Reflections and tadpoles and ramsons

On one of our explores recently, specifically to search for frogspawn in a natural place.
For a while, most of the watery places we thought we might find frog spawn, didn't have any.  Then I remembered the icy pools we had come across earlier in the winter in a forest nearby and we decided to look in those.
We were struck by the beauty of the trees reflecting in the water.

And then we found lots and lots and lots of frogspawn in those pools!

We also found lots of wild garlic growing over large areas on the banks of the stream.  We picked lots and baked wild garlic scones when we returned home. 

 

Noah visited his 'dragon', (a beautiful fallen tree)  and had a ride on him and a quick chat with him.

Cheese and Wild Garlic Scones

This is Brer Rabbit's (a.k.a Leo) ramsom patch in the woods.



Each time we pass the patch, we collect up a bunch of leaves for eating all up! Gnome Plus (a.k.a Sol) counts up the green leaves.



Puss in Boots somedays and Christopher Robin other days (a.k.a Noah) carries them home knapsack style.

We have been making batches of these delicious scones.



200g spelt flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
50g butter
7 tablespoons fresh milk
100g grated mature Cheddar cheese
100g chopped ramsoms (wild garlic) (you could use spinach or a clove of garlic chopped if you don't have ramsoms)
pinch of salt

Heat oven to 220 degrees celsius
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl
Rub in butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs
Add grated cheese and chopped ramsoms and mix together
Add milk to the flour mixture to form a soft dough
Turn dough onto a board and roll out to about 2cm thick
Cut into rounds and place on a baking tray.
Brush the tops with milk, sprinkle over a little grated cheese and bake for around 12 - 15 minutes until golden brown.
Eat them hot and maybe with a bit of butter spread in the middle.

Welcome Spring's Wild Food

The things that get us excited around here! We were so happy to reacquaint ourselves with some of our favourite spring tasty wild foods as we walked about the farm today.

First, has to be nettles. They grow everywhere and they are a nice size now. Nettle tea from fresh, new shoots - so good for us! And so good to drink during pregnancy too! What a lot of uses nettles have.



Ear fungi. Lots of it growing on a dead elder branch. Nice to stew up for about 45 minutes in stock. Make sure you have identified it properly! Wash well and cook it well or it will taste rubbery. Sol really loves these.



And a special favourite here - Ramsons (wild garlic). We all eat lots of these. Forget taking a picnic to the woods, we all had a little nibble there in the ramson patch. Then back home for houmous and ramson sandwiches. Fresh young shoots can be added to just about any meal for that onion/garlicky flavour. Flowers and roots can also be eaten.





And lots more wild foods are starting to grow so beautifully!

Ramsons

There was a brook close to where we used to live and every spring ramsons (wild garlic) sprouted up along the banks.  We enjoyed many a tasty meal from those ramsons.   I hadn't come across any growing anywhere near us this growing season and was contemplating taking a trip to the old neighbourhood just to go ramson foraging, then, lo and behold, I discovered a patch right here in the woods.  I recognised that distinctive garlicky scent and long leaves and was so full of delight.  We harvested and ate some leaves there and then and when we reached home we added some chopped leaves in our sandwiches for lunch.  Best sandwich ever - homemade barleycorn bread, houmous, cheese, sprouts, avocado, ramsons!

It amazes me how the children will enthusiastically munch away on foods from the wild simply because it is wild, and wild = tasty it seems.  There really is something special about eating foods from the wild.

Healthwise, ramsons contain most of the benefits of the cultivated garlic.  It has a much milder taste.  All parts of the plant can be eaten.  The flowers have a stronger taste than the leaves.  We eat it raw, in soups, added to pasta sauces, or stir fries, or anything else it might taste good with.