By Fergus Drennan FergusTheForager.co.uk IN SEASON LEAVES Photo - Fergus Drennan - Fergus Photo
THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM | 65 66 | THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM currently working with,becauseonesuchdeep currently working recentlycarcass ofthevery deceased deerI’m diet, my thoughtsto turn thewholeplant-grown of ways theycanbecreatively usedinthehuman the current topic at hand;leaves and the multiplicity state?or as a perpetual as I sit here So on re ecting natural world, andonethat isexperience regularly and deeply engaged with all thosethe directly mind inherent notjustto long-term foragers, butto inter-relation ofallthings. Perhaps thisisastate of ofthe mutual dependenceconnection, and catalysed by acascadingawareness ofradical T LEAVES initial thoughts are almostimmediately to thinkaboutatopic,that once my Istart depending onyour point ofview—means he way my mindworks, or doesn’t— you-eat-the-contents-of-a-deers-stomach-180947685/?no-ist http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rethinking-the-paleo-diet-would- amounts ofvitaminCandothernutrients. contents ofanimalssuchasdeerbecauseitprovided useful gatherers, andCree includingtheInuit ate thestomach Could that many you isknown hunter- stomach this?It begin ordeerbegin andleafend? (for papermaking). Where doesleafendanddeer onnewspaper intheconservatory spread outto dry digested leafycontentssolution—its partially nally,out stomachcleaned the isinatanning and o -white solid(for andsoapmaking), cooking as fatfrom turning acleargoldenamberto acreamy pure ofmy deeroilto theleft keyboard slowly sets washed andsalted ajarof (for sausagemaking), clean itdown to bare bone, the intestines are tobadgers permitting) seehow longtheants taketo body—a wood ants nest—as I experiment (feeding brewing ontheaga,headhasfound anew forsinews cordage, are drying abonebroth is to becoming glue, themeat isinthefreezer, the isboiling on an open re on its waywhole deer skin animate thewildhumanlife, my life. As Itype, the thoughts anddreamsanew into that thevery muscle, them andbrain, and, by birth extension, into livingbreathing tissue, into bone, blood, leaves, isto eat themandthereby transform them engagement withnature, withwildfoods, with
Photos - Fergus Drennan wild food side ofbushcraft. and children as they begin to explorepartners the appeal to adiverse range ofinterests, inparticular, of more will traditional usage, Ihopethisarticle those two leaf uses, aswell asproviding anoverview oak leaves candiedinacorn syrup. focussing In inon oftheplant from whichtheycame,part for example; syrup madeeitherfrom the sameleaves oranother just insugarbutmore playfully andcreatively, ina leaf teas/tisanes, andby candyingthem,althoughnot wild leaves into oxidized the diet; through making down to focus ontwo lesswellways known to bring ofleaf-utilizingideasandthennarrow overview brief ing one, soto makeitmore manageableI’ll provide a of ‘leaves’ really isavast andpotentially- overwhelm Given thediverse range oftheirpossibleuse, thetopic A pungentleaves seaofwildgarlic adding to fresh pasta dough,among many otheruses. avouring cheese and butter, and for pureeing and pungent curd, andlactofermenting, for pickling for sauces suchaspesto, for to protein make a extraction salad dressings, asasidevegetable, for soups, andin Ramsons categorisations. Forarbitrary example; the leaves of cast their range of potential use across many of my many leaves willdefycategorisation or, at least, can general aidto thought, structure becauseofcourse in mindthatbear categorization such is really justa them here according to their di erent uses, but do as isthecasewithlessercelandine or nottheycanbeeaten raw orare bestcooked such aromatics, stage of growth, abundance, and whether variables ofdi ering size, shape, texture, avour, and how we use them in the diet will depend on the at leastforagable leaves available andMay, in April Above ofthemore obvious isjustaselection wild, or OF APRIL AND MAYOF APRILAND wintercress, wood sorrel, yarrow, woodru . wild garlic, wildpea,thyme, willow, mustard, wildcabbage, wildcarrot, wildcelery, whitewestern deadnettle, hemlock, white Fool's watercress, water mint, water-pepper, three cornered garlic, watercress, water Celery/ beauty, spruce, sweet cicely, swinecress, tansy, sorrel,sandwort, sow thistle,spear mint, spring seaplantain, seapurslane,kale, searadish, sea aster, seacampion, seabeet, seabuckthorn, grass,Scot's pine, scurvey seaarrowgrass, sea rosey garlic, scented saladburnett, mayweed, reedmace, ref¬lexed stone crop, rock samphire, pink sorrel, poppy, deadnettle, purple rape, wall-rocket, pignut, pineappleweed, pennywort, ox-eye perennial daisy, pelitory-of-the-wall, goldensaxifrage, opposite-leaved orpine,oak, samphire, marsh thistle, nipplewort, mugwort, juniper, lessercelandine, lady'ssmock, lime, marsh balsam, ivy-leaved toad ax, Japaneseknotweed, honesty, horseradish, Hottentot g, Indian hedge bedstraw, hedge mustard, hogweed, bittercress, hawkweed ox-tongue, hawthorn, elder, greater/common plantain, ground ivy, hairy mustard,garlic gingko, goldensamphire, ground tea plant/goji, elder, fat hen,fennel, eldmadder, dandelion, dittander, r, Douglas dukeofArgyll's crowparsley/wild chervil, garlic, daisy(common), chickweed, common mallow,charlock, cow broad-leaved plantain, buckshorn burdock, dock, nightshade, bramble, ox-tongue, bristly bilberry, blackmustard, birch, bistort, black Adria Bell ower, alexanders, annualseablite, THE WILD LEAVES THE WILD Allium ursinum canbeusedasasaladleaf, in JOURNAL.COM | 67 THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM . I’ve categorized
