Bilberries don’t hang around for long, so when you find a patch, it’s worth picking a few extra for something special. This bilberry whiskey is simple to make, keeps well, and tastes even better when shared after a day outdoors.

It’s strong, a little sweet, and full of wild flavour—a proper forager’s treat.

Ingredients:

• 300g bilberries (fresh or frozen)
• 500ml good-quality whiskey (a smooth Irish or Scotch blend works well)
• 150–200g soft brown sugar (adjust to taste)

Click here for our Bilberry foraging guide

Method:

Rinse your Bilberries gently and remove any stems or leaves.

Place the Bilberries in a large, sterilised jar. Add the sugar and pour over the whiskey. Stir or shake gently to combine.

Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark place for at least 4–6 weeks, shaking every few days to help the sugar dissolve and flavours blend.

After a month, taste it. Too strong? Add a touch more sugar. Too sweet? A splash more whiskey. You’re in charge here!

Once you’re happy with the flavour, strain the liqueur through muslin or a fine sieve, then decant into a clean bottle.

For a smoother, richer flavour, let it mature for another month or two. Or just… sip and enjoy.

For more amazing Bilberry recipes click here.

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The country side of the UK is abundant wild roses, 13 native and 9 introduced  according to BSBI, many of them hybridising and with very similar appearance. Two of the most common are:

Dog rose Rosa Canina add link to id guide

Japanese rose Rosa Rugosa add link to id guide

If you haven’t already check out our ID guides linked above

They have been used for centuries for their beauty, wonderful flavours and array of fantastic medicinal properties.

The great thing about wild roses is they are all edible and can be used for recipes interchangeably, so as long as you are 100% certain you have a wild rose species- first part of the botanical name beginning with “Rosa” it doesn’t matter which one edibility wise. You can even use garden varieties. The harvesting, prep and recipes you can make with them are all the same.

Harvest Time and Techniques

Flowers- from late spring to early summer so about May- June. The petals are the only part needed so if you carefully pull just the petals the rest of the flower will remain to go on to produce a rose hip. They will keep well for a few days in a cool place for long term storage they also dry well.

Rose hips- Autumn, the season is quite long for rose hips, they can be seen even in late summer and last on the shrubs well into January,  but simply once the hips turn red they are ripe and ready to use. The traditional time to collect rose hips is just after the first frost as the freezing breaks the cells within making them softer and sweeter. This is called bletting, but we now have the modern technology of freezers so can start earlier if we wish. 

When collecting your rose hips it will be useful to take a pair of gloves to protect from the thorns also some secateurs as it’s only when they are really soft do they come away from the stem easily.

Edible parts and uses

 Leaves

When very young in spring they can be added to salads and stir fries. Different species have varying levels of spines and thorns, so have a little check first but generally they are very smooth at this age, like pictured above. Dog rose Rosa Canina is my favourite for this. 

Rose petals 

Floral and perfumed with a light sweetness

Decoration

Can be used for their beauty and light sweetness for decoration on desserts and in salads or any food that they will compliment. Rose petals are well known for flavouring Turkish delight.

Infusion

Rose petals work excellent as an infusion into many different vinegars, syrups or alcohols and jellies so have an experiment! The flavours are water soluble so take little time to infuse. They will tint your recipe similar of the petals them selves, if you want a striking pink you can use Japanese rose Rosa rugosa or other strongly coloured roses from your garden.

This is a two part goodie! Because with these recipes you get two products-

• A Rose infused condiment, alcohol or syrup.
• Petals that have been pickled, or syrup and alcohol soaked which are delicious. 

Simple recipe for Rose flower vinegar

Melt together with heat on the hop 400ml of your choice of vinegar and 2 heaped tablespoons of brown sugar ( or an amount to your taste) Once cooled, pour into a clean jar that has been stuffed full of rose petals. Fill almost to the top, as vinegar can degrade most jar lids. Leave for 5 days then decant the vinegar into a suitable bottle and keep the rose petals in a jar in the fridge ready to use on dessert, salads or especially with Turkish and moroccan like dishes.  

Jams and desserts

The petals work great in jam or sweet pickles also for sorbet, ice cream and jelly. Another way to use them is to incorporate them in no-bake slices like tiffin. 

Tea 

Petals can be dried and made into blends of loose leaf tea.

Other Rose recipes

Rose hips

A unique flavour of a sweet tangy tomato/strawberry.

There’s a little way you can get a taste of Rose hips before collecting 100’s of them. Once they are soft ( pull off the shrub easily) there will be a little hole where it was just attached to the stem. Give the hip a very gentle and even squeeze so the pulp oozes out like toothpaste from the hole, and try! if the seeds also push out you’ve pushed too hard and if lots of juice comes out its fermenting, in both cases toss it and get another.

Rose hip syrup

This is honestly just lovely, It is simply Rose hip pulp and sugar. There are a few ways you can make this depending on if you want to do less work and how quickly you want result. For all methods it’s best to have your rose hips already soft either by collecting after the frost or having stuck them in and out the freezing a couple of times.

The reason to have them soft first is so they are sweeter, need minimal processing which preserves more vitamin C and to get the more of the delicious pulp.

For method one 1 and 2 first you need the pulp…..

Place your whole washed soft rose hips into a pan. If a few have bits of stalk on it’s no problem. Add enough water to cover and simmer on a medium heat until they are soft enough to mash into a pulp.  

Now you sieve the pulp, theres two different ways depending if you want a thicker puree or a flavoured liquid/jelly- but the most important thing is you use a cheesecloth or jelly bag, it has to be a tightly woven mesh to stop the irritating little hairs inside coming through so a regular metal sieve or will not do.

Method 1- Best for puree, pickle, sauces, jam, thicker syrup.

Roll up your sleeves and with your cheesecloth squeeze the pulp through the mesh, it takes a little work but worth it for the rich thick result.

I usually do a double squeeze. Once I can’t get any more puree through, I put it back in the pan and add more water and squeeze through again or go to method 2. It’s amazing how much more you get, the second lot is thinner but still great for syrups!

Method 2- Best for cordial, drinks, jellies and a thinner syrup.

You may want to water down your pulp a little more first then leave it hanging in a jelly bag overnight this will result in a translucent flavoured liquid.

Now you just need to add sugar, Demerara is considered the tastiest by most people but any is fine. You can add an amount of sugar to your personal taste but if it’s under 50- 60% sugar it will have a shorter shelf life as it wont naturally preserve, you will need to refrigerate, freeze or use jam/pickling heat methods for longer storage. 

