Forage course and They can’t ration these

Posted by Andy Hamilton - 07/10/08 at 01:10:05 pm

Foraging Course – Our first all day one!

Dave and I had our first foraging course yesterday and to make sure it felt like a baptism of fire we invited along a film crew who were filming something for Irish National station RTE. There were smiling faces all round at the end and the whole group got on really well.

It seems that our forage is something slightly different than the usual forages some of the comments we got were, “I expected to be baffled with Latin names but you made it really assessable” and “I really enjoyed it and it was lovely to have the opportunity to learn so much with good company.  You both did a really good job of explaining things whilst keeping a good sense of humour and it showed in the light and friendly atmosphere.”

I am not just posting those comments to advertise the latest course here in Bristol on Saturday 11th October, 10am-4pm. But just to say what a great way we could earn a living. Well actually my motives are to try and fill the last few places we have left (email me for more details).

I keep being asked why we do this forage in a city and there is one really good reason, there are simply more plants. Think about the seed that gets planted in the countryside, acres upon acres of corn, maize, rape or whatever. Whereas every gardener seems to spend hours leafing through seed catalouges and will plant a huge array of different plants year after year.

Just as one gardener for example, I try to grow a new plant every year, this year being tomatillos and I also try different varieties of courgettes, tomatoes, basil, sweetcorn, beetroot and beans every year.  One year my fennel and my lettuce went to seed and Emma had also planted some evening primrose, now everyone on our allotment site is weeding out those plants.

The little extras that we gave out really seemed to go down well, I am just hoping that I can have some homebrew ready for the next one. We did instead have rowanberry and hawthorn berry jelly, sumacade and something else that will remain a secret until the RTE program is aired that the presenter Baz Ashmawy seemed to really enjoy!

He was a pretty nice bloke in the end, just a normal chap not sure how famous he is over in Ireland (or should I be saying Eire??). I asked him if he had a fan club and he it seems he does not, not sure if that is a real mark of fame or more of a reflection on the sorts of people who follow you. It made me and Dave realise that TV work really is not that hard and I hope it we will come across well. I would love to meet the editor though and just make sure that we do come across well!

They can’t ration these

I just picked up a book called “They can’t ration these” by Vicomte De Mauduit. It was recomended to me twice so I had to get it really. Quite an odd little book perhaps one for people who have made their first steps in foraging as it does not have much of a field guide. It does tell you how to cook Hedgehog though!

I guess this book for some would have more of curosity value as it does feel like a little window into what Britatin would have been like during the war.

There are some recipes about how to make food go further, others for wild food and it even tells you how to make the selfsufficientish old favorite the haybox oven. It was a war time book after all and I can really imagine someone during wartime treasuring it for the wisdom it opertunes. It would have really empowered the reader to make their rations last.

5 Comments

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1. well done on the course. sounds like it was well received!

   Comment by red — October 7, 2008 #

2. We had such a brilliant time, I’d recommend it to everyone. Thanks a million guys.

   Comment by Huey — October 8, 2008 #

3. Thank red, yes they were great! As the other comment suggests. Nice one Huey really glad you enjoyed it, I must admit that we were also lucky to have such a great group it seemed that everyone got on pretty well.

   Comment by andyhamilton — October 9, 2008 #

4. Bruce & I thoroughly enjoyed that forage too (and finding places we hadn’t walked before in Bristol and being with fab fellow foraging folk). I’ve made sumacade today…wish I knew about that years ago!

   Hope you find some good stuff tomorrow.

   Sara

   Comment by Sara — October 10, 2008 #

5. Thanks Sara, hope you enjoyed the sumacade it is much nicer with a little honey or sugar in it.

   Comment by andyhamilton — October 10, 2008 #

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