Photo - Fergus Drennan 68 | THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM a bit longer: lime.a bitlonger: hawthorn, and up to coming amonth after into leaf: most (birch, white willow, tender beech). Remaining –sometimesonlyaweek ortwo at the quite short tender leaves to harvest is window ofopportunity especially inthecaseofedible tree leaves, the most of these leavesspring willbe tender although, whenyoudiscrimination are early harvesting. In as a category, as I’m amount of assuming acertain di erent qualities. Note: I’ve notincluded ‘tender’ categorise saladleaves according to their Here are afew examples ofhow you might textures and avours. For instance, sometimesI leaves can help you blend and balance di erent home, anawareness ofthedi ering qualities ofthe such leaves. But, ifyou dogather someto take large salad, andonthemove isagoodway to eat many fresh leaves that I’ve eaten theequivalent ofa spring, by thetimeIarrive home I’ve grazed onso inthe wild one. whileoutwalking Sometimes leaves you have bought or grown oracompletely them to salads, asaladmadefrom eitherextending one that involves aminimumofprocessing, isto add One ofthesimplestways to leaves, usespring and SALAD LEAVES Succulent: Pennywort, seapurslane, orpine. watermint, watercress. pepper, black mustard, ground ladies smock, ivy, avoured:Strongly dittander, Ramsons, water hairybittercress, hedgemustard, cow parsley mustard, wintercress,Mid-range: Garlic charlock, leaves. ox-eyenipplewort, daisy, beech,reedmace heart tongue, beauty, spring willow, bell ower, birch, Mild tasting: chickweed, hawthorn, lime, bristly-ox appearance. addition to saladsinterms ofboth avour and remember too that wild owers are awonderful isnotto everybody’s(wasabipungent). It but liking, (mildandsucculent), and dittander pennywort orlimeleaveschickweed (delicate andmildtasting), delicate and succulent leaves, an example would be balancing mildtastingandpungent leaves, with good to justuse 2-3 ingredients, for instance by of avours.riotous con ict at timesitcanbe So can befun to dobutcan also result ina somewhat make alarge saladfrom 50+di erent leaves. That A mixed wildleafsalad.
Photo - Fergus Drennan over leafcandying(see below). after had from mixing in some of the botanical syrups left give sweetness, abitofextra asimilarresult canbe peopleaddhoney to saladdressingsSometimes to out thedressing (whenbottled). holding thechoppedleaves insuspensionthrough- greater plantain seeds work well inthisregard, fromCarrageenan carrageen seaweed extracted or or alltheoilcontent withbotanicalextracts. dressings. The latter canbemadeby replacing some salad dressings or lowvinaigrette-type fat salad garlic, chives, anddittandercanbeaddedto Finely choppedand avoursome leaves suchaswild sprouting thefollowing seedsto useinsalads: andwild garlic,charlock but I’ve alsohadsuccess The seedsImostfrequently sprout are thoseof andhow readilyof seedharvesting theygerminate. seeds. The main considerations are to do with ease leaves into andsprout asaladisto your harvest own Another way to incorporate young andtender very SALAD DRESSINGS MICRO AND SPROUTED LEAVES Charlock seed: easy to harvest inlarge easily. quantities seed:easyto andsproutsCharlock harvest very wild-food-for-a-year/ http://fergustheforager.co.uk/1st-year-long-attempt-to-eat-100- burdock, chickweed.burdock, plantain, corn poppy, mustard, garlic redshank, alexanders,goosegrass, greater common dock, pink campion,shephard’spurse, penny cress, dandelion,seacampion, Nettle, love-in-the-mist, powder rather though. thanthefresh extract me that I used carrageenan doessurprise months. It whilst living on entirely foraged food for a couple of Here isalinkto a100%wildsalad dressing Imade varieties, wildgarlic, nettle, orrocket for instance. paniment to white shaswell), orpesto ofvarious mint orsorrel sauce (thelatter beingagreat accom- can beutilisedfor anaccompanying sauce/dressing; rice, potatoes, beetroot etc. thiscasewildleaves In made from otherthingsrather thansimplyleaves; course,Of salads can bemadewarm orcold and JOURNAL.COM | 69 THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM
Photo - Fergus Drennan 70 | THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM your skin, as this can cause blistering if the skin isthenexposed to sunlight. asthiscancauseblistering iftheskin your skin, stems, leaves andsheaved ower buds withcautionto avoidsap on gettingthe somewhat o -putting, (seriously, smellingofstaleurinal give themasmell).Harvest light tempura batter. The seedsare agreat spice too, althoughthe owers are owerare thesheath-enclosed budssteamed asasidevegetable orcooked ina bothdeliciouscookedCommon together orseparately, hogweed stem andleaf; as work well notjustdueto theiragreeable taste and delights ofsuch vegetables. The above selection freshly ground coarse pepperalsoincreases the and adding a squeeze of lemon, some sea salt and this way ofbeingeaten. Tossing inmelted butter (with leaf stem) lend themselves especially well to common hogweed (withleafstem), andAlexanders boiling inalittlewater. seaaster, seakale, Seabeet, vegetable simplyby streaming cooked very or There are many leavesone could useasaside S SIDEVEGETABLES AS to remove theexcess tannins. forboiled twice 30seconds intwo changesofwater and enjoyed theway provided described theyare instance, theleaves ofcommon dockcanbeeaten abundant butrequire justabitmore processing. For way that are equallyoreven more common and There are otherleaves that canbeusedinasimilar toabundant andrequireprepare. littlee ort very texture, butbecause they are relatively common,
Photo - Fergus Drennan TEMPURA
Dipping certain leaves in a light tempura batter and somewhat misinformed and hence controversial deep frying until golden brown is another way some debate around pyrrolizidine alkaloid content and wild leaves can be used as a side vegetable, garnish edibility: http://monicawilde.com/is-comfrey- or as a simple course in its own right. Comfrey leaves edible/ have traditionally been given the tempura treatment, and for good reason—it works well. The following leaves also work well prepared this Fellow forager and wild food enthusiast Monica way: bristly ox-tongue, buckshorn plantain, Wilde provides a good recipe in the following article hogweed (very young leaves), fennel, rock samphire, using common comfrey, whilst providing a reedmace cores, re exed stonecrop, sea aster, sea well-researched and balanced appraisal of the kale, three-cornered garlic, and wild celery.
