Foraging in June
Foraging may be a bit of a dying art, for most people, it’s just blackberry picking in late Summer. But June offers some great foraging opportunities in the form of elder flowers. Read more
Nettle tagliatelle
We’ve got plenty of nettles at the moment, and while some consider it a weed, we put it to a variety of uses, including making soup (see my previous post). But today Stefanie (who is helping us on the farm…. and in the kitchen) got adventurous and tried something different. Read more
Nettle and wild garlic soup
Serves 4
- 4 large potatoes (about 1 lb)
- 1 large onion
- 1 large bag of fresh nettles tops
- 1 handful of wild garlic leaves
- 2 tablespoons ghee (or sunflower oil)
- Salt and pepper to taste
This is a delicious soup to make in the spring, when the nettles are young and the wild garlic is growing.
Wear gloves and pick nettles (just the very top), preferably on sunny morning. Wash them and put aside. Wash or peel the potatoes and dice them. Chop the onion in small bits.
Fry the onion in ghee, (or sunflower oil for vegan alternative) on medium heat until soft, stirring constantly, add the diced potatoes and keep stirring for another 3 minutes, then add the washed nettle tops and chopped up wild garlic leaves. Add 1 litre of water, bring to the boil, add the salt and peppter, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Liquidize and serve immediately with fresh cream as a garnish.
Wild garlic and rocket pesto
Wild garlic (Allium ursinum), also known as ramsons, doesn’t need to be wild at all. It’s growing happily in a shady patch in our garden so we don’t have to venture very far to forage for it. However, being “wild”, it doesn’t need any work, other than harvesting–no planting, weeding or pruning, and no need to buy seeds, as being wild, it’s a perennial.
But the best thing is its subtle taste of garlic which includes a vibrant sharpness and a very definite pungency, and the fact that it comes up at a time when there’s not much else to harvest outside.