If there is to be a new GCSE in Natural History, from a cook’s perspective what I would most like to see included is the natural lifecycle of foods, unobscured by human intervention. Not that all human intervention is bad, but simply that if we are looking at Natural History, we need to be able to recognise the natural cycle to tell when it is being manipulated, even if that manipulation is benign. So, my syllabus suggestions deal only with wild food.
Next, I need to explain what I mean by “a season.” Our seasons themselves appear to be somewhat confused about what they are supposed to be doing when. Yet a natural sequence of events does take place, even if they may be hard to pinpoint on a calendar, and even though freak events can sometimes cause a season to halt its progress and even take a step back.
Over time, there have been many different attempts to tie seasonal occurrences to dates and to give seasons names. All of these are interesting, and instructive to an extent, but each have their limitations. For the purposes of this GCSE I would propose using the loose labels of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter without trying to tie them to a calendar. However, there is value in encouraging students to keep a diary recording what they observe in nature and when. Nowadays, this diary would most likely be in the form of photographs. To draw any meaningful conclusions about what lies behind movements in the seasons requires records to be kept for a long time, but it is a rewarding habit to get into.
There are clearly advantages to studying a season whilst it is in progress although this would leave little study time during Summer.
Here, I will start with Spring, which might be considered to have started after the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and therefore the longest night, after which the tilt of our planet brings the northern hemisphere imperceptibly closer to the sun and the days slowly begin to lengthen. Of course, we are celebrating Christmas at this time, the Christian calendar choosing to fit it’s markers with the old Pagan ways and even though the days start lengthening now, the coldest period is yet to come. The two major influences of the sun: light and warmth, have a time lag because it takes time (approximately two months) for the earth and sea to warm up. Plants vary in their receptiveness to these two factors, but trees will be one of the first to respond to the increasing daylight which will cause sap to rise. The sap of Silver Birch trees can be used to make a syrup, although the process is time consuming and requires knowledge and care to avoid damaging the tree when “tapping” it. A considerable amount of sap, around 2 litres, can be extracted in just 24 hours, which then needs to be reduced by boiling until it becomes a syrup. It is easy to observe the time when sap begins to rise just by bending a twig. Bend the end of a branch in half and wait a couple of minutes, if the sap is rising it will begin to steadily drip. There is about a two-week window in which this could be taken from the tree to make syrup. The exact time when this occurs depends on where in the country you live. As Joe Shute explains in his book Forecast: A diary of the lost seasons:
“The general trend over recent decades is for Spring to arrive ever earlier each year. Scientists can check its progress through monitoring the emergence of flora and fauna, and records show that between 1891- 1947 the season moved up the country in a north-easterly direction at around 1.2 mph, meaning it travelled around 28 miles per day. But these days, due to climate change, the season spreads up Britain at 1.9 mph, covering a distance of 45 miles each day.”
So, depending on where you live, sometime during the month of March is when you should see the sap begin to rise. Spring is the best time to observe the influence of light on plant growth because the pace of change around the Equinox is at its greatest. Because of the Earth’s 23.5˚axis, the amount of daylight will vary not only from North to South but also from east to West. Before the coming of trains required a standardized timetable, each region used to adopt its own time. Even without travelling very far, I can note the distinct difference between what is growing where I live, 600 feet above sea level, and what is growing in the village in the valley below. We are on the north side of the Mendip hill range and a quick trip over to the south side reveals even further advancement of Spring.
To give an idea of the pace of change, across March the day length increases by about an hour and a half in London but by 2 hours and 20 minutes in Glasgow. By comparison, in June, the day length is increasing by only 19 minutes in London and 25 minutes in Glasgow. A similar pace is observed in reverse, with the daylight decreasing, around the Autumn Equinox in September. Nature really sets a fast pace around the two equinoxes, but allows rest and even dormancy in the winter.