Method 3

With your cleaned and dried soft rose hips, get a clean jar and layer 50-50 of rose hips and sugar ( demerara is best)  in a lasagna like way, then pop the lid on and leave in a temperate place out of the sun, in 1-3 months a syrup will have formed all by itself. Because sugar is hydrophilic ( loves moisture) it draws the juices from the rose hips out and forms a syrup. It’s ready once all the sugar has liquified, though I often leave it an extra couple of weeks after to make sure all the flavour is infused. Before serving if any of the rose hips are broken you will need to sieve the syrup through a cheesecloth or jelly bag to make sure the seeds and hairs are left behind.

Extra tips…

If you’re worried some hairs have made it through into your syrup, leave it standing overnight and they mostly float to the top so you can just scoop them out.

It is possible to put them through a low power food processor briefly before heating to help break them up. I’ve done this and still successfully sieved the hairs and seeds out. But it must be a light chop up not liquefying something like a Nutribullet is way too powerful. 

Medicinal Uses and nutrition

Rose petals

Drinking Rose petal tea is an important part of Traditional Chinese medicine.

It’s a good source of vitamin A,C and E, also iron and calcium while containing zero fat, sugar, calories or protein.  

The petals have mood stabilising and lifting properties. The smell of roses also promotes a calming and stress relieving effect. 

The vitamins and antioxidants in Rose petals support skin health giving them them the strong association with beauty, many skin care products contain rose.

Rose hips 

Most well known and praised for their incredible anti inflammatory properties and high Vitamin C content which is 8-20 times that of oranges with 426mg in 100g of rose hips. 

Rose hips are also high in folate and contains vitamins A, B3, D and E along with flavonoids, carotenoids, betasitosterol, fructose, malic acid, tannins, magnesium, zinc, copper and numerous other phytochemicals.

Heart health

Consuming rose hips may boost heart health by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.  In a 6-week study in 31 people, drinking a rosehip beverage containing 40 grams of rosehip powder daily led to significant reductions in blood pressure, total cholesterol, and LDL (bad) cholesterol, compared with the control group.

Benefits for arthritis

Rose hips have been well studied for their effects on osteoarthritis pain. A recent review of 24 studies found that supplementing with rose hips may help relieve osteoarthritis symptoms by combating oxidative stress and inflammation in your joints. Additionally, a review of three studies noted that people taking rosehip powder were twice as likely to report improvements in osteoarthritis pain. Finally, a recent review observed that rose hips reduced pain and stiffness in those with osteoarthritis.

Skin 

Rose hip oil is now a popular anti-aging substance in the beauty industry, it’s made by cold pressing rose hips and extracting their natural oils. The seeds are high in polyunsaturated fats, which supports healthy skin and protects it from damaging compounds, such as ultraviolet (UV) rays, cigarette smoke, and pollution.

In one small, 8-week study, taking 3 mg of Rose hip powder daily led to a significant decrease in skin wrinkles and significant increase in skin moisture content and elasticity.

Researchers attributed these results to rose hips’ robust antioxidant, vitamin C, and fatty acid profile, which all protect and replenish your skin barrier.

Rose hip oil may also aid wound healing. In a recent study, rats treated with this oil had significantly faster wound healing and less scar development than the control group. 

Sources

https://www.webmd.com/diet/rose-tea-good-for-you

www.eatweeds.com

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This Elderflower kombucha is light, floral, and naturally fizzy—simple to make and seriously refreshing. The Elderflower adds a subtle sweetness that works perfectly with the tang of the fermented tea. It’s a great one to have in the fridge for warm days, and a nice alternative to sugary drinks or shop-bought sodas.

Ingredients to brew this Elderflower kombucha:

• 20 fresh Elderflower heads 
  
• 240g sugar
  
• 1.76kg water (approx. 1.75 litres)
  
• 1 SCOBY + 200ml starter kombucha (from a previous batch or shop-bought)
  
• Optional: strip of lemon zest or a few extra Elderflowers for bottling
  

Click here to read our Elder ID guide.

Click here to find out more about Kombucha.

Method for our Elderflower kombucha:

1. Gently shake the Elderflower heads to remove any insects (don’t wash them). Place them in a large bowl or jug and pour over 1 litre of freshly boiled water. Cover and let steep overnight at room temperature.
   
2. The next day, strain out the flowers using a fine sieve or muslin cloth. Pour the infused water into a saucepan, add 240g sugar, and heat gently until fully dissolved. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
   
3. Add the remaining 760ml of cool water to the syrup to bring it to the full 1.76kg (1.75 litres). Make sure the mixture is completely cool before continuing.
4. Pour the mixture into a clean glass jar or fermentation vessel. Add the SCOBY and 200ml starter kombucha. Cover with a cloth and secure with a rubber band. Leave to ferment at room temperature for 7–10 days.
5. Start tasting around day 6. When it’s tangy but still lightly floral, remove the SCOBY and pour the kombucha into bottles. Add a strip of lemon zest or a few fresh Elderflowers if you’d like.
6. Seal the bottles and leave them at room temperature for 2–3 days to build some fizz. Then pop them in the fridge.
   
   Chill well before drinking. Pour over ice or drink straight from the bottle. It’s light, a little wild, and a lovely way to use what’s in season.

View all of our Elderflower & Elderberry Recipes here

The post Elderflower kombucha: A Fermented Treat appeared first on .

I can’t believe this even counts as a recipe—the Elderflower Spritz that simple. But somehow, with just a few ingredients, you get a drink that tastes like you’ve wandered into a fancy garden party.

Light, floral Elderflower gin, a touch of lemon, and some sparkling wine come together to make a cocktail that’s refreshing, elegant, and dangerously easy to sip. You’ll be making this one all summer long.

Ingredients to make our Elderflower Spritz:

• 30ml/1fl oz Elderflower gin
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 90ml/3fl oz Sparkling wine
• garnish with Watermint

Click here to see our Elderflower gin recipe.

Click here to see our guide to the Mint family.

Method:

Fill a wine glass with ice and pour in the gin, lemon juice and stir.

Top with sparkling wine.

Garnish with a sprig of mint.

View all of our Elderflower & Elderberry Recipes here

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I love the purity of this wild kefir chardonnay recipe and its ability to pass as a plausible white wine replacement when you can’t, or don’t want to, drink a glass of regular wine with dinner. This is great when you want something to drink that feels indulgent and has the acidity to complement food.

This combination of ingredients offers just the right balance of flavours and, as a happy accident, they’re also rich immune-boosting substances. Oak chips are optional, but easy to source online, and they have been used medicinally throughout history to treat the common cold, sore throats and bronchitis. Interestingly, the high tannin content of certain wines is typically a result of ageing wine in oak barrels. It’s the oak’s tannin that lends both flavour and antibacterial properties. 