LEAVES FOR SOUP MAKING
The following tender spring leaves are excellent as Another delicious member of the nightshade family the main avouring ingredient in a soup with a is black nightshade, which, to the surprise of many simple base of leeks, onions and, perhaps, potatoes: people (perhaps negatively associating it with Alexanders, bistort, chickweed, Duke of Argyll’s tea poisonous deadly nightshade), has leaves that have plant/goji, black nightshade, fat hen, ground elder, widely been used as food. Respected American common hogweed (in a soup it tastes more like forager Samuel Thayer discusses the plant’s use in celery than celery!), sea kale, watercress, sorrel (all this informative piece: varieties), water celery, wild cabbage, pelitory-of- http://foragersharvest.com/black-nightshade-2/ the-wall, small and common/stinging nettle. Some leaves have traditionally been used as both a The following, on the other hand, are best used as a avouring and thickener. Perhaps the classic component in soup as an addition to other wild example is the middle eastern molukhia soup that leaves, bearing in mind as always, that this is a rough can be made using various species of mallow or guide, as what is or isn’t best is very much down to related plants. Nevertheless, I have found the personal preference of course: annual seablite, texture of such soups to be too slimy and therefore black mustard, bristly ox-tongue, broad leaved dock somewhat repulsive when common mallow is the (after leaching out the tannins), common mallow, main ingredient. However, common mallow used in sea mallow, cow parsley, dittander, honesty, lesser moderation, for example in nettle soup (using ¼ celandine, marsh samphire, sea aster, seabeet, sea mallow leaves and ¾ nettles) does work wonderfully purslane, and wild garlic. well in my opinion. Such proportions give thickness without sliminess! Lycium barbarum (goji/Duke of Argll’s tea plant) can http://www.timeso srael.com/mallow-soup-a-taste- be used as would be Lycium chinense with the same of-jerusalems-independence/ avour and bene ts. The plant is surprisingly widespread in hedgerows throughout the country. Thus far I’ve been working on the assumption that https://data.nbn.org.uk/Taxa/NBNSYS0000004032 any soups made will be served hot. In actual fact, of course, many soups are refreshing served cold, The berries are more widely known, but the leaves especially in the summer months. This is when wild before the plant owers are excellent as tea, in salad, mints can be incorporated or traditional borscht and in soup. The Chinese value the plant (fruit and -style soups are best served. The classic sour or young leaves) for their sexual libido enhancing acidic avours of borscht come from lactofermented quality—especially in men over 40. vegetables (see below). Beetroot is the most common fermented ingredient but common hogweed and many other wild plants have been wildly used as well.
THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM | 71 72 | THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM safe to eat.safe inorder to to hotpickled renderfamily be need them the boil. Note: ofthestonecrop somemembers immersing incold water whichisthenbrought to adding leaves to ajarofcold vinegar, and then vinegar onto leaves jar, in a pre-warmed or by by boilingtheleaves invinegar, by hot pouring di erent outcome, for instance you canhotpickle techniques allofwhichwillproducevarying a alonecaninvolvewith thevariables. Hotpickling avour oftheleaves Play andmakethemquite soft. provide shelflife extra butmay overpower the inastrong vinegarwill (highacidity) hot pickling Ontheotherhand,not keepaslongahotpickle. leaf’s naturalselected avour and texture, butwill anemphasisonthe light vinegarwillbestserve hot orcold. leaves Cold pickling inamild avoured avour) to use, andwhetheryou are goingto pickle erations ofvinegar(strength concern thetype and condition are mostappropriate), themainconsid- (well from cleanedleaves leafselection Apart inbest sandwort. grass, seaaster,scurvy seapurslane, andsea reedmace re exed (espcross-sections), stonecrop, marshsamphire,orpine, pennywort, rock samphire, Annual seablite, plantain, buckshorn Hottentot g, well: very the latter In situationpickling. the following work succulent leaves are more suitablefor hotorcold orotheruse),whereas(for more pickling robust and and aromatic leaves can be used to avour vinegar Many leaves More can be usedinpickling. tender LEAVES FORPICKLING Sea sandwort makesanexcellent sandwort Sea hotorcold pickle.