Animals, ourselves included, also respond to the changes in light to varying extents. Chickens would reduce, or cease, laying eggs in the darkest months but this has now been influenced by providing artificial light and breeding less responsive breeds. However, anyone who keeps traditional breeds of chickens will confirm that they go “off-lay” during the winter. Ducks, which have not been domesticated to the same extent, will only lay their eggs in Spring. The increasing vocal dawn chorus as Spring arrives is just one of the signs of animal life responding to the light.
We should also consider sheep, young lambs being one of the images most associated with Spring. Much of Britain’s wealth is owed to sheep. In the past they were usually only eaten when they reached the end of their useful life. That life included clothing us in wool, their fat, or tallow, was burnt for light, and their milk was drunk and used to make cheese.
The ancient Pagan festival of Imbolc, which occurred at the beginning of February, derives its name from the Gaelic oimelk meaning ewes milk, available again once the lambs were born. Sheep breeding cycles are strongly linked to day length, they breed as day length shortens and give birth 21 weeks later as the days are lengthening. Because this short window of fertility is linked to day length, it also follows that this will vary somewhat depending on where you are in the country and so we get a natural progression of the early lambs being born in the southwest and the latest in the north-east.
Each of the six species of deer found wild in the UK has it’s own breeding cycle and so the dates on which they are available depends not just on species but on whether they are in Scotland or England. Farmed venison is permitted to be slaughtered at anytime without regard to the natural breeding cycle.
It may surprise some people to realise that meat has its seasons as the concept of seasonal eating is most often thought of in relation to fruit and vegetables. Fish also will swim into our waters, or closer to shore, depending on water temperatures. They too have breeding cycles and are best avoided around these times not only to preserve our supply of fish but also to eat them in peak condition.
The green shoots of Spring
However, when considering wild food in Spring, it will be from plant life that we can obtain the most. Plants in the wild have an advantage over those that are cultivated in that no acclimatization is required. Plants will have planned for the continuation of their species towards the end of the previous year’s life cycle. In many cases this is by dispersal of seed, although can also be by other means such as putting out runners. These plants are perennial and will be the first to show signs of life. One of the earliest I see in my garden is Hairy Bittercress, a “weed” that takes the form of a spidery rosette of small leaves that taste peppery, like the cress you might buy. I use it in the same way, e.g. in an egg sandwich or alongside cheese on toast. Its relative, watercress, will also begin growing in spring, but is no longer considered safe to harvest in the wild but only from carefully monitored waters.
One of the most popular leaves for foraging nowadays is Wild Garlic, (Ramsons). It grows alongside our driveway, and the tiny shoots are visible here in very early March. Not much later the leaves are big enough to pick and grow in profusion in the nearby woods, the heady scent of garlic is unmistakable. Because of its pungency, you can’t really build a meal of wild garlic, but by using some to make a pesto it lifts the minestrone style soups that I am making from store cupboard ingredients.
The first green that does constitute the main flavouring is sorrel. I have Common Sorrel growing in my garden, but you might also find sheeps’ sorrel in amongst pasture grass or meadows. Although I consider it a main flavouring, the quantities needed are still quite small, and indeed sorrel should never be eaten in too large a quantity or it may cause a flare up of any rheumatic problems. I add it to a risotto at the last minute to keep its colour fresh. In France, it is a popular soup.
We should remember that most herbs are wild plants that we chose to grow close to the home because of their medicinal qualities. Wild Rocket is a welcome early salad leaf which just keeps on giving if you pluck just the outer leaves. It has self-seeded in several locations in my garden, few of them in the designated herb bed, but I am happy to see them wherever they occur. If you wanted the milder salad rocket, you would need to sew the seed yourself once the ground has warmed sufficiently, which illustrates the difference between the wild perennials and the cultivated annuals.
One green that everyone recognises and probably has growing nearby if not actually in their own garden is stinging nettles. They are well worth picking once you can see fresh green tips, although wear a pair of gloves to do so. I use them to make a soup and also as a filling for ravioli. They taste somewhat akin to pea shoots and once you have overcome any reluctance to try them, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
If you live close to the sea, you will also see Alexanders growing in abundance along the roadsides (I see them a good 10 miles inland). The young shoots of these plants can be cooked as can other “shoots” you might find in the Spring such as Seakale (this needs to be blanched to be tender enough for eating) and Common Hogweed.
