Summer Loving

I have finally managed to tear myself away from the magnetic pull of ‘the outdoors' and sit down in front of the computer... I just hope this good weather is a sign of the summer to come and not a distant memory by the time the newsletter goes out!

I always look forward to June, not least because of my birthday (30th this year, friends and family take note!) but also because it's elderflower season - I get very excited about elderflowers! The sight of an elder tree (Sambucus nigra) laden with creamy white elderflowers literally makes me squeal with delight. Elders can be found all over the UK in hedgerows, woods and gardens. Remember where the shrubs/trees are as you may want to revisit in the autumn for the elderberries.

Elderflower cordial

Elderflower cordial is my all time favourite summer drink. It's so easy to make, tastes delicious and can be used for all sorts of things! As well as diluting with water for a tasty drink it can be used in elderflower and gooseberry jam (mmm!), in salad dressings, or drizzled over or mixed with strawberries and cream.

I make this recipe every year (in fact two years ago I was making vats of the stuff for our wedding!) and it always works well. Elderflowers are best picked on a sunny day, which will mean the flowers are open - and a useful tip for fellow short people: I take long handled shears with me to reach the tantalising flowers just out of reach.

20 heads of elderflowers
1.5kg sugar
1.5 litres boiled water
2 lemons, sliced
55g citric acid

Shake any lingering bugs from the elderflowers and strip off the main stalk.
Heat up the water, add the sugar and bring to the boil. Make sure all the sugar has dissolved, then let the water cool slightly before adding the elderflowers, lemons and citric acid. Leave to steep for 48 hours, giving it a stir twice a day.

The cordial will keep for at least a month in the fridge or can be frozen for later use in plastic bottles (remembering to leave a little room for it to expand).

Any leftover cordial that won't fit into bottles can be poured into ice-cube trays with a tiny bit of water and kept in the freezer. I like to pretty mine up a bit by placing an individual elderflower on top of each one! These little cubes are a fun addition to lots of drinks including lemonade or champagne.

Wild roses

It really is the flowers in summer that start catching my eye, tempting me over from the greens. Wild roses are usually remembered for their hips - they make a gorgeous syrup or tea - however, the flowers have many uses and can bring a lovely delicate flavour to many recipes. I use rose petals to make rose water and to scent homemade cosmetics.

One of the simplest uses is to add rose petals to your sugar in a sealed container. Leave for a few weeks to get delicately scented sugar. I've had varying success with this - sometimes it seems to work really well. I think it may depend on how scented the petals you're collecting are.

Wild rose petal jam

Wild rose petals (Rosa) can also be used to make a sweet, fragrant jam. This recipe only makes a small amount and is suited to potting up in small jars which are perfect to give as a gift.

500ml rose petals (give them a shake to remove bugs)
500g sugar (with added pectin to help the set)
Juice of a lemon
500ml water

Put the sugar, lemon juice and water into a pan and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the rose petals and heat gently, stirring frequently for about 25 minutes. Now bring to a rolling boil until the jam reaches setting point. (There are various methods of testing setting point, including using a jam thermometer and waiting for the temperature to reach 104.5 degrees Celsius, or dipping a spoon into the mixture and letting it drip off. When it falls off in a flake setting point has been reached.)

Ensure you have sterilised, warm jars to pot the jam into. Seal well and store for a rainy day when this jam will bring memories of summer flooding back.

Seaweed

Since moving to Cornwall and living near the coast, I've been meaning to get to know a bit more about foraging seaweed. I think I'm going to try dulse (Palmaria palmate); it's apparently a nice snack when dried and can also be used for crispy seaweed.

Dulse is best collected from the intertidal zone (exposed at low tide and underwater at high tide). It's a reddish-purple colour with flat fronds and is found growing from a single holdfast.

Once you have collected your dulse, rinse it well with clean water to get rid of any sand and stones. I'm planning to dry some of the seaweed outside spread on a clean sheet - I'll store this in jars to be nibbled as a snack. The rest I'll be using for crispy fried seaweed following a recipe from Cornish Seaweed Resources.

Crispy fried seaweed

800g sea lettuce or dulse
550ml cooking oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
85g flaked almonds

Wash the seaweed and dry it thoroughly, then cut it into fine shreds. Heat the oil in a wok until very hot, then remove from the heat and add the seaweed. Stir fry for two to three minutes until crispy. Remove from the wok and place on to kitchen paper. Mix sugar, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place the seaweed in a small dish and sprinkle with this mixture, then add the flaked almonds for garnish.

Sounds tasty!

For those of you interested, I recommend ‘Discovering the Folklore of Plants' by Margaret Baker. This subject really fascinates me and I feel that a knowledge of it enhances our connection with the food we are foraging.

Steph

Elderflowers in ice trays photo (c) Steph Comley 2010

Dulse seaweed (c) Crissy Haydon 2009 www.cornishseaweedresources.org

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