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Tips and tricks – finding and harvesting nature's resources

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Tips and tricks – finding and harvesting nature's resources

Sun 21-Mar-10
1:32 pm

Danny

Scarborough, England

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Thanks for resurrecting this thread, Fiano - it was out of season for the winter but with all the new growth starting, we would love to learn of more uses for the free stuff in our hedgerows.

Never knowingly underfed

Sat 12-Jun-10
9:49 pm

Bulgaria

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I found one of my old ladies collecting Hawthorne flowers from the hedgerow so I asked her what she was making....chai...(tea) she said and advised that it was good for regulating the heart. Now I had just been into Holland and Barratt and paid a small fortune for Hawthorne tablets.....not any more...trying to work out if you can dry out the flowers and use them as and when.

One of my visitors that I was collecting the remains of the cherries for, was collecting the stalks. Apparently it's made into chai and is considered to stave off cancer and after looking it up...she's right. I'm learning such a lot out here. They still have lots of country remedies that have long been forgotten in UK...very close to nature they are in the far south of BG... Tea Tea Tea Tea

Who lives long sees much : The diary of my life in Bulgaria

Sat 12-Jun-10
9:53 pm

Toffeeapple

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That's interesting Elsa, I'd be delighted to learn more about natural remedies if you have the inclination to write them for us.

BTW, how many old ladies do you have? Wink

I'll try that again!

Sun 13-Jun-10
9:31 am

Bulgaria

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Miwwions and miwwions....no probably about 50 in my stretched out village and I'm one of them. Big_Laugh

As the hints and tips come...I shall send them on. I did start a little book but my problem is getting a translation. It's no good someone calling it Janqui, advising that it's good for the heart when eaten straight from the tree when I don't know what it is. Apparently the local children dip them in salt...me thinks not too good for the heart, but hey...what do I know, only what scientists tell me from day to day The later process is to ferment them and use the still to make them into Rakia (the local firewater). Still alive most of them, pickled but alive.... such is the medicinein these there hills.... Big_Laugh

Now to work out the maths....orphan confused with brain training...eat your heart out Mr Nagi whatever your name is....

Who lives long sees much : The diary of my life in Bulgaria

Sun 13-Jun-10
12:38 pm

JoannaS

Latvia

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I found out the other day that lilac flowers make a good tea which is apparently good for coughs too.

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Tue 27-Jul-10
2:23 pm

bobbyW

East Suffolk almost near the sea and the Castle on the Hill.

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Help in identifying these fruits please. The first I have tried and I'm still alive, so they must be ok, the second I am not too sure about, they are the same size as the yellow fruit. Thanks

"NEVER RIDE FASTER THAN YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL CAN FLY"
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Tue 27-Jul-10
3:49 pm

Toffeeapple

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I think the yellow ones are Mirabelles and the others could be plums, but someone will be along soon with a definite ID. Well done on posting the pictures BTW!

I'll try that again!

Tue 27-Jul-10
5:31 pm

KateUK

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Wild plums by the look of them.

Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/

Sat 31-Jul-10
2:34 pm

bobbyW

East Suffolk almost near the sea and the Castle on the Hill.

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I picked one of the other fruits, kept it on the kitchen window and let it ripen, not as sweet as the Mirabelles but again no side effects so a possibility.

Re the Mirabelles....please note, I'm more a "Cor Blimey" cook than "Cordon Bleu", I invented "Bung it" cooking, so faced with a collender full of the yellow fruits, I decided to blindly go where no man has gone before!

First, de-stoning them......chopping board, knife- did one then decided too fiddley.
Next, my faithful Mini Pressure Cooker. was resurrected (works much better than the hi dome prestige on smaller quantities). Half inch of water was enough for the job.

Six minutes steaming, into the siev followed by poking around with the teaspoon, I soon had a heap of pips without the flesh. The remainder returned to the pressure cooker minus the lid, castor sugar added to taste it was left to simmer for about half an hour when all the runny juice had gone.

Bringing the JML Halogen cooker into play, I blind baked the pastry lining the pie tin then added the fruit, finally putting the short pastry top on and baking at 200ºc till golden brown.

It's currently cooling, however, I noticed how clean the inside of the tarnished pressure cooker was compared to before use......SWMBO can have the first taste!

"NEVER RIDE FASTER THAN YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL CAN FLY"
Your future self is watching you right now through memories

Sat 31-Jul-10
4:26 pm

Toffeeapple

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Oh well done Bob! welldone If it tastes good and you feel you want to repeat the process, did you make a note of the amounts you used?

I liked your comment 'I noticed how clean the inside of the tarnished pressure cooker was compared to before use¦¦SWMBO can have the first taste!' I won't tell her - honest!! big_laugh

I'll try that again!

Sat 31-Jul-10
7:58 pm

Danny

Scarborough, England

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That sounds like a brilliant adventure, Bob! eeek

Seriously, well done for having a right good go at it. Me, I have never made pastry, so I am doubly impressed.

Re SWMBO - relax.

Gin has the same effect! On metal. You can't go wrong big_laugh

But please do let us know the outcome. I mean, what the result was about the pie.

(and SWMBO, as an afterthought).

Never knowingly underfed

Sat 31-Jul-10
9:45 pm

Bulgaria

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Danny said:

But please do let us know the outcome. I mean, what the result was about the pie.

(and SWMBO, as an afterthought).

Danny does this mean that you are a caring sharing person.....I obviously under estimated you...but I suppose, it was as an afterthought...back to the drawing board Basil.... big_laugh

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Sat 31-Jul-10
11:35 pm

bobbyW

East Suffolk almost near the sea and the Castle on the Hill.

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The pie was not too bad, both still here, although A little more sugar would have been ideal as it's a tad sharp.
I have to fess up I cheated on the pastry and bought Be-Ro.
There's 3/4 of the pie left and since there are no instructions to bin it, I'd say that's a result for a first attempt.

"NEVER RIDE FASTER THAN YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL CAN FLY"
Your future self is watching you right now through memories

Sat 31-Jul-10
11:49 pm

Toffeeapple

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