Kefir grains can also be purchased online and are used to ferment the delicious brew below, resulting in a lot of gut-friendly, good bacteria-boosting benefits, as well as giving the drink a more rounded wine-like complexity. 

by Rachel Dethample

Ingredients:

Makes 1 litre 

1 litre freshly boiled water 

4 chamomile tea bags, or 4 tbsp dried chamomile flowers 

2 fresh pine, spruce, or fir sprigs, or 2 tbsp dried needles 

strip of lemon zest (about 1⁄2 lemon) 

2 tbsp oak wood chips, or 2 tbsp oak-smoked water (optional) 

2 tbsp golden caster sugar 

3 tbsp kefir grains 

How to tell the difference between Douglas Fir, Spruce and Pine Trees

Method:

Pour the measured boiling water over the chamomile, pine and lemon zest in a large heatproof bowl. 

If you’re using oak, toast it gently in a frying pan set over medium-high heat. You can use fine wood chips which look like desiccated coconut, 

or larger chips that look like coconut chips. Toast until fragrant (you’ll get hints of vanilla scent when it’s ready) and lightly golden. 

Tip the toasted oak, if using, straight in with the brewing tea. Allow to steep for 30 minutes, then strain into a sterilised 1.5-litre jar (see page 188). Stir in the sugar, then, when fully cool, add the kefir grains. 

Cover with a cloth and let it ferment for 2 days at room temperature. Strain, bottle and chill before drinking. It will keep happily in the refrigerator for 1 week. Store the kefir grains in the refrigerator with just enough water to keep them hydrated; they can be reused. To keep them happy, dust a spoonful of sugar over them, as that’s their food source. 

More on How Kefir Works…

Water kefir is a fermented, carbonated beverage made by inoculating a sugar-water solution (often with dried fruit) with water kefir grains – a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. These grains contain lactic acid bacteria (LAB), yeasts, and usually some acetic acid bacteria (AAB), all embedded in a polysaccharide matrix. During fermentation (typically 1–3 days at room temperature), the microbes metabolise sugars (primarily sucrose from the sugar source) into a variety of end products. The result is a slightly sweet, acidic, mildly alcoholic, and fizzy drink rich in probiotic microorganisms​
​
Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB): LAB (e.g. various Lactobacillus species) thrive in the anaerobic, sugar-rich environment of water kefir. They ferment sugars through glycolysis followed by lactic acid fermentation, producing lactic acid as a major end product​. This lactic acid is responsible for the tangy, sour taste of water kefir. Many LAB in kefir are heterofermentative, meaning that besides lactate they also produce some carbon dioxide and either ethanol or other byproducts. For example, heterofermentative LAB can metabolize fructose (from sucrose) to mannitol (a sugar alcohol) and use this reaction to generate acetic acid instead of ethanol​. (Mannitol itself has a mild sweetness and antioxidant properties, which can subtly influence flavour and health benefits​.

Learn more on Rachel here

Fermentation is one of the oldest — and most magical — ways to preserve food and boost its flavour. From tangy krauts to fizzy foraged sodas, it’s a process that transforms simple ingredients into something alive, nourishing, and full of character. These recipes are all about slowing down, getting hands-on, and letting wild microbes do what they do best. Whether you’re new to fermenting or looking to try something a little different, there’s something here to spark your curiosity — and your taste buds.

If you’re hungry for more fermented recipes, click here to explore!

The post How to Make Wild Kefir Chardonnay: A Forager’s Fermented Wine Alternative appeared first on .

This is a tea-based kombucha recipe, to which you can add lovely seasonal, garden-inspired twists (see below).

It’s important to create a strong, vibrant flavour before adding your scoby, as kombucha is a tangy drink and delicate flavours can be overwhelmed. 

By Rachel Dethample

Ingredients:

Our Wild Kombucha Recipe Makes 1 litre 

• 4 tea bag or 4 level tbsp loose-leaf tea (black, green, white or herbal)
• 1 litre boiling filtered water
• 85g raw, organic caster sugar
• 1 kombucha from a previous batch, or 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

You will also need:

• A 1.5 litre jar or jug, for fermentation
• Cheesecloth or a clean tea towel
• Bottles, for storage

Method:

1. Brew the tea with the boiling water in a heatproof jug, allowing it to steep for 30 minutes -1 hour. Strain the tea into the jar or jug, then whisk in the sugar until dissolves (I tend to ferment kombucha in the Kilner-style jar).
2. Once your tea has cooled to room temperature, add your scoby. Pour in the 2 tablespoons kombucha or apple cider vinegar – this helps to kick-start fermentation; add more if you want to speed up the fermentation (or brewing) process. Cover with a clean cloth and leave to ferment at room temperature (10-22 °C) for 5 days to 2 weeks.
3. Strain the kombucha through the cloth-lined sieve into a jug. Pour into bottles and seal with corks or stoppers. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours to build carbonation. Then, keep in the fridge until ready to drink, or for up to 6 weeks; the longer you leave it the tangier it will become.

Seasonal Foraged Kombucha Flavours 

Blend the kombucha with a large handful of wild blossom, fruit or leaves, and an extra 1-2 tablespoons sugar (or honey, if using jun), to taste. Strain through a cloth and pour into bottles. Seal and ferment at room temperature for a day before placing in the fridge. For optimum flavour, drink within 1 month. These are some of my favourites. 

Spring:

Hawthorn or cherry blossom 

Summer:

Elderflower, Dog rose and wild strawberries 

Autumn:

Blackberry and fig leaf, Pear and wild fennel, Elderberry and Alexander seed, Crab apple and bay 

Winter:

Gorse flowers,Dandelion root, and Spruce needles

HOW TO STORE YOUR KOMBUCHA SCOBY

Kombucha scobys like lots of oxygen and they don’t like to be cold. To meet these minor demands is easy. Simply store your scoby in a jar large enough for it and enough liquid from a previous batch of kombucha or jun to cover it. 

Keep the jar covered with a thick, but breathable cloth vs a lid and store at room temperature. It will keep for a month (often longer) without needing any attention at all but to keep it happy refresh the liquid with newly brewed sweetened tea or simply drop a little sugar or honey into the jar – this will literally keep it sweet, as well as well-fed and thriving. 

You can store more than more kombucha or jun scoby in the same jar and if you’re lucky, the ones you have will produce babies – i.e. new layers you can remove and gift to friends (or experiment with in recipes, such as making scoby ‘jerky’ by dehydrating it and brushing it with a sweet, salty and spicy marinade.