Photo - Fergus Drennan – INCLUDINGCOCKTAILS LEAVES SUITABLE FOR WINE, BEER/ALE, AND SPIRITMAKING own right or as part of a cocktail.own One such classic right or as part sweetened orliquorscanbedelicious intheir spirits feverfew oralehoof/ground ivy. addition, In leaves suchas or otherwise—with bitters—classic cocktails are of concerned, onecanmakeallsorts where and spirits. On theotherhand, particularly syrups are suitablefor creating wines, beers distinct candying (withsyrupby-product). All suchteas and Below Ihave discussedleaves suitablefor tea andfor for their avour. for theirtannincontribution andonlysecondarily be even better! But, the oak leaves are used mainly oak leaves were goodto usethenmuchmore must basic andclassicerror was to consider that ifsome ingredient hastraditionallyparticular beenused. My of avours why right is as crucial as knowing a alcoholic drinks,When gettingthebalance making was atraditional was oakleafwine. trulyrepulsive! It The rstwineIever made, over 25 years agonow, Re exed stonecrop plant detail, anddividedupfor pickling. or leaves ontheirown. e.gseparate leaves pickles and ower buds, ower buds, astheplant canbedividedupandmadeintofor pickling re exed stonecrop. suitable The latter plant is particularly twoand favourite areMy seasandwort leafpickles content/uploads/2013/04/ck09junepickofthepickles.pdf http://fergustheforager.co.uk/wp- hamiltons-beech-leaf-noyau/ https://foragekent.wordpress.com/2014/05/14/andy- at. looking worth interest inwildbooze, hisbookBooze For Free iswell Andy Hamilton. ifyou Indeed, have aparticular Here isarecipe for beechleafnoyau from my friend those ofbirch oryoung spruce needles. recipe canbemadewithotherleaves too suchas isthedelicious beechleafnoyau.spirit This classic JOURNAL.COM | 73 THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM
Photos - Fergus Drennan 74 | THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM LACTOFERMENTATION AND GENERAL LEAVES FORKIMCHI an art than a science. an art The taste can be mild or strong asuccessfulcrafting lactoferment really ismore of many variablese ectingthe nal outcome, that second bookisaptlynamedbecausethere are so levelacidity (by acid).Sandor’s producing lactic time, feed ontheleafsugars, multiply, andraise the naturally presentbacteria onthe leaves, will, over draws species of lactobacillus themout).Multiple down juices undertheirown (thesalt extracted material to befermented), andcompressing them salt (roughly 1heapedtablespoonperkgofplant by inthespring), tossing (often prime theminalittle pro le ofvarious choppedleaves at their harvested to anddevelop preserve and avour thenutritional But what islactofermentation? Essentially itisaway WlidFermentation/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/ and shared information: joiningfor real-timeworth advice no exception. Suchgroups are well andlactofermentationsubjects, is group canbefound for many of course, these days aFacebook and KatzSandor : written. Two bestare by ofthevery andindeed, manybook, have been ofawhole easily bethesubject could one particular this article, Like manyinthis ofthesubsections ontherocks.served ice asinthissweet Alexanders gin over andserve inebriatic urgency) (or not, dependingonyour state of gin, orrumandsugar,vodka, lter up some avoursome leaves with are ready, you canalways justblend months required before suchdrinks youIf don’t want to wait the The Art ofFermentation . And,The Art Wild Fermentation includes spices paste. suchaschilliandshrimp Kimchi isatraditional Korean lactoferment that maintaining over allgoodhealth. interms one ects of immense bene cialknock intestines, andahealthy gutmicro ora has goodforregular themicro ora basisisvery ofthe radish and, ofcourse, salt. Eating lactoferments ona nettles, ulva intestinalis seaweed, grated daikon ferment for upto 3years comprised ofwild garlic, fermentation. personalfavourite My isoneIallow to depending on the leaves used and length of Virtually instant AlexandersVirtually gin ontherocks.
Photo - Fergus Drennan (SALT AND PEPPER) (SALT AND USING LEAVES AS SEASONINGS metals such as lead that are subsequently takenmetals suchaslead thatare subsequently up inmuddy sediment, including heavy pollutants Note: many estuaries and saltmarshes trap homemade potato crisps.. excellentsamphire salt is particularly for seasoning -branch mussels. ash- re beach-cooked The marsh use them with hard boiled eggs and on gorse ings suchassea-water-washed seaweeds. Ilove to season- (dried) combined withotherbotanicalsalty onfood or salt canbeusedonitsown sprinkled to nalgreen plant saltisroughly 1kg:100g. The leaf grind down to a nepowder. The ratio offresh plant the leaves, separate out any hard woody stems and gathered allyear round. Simplywash, dry, andcrush May–September, whereas sea purslane canbe marsh samphire from canbeharvested ofall.being themostsalty Annual seablite and purslane beingthemildestandmarshsamphire These all provided a signi cant avour, salty sea purslane, annualseablite, andmarshsamphire. conclude that the three best plants to use are sea threatened species. Suchresearch hasledmeto abundance andthat are notaprotected or saltmarshes that canbefound inrelative singleplanthave speciesgrowing every tried on are andpowdered. dried superb theyears Over I signi cant ofsaltfrom quantity theground water, plants that naturally takeupa saltmarsh andestuary halophyticA numberofplants, inparticular details: http://fergustheforager.co.uk/recipes-articles/wild-and-random/ samphire, annualseablite andseapurslanesalt. Hard boiledquail’s eggswith(from to right)marsh left celandine). use theeven (lesser more aptlynamedpilewort eat enough bre containing wildfood, orperhaps andfamilywhodon’t offriends the haemorrhoids plant ago. You can even, withcaution,useitto treat give smart-arse, thiscommon substitute-making So, ifyou dowant to beaforaged-pepper, anti-feedpenoid insect waburg anal pungent taste isproduced by thepotent sesquiter- arse smart water by itslessappealingname , alsoknown pepper tastingplant istheaptlynamed de nitive peppery Finally, leaf-wise (somefungi work well too), the lous sedge, andgreater plantain seeds. lightly toasted) seeds, for instance poppy, pendu- some orallofthesesameseedsfor foraged (and play withusing di erent salts you cansubstitute blend ofsaltandsesameseeds, butnotonly canyou your own gomashio mixes. Traditionally this isa Another way to use these salts is in the creation of owner. authorities suchastheenvironment orland agency withtherelevant check fresh ordried. uncertain, If gathered from theseareas withcaution, whether by growing theplants there. Therefore, useplants Persicaria/Polygonum hydropiper . JOURNAL.COM | 75 THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM (my emphasis!). For further The
Photo - Fergus Drennan 76 | THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM protein content oftheleaves. high in spite ofthereported too di cultto produce curd from leaves: great for tea, butperhaps seabuckthorn Hand harvested (PROTEIN EXTRACTION) LEAVES FORCURDMAKING 2013/04/ckjuly09curdsaway.pdf http://fergustheforager.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/ content point to potential success? Fresh seabuck- protein anddoestheleaf’sthey to reported harvest, leaves you wishto experiment with? How easyare common andsustainableisitto makeuseofthe before attempting thismustbehow abundant, offreshquantity leaves required, keyconsiderations I’ve utilized inthisway. Given thelarge initial produce agoodcurd, andare theonlyotherplants Alexanders, ground elderandnettleleaves also for whichcanbeseenhere: produced from leaves, wild garlic process theexact long way. isthecasewithcurdThat certainly can besopotent avour-wise that a little goesa counts, but, dependingontheleaves, the nalcurd ofleavesquantity harvested. This istrueonboth andtheyieldsmallin relationlot ofwork, to the coagulation, strain andcompress. may seemlikea It the raw protein, thengently heat to thepoint of content thebetter), break openthecells to release non-toxic leaves (thehigherthenatural protein some Essentially theideaisto select kitchen. the technique for small-scalecurd inthe production derived from grass cuttings, andhave since adapted to ofhighprotein theproduction feed for goats I rstread aboutthistechnique years agoinrelation Leaf forLife. informative downloadable booklet: 100+paged Kennedy’s David potential see and excellent and For thoseofyou by curd intrigued possibilities leaf –Iknow,making unsuccessfully. havingtried your kitchen,rendering themunavailablecurd for brokenbe you with equipment open might have in seaweeds,some fungiand thecells are too smallto protein contentNote: Inspite of ofthehighreported challenge. so farshiedaway curd from that particular substantial labourrequired to hand pickthem,I’ve delicious theyare whenusedto maketea, andthe these,tempted andyet to given try bothhow up to weight, 25%protein soIhave by dry been leavesthorn inAugust harvested are to be reported but alittlegoeslongway. Wild leafcurd: garlic Aconsiderable to make e ort
Photos - Fergus Drennan Vanilla pannacotta decorated withwood sorrel leaves. USINGLEAVES INDESSERTS MISCELLANEOUS USEOFLEAVES really are absolutely endless! requiring chocolate.any dessert The possibilities chocolate bars which can then, of course, be used in syrups canbeusedtoyour craft own distinctive bothbotanically avouredfact, milkandsugar pudding, mousse, andpannacotta for instance. In rice suchasyoghurt, and cream-based desserts in milkorcream to makeuniquely avoured milk works asasweet tea orsyrupcanbegently heated can beusedinjelliesandtri es. And any leafthat into wineorsteepedthe avour inalcohol to extract the leaves. Leaves intheform ofsyrupstransformed concentratedfull-on andsweetened with decoction sugar to aregular strength a tea orby making syrup. That can be done simply by addingmore a sweet tea) into canalsobeturned a avoursome wild leafthat you ndenjoyable astea (especiallyas ne anduniquely avoured sugar. addition,any In can beslowly andground dried down to produce a sugar isrequired, many ofthesebotanicalsyrups syrup would beappropriate. And incaseswhere dry situation wherein any theuseofasugar dessert a by-product ofthecandyingprocess, canbeused And ofcourse, thebotanicalleafsyrupsproduced as anything... orvirtually tarts forgarnish cakes, icecreams, sorbets, meringues, bethat asa suitable for inclusioninadessert, Any leafthat issuitablefor candying(seebelow) is tart http://www.localgreens.org.uk/recipes/sweet-sorrel- recipe: tart suchasthissweetpurees sorrel inmany desserts leaves (Oxalis or Rumex genus)work well assweet avour ofsorrel tart Finally apple-skin thedistinct depending onwhat you wishto garnish. translucent, with sugar– then salted orsprinkled forfried 10seconds and orsountil crisp theyturn And both nettles and cleavers leaves are great deep usedbyof themostpopularwildleafgarnish chefs. dishes. The pretty tri-folate leafofwood sorrel isone or cooked for asagarnish bothsweet andsavoury obviously, any leafcanbeusedraw (ifsafe to doso) or fresh andchoppedin bread andpastry. More withsoyboiled anddried sauce, and aked ordried mashed potato, dumplings, usedas ‘nori’ sheets, risotto, pies, sushi, chopped and mixed into hot pureeingafter andpassingthrough a nesieve), in dough (thiscanbeagoodway to usethistleleaves Various leaves can beused in pasta sauce orin pasta also many otherdesserts. ice cream but Suitable for blackberry garnishing juice candiedbaby bramble leaf: Sweet blackberry JOURNAL.COM | 77 THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM
