Notes for foraging course attendees:
Sloe Gin
Pick your sloes when they are ready, look for some of them on the tree starting to go like raisins. Pick then then freeze them for a few days. Fill a 1l killer jar or similar with frozen sloes (I usually add a few rosehips too), shake to bruise and split the skin, the bruising will release Pectolase which ripens the fruit and clarifies the liqueur too.
Fill to top with Vodka
Leave min 2 months, maximum 2 years
Strain the Vodka to another 1l jar.
The jar with vodka infused sloes and rosehips makes a great 'sloe port' by adding a bottle of cheap red wine plus a bit of sugar, leave for 2 weeks.
Add golden caster sugar to taste ... 200-400 grams, depending how far north you live, further north = more sugar generally.
For the final touch add 2 wedges of lemon and 2 tsp junipers and leave for about 2 weeks. Leave the juniper berries out if you want, I prefer sloe Vodka to Gin myself!
Strain off juniper and lemon, top up with Vodka and you are done!
Don't be afraid to experiment with whisky or other spirits.
Pick your sloes when they are ready, look for some of them on the tree starting to go like raisins. Pick then then freeze them for a few days. Fill a 1l killer jar or similar with frozen sloes (I usually add a few rosehips too), shake to bruise and split the skin, the bruising will release Pectolase which ripens the fruit and clarifies the liqueur too.
Fill to top with Vodka
Leave min 2 months, maximum 2 years
Strain the Vodka to another 1l jar.
The jar with vodka infused sloes and rosehips makes a great 'sloe port' by adding a bottle of cheap red wine plus a bit of sugar, leave for 2 weeks.
Add golden caster sugar to taste ... 200-400 grams, depending how far north you live, further north = more sugar generally.
For the final touch add 2 wedges of lemon and 2 tsp junipers and leave for about 2 weeks. Leave the juniper berries out if you want, I prefer sloe Vodka to Gin myself!
Strain off juniper and lemon, top up with Vodka and you are done!
Don't be afraid to experiment with whisky or other spirits.
|
Starter
Here's a great starter recipe, remember to use a couple of bramble leaves rather than leaving the starter mix uncovered. I find it takes 10-14 days not a week as Barney says in his recipe. Sourdough All of your Starter 350g water 500g Bread flour Mix and leave overnight Put about 200g of the dough back in your starter jar and mix in about 50g flour and water to bring it back to double cream consistency. Feed/fridge your starter until you need it again. Stir dough, adding 20g salt and put in casserole or similar, leave for 2-4hr until it has increased volume by at least 50% and you can see bubbles starting to form on the surface. Bake with lid on for 1hr at 140C Take lid off and back at 250C for 15-20 minutes until starting to char nicely! Remove loaf from casserole, turn the oven off then leave loaf in oven for 30min to dry out Infusions:
Stone fruits take about 2 months, soft fruits 2 weeks and flowers a few days. Bathtub Gin: 1l Vodka, 2 tsp juniper, 1tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp coriander ... leave for 2 weeks. Add a few blackberries to improve the colour! |
Is foraging dangerous?
Follow this link to a podcast episode on dangerous courgettes and foraging, it is a fun listen from one of my favourite podcasts and an insight into what we perceive as dangerous food ... who knew a courgette can kill ? Click here for 'The demon Zucchini' Straws:
The first known straws were made by the Sumerians, and were used for drinking beer, probably to avoid the solid byproducts of fermentation that sink to the bottom.The oldest drinking straw in existence, found in a Sumerian tomb dated 3,000 BCE, was a gold tube inlaid with the precious blue stone lapis lazuli. ref: Wikipedia References:
Natural Wines: vinepair.com/articles/wild-ferment-natural-wine/ Wine - 10% sugar gives approx 5% alcohol or a pound bag to a gallon Ferments - 2-3% salt by weight, keep covered by liguid to avoid spoiling Sourdough - science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/sourdough.htm Yarrow beer - www.selfsufficientish.com/main/2008/11/yarrow-ale-a-true-ale/ www.storey.com/article/homebrew-with-herbs-honey-lemon-yarrow-summer-beer/ Inedible seaweed - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmarestia |
Books I recommend:
|
|
|
|
|
My books ...
|
|
|
|
|