Duck à l’orange

This morning the Captain caught me feeding the ducks while still in my pjs. “Are you trying to fatten them up?” he asked.

Later on, word seemed to have spread, as having left the ducks of the Stratford Canal behind, we encountered a much less inhibited bunch on the Grand Union. They were VERY keen to say hello.

For tea, we had asparagus cooked in my new asparagus kettle. I bought it to sterilise bottles in. Doesn’t everyone? That it can steam asparagus too is a bonus. It went nicely with the duck and orange sauce. The Captain eyed the meat suspiciously. “Just what exactly have you been doing today …?”

Do you think it is maybe taking foraging a bit far?

Socks

I do not normally need to pack vast quantities of socks when going away on ‘Wand’ring Bark’. I don’t even take a pair for each day. And, no, I am not just lacking in the hygiene department, I simply prefer to go bare foot. If absolutely necessary I’ll don a pair of sandals, or self-draining shoes as the Captain prefers to call them. However, since embarking on this foraging business, socks and more substantial footwear have become necessary.

But not always. Last night I did a bit of foraging while wearing a rather fetching pair of patent red stilettos and no socks whatsoever. I know. Shocking. But it was only for lavender. So quite harmless really. I used a handful to add to a kilogram of sugar. I’m planning to experiment with some lavender recipes later so having lavender sugar seemed like a good starting point. And what could be finer than lavender from Stratford?

However, as much as it pleases me to be able to tell you about my red shoes, they really are not as practical as socks and trainers/walking boots. So tonight’s top foraging tip is: always pack more socks than you think you’ll need.

I thought of that as I hand washed a few pairs at the top of the Wilmcote Locks. See? Always thinking of you, I am.

Of Cake, Jelly, Tea Parties and Gin

I have been busy. And I am tired. Tireder than a tired thing that eats tired pills for breakfast, has insomnia pie for dinner and then stays awake all night.

But I wanted to briefly mention my tea party. The Captain and I have made it to Stratford which is where I study. I have not been here since my accident. To catch up with a few people all at once, we hosted a tea party.

I baked a Victoria Sponge which was the most ‘normal’ thing available. There was also Wild Flower Syrup Cake which was an experiment but I think worked. Finally, I’d made piles of scones topped with either Dandelion Marmalade, my Mum’s Plum Jam or Compost Heap Jelly. It was all washed down with Pimms, Elderflower Cucumber Spritzer or Gin, as should be the case with all good tea parties.

It was lovely and I enjoyed myself very much. Whether my guests did is another matter …!

Tomorrow, the Captain and I begin to meander slowly home. I have more photos to show you and more foraging to tell you of but that takes me back to my first paragraph. So, in the true spirit of Blue Peter, here is something I prepared earlier. The recipe for Compost Heap Jelly. Next time I make it, I’ll try to up the citrus fruit and cut back on the apples as I found it a bit sweet. But try it yourself and see what you think.

Compost Heap Jelly

Makes 3 x 225g jars

500g apple cores and peel

500g citrus fruits (unwaxed lemon, orange, grapefruit and/or lime), cut into roughly 1cm shreds

Granulated sugar

Juice of 1 orange, lemon or grapefruit

Pute the apple cores and peel and the citrus peel into a sauce pan. Add sufficient water to cover (you’ll probably need about 1.5 litres). Bring to a simmer and cook slowly for 45-60mins. Turn the fruit into a scalded jelly bag or muslin and leave overnight to drip.

Measure the strained liquid and weigh 450g sugar for every 600ml juice. Return the juice to the pan and add the orange/lemon/grapefruit juice, if using. Bring to the boil, then add the sugar. Stir until dissolved then boil rapidly, without stirring, until setting point is reached, about 10 mins or so.

Remove from the heat and stir, always going in the same direction, until all the surface bubbles have disappeared. Pour into warm, sterilised jars and either swivel or tap the jars to remove any remaining bubbles. Seal. Use within 12 months.

Wild Flower Syrup

Yesterday we began our journey proper. The Captain always gets up first, keen to get cracking while I lounge in bed a while longer. We’d not been going more than fifteen minutes when his hand thrust through the back hatch and threw a spray of elderflower at me. Don’t knock it, as ways of starting the day go, it’s not the worst.

Besides, he knew it would cause me great joy. Indeed, I was besides myself with excitement. Especially after I’d checked with Joy. my personal guru, for confirmation. After my near miss with the very-likely-to-be-Rowan-trees I really did not want to get it wrong.

So, I shot out of bed. Well, ok, heaved my sorry ass out of bed, donned what I thought to be suitable attire (see earlier post for just how wrong I was) and joined him for the Wolverhampton 21. My job was meant to driving. I am excused locking. On account of being an invalid. Tis an arrangement I am quite keen on. Only I got distracted.

We’d only done two locks when I spotted Dog Roses. And then Japanese Roses. “Rose Petal Jelly!”, I squealed as I leapt off the boat, grabbing my trusty foraging kit as I did. I have a feeling there some ancient maritime laws about abandoning ships but what care I of that? The hedgerows were ripe unto harvest and oh, this labourer was ready to answer the call.

Pretty soon I was swamped with an abundance of Hawthorn and Elderflower too so my plans changed to make use of the mix of flowers available on the same day and Wild Flower Syrup was born.

Just after I’d finished bottling it we met Richard & Sue of Indigo Dreams.

They have a wonderful blog (http://indigodream.wordpress.com/) which is a regular on the Captain’s Blogroll and will be added forthwith to mine. They kindly invited us to join them for a delicious lunch that was washed down with one of their famous coffees. Quite heavenly. Seemed only fair to force one of my so newly bottled Wild Flower Syrups upon them. Let’s hope it’s to their liking.