Photos - Fergus Drennan Photos - Fergus Drennan 78 | THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM cloth to extract thejuice.cloth to extract and thensqueezed in a ne a food processor or liquidizer tively leaves canbeblitzed in wheatgrass juicer, alterna- is bestdoneinaspecialist green botanicalhit. The latter leaves for areally intense stung, ascanjuicingwhole nettles raw withoutgetting be agreat way to consume smoothies. Indeed,thiscan used to makesavoury Various leaves are wonderful Cornish yarg. nettle leaves in the classic encase thecheesesuchas orusedtocheese production avour milkfor homemade leavesOther canbeusedto example ofthelatter use. beingtheobviouswild garlic raw andmixed into butter, avour oilorcanbechopped gently and used to dried or pungent leaves canbe Many ofthemore aromatic them crisp. desiccant to keep silica gelorcrystal and addapackof container airtight storing,If usean garnish. savoury make agreat dehydrated. These soy sauce) and liquid aminos(like with oil, sprinkled with sesameseed brushed (oneside) Nettle leaves cayenne pepper). (with lemonand and tofu smoothie Nettle leaf, avocado Photos - Fergus Drennan in exible central leafvein. remove thesomewhat to knife usingasharp after leaves makeexcellent wraps horseradish Large pre-boiled fairyring mushrooms. fairyring Wilted mustard garlic leaves stu ed with your imagination. As always it is down to and many otherthings. cooked mushrooms wrapping, asare grains are suitablefor beef, orrice andother deep fried. Minced tempura batter and as theyare ordippedin stu ed/wrapped parcels canthenbe eaten and cooled to prior wrapping. The wild garlic, lime, mustard, orgarlic orboiled leaves canbeusedraw, suchasthoseof leaves are usedin Greece and Turkey. The wraps muchinthesameway that vine Many leaves are suitablestu ed oras JOURNAL.COM | 79 THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM Photos - Fergus Drennan 80 | THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM tea beingtheobvious exception. tea redbush production, applied to non-camelia compounds, andisaprocess generally not moderates the tannins and other avour through oxidation. The alchemy ofthat process blackening theleaves ofCamellia sinensis world’s most populartea is that produced by leaves are processed indi erent ways, the about it?Although white, green andblacktea genuinetea, what elseisdistinctive so-called from theobvious speci cbotanicalof apart here on. that, setmethinking This distinction brews are referred to astea, asI’ll bedoingfrom plant. More generally though,wildnon-camellia leaves, oftheCamellia stems sinensis ortwigs a truetea, that is, abrew madefrom genuinetea herb, foraged isatisanerather than orotherwise, understandingisthat abrewMy madefrom a process: oxidation. application andtechnicalities of a particular focus to leafteas ingeneral, aswell asthespeci c summer months, but here I’d like to the turn over exploring iswell worth the particular store cupboard, andtheuseof owers for tea in These can be a fantastic addition to the diet and those ofelder, meadowsweet, and dogrose. from leaves, makeuseoffragrant owers suchas marjoram, andfennel or, thefocus turning away aromatic leaves, for instance mints, wild Wild brews tend to bemadefrom highly WILD LEAF TEAS WILD excellent asatea orfor beer making. yarrow leafbunches. Sun-drying Yarrow leafis Right: FinishedRight: oxidised wildteas. anddried Left: pilesofwilted tea to prior bruising. tion. these tend to respond best ( avour-wise) to oxidisa- toI tried gather leaves with a high tannin content as thoughbecausetorandomly alarge selected extent Those I’ve chosento work with are onlysomewhat entirely di erent may be appropriate. selection foraging for leaves in your speci csituation, an determined by the speci cs of time and place. In or at least one selection random isafairly ties. It available inlarge quanti- of theleaves that were this questionusingsome May Idecidedto explore A few years agoinearly of oxidisation? taken through theprocess would bene tfrom being butwhichones drink, here to produce ahot in-season leaves listed brew upalmostany ofthe outlined above, onecould some ofthefood uses are far more suitableto mentioned inthisarticle of theseasonalleaves although manyspeaking, So, yes, ofcourse, loosely Oxidised oakleaftea. anddried down to personalpreference. Experimentanddecidewhichway you prefer it. fresh rather thanoxidised, andsomemuchbetter oxidised, butreally itis leaftea (oxidised). Seabuckthorn wildcraftedteasRight: Some taste better leaftea (unoxidised).Left: Seabuckthorn gingko. sow thistle,bilberry, dandelion, passion ower, common nettle, fennel, hawthorn, seabuckthorn, below), Japaneseknotweed, candying section g, goji,wood avens, yarrow, elder(caution–see rose, dog beech, species), silver birch, mugwort, (white andweeping), bramble, ash,oak(various to bemore enjoyable astea whenoxidised: willow have highlighted the leaves inboldtext that I found nuanced, andhighlysubjective, from thelistbelow I Although the appreciation of avour is subtle, JOURNAL.COM | 81 THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM
