A busy month

 

Happy Easter to you all.  It's been a busy old month.  First of all I was busy finishing my wild food book for the end of March.  I have sent off the first draft, but additions have been requested, so it will continue to keep me busy for a while.

Susan's mother died in the middle of the month and we went to belfast for the funeral, keeping us away from home for a week.  She was 97 and had a long fullfilled life.  Of course we were busy with the usual spring preparations of sowing and planting during the month and last but not least I had to organise the guided wild food forages.  

If on that subject I may have a brief rant: It is really annoying, infuriating if not to say downright bl&%$£y rude to agree to come to an event with strictly limited numbers to then cancel with less than 24 hours notice or even none at all, unless you have very good reason.  Rant over.

Saying that, those who did attend the 3 events had a whale of a time and we were lucky with the weather all around.  It's a great time of year to foraging, before the farmers start strimming their fields and with all that lush green coming out everywhere.  Here a few impressions of plants we found:

 Asparagus.  This was taken on the last forage when champion asparagus spotter Carmelo had grazed the route almost bare.  Incidentally the 'mock asparagus' that all the locals here identify as hop shoots are actually the shoots of black bryony.  All other parts of the plant a poisonous, but the shoots are edible and good.

 Borage

 Mint

 Wild strawberries

 Wild onion







Wood Sorrel

Many fruit trees were in bloom adding to the pleasure of the roam:

Returning back to base the team got to clean the salad ingredients:

...and sat down for the feast:

This was the menu: 

...and this is what it looked like:  The antipasti:

The Borage ravioli with wild garlic pesto and wild sage and butter

 

The wild asparagus and black bryony shoot frittata:

 

with a mixed salad:

and finally the spring tart:

and even Eddie, the Beagle had some company:

All photos courtesy of Carmelo Gallo and Tom Connally.  I have a camera again, but the courier company somehow manage to loose the battery re-charger that went with it.  I'm now waiting for a replacement.  

Anyone else wanting to participate in one of these please let me know.