Learn more on Rachel here

Fermentation is one of the oldest — and most magical — ways to preserve food and boost its flavour. From tangy krauts to fizzy foraged sodas, it’s a process that transforms simple ingredients into something alive, nourishing, and full of character. These recipes are all about slowing down, getting hands-on, and letting wild microbes do what they do best. Whether you’re new to fermenting or looking to try something a little different, there’s something here to spark your curiosity — and your taste buds.

If you’re hungry for more fermented recipes, click here to explore!

The post Kombucha 101: Everything You Need to Know to Brew at Home appeared first on .

It is winter my friends. The harvest is in, the sun is gone, the ancient inhabitants of this rainy isle would now be busy trying to preserve as much of their forage as possible to last through the dark months. 

Drying, salting, fermenting, these processes would help lock in the goodness of the harvest and prevent spoilage as much as possible by making conditions hostile for unhelpful bacteria and moulds.

Here I present a recipe to help keep Vitamin D deprived immune systems functioning over the winter. We all know that colds and flu are rife at this time of the year. This is a mad science experiment, where I have packed as many anti-virals and immune boosting substances into one drink as possible, without giving it an absolutely horrendous flavour. 

Please note, there is little to no scientific data on the interplay of the ingredients present within this recipe. There is however, a mountain of scientific evidence to show their individual efficacy when it comes to helping our bodies fight disease.

I / the company take no responsibility for any adverse affects of making home-made booze!

Why make Wild Mead?

I hear you ask. In fact, what is mead? Isn’t that the stuff vikings drank?

Yes, is the short answer. The long answer is that beverages containing fermented honey trace back as far as 8000 years ago, and could well be some of the oldest alcohol in existence. 

At its most basic, a bee hive falls into a puddle, the naturally occurring yeasts (in the soil, carried on the wind, living on the bees themselves) start to ferment the sugars in this water/honey mix. This soon converts to carbon dioxide and alcohol. The reality is, that naturally occurring alcohol pre-dates the evolution of man.

Along our evolutionary path, man discovered fermentation and its fun effects. In many ancient cultures, alcohol took on a sacred status and was said to be bestowed by God/The Gods, used in both ritual, medicinal and recreational aspects of life. The power of fermentation allowed us to preserve nutrients from otherwise decaying matter, as well as unlocking more benefits (e.g. live bacteria in fermented sauerkraut is great for gut health, brewing beer with yarrow is said to increase its potency, fermenting honey from heather flowers increases its protein content). 

I choose to mainly brew with honey, not only because it imparts a unique flavour into the mix, but because of the extra purported health benefits in consuming it vs refined sugars. Honey contains antioxidants, 31 different minerals (including magnesium, phosphorous and potassium), amino acids and pollen [Read more here ]. It exhibits wound healing and antiviral/bacterial/fungal properties. It is not just sugar!

This makes it a prime candidate for our winter drink. Fermentation will break the sugars down, while keeping many of the beneficial properties of honey preserved in the ferment. The alcohol content and anti-microbial compounds in the honey will extend the shelf life of the beverage.

Please note: Use single-source honey where you can. If you pick up a jar that says “a mix of EU and non-EU honeys”, don’t buy it. A recent study was done that shows most of this stuff is adulterated sugar syrup imported from China. 

Local honey is the best to use, but it is expensive for the quantity needed. The next best step is to locate something labelled “Polish wildflower honey”, or “Greek heather honey” and so on. These should be traceable to a single country, pure, and will have an exciting array of flavours that will differ from the fake stuff.

Primitive meads were sometimes made using the entire bee hive, meaning the fermentation process benefitted from other hive products like propolis, royal jelly and even the venom from angry bees [Stephen Harold Buhner, Sacred and Healing Beers]. We’re all about saving the bees here at Totally Wild, so we’ll spare their hives, in place of their delicious honey. 

The Other Stuff

As discussed earlier, mead at its most basic is water, honey and yeast. If you’re not interested in my mad science experiment, you can skip this bit and follow the steps below (omitting all other ingredients) to create a basic, but tasty mead.

Here we’ll discuss the other ingredients used to give our immune systems a helping hand:

Elder Berries

Not to be eaten raw. Foraged around September time, these gifts from the Elder tree have a rich folkloric history of helping fight disease. Traditionally, the Elder Mother, the spirit of this wonderful tree, was asked for permission before any part of the plant was harvested. 

She would respond: “Why should you be granted access to such things?”

The answer is: “Elder Mother, in time I will come to you, my body will be returned to the Earth and in that time I will pay for this bounty and help I request”.

The reverence with which this plant was treated by Pagan societies reflects the value it brought to their medicine. In the modern day, it has been proven that parts of the Elder tree, flowers and berries included, contain anti-viral compounds that help the body fight against disease [Read more here]. The berries are also rich in vitamin C which is another aid to a functioning immune system. 

Later, we will simmer these berries at 65-75 degrees C to destroy any cyanide-containing compounds present in them, while preserving the vitamin C.

Elder Berries before separation from their stems.

Hogweed Seeds

Hogweed is mainly for flavour here, but also rumoured to be an effective treatment for chest complaints.

Ginger Root (not foraged)

“Ginger is a great source of vital vitamins and minerals, including iron, magnesium, vitamins B6 and C, and zinc. These vitamins and minerals along with ginger’s antioxidant properties can help strengthen your immune system. Gingerol helps ease common cold symptoms, like muscle fatigue and sore throat. It can also help fight symptoms of the flu.” [Read More here ]

It has been found that fresh ginger has antiviral action against respiratory viruses in humans [Read more here].

Not only this, it tastes great in things like mulled wine!

Cinnamon and Cloves (not foraged)

Cinnamon and cloves are included mainly for flavour, but cinnamon does possess antifungal properties, so will be helpful to prevent our brew from turning into vinegar.

If you spot some Wood Avens while you’re out and about, the roots can be substituted for cloves to achieve the same flavour.

Turkey Tail

This is where it gets weird. Yes I put mushrooms in my mead. 

Turkeytail is currently the subject of some very interesting anti-cancer research. Some studies have shown it is effective against a multitude of viruses too, while provoking the body into producing its own defensive measures [https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/turkey-tail-mushroom?c=1483593010001#antimicrobial-properties ].

There is little data I can find on dosage when it comes to Turkeytail, so I did a rough calculator based on the info I could find, using a handful of dried fungal bodies for a gallon of mead.

Birch Polypore

More mushrooms, yes you read that right.