Photos - Fergus Drennan 82 | THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM and seabuckthorn leaftea.and seabuckthorn favourites is astrong white brew willow ofan oak, upuniqueblends.fun comes Oneofmy inmaking tea provides thenearest equivalent. For me, thereal something you desire. 2–4tablespoonsofoak leaf and strength ofregularblack tea, ifthat is still makesomethingthat approximates thetaste All wildcrafted teas willbeca eine free, butyou can suitable container. dehydrator, orlow oven. solardryer Store ina the leaves spread4) Dry out inthesun,afood with substitutes for suchdevices. ingenious bushcrafters you canreadily come up work brilliantly, that asinventive Iknow and just to emphasisethat althoughfood dehydrators sun withablackdustbinlidontop. Imention this rebounder (minitrampoline) inthegarden, infull wool top thermal andplace thisonablack one ofthoseI’d wrap theleaves inawet Merino the process. Iuseafood dehydrator, butbefore Ihad to over turn necessary) theleaves halfway through hours, opening up the towel if (and re-wetting forsomewhere 24–48 warm(between 20–30°C) 3) Wrap theleaves inadamp-wettowel andleave to smithereens. possible) bruise the leaves rather than pound them wooden rolling pin. The idea is to evenly (asfaras with ahardIusethefulllengthoflarge object. 2) Place theleaves andbang onahard, at surface moisture. night orupto 24hoursto wiltandnaturally lose 1) Spread theleaves outonasheetandleave over gathered there are four stagesto theprocess: Once thefresh andtender leaves spring have been allowed to ferment). special andunusualteas that are deliberately to fermentation halted (althoughthere are some has occurred so the tea andthemove canbedried and ndwhenthepoint ofmaximumoxidisation anddiscernment requiredis anart to understand transition into fermentation afew after days sothere although dampandwarm oxidizing tea canquickly The oxidisation oftea isdi erent from fermentation, cocktail/ http://drinkstraightup.com/2013/09/26/the-smoked- cocktails here: asdescribed themselves. Suchteas canalsobeworked into from (if a tree or woody shrub) leaves or the dried teas withthewood ofthesameplant theleafcame to follow, my althoughIpersonallyenjoy smoking lapsangsouchong, andit’ssmoking agoodtradition avour contribution istraditionally usedwhen Pinethe naldrying. withitsuniquelyresinous such asoakleaffor 10minutes to anhourjustbefore anoxidised by cold tea smoking similar smokiness lapsang souchongtea, you caneasilyreplicate a you’reIf avoured afanofthefamouslysmoky your tea. in apipe and usethesmoke to lapsang souchong-ify tobacco, ‘sailor’s tobacco’ Stick it asithas beenknown. tea. Oxidising mugwort This alsomakesexcellent
Photo - Fergus Drennan Photos - Fergus Drennan crushing thenuts. syrups were produced nely by after decoction made from thesweetened juice of thefruit. Nut before addingthesugar, whereas fruitsyrupswere Leaf and owersyrups were madeby decocting candied over the pastfew years andthesyrupused. plain sugarsyrup. Below isalistofalltheleaves I’ve an advantage to usea avoured syruprather than playing, creativity, and to intensify avours it can be the interestsheat In setting to do the nal drying. of You canuseafood dehydrator oroven onitslowest to dry.syrup andplace themonanonsticksurface times. Finally, remove theleaves, wipeo excess hot, stirintheleaves again.Repeatthisprocess four ofitsoriginal volume andthen,whilestill quarter hours, thenstrain o thesyrup, reduce itdown by a from theheat, thenstirintheleaves. Leave for 12 weight ofsugar, thesyrupto bring theboil, remove them andthenmakeupasyrupusingthesame The simplestway to candyany leaves isto weigh making. ice cream or can be used for wine, beer or cocktail become themain avour component inhomemade most casesthesyrupremaining candyingcan after orice cream, indeedin suchassmalltarts desserts frequentlyMost Iusecandiedleaves to garnish individual plants may work indi erent recipes. speci c texture, avour andaroma pro les of can gain a great dealof information about how the food too, perspective through candyingleaves, one plants onehasworked closelywithfor years. From a individual plants, revealing fresh detailseven in totion really deepenone’s serves understandingof - of companion plants andfungi. Suchkeenobserva conditions ofsoil, light,varying moisture andrange fullness ofthecontext inwhichtheplant grows, the whilst alsostepping the backslightly to observe natural variation inshape, size, texture and colour, closely andingreat detailat leafforms, observing applied, provides to really agreat look opportunity heregeneral described candyingprinciples canbe technique, andtherange ofplants across whichthe tive, required thecareful leafselection for this is allthesethingsat once. From perspec- abushcraft being asomewhat nicheandchefyactivity. For meit more aboutfood aswell than bushcraft, craft as Candying leaves may someofyou strike asbeing CANDYING LEAVES A very young green- g-syrupA very candied gleaf. shape) ready for candying. youngPerfect gleaves (showing natural variation in green gs suitablefor gsyrup. making Young for gleaves candyingandhard green perfect JOURNAL.COM | 83 THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM 84 | THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM turned out neat maplesyrupstrength).turned syrup