- Joined
- Apr 13, 2007
- Messages
- 12,294
My last wild edible's post died without one reply till bumped it back up so we'll see if this does the same !!!!
Anyway I walked round my local park this morning and found these....
Everyone knows Nettles eh, many uses from making into tea, using as cordage to boiling and eating as ya would any greens.
Here is a use that you might not have seen before though....
NETTLE BEER!
2 1/4 lb. young Nettles (tops only)
2 lemons
1 tsp. ground Ginger
1 gallon water
1 lb. light brown sugar
1 oz. cream of tartar
3/4 oz. fresh baker's yeast or 1 tsp. dried yeast (this is what the recipe calls for, but I use brewers yeast)
Bring the rinsed Nettle tops, the peel of the lemon and the ginger to boil in the water in a large pan. Simmer for 20 minutes, strain onto the sugar and cream of tartar in another large clean vessel. Stir and allow to cool. Add the lemon juice and yeast. Cover with linen tea towels and leave in a warm place for three days. Transfer to a cold place for a further two days. Strain and bottle. Store for about one week. (it is not a brew for long storage). - from the Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism
Indian Plum( not yet ripe ).....
Native Americans in our region ate the fruit. For medicinal purposes they chewed on the twigs and then applied them to sore places. For a tonic and purgative, some used the bark to make a bark tea.
Thimbleberries ( not ready yet ).....
Thimbleberry fruits are larger, flatter, and softer than raspberries, and have many small seeds. Because the fruit is so soft, it does not pack or ship well, so thimbleberries are rarely cultivated commercially. However, wild thimbleberries make an excellent jam which is sold as a local delicacy in some parts of their range, notably in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan. Thimbleberry jam is easily made by combining equal volumes of berries and sugar and boiling the mixture for two minutes before packing it into jars. They are also good eaten raw.
Thimbleberry plants can be propagated most successfully by planting dormant rhizome segments, as well as from seeds or stem cuttings.
In a pinch, the leaves of the thimbleberry are recognized as a handy "toilet paper". They are large, soft and non-irritating.
Elderberries......
The flowers of Sambucus nigra are used to produce elderflower liqueur. The French and Central Europeans (Austrians, Croatians), but particularly the Swiss (the foremost experts of Sambucus cultivation and culinary applications) are known for their elderflower syrup, most commonly made from an extract of elderflower blossoms, which can be added into pancake (palatchinken) mix instead of blueberries. Most Balkan counties (Serbia, Romania, Macedonia) will use a similar method to make a syrup which is diluted with water and used as a drink. Based on this syrup, Fanta marketed a soft drink variety called "Shokata" which was sold in 15 countries worldwide. In the United States, this French elderflower syrup is used to make elderflower marshmallows. Wines and cordials may be produced from the berries. Berries can be used to produce marmalade. Ornamental varieties of Sambucus are grown in gardens. In Germany the umbels of the elderberry are batter coated, fried and then served as a dessert or a sweet lunch with a sugar and cinnamon topping.
Hollowed elderberry twigs have traditionally been used as spiles to tap maple trees for syrup.
And Huckleberries.....
Indigenous peoples found the plant and its fruit very useful. The bright red, acidic berries were used extensively for food throughout the year. Fresh berries were eaten in large quantities, or used for fish bait because of the slight resemblance to salmon eggs. Berries were also dried for later use. Dried berries were stewed and made into sauces, or mixed with salmon spawn and oil and eaten at winter feasts. The bark of the plant was used as a cold remedy thanks to the therapeutic acid called quinic acid. The leaves were made into tea or smoked. The branches were used as brooms, and the twigs were used to fasten western skunk cabbage leaves into berry baskets.
Anyway I walked round my local park this morning and found these....
Everyone knows Nettles eh, many uses from making into tea, using as cordage to boiling and eating as ya would any greens.
Here is a use that you might not have seen before though....
NETTLE BEER!
2 1/4 lb. young Nettles (tops only)
2 lemons
1 tsp. ground Ginger
1 gallon water
1 lb. light brown sugar
1 oz. cream of tartar
3/4 oz. fresh baker's yeast or 1 tsp. dried yeast (this is what the recipe calls for, but I use brewers yeast)
Bring the rinsed Nettle tops, the peel of the lemon and the ginger to boil in the water in a large pan. Simmer for 20 minutes, strain onto the sugar and cream of tartar in another large clean vessel. Stir and allow to cool. Add the lemon juice and yeast. Cover with linen tea towels and leave in a warm place for three days. Transfer to a cold place for a further two days. Strain and bottle. Store for about one week. (it is not a brew for long storage). - from the Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism
Indian Plum( not yet ripe ).....
Native Americans in our region ate the fruit. For medicinal purposes they chewed on the twigs and then applied them to sore places. For a tonic and purgative, some used the bark to make a bark tea.
Thimbleberries ( not ready yet ).....
Thimbleberry fruits are larger, flatter, and softer than raspberries, and have many small seeds. Because the fruit is so soft, it does not pack or ship well, so thimbleberries are rarely cultivated commercially. However, wild thimbleberries make an excellent jam which is sold as a local delicacy in some parts of their range, notably in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan. Thimbleberry jam is easily made by combining equal volumes of berries and sugar and boiling the mixture for two minutes before packing it into jars. They are also good eaten raw.
Thimbleberry plants can be propagated most successfully by planting dormant rhizome segments, as well as from seeds or stem cuttings.
In a pinch, the leaves of the thimbleberry are recognized as a handy "toilet paper". They are large, soft and non-irritating.
Elderberries......
The flowers of Sambucus nigra are used to produce elderflower liqueur. The French and Central Europeans (Austrians, Croatians), but particularly the Swiss (the foremost experts of Sambucus cultivation and culinary applications) are known for their elderflower syrup, most commonly made from an extract of elderflower blossoms, which can be added into pancake (palatchinken) mix instead of blueberries. Most Balkan counties (Serbia, Romania, Macedonia) will use a similar method to make a syrup which is diluted with water and used as a drink. Based on this syrup, Fanta marketed a soft drink variety called "Shokata" which was sold in 15 countries worldwide. In the United States, this French elderflower syrup is used to make elderflower marshmallows. Wines and cordials may be produced from the berries. Berries can be used to produce marmalade. Ornamental varieties of Sambucus are grown in gardens. In Germany the umbels of the elderberry are batter coated, fried and then served as a dessert or a sweet lunch with a sugar and cinnamon topping.
Hollowed elderberry twigs have traditionally been used as spiles to tap maple trees for syrup.
And Huckleberries.....
Indigenous peoples found the plant and its fruit very useful. The bright red, acidic berries were used extensively for food throughout the year. Fresh berries were eaten in large quantities, or used for fish bait because of the slight resemblance to salmon eggs. Berries were also dried for later use. Dried berries were stewed and made into sauces, or mixed with salmon spawn and oil and eaten at winter feasts. The bark of the plant was used as a cold remedy thanks to the therapeutic acid called quinic acid. The leaves were made into tea or smoked. The branches were used as brooms, and the twigs were used to fasten western skunk cabbage leaves into berry baskets.