This amazing bracket fungus has been proven to demonstrate action against flu, West Nile Virus and even HIV.

It contains polysaccharides, which provide energy for cellular metabolism [P.Stamets, Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms]. 

Again, it is hard to find exact dosages for this mushroom. I settled again for a handful to 1 gallon of mead, as it is better to under-dose than overdose when it comes to these fungi.

An overdose won’t kill you, but it might give you a stomach upset. These mushrooms are also very bitter, so we don’t want the flavour taking over from all the nicer ingredients we add.

Wild Yeast

I created a wild yeast culture by mixing a small jar of water, a tsp of honey, fresh elderberries and some sloes, which are also a good source of wild yeast. After a few days, this started bubbling, and was ready to use to start my larger fermentation.

Wild yeast typically yields a lower alcohol content than commercial wine yeast, which is good in this circumstance. We need a level of alcohol content to extract useful compounds from some of our ingredients (e.g. the mushrooms, which have both water and alcohol soluble compounds), but we don’t want a level of alcohol so high that regular consumption will come at a detriment to our immune system.

Most wild yeast produces a wine/beer/mead of approx 5% alcohol. 

When the wild yeast dies off/goes dormant when the alcohol content becomes too much for them, they form a sediment in the drink, making it look cloudy. For fancy alcohol, we’d wait until the liquid has clarified before drinking. In this situation, we’ll drink it cloudy, as dead/dormant yeast is rich in B vitamins, another boost to our immune system, hurrah! [https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nutritional-yeast ]

Some of our ingredients. From left to right, wild yeast starter, single source honey, dried birch polypore, hogweed seeds

Equipment Needed to Make Wild Mead at Home

In the spirit of our ancestors (and out of respect to my wallet), I have made this brewing process as primitive/low tech as possible.

For a gallon of mead you will need:

• 2 Demijohns or fermentation vessels
• 1 airlock
• 1 rubber tubing or siphon
• A gallon cooking pot
• A wooden spoon for mixing
• Enough bottles for a gallon of liquid (usually works out around 5 or 6 wine bottles)
• 1 gallon of water
• Measuring jug
• Optional: potato masher

Ingredients

• 1200g of honey
• Approx 20 heads of elderberries (collect the heads, then separate the berries from the stems – discard stems)
• Thumb sized piece of ginger
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• A handful of chopped, dried turkeytail
• A handful of chopped, dried birch polypore
• 1tbsp hogweed seeds
• Tbsp of lemon juice for flavour
• Yeast starter, wild or otherwise. Prep wild yeast solution a few days in advance.

My Wild Mead Recipe

I measure a lot of things by hand or eye. This entire process was experimental, you don’t need to follow it to the letter. Just know the foundational elements of how to ferment, have fun and don;t be afraid to make mistakes!

• Prep thy vessel

I am now beyond the stage of bothering to sterilise my equipment unless there is mould around, or I’ve just bought new equipment to use.

If your demijohns have yeast residue from a previous ferment, good news, that brown layer may contain dormant yeast, which can become active again in the presence of moisture, warmth and sugar. Some cultures would purposefully carve channels into the walls of their fermentation vessels to allow yeast to settle and go dormant, to be reactivated next time they were due to brew.

If you are more particular than me, then by all means sterilise your equipment with a campden tablet or a small amount of bleach.

• Bubble bubble, toil n trouble

Bring your gallon of water to the boil, then allow it to cool. In the case of using tap water, this will help evaporate some of the chorine present, reducing the chances that it will harm your yeast. 

Add your ginger, cinnamon, cloves, handfuls of birch polypore and turkeytail, boiling for 10 mins until the water has gone a deep brown. We have now extracted some of the water soluble chemicals in the mushrooms.

Reduce the heat to just below a simmer, then add your elderberries and hogweed seeds. Simmer at approx 65 C for another 10 minutes. Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to squash the berries and extract the most juice.

• Muh sugar, muh baby, muh honey

Allow the mixture to cool until it is just warm to the touch, 40 C or below. Add your 1200g of honey to the mix, stirring until it is dissolved. We do this at a lower temp to preserve the more delicate components in the honey from destruction by heat.

At this stage you should be waking up your yeast solution. If you prepped a wild yeast solution, it should be bubbling away by now. Give it a shake to stir up the sediment. If using commercial yeast, add it, with some nutrient, to a small bowl of warm water.

• Fill thy vessel

Pour the mixture into the demijohn with the aid of your measuring jug. This is a messy process. Most guides recommend passing the mixture through a filter to remove the berry husks before fermentation, however I left mine in to provide more food for the yeast.

I made sure to include the boiled mushroom fragments when adding the mixture into the demijohn, as the second stage of the fermentation process will extract the alcohol soluble compounds in the mushrooms. 

• Merry Yeastmas

Seal the demijohn with the airlock, wait for the demijohn to cool to around body temperature. Take the airlock off, add your yeast solution, and re-seal. Your vessel is ready, let the sacred ferment begin!

• The bryggjemann cometh

Leave your demijohn in a warm, dark place. In Norwegian folklore, it was said that the spirit of the bryggjemann (what we now know is yeast) will enter the jar at night and make it boil. By the morning, you should see bubbles appearing in your vessel. If this doesn’t happen, don’t panic! Fermentation can take up to a week to start.

Once your liquid is “boiling”, the bryggjemann has paid your jar a visit, and your liquid is now alive with his spirit! (The anaerobic respiration of yeast).

• Wait

Because of the complex sugars present in honey, fermenting mead takes longer than a normal beer or wine. You can expect the bubbling to stop in about 3 weeks. 

• Nice rack

Syphon (or rack) your mead using a piece of rubber tubing, into your secondary Demijohn. There will be sediment, berry husks etc. at the bottom of your vessel, syphon down to this layer and discard the rest of the debris.

• Bottle & quaff

Leave your brew in the demijohn for at least 3 months before bottling, or you risk incomplete fermentation, and might create some exploding bottles!

Syphon the mead from your secondary ferment into your bottles with the rubber tubing.

Your mead in this case will be mildly carbonated, as we won’t be ageing it long enough to clarify and rid itself entirely of CO2.

If you wish to save your yeast for use again, leave the top off the brewing vessel and simply allow the dregs at the bottom of the demijohn to dry. Your own household bryggjemann is now sleeping and ready to be woken up again next time you brew. 

A delicious batch of year-old elderberry mead, left to clarify.

To Conclude our Wild Mead Exploration

You can drink this mead for the pure pleasure of it, or use it as a home-made cold and flu remedy. I have been drinking my test batch each time I’ve felt the onset of seasonal unpleasantries, and can say that 2 x 100 ml a day has had a positive effect on my recovery. The only time I’ve developed a full-blown cold was when I stopped drinking it!