beingtoo concentrated (butwould have drying. The birch dueto remained the sticky evenleaves after sticky remaining stillvery which adversely a ected the nalresult, the produced asyrupthat was too mucilaginous with, thelimeandJapaneseknotweed cleavers leaves were simply too ddly to work for variousreasons. The wood sorrel and candy inasensebutdidn’t outsuccessfully turn result canbealittlesticky. The nal ve did same weight in sugar, but even then, the nal to stilladdthe or maplesyrupitisimportant ance ofstainedglass. When usingafruitsyrup to thetouch, andhavenon-sticky theappear- A well candiedleafshouldbehard, in exible, can helpprevent thisproblem). rolling backthedehydrator sheetunderitself nettle, andbeech(althoughbending fragile instance nature—for elder, mulberry, the dehydrator sheet inonepiece dueto their of thethinnerleaves were hard to remove from from thelast 5onthelist, althoughsome apart All oftheleaves well, (listed right)candiedvery in maplesyrup. Young London Plane leaves to prior candying Cleavers/goosegrass leafinroasted cleavers seedsyrup stem syrup leafinJapaneseknotweed Japanese knotweed Lime leaves inlimeblossomsyrup Wood sorrel leafinwood sorrel leafsyrup Birch leaves inbirch sapsyrup leafinbeechsyrup Beech Watermint leaves inwatermint ower syrup Weeping willow leafinwillow leafsyrup leafingroundGround ower ivy ivy syrup Walnut leafinwalnut syrup Hazel leafinhazel nutleafsyrup fruitsyrup leafincheckerberry Checkerberry Yarrow leafinyarrow ower syrup Common sorrel leafinsorrel leafsyrup Coltsfoot leaves incoltsfoot ower syrup syrup leafinstrawberry Wild strawberry Sweet violetleaves inviolet ower syrup Sweet cicely leafinsweet cicely ower syrup Wood avens leafinwood avens root syrup Wild angelicaleafinstem syrup Fig leaves ingreen gsyrup Nettle leafinnettlesyrup syrup leafinmulberry Black mulberry syrup Redcurrant leafinredcurrant berry Reedmace core leaves inmature seedheadsyrup Pennywort inlemonsyrup London plane, sycamore and eldmapleinsyrup Elder leaves inelder ower syrup Gingko leaves inlimesyrup Chestnut leaves inchestnut syrup Meadowsweet leaves inmeadowsweet ower syrup Oak leaves inacorn syrup Hawthorn leafinhawthorn blossomsyrup syrup Bramble leafinblackberry Ox-eye daisyinox-eye daisyleafsyrup Alexanders leafinAlexanders seedsyrup LEAVES I’VECANDIED
Photo - Fergus Drennan THEBUSHCRAFTJOURNAL.COM water and raising the heat, for 30 minutes will reduce leaves, orroot),withcold beginning berries, bark, you take too much…..Boiling theplant(thatis, the means thatyou vomit willfeelnauseousandpossibly if purgative ifyou take enough) ifusedfresh. That simply ofthe plantarenot. The emetic(and various parts pronouncement thattheplantispoisonous. Well, itis continually to exposed thephytohysterical be elderitiscommon about to “Rant: Inreading articles about theuseofelderleaves: dotted hehasthisto throughout say thebook, anddelightful oneofhis periodic rantstincture. In syrup, fresh elder leaf tincture, andelder stem bark elderleaves,dried elderstems, dried elderberry provides agreat antiviral elderrecipe that includes his book In properties. using them medicinally, for primarily their anti-viral Stephenherbalist Harrod Buhner, that Ihave begun encouraged by theexcellent work ofAmerican elder leaves, ithasonlybeeninthelast3years, water to prior immersingtheminsyrup. terms of In to boiltheminacouple ofchanges important for elder, walnut, andsweet chestnut leaves, itis berries. Indeed,given thelackoftraditional food use utilized ofcourse beingthe owersparts and way,the elderplants useinacurious themostusual Finally, thecandyingofelderleaves asfood extends other. Icandiedaleaffrom eachtree. least 20di erent oakspeciesplanted to each next Top tip:Kewgardens hasafantastic oakwalk withat from many di erent varieties. withleaves ofthespeciesby working knowledge anditisfuntofor expand one’s winemaking), and non-traditional way (theirmaintraditional useis value, for me, by beingusedinsuchaninteresting 4–5 days). The oak leaves look great and derive unusual green gsyrup(produced by candyingover to usethe delicious and provide anopportunity Fig leaves have suchanintriguing aroma, and whittled spoon(usinggingko wood). fortaken herbally years, andinspired my rstever leaves just look so beautiful and are something I’ve maple syrupisboundto bedelicious. The gingko piece, and, anything ofcourse, cooked in virtually andare nolargerjust burstforth thana50pence plane leaves are ajoy to work theyhave with after g, oakandelder, for thefollowing reasons. London personal favouritesMy are London plane, gingko,
READ FERGUS’ FULL BIO NOW AT Herbal Antivirals, Stephen and from drying sheets. and from drying boiling, andspecialcare takenwhentransferring to more delicate andfragile nature: solessorno have to treat leaves withadditionalcare dueto their following article. The onlyreal di erence isthat you candying more robust inthe botanicalsasIdescribe candying leaves are thesameasthose usedfor thetechniques requiredGenerally speaking for and 149. compounds,the anti-in ammatory andsoon.” p146 antiviral compounds, compounds, theantibacterial notjusttheHCNcontent about this Iamtalking butthe much stronger intheleaves, stems, androots andby many chemical compounds contained intheplantare the cyanide (or HCN)content to nearlynothing….The uploads/2013/04/ck09deccandidaboutcandy.pdf http://fergustheforager.co.uk/wp-content/ gingko wood made from Gingko spoon www.fergustheforager.co.uk By FergusDrennan FergusTheForager.co.uk
Photo - Fergus Drennan