Yesterday OH and I did a foraging day called Wild Kitchen. It was at Gartur Stitch Farm which isn't too far from Stirling. It involved a woodland walk led by a lovely lady called Kat with opportunities to identify and gather edible greens. I surprised myself by knowing more than I thought! The best discovery for me was pignuts (top left in collage.) They look like carrot tops but when you dig down you find a wee 'nut' that tastes a bit like a hazelnut.
Back at the farm we had the chance to make a few things from our finds. I made a dandelion leaves and wild garlic tops soda bread. It was delicious! We also made a spruce tips simple syrup and some pressed wildflower cookies. Kat had made some sweet ciceley ice cream that was served with roasted rhubarb. Everything was yum!!!
As it's a smallholding type of farm they have lots of animals and we got the chance to meet some of them including 3 week old kittens 😍
Here's Zeus (or maybe this one is Thor 😆 ), one of the baby goats!
Petunia the friendly Jersey cow loved licking OH's legs! 😂
This is Kevin, Kat's hubby, introducing us to BoyBoy the kunekune pig, assorted goats, geese, chickens, Soay sheep and a random peacock. 🐖🐄🐓🐐🐑
Despite having just had a hot weather week here, it rained all yesterday. I had a decent rain jacket on but I forgot to take a jumper with me so I was really cold for most of the day. When I got home I switched my heating back on, lit the woodburner and had a very long hot shower! Emma had spent the day with The Teenogre and was more than happy to lie in her favourite spot.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day (OH liked some of it!!) I loved finding out about more free foods I can forage and how I can use them. I discovered that I'm glad I didn't get to have goats and pigs in my old house now. I'm perfectly happy with my dog and chickens although I think I might be able to squeeze in a wee kitten 😸
Looks like a very interesting, if cold, day. I'm very sceptical about using wild food, I keep looking at dandilions and thinking I should try them but I never do! Kittens are adorable but I'd never have one. I hate that they walk all over the worktops in the kitchen and can reach places dogs can't! They are cute to look at though. I hope your 'short' week is better than last week! x
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting and gave me the confidence to eat more wild food. Agree about cats on kitchen work surfaces, maybe it would encourage me to be tidier!!
DeleteEveryone has room for a kitten.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm thinking ;-)
DeleteHow would Emma feel about sharing her space (and you!) with a cat?
ReplyDeleteGood question! I think she still misses Lucy (me too, she was a great dog!) but I'm def not getting another dog. I keep thinking about a kitten for company for her and then me when she's no longer here. I'm looking into it ;-)
DeleteI'm completely irresponsible when it comes to kittens. Or puppies. Hopefully no cat decides to move in in near future, I think three cats and a dog is enough.
ReplyDeleteWe are eating "wild food" all the time. Most of it is foraged berries and mushrooms, but I forage quite alot of different things during summer: spruce tips (for salt), birch sap (for mead), fireweed shoots (eaten as asparagus), sorrel (for salads) and ground elder (as kale or spinach), and of course nettles for soups and pancakes. Children tend to eat everything, hb is more vary (but he grew up with chocolate and candies, cookies and biscuits and cakes and rolypolies and crisps - things I hardly saw in Christmas and birthdayparties).
You're an expert!! I def have more confidence to look for and eat more things now
DeleteTreadle Sewing machine in background!!!!!!!!!! How exciting! Please, please, pretty please, can you do a post on that for someone who loves (and uses) treadles?
ReplyDeleteWill do!! :-)
DeleteHiya, just thought I'd pop back in to say I only just found out today that you don't get this long weekend in Stirling that the schools in Glasgow get! You must have wondered why you had a 'short' week!! Sorry. x
ReplyDeleteLol! Yep, we've had our short week. Just the longest 5 and a half weeks of the year to get through now!!
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