That said, my methods are completely unscientific. Could it be placebo? Yes. Could it be that I wasn’t actually going to be ill? Yes. 

However, it cannot be denied that this recipe contains a potent cocktail of immune boosting plants and fungi. I will continue to drink it with great pleasure, along with the 4 gallons of other varieties of mead that I made this year (more recipes to come perhaps?).

Connecting with the fermentation process on a personal level, creates an appreciation for the ritual and spiritual aspects that our ancestors observed during the creation of their sacred and medicinal beverages. Learning how to make an 8000 year old drink at home is a very rewarding process, and I encourage you to try it out.

I highly recommend the book Sacred and Healing Beers, by S.H.Buhner, to which I owe much of the knowledge imparted in this blog piece. The section on mead is a goldmine of fantastic information. 

Find more fantastic Wild Drink ideas here:

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The Common Jasmine (Jasminum officinale) isn’t just a beautiful addition to gardens; it’s also a surprising edible plant with a long history in culinary and medicinal use. Known for its delicate white flowers and sweet, intoxicating fragrance, this climbing plant thrives in sunny spots across the UK. Its blossoms can be used to infuse teas, desserts, and syrups, adding a subtle floral note to your creations.

While not all Jasmine species are safe to eat, Jasminum officinale is both edible and versatile, making it a wonderful plant to grow for anyone interested in edible landscaping.

In this post, we’ll guide you through how to identify, harvest, and use the flowers of this fragrant favourite in your kitchen.

Common Names

Common Jasmine,  common white jasmine, Jessamine, poet’s jasmine, poet’s jessamine, summer jasmine, true jasmine

Botanical Name

Jasminum officinale

Scientific Classification

Kingdom – Plantae

Order –Lamiales 

Family – Oleaceae

Physical Characteristics of Common Jasmine

Common Jasmine is a large deciduous shrub, with a twining climbing growth habit, reaching 4-8m with beautiful scented white flowers.

Leaves

Dark green, pinnate leaves, with 7-9 ovate sharply pointed leaflets. Smooth leaf margin and texture. 

Stem

Leaves are in opposite pairs on the stem,  green and slender.

Flowers

White, strongly scented star shaped flowers  ( 5 petals) 2 cm in width open in clusters of 3 to 5

Fruit

Small black berries, but Jasmine rarely produces berries in the UK.

Habitat

Non native, Jasmine is believed to have originated in the Himalayas of Western China where it is known as “Queen of the Flowers”.  It has now been naturalised in much of Europe. 

Can grow in a wide range of soils and habitats 

Flowers appear from Summer to early Autumn and should be harvested at night to capture their lovely scent.

Known Hazards

Not recommended during pregnancy as it can stimulate uterine contractions. Also it is unknown if it is safe during breast feeding, mothers have used Jasmine to help dry up their lactation. A couple of cups of tea is unlikely to have any effect but might be best avoided.

As with any herbal or medicinal use please always consult an herbal or medicinal expert.

Could Be Confused With

Clematis (Clematis vitalba) which has similar leaves but the flowers are different, having 4 petals and many stamens.

Edible Uses

It is the flower of Jasmine that is mostly used. The Best time to collect the flowers is at night when their fragrance is at its highest, as the flowers release their perfume at dusk. These are used as flavourings for drinks, deserts, baking, puddings and jellies. 

Jasmine stems can also be used to weave baskets.

Edible Uses

It is the flower of Jasmine that is mostly used. The best time to collect the flowers is at night when their fragrance is at its highest, as the flowers release their perfume at dusk. These are used as flavourings for drinks, deserts, baking, puddings and jellies. 

Jasmine stems can also be used to weave baskets.

Notes on Herbal uses

The flower is also made into essential oil and used in aromatherapy, valued for its stress relieving and uplifting qualities. 

Its heavy, sweet scent is valued by perfumers, and is commonly used in cosmetic products.

Extra notes from the Foragers

Jasmine rice is not rice fragranced with Jasmine but a variety of long grain rice that has a popcorn like aroma. 

Said to have potent aphrodisiac qualities, in India Jasmine is used to decorate the bridal suite for newly married couples on their wedding night. 

The name Jasmine derives from the Persian word Yasmin, meaning “Gift from God”, with its flower held highly sacred in India and the Himalayas.

In many parts of Asia Jasmine has sacred symbolism of God, love, purity, strength, and passion. It has been a highly valued flower for thousands of years.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD), the Jasmine flowers became very popular for it delicate beautifully scented tea, not only for its wonderful taste, but also for the many benefits to overall well being benefits.

Source

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-617/jasmine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasminum_officinale

https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk/natural-health-guide/benefits/jasmine

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With the ever-increasing cost of living, it’s not uncommon to feel hopelessly lost about it all. The UK recorded, that from November 2021 to November 2023, the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages grew around 27%. Over the ten years before this, there was only a 9% rise in the cost. It can feel like you have no option because you need to eat, right?

There’s a forgotten world of foraging that can save you money without having to revert to hunter-gatherer times. Integrating forager tea and wild tea into your diet is a simple swap that could significantly reduce your food bill in 2024. Teas and coffees, common items in weekly food shops, can add up, but with a little time, you can try these cost-of-living swaps at home.

Green Teas

Green tea, known for its holistic health and green tea benefits, is one of the easiest teas to replicate with foraged ingredients. There’s plenty of foliage to steep all year round that offers a variety of green, earthy flavours, not to mention the herbal tea benefits and healing properties it provides.

One substitute for green tea is stinging nettle  tea, with its grassy, earthy flavour, is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, mirroring the health benefits of green tea. Nettles improve blood pressure and cholesterol and support bone health, making them a powerful herbal tea with significant healing benefits.

Collect the tops of Stinging Nettles, abundant all year round but best harvested before they flower to maximize the health benefits of their compounds. To avoid the stinging hairs, wear gloves. For fresh use, steep about 1 cup of nettles in 2 cups of boiling water, then strain for a potent nettle tea. For dry use, dehydrate and crumble the leaves for a loose-leaf tea that stores well and offers a concentrated dose of herbal tea benefits.

Another green tea alternative is cleaver tea.

Cleavers, stickyweed or goosegrass are packed with natural health benefits, acting as an anti-inflammatory and enhancing the lymphatic system’s function to flush out toxins. They’re especially beneficial for congestion, swelling, and urinary tract infections, thriving in hedgerows, woodlands, and urban areas.