Other countries seems not to have lost their taste for wild greens or edible weeds. In Greece they are called Horta and there are many dishes that feature them either as a salad or cooked and dressed with olive oil and garlic. Spain and Italy also prize their wild greens, and you will often find them cooked with eggs. Hop shoots and wild asparagus in particular are often served this way.
These wild greens are the essence of Spring eating. For millennia it has been a time associated with purification of the system and later with religious fasting.
As the season moves on many of these plants will flower, and in so doing their leaves become coarser and less pleasant to eat. I remove the yellow flowers from my wild rocket until August to keep picking. If you need to wait for the flower to identify a plant you are leaving it too late, but note where they grew for the next year.
The bees rely on these flowers for nectar and moving between flowers will pollinate them so that they will produce fruit. Trees, which by now have their leaves (many of them edible) will also be producing blossom, one of the most beautiful sights of Spring. It is a critical time for the coming year’s harvest as a late frost can destroy the blossom overnight before pollination is complete.
Having said that the seasons are difficult to tie to dates, I will finish this post by trotting out some of the old sayings that remind us of the variability of weather in Spring. We have March which comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But then we have April, notorious for it’s showers (collect snails after these for purging and eating). The danger of frost is usually past by the end of April in the South but is not uncommon in May further North. Of May we are warned ne’er cast a clout till May be out although there is some doubt as to whether the word May refers to the month or the blossom of Hawthorn, also known as May. The month begins and ends with Bank Holidays, both of which I have known to be hot enough to get sunburned and cold and wet enough to drive one shivering indoors to the fire. It is a transitional month, full of promise as migrant birds return and the sun is rising high, but not quite yet Summer.
Part Two to follow.
Elderflower Cordial
Elderflowers bloom for about 3 weeks in May. The flavour of the cordial relies very much on picking them in their prime. The scent is there to attract pollinating insects and is at its strongest about mid-way through the flowering period. However, they must be picked on a dry, preferably sunny, day otherwise they tend to smell of cats pee rather than lemons. The colour of the blossoms should be white, it turns to cream as it ages and then brown.
Makes about 4 pints – but use small bottles so that they can be completely immersed in water for sterilisation if you want to the cordial to last until next year.
45 heads of elderflower blossom
2 lemons, sliced
2 litres/3½ pints boiling water
Sugar (approx 2½ lb/1.2 kg but see recipe for precise quantity)
2 more lemons
Day 1 – Make Elderflower Tea
Shake the blossoms to dislodge insects then snip the heads (removing excess green) into a large bowl together with 2 sliced lemons. Pour on the boiling water and stir briefly with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave to steep overnight.
Day 2 – Make and Sterilise Cordial
The following day strain the cold elderflower tea through muslin. Measure the juice and add 12 oz of sugar plus the strained juice of half a lemon to each pint of tea (strain the lemon through muslin to keep the cordial clear). Heat gently to dissolve the sugar or simmer as below *.
Pour into hot, sterilized bottles up to about an inch below the top. Seal loosely. Put the bottles in a water bath, standing them on dishcloths to prevent the bottles banging around. The water should come at least to the level of the cordial, but preferably to cover the bottles. Bring the water slowly up to 88˚C and keep it there for 20 minutes.
Ladle out sufficient water to enable you to remove the bottles. Tighten the caps and lay the bottles on their side on a wooden surface until they are completely cool.
The cordial will now store for at least a year.
Notes on preserving cordial
It is only necessary to sterilise the cordial if you wish to keep it for a long period (the bottles themselves should always be sterilised in boiling water before use).
If you intend to use all of your cordial by the end of the summer (i.e. no longer than 4 months) you can use a simplified method of sterilisation, which involves only simmering the liquid rather than immersing the whole bottle:
*Bring the cordial up to simmering point (88-90˚C on a sugar thermometer) and fill the bottles to within 1 cm of the rim (rather than the inch for hot water bath method).
Share this article:
Leave a Reply