Red-belted polypore / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Inedible The Red Belted Polypore (Fomitopsis pinicola) is a bold and beautiful bracket fungus found growing on dead or dying coniferous trees, occasionally hardwoods, throughout the UK and across the Northern Hemisphere. This distinctive polypore gets its name from…
Category: autumn
Foraging is a great way to slow down, explore the outdoors, and make the most of what nature has to offer—right on your doorstep. Across the UK, there’s something to find in every season, whether it’s the zingy green shoots of spring, juicy summer berries, or earthy autumn mushrooms. This…
Black Bulgar / Summer / Autumn / Inedible The Black Bulgar (Bulgaria inquinans), also known as Black Jelly Drops, is a distinctive woodland fungus that grows on dead or dying hardwood, particularly Oak. Its dark, gelatinous, disc-like fruiting bodies often appear in clusters, giving fallen branches a glossy, almost tar-like…
Ergot / Summer / Autumn / Toxic Ergot (Claviceps purpurea) is a fascinating yet highly toxic fungus that grows on the seeds of grasses and cereal crops, particularly Rye. Recognised by its dark, horn-like growths protruding from grain heads, Ergot has a long and notorious history—once responsible for mass poisonings…
Trailing Bellflower / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Common Names Trailing bellflower, Serbian Bellflower. Botanical Name Campanula Poscharskyana Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order – Campanulales Family – Campanulaceae Physical Characteristics of Trailing Bellflower It is a low-growing, evergreen perennial plant, spreading freely by prostrate stems…
This Fermented Borscht soup is built around traditional Polish kvass, a ferment made with rye bread, beetroot and water. Winter is a great time to be fermenting, as it brings new energy to stored veg at a time of year when fresh food is scarce. It is based on a…
This Fermented Rosehip Honey Jam is a beautiful sweet treat! Rosehips are an exceptionally rich source of Vitamin C – just a teaspoon of this jam can give you as much of this essential nutrient as 5 large oranges. You can’t eat the hips straight off the bush, but honey…
The Fermented Sloe Olives are inspired by the hedgerows framing the stunning views across the fields and pine forest near my house in Dorset, I made these sloe olives with a simple aim in mind: to preserve this abundant wild, plummy fruit. I wanted to create something a little…
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…
My heart still skips a beat when I think about the magical world of medicinal plants growing wild around us. Just imagine – countless generations before us have tapped into this natural pharmacy, gathering remedies from trees and meadows for thousands of years! Let me share something wonderful with you…