It was twenty four hours in the making but I hope it was worth it. The Captain & I had some on pancakes and the sweetness of sugar perfectly matched the flowery taste of early summer. Appropriately enough, as we munched we boated past the first cricket game of the season: Elderflower, Hawthorn, Roses and leather on willow – it doesn’t come much more English than that.

Wild Flower Syrup by John Wright

Makes about 1 litre

About 1 litre of freshly picked blossoms (Dog Rose, Japenese Rose, Elderflower, Hawthorn, Dandelion)

About 1 kg granulated sugar

About 550ml boiling water

Put a 2cm layer of blossoms in the bottom of a large jug, minimum 2 litres capacity. Pack the blossoms down, then spinkle on a 1 cm layer of sugar – don’t worry if things get mixed up. Continue these alternate layers of sugar and blossoms until the jug is full, keeping a note of the amount of sugar used. Cover the jug and leave to stand for 24 hours.

Empty the mixture into a saucepan and pour on 55ml of boiling water for every 100g sugar used. Heat the mixture gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, then strain into a clean jug.

Pour any syrup that you are not using straight away into sterilised bottles and seal. Stored in a cool, dark cupboard, it will keep for up to a year.

Delicious on pancakes, ice cream, waffles. Drizzle over cakes. Use in drink mixes. Be inventive. Be adventurous!

Suffering for my Art

It’s not like I was dressed in high heels, a mini skirt and a skimpy top. The weather was a little chill so I’d left that particular outfit in the cabin. Instead, I’d donned the much more sensible option of jeans, thick socks, trainers, long sleeved top and fleece jacket. Granted I wasn’t wearing gloves so I accept the damage to my hands. But this:

this is just rude. Rude I tell you! But then it WAS the Wolverhampton 21 I was foraging beside … *sigh*

However, the results of my labours promise to be worth it. I will reveal all later 🙂

Gone Boating

Wand’ring Bark has left the marina! We are currently moored on the Staffs & Worcs canal just by the Fox & Anchor pub which is pretty much our boating local. Tomorrow we begin our trip to Stratford proper but for now it’s rather nice to be back on board.

I have learnt a valuable lesson today though. Do not put the flour container on the sofa. If you do insist on doing so, use a container with a secure lid because boats rock. They rock due to the floating nature of them. And when they do, the flour will fall down. Bit like the bough breaking in the rock a bye baby nursery rhyme. So, today I learnt why lots of people don’t carry large loose lidded containers of flour aboard with them. Or at least if they do, they don’t leave them on the sofa. Still, I expect the large, dusty, white mark in the flooring (I would say carpet …) will disperse eventually.

Excited about tomorrow. Have made the Captain brush up on his Elderflower identification skills. Wouldn’t want him to mistake it for something else!

Hoping this mobile blogging malarkey works. We shall see.

Foraging Firsts – Beech Leaf Noyau on the Trent & Mersey Canal

Yesterday I mentioned that I need to fill my time.  This is never more true than when on our narrowboat.   I used to do a lot of reading. And I mean A LOT of reading. However, my date with the snow and the railway sleeper back in November has curtailed that somewhat.  Among other things I managed to crush my right eye socket which has required two lots of surgery to repair.  I did ask for bionic laser death rays to be inserted (a whole new dimension could have been added to my hard stares) but the medical profession did not oblige.  Perhaps they feared for the repercussions knowing just how many hard stares I am wont to give.  Things are much improved but as I now juggle 3 pairs of glasses, none of which are sunglasses, resuming my reading position at the pointy end has not yet happened. Consequently, on our recent trip around the Leicester Ring, I was in need of distraction.

Drifting gently along the waterways seems to provide an ideal opportunity to gather all manner of wild food and this trip was the first opportunity to put that theory to the test.  Spring was definitely springing and all manner of wildlife was in evidence.

I didn’t aim big. Although it could be argued it was expensive but I’d prefer to say classy. However, that was the Captain’s fault, not mine. The plan was to make Beech Leaf Noyau from Pam Corbin’s excellent Preserves, No.2 in the River Cottage Handbook series. In preparation I had bought a litre of cheap gin and was eagerly anticipating spotting the ‘young, silken leaves of our native beech tree’ that Corbin waxes lyrical about. However, the Captain was adamant that mid April was far too early for beech to be in leaf and what with him being a country boy and all, I listened and left the cheap gin behind. Consequently, when on our very first day of cruising we found ample supplies of leaves, I simply had to use the Gordon’s. I mean, what’s a girl to do? I did spend the rest of the week listening to mutters of ‘Waste of perfectly good gin …’ but I am confident he’ll change his tune come the crisp November evenings when we curl up in front of a roaring fire and sip my delicious liqueur which I am confident will taste of bottled Spring. Possibly. The drips I licked from my fingers boded well.

Beech Leaf Noyau

Makes 1 litre

1 loosely packed carrier bagful of soft young beech leaves

500ml gin

300g granulated sugar

Brandy

Pack the beech leaves into a glass jar until 9/10s full. Pour gin over leaves, making sure they are well covered. Leave to steep for 7-10 days so the leaves can release their striking green pigment. Strain the infused gin through muslin or a jelly bag.

Put the sugar and 250ml water into a pan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Allow to cool completely before adding to the infused gin. Add a couple of capfuls of brandy.

Put a couple of fresh beech leaves into sterilised screw-top or stopper bottles, add the noyau and seal.

Wait until winter before drinking. Use within 2 years.