To harness the health benefits of cleavers, look for their velcro-like leaves clinging to fences and bushes in early spring. Use the top fresh leaves for the best flavor and health benefits, steeping them in boiling water for a healing tea that’s rich in herbal benefits.

Black Teas

Earl Grey is another commonly bought tea. It is a black tea but has hints of fruitiness.

Raspberry leaf tea is a fantastic alternative to Earl Grey for those seeking a fruity black tea. Springtime is ideal for foraging fresh raspberry leaves, which can be found growing wild along forest edges and country roadsides. This best raspberry leaf tea offers unique benefits, making it a top choice for tea enthusiasts.

Raspberry bushes, with their distinctive red, stubble-like thorns and delicate white blossoms, are a sight to behold. For those interested in the best raspberry leaf tea, the young, tender leaves harvested in the morning offer peak flavour and potency. To enjoy the raspberry leaf tea benefits, simply gather a handful of fresh (or dried, if out of season) raspberry leaves and steep them in hot water for 5-10 minutes. After straining the leaves, pour the aromatic red raspberry tea into a mug and savour.

Rosebay willow herb  or fireweed, with its tall, spiky stems and vibrant magenta-pink flowers, is a wildflower known for creating a flavourful floral black tea, embodying the essence of wildflower teas. Found in disturbed areas and meadows during the summer, the best time for harvesting its young leaves and flowers is at the peak of the flowering season, ensuring a tea that’s rich in herbal tea benefits and healing properties.

After collecting, wash and air dry the harvested material in a cool, shaded area. Wilt the leaves, then rub them between your palms to oxidize, breaking down the cells. This preparation, integral to creating wildflower teas, enhances the herbal tea benefits. Roll the leaves into a ball shape and cover with a tea towel in a jar for 2-3 days. Once browned, dry them at a low temperature. Steep these in hot water for 5-10 minutes to unlock their delicate, slightly floral taste, showcasing the herbal teas and their benefits.

Coffees

Coffee, a staple in the weekly shop, boasts benefits like improved energy levels, brain health, and gut health support. While dandelion root and Cleaver seed burs offer a unique swap, they bring their own set of advantages to the table.

While dandelions are often dismissed as pesky weeds, dandelion roots conceal a secret treasure of health benefits, making them a notable mention among herbal tea benefits. Dandelion Root Coffee, a caffeine-free alternative, offers a rich earthy taste along with detoxifying properties and inflammation reduction. Similar to coffee, it supports gut health with its prebiotic properties, best harvested in late autumn or early spring.

Scouting for dandelions in open fields, meadows, or gardens can lead to discovering the base for a unique forager tea. After securing permission, wash and dry the roots at a low temperature before roasting them until dark and aromatic. Grind the roasted roots for a wild tea experience that’s both traditional and innovative.

Cleavers, with their slender, climbing stems and tiny hooked hairs, produce small, greenish-white flowers in late spring to early summer, leading to distinctive burrs that encase tiny seeds. These seeds, once harvested and prepared, offer an unexpected treat.

Cleaver burr seeds yield a coffee with a subtle earthy and nutty flavour, marking another unique entry in the world of forager tea and wild tea. After harvesting mature cleaver burrs, clean and roast the seeds until they darken, then grind them for a coarse consistency. Choose your brewing method and enjoy a cup of this earthy delight.

In conclusion, as the cost of living climbs, foraging for your teas and coffees can be a savvy way to save. Keep an eye out for these simple foraged items, a practice that not only benefits your wallet but also introduces you to the rich world of forager tea, wild tea, and the herbal teas and their benefits.

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Infusing alcohol is a simple yet amazingly delicious way to encapsulate some of Mother Nature’s tastiest wild abundance.

There’s no doubt that our ancestors have been harvesting, preserving, brewing, and fermenting for many moons, and in this piece, we are going to take a look at making seasonal, basic alcoholic infusions from foraged plants, fruits and perhaps even fungi…  

Brewing wine, beer, mead, and other tipples are certainly not off the table when using foraged ingredients.

However, the world of brewing and fermenting can seem a little overwhelming at times, not forgetting you may need to invest in some specialised kit.

Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet is an incredibly simple way to use our foraged goodies whilst making inspiring and curious additions to the drinks cabinet and make wonderful gifts too! 

What’s Needed to Infuse Alcohol with Foraged Wild Ingredients

There are many ways to begin infusing alcohol when Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet. However, the basic principles are the same. In terms of kit, you really don’t need to invest in much at all. Starting with a vessel, I will often use a clean and sterilised jam jar (the bigger the better!). I would stay away from using a glass bottle until you’re ready for your final bottling as it will be tricky to strain your foraged ingredients.

Next… the alcohol. Often it will depend on what you fancy making as certain ingredients will complement certain alcohols (more on this below in the recipes). Nevertheless, I don’t tend to buy very expensive, fancy booze when I’m infusing it.

Although your head may not thank you the next morning, as long as the alcohol is 40% proof (if you’re using a spirit) feel free to use the cheaper brands. Sugar is a main ingredient in making liquors and you will often find it a key ingredient when infusing alcohol.

This isn’t to say you need to use it, but you’ll end up with a tincture that perhaps isn’t as enjoyable and will taste more like medicine.

Your foraged, wild ingredients are what will really make the magic happen see below for some tantalising recipes and what is waiting to be foraged season to season. Cheers! 

Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet in Spring

What a wonderful time of year! We are waking from the long slumber of winter and nature is starting to provide us with an abundance of wild food waiting to be foraged. At this time of year the sap is rising, fruit trees are blooming and the fresh, green spring greens have made their first appearance. 

I absolutely love cherry blossom and there’s no better sign of spring as when they are in bloom.  Most of them are edible – bonus! The flavour when eaten fresh is often described like a bitter almond. It’s worth noting this flavour comes from cyanogenic glucosides so don’t eat too many. Alcohol breaks down these glucosides which makes them a perfect ingredient to infuse. Alongside this, the beautiful floral, almondy notes can only take a few days to infuse the alcohol. Gin or vodka make great spirits as your base for this liquor.

Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera) Identification

Cherry blossom liqueur recipe

This is a fantastic recipe to hold and bottle to have waiting for you when Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet.

For this recipe you will need 2 x mason jars and a small bottle to strain your final liqueur into.

