flowers instead of fresh ones - means you can keep having elderflower drinks all year round!

 

[martin]

Spear Thistle Cirsium vulgare is the one that grows in abundance round here. Later in the year you can pick the flower head off and strip the green outer, the purple flower and the white fluff. What you will be left with is a small white "nut" thats quite tasty. Once it's exposed to the air it discolours very quickly.
Keep the fluff it makes good tinder