Ingredients:

• 200g Sugar
• 2 Large handfuls of cherry blossoms
• 200ml Vodka or Gin

Method:

1. Place 1 large handful of cherry blossom in each jar
2. In one jar top with 200g sugar, place the lid on and give a good shake
3. In the other jar top with 200ml vodka or gin, place the lid on and give a good shake
4. Let them sit for 2 days out of direct sunlight
5. After 2 days, make a syrup from your infused sugar by a ratio of 1:1 sugar to water
6. To do this measure out your sugar (ensuring you have removed the petals), and then measure the same amount of water. Add the sugar and water to a small pan and dissolve on a low heat to create the syrup
7. Strain out the petals from the vodka or gin
8. Once the syrup has cooled, slowly add this to the infused vodka/gin
9. Once combined, using a funnel you can now bottle up

This liqueur can then be used in many cocktails, enjoy!

Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet in Summer

The days are long, we are (hopefully) being blessed by the beautiful sunshine and the bees are busy buzzing and it’s time to get out Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet.

At this time of year, many plants are flowering and focusing on going to seed. This will take my attention to fungi. You may be thinking… “what? we can infuse alcohol with mushrooms?!” and the answer is an almighty yes. Amazing, huh? The world of fungi is truly mesmerising, and the summer months will see the beginning of this wonderful wild food season really begin. 

Chanterelle (Cantharellius cibarius) is a wonderful mushroom to use when infusing alcohol. They are sweet and fruity, with the scent often described as being like apricots. As with all we forage, ensure you have correctly identified them here and find our truly scrumptious recipe below.

Chanterelle Mushrooms (Cantharellus cibarius) Girolle

Spiced chanterelle vodka recipe

Who would have thought of infusing mushrooms into a wild liquor, however when we’re Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet we sometimes have to think outside of the box, or the bottles. This recipe and drink is absolutely delightful, marrying up the slight peppery spice and apricot aromas of the Chanterelle with Christmassy spices.

Ingredients:

• 100g Fresh chanterelle mushrooms
• 750ml Vodka
• 250g White, granulated sugar
• ½ a Small stick of cinnamon
• ½ Star anise pod

Method

1. Ensure your mushrooms are thoroughly clean 
2. Place the chanterelles in a clean, sterilised jar
3. Cover the mushrooms with the vodka
4. Now add in the sugar and spices into to the jar, giving it a good stir or shake (with the lid on) to dissolve the sugar
5. Leave the infused vodka for 4 days (out of sunlight) and then have a little taste. You can adjust the sweetness here by adding more sugar if you like and then leave it for a few more days if you prefer the taste to be more intense
6. Strain out the mushrooms and spices from the vodka and then bottle up

Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet in Autumn

It’s that time of year again, where the nights are drawing in and the temperature is starting to drop alongside the colourful leaves, it’s the perfect time to head out and Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet or prepare some things for Christmas gifts.

It’s probably one of the most abundant and exciting times of year for the forager, Autumn will provide us with many ingredients to inspire and infuse. With fruits, nuts and berries now ripened there are plenty more exciting creations for the drinks cabinet to see us through the darker months ahead.

Identify Sweet Chestnuts

Sweet chestnuts are in abundance at this time of year (if you can beat the squirrels!) and I love the chase of hunting and prying your way into those pesky spiky cases. It’s worth the effort. Not to be confused with horse chestnut or those familiar conkers… take a look here to make sure what you’ve found is the real deal. Simply roasted on the fire they are a lovely way to celebrate the change of season or why not try our salted caramel sweet chestnut vodka? Find the link below.

Salted Caramel & Sweet Chestnut Vodka Recipe

Ingredients for Salted Caramel Sweet Chestnut Vodka

• 1 LITRE OF VODKA
• 1 TEASPOON OF SEA SALT
• 50 GRAMS OF SUGAR
• 150 GRAMS OF CHESTNUTS (WHEN PEELED)

Method

I used fresh chestnuts that’s I’d foraged but the recipe would work with precooked and vacuum bagged chestnuts sold in supermarkets. If using precooked you can skip this step. But the first thing to do is to roast your nuts.

1. Pre heat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
2. Put each chestnut flat-side down on a chopping board. Hold the chestnut carefully and, using a sharp knife, cut a long slit or a cross in the top. Make sure you cut through the shell but not the nut inside.
3. Roast for around 20-30 minutes. The slits should open slightly and peel back making them easier to de-shell.
4. When roasted place in a large bowl and cover with boiling water and leave for 10 minutes. (This step makes them much easier to peel)
5. Allow to cool slightly and then peel off the shells and tough inner membrane.
6. Once peeled chop slightly and add to a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the sugar and cook gently for 5 minutes. You want the sugar to fully dissolve and start to caramelize. Add the sea salt, stir, remove from the heat and cool completely.
7. Once cooled add to a Kilner jar or large sterilized bottle and top up with vodka, it will be ready to drink after a month but is best left for 2-3 months for the flavours to fully develop.

To serve strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth to remove the nuts. Don’t discard them they have loads of flavour and are great served with vanilla ice cream and birch sap syrup.

Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet in Winter

The long and cold nights mean it’s now time to snuggle up and get cosy in front of the fire, preferably with a festive tipple. We may not be out and about as much to forage, but there are still things destined for the basket and cocktail shaker. 

I’ll often turn to conifer trees in the colder months, and they make a lovely addition to foraged recipes for the holidays. It’s pretty novel to be able to drink your Christmas tree! You’ll find coniferous trees all over the UK and as long as you don’t confuse them with yew, we can make the below recipe from trees such as pine, spruce and fir. This is a handy blog post to help you tell the difference:

The Differences Between Yew and Firs

The compounds found in conifers known as terpenes mean they have a complex flavour profile including that of citrus, piney and fresh which mean they are exceptional for drinks. I encourage you to give some needles a crush a sniff next time you’re out and about – delicious! 

Christmas tree liqueur recipe

If you want to use your Christmas tree for this recipe ensure it’s edible and hasn’t been sprayed with any nasties, if it hasn’t then we can do our Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet much closer to home!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup spruce, fir or pine needles
• 70Cl bottle of vodka or gin
• 150g sugar

Method:

1. Pop your needles and sugar in a blender with 1/2 of the spirit of choice and blitz on high speed for a few minutes
2. Now pour this into a large jug ensuring you haven’t missed any of the blitzed needles
3. Pour this mixture back into the original bottle with the remaining vodka or gin (it will be a mesmerising green colour), seal with the lid and refrigerate for around a week
4. Now strain through muslin and bottle up
5. Store in the freezer

This green elixir can now be used in festive cocktails, enjoy!

Although a quick and simple dive in to Foraging for the Drinks Cabinet, we’ve covered most of the basic elements to get us started infusing and enjoying wild flavours in our next drinks and cocktails.

I often tie a bow around the bottles and give them out as hand made gifts also, they always go down a treat!

You can read more on Wild Booze here

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