0

Karen@omvedgardens.com

Omved Gardens Townsend Yard Highgate, London N6 5JF

The basket has been updated

No item found.
The basket is empty
£0.00
Checkout
Play
Previous story
Next story

Recipes

Five Recipes for Spring Foragers

Spring is fast approaching and with changing of the seasons comes plenty of opportunity to forage goodies in your local area. Jo la Preserveuse has put together 5 recipes to help you elongate the freshness of your foraging spoils long past their usual lifespan.

Wild Pickle

Ingredients
  • Any foraged wild stems, roots (we have used alexanders stems, flower buds & wild garlic)
  • Any root vegetables (carrots, celery, beetroot, celeriac, etc)
  • Malt or apple cider vinegar
  • 2tbsp sugar
  • Pepper, cloves, coriander, cumin, mustard seeds
  • 1tbsp Salt (to rub the vegetables)
  • Filtered water
Method
  1. Sterilise your jar properly (soapy hot bath, then sterilise in dishwasher, oven or kettle water)
  2. Rub any of your root vegetable with a bit salt in advance and leave it for 1 hour (optional)
  3. Pickling mixture ratio - fill a quarter of your jar with vinegar, another quarter with water
  4. Place the vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, pepper, in the pan and bring to the boil for 10 mins - allow to cool down thoroughly
  5. Pack tightly all the veg, wild garlic and alexanders in the sterilised jar
  6. Finally pour your pickling mixture over the top, ensuring everything is completely covered - leave at least 2cm between the sealed lid and the mixture
  7. Store unopened in your fridge or a very cool dark place for up to 6 months - once open eat within a month

Wild Butter

Ingredients
  • Wild leafy greens (we have used wild garlic + sorrel from the garden)
  • Unsalted butter / vegan butter or margarine
Method
  1. Finely chop your wild greens
  2. Mix it with the unsalted butter
  3. Place in a sealed container
  4. Keep the wild butter in the fridge for 5-6 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months

Wild Chimichurri Pickle

Chimichurri is an Argentinian herb oily sauce, but we made a little tweak and swapped the olive oil with vinegar so it’ll preserve for longer - we can call it chimichurri pickle!
Ingredients
  • 200g leafy wild greens (we have used wild garlic, 3 cornered leek, plantain + seasonal chard leaves from the garden)
  • 2-3 decent size garlic cloves
  • 2 medium size dried chilli or 2-3 tsp chilli flakes
  • Apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • Virgin olive oil
  • Paprika, cumin, salt and pepper
Method
  1. Sterilise your jar properly (hot soapy bath, then sterilise in dishwasher, oven or with kettle water)
  2. Bash the garlic and chilli with a pestle and mortar to create a paste
  3. Finely chop your wild greens
  4. Fill a quarter of your jar with vinegar and another quarter with water - add pepper, salt, cumin, paprika and shake it
  5. Combine everything together in a bowl, then add a splash of olive oil
  6. Pack the content into the jar ensuring it’s covered in the mixture
  7. Top up the content with a layer of olive oil
  8. Leave in the fridge unopened for a couple months - once open use within a couple of weeks

Dried Nettle Leaf Powder

Nettle contains lots of amino acids and is a great source of protein for vegans & vegetarians. It is full of every bone mineral you can think of, and so it is beneficial for people suffering from osteoporosis or arthritis. Making this is concentrate is a handy way to add nutrient dense nettles to your diet all year long.
Ingredients
  • Foraged Nettles These are best harvested in spring before they flower
Method
  1. Pick individual nettle leaves and leave them in a warm place to dry for a couple of days
  2. Reduce into a power with a mortar and pestle. Or you can crush them with your hands (careful though, even dried nettles can sting)
  3. This can be used in smoothies, mash or any kind of sauces. It also acts as natural colourant, so why not make some fun colourful pancakes

Cleaver Concoction

In ancient folklore it is said that if you drink this preparation everyday for 9 weeks you will be so beautiful that everyone will fall in love with you. So drink up and download tinder!
Ingredients
  • A handful of cleavers
  • Water
  • A Slice of lemon
Method
  1. Take the cleavers and give them a mush with a mortar and pestle, alternatively your can whiz them in a nutribullet
  2. Put them in a jar or jug with a bit of water
  3. Leave for a few hours in the fridge
  4. Sieve of the bits and add a slice of lemon
  5. Drink in the morning as a nice cleansing concoction
  6. If you would like to make a concentrate that will last for the year: take a good few handfuls of cleavers and whiz them with a little bit of water in a nutribullet
  7. Sieve off the bits, then pour the liquid into an ice tray and place in the freezer
  8. Dissolve 1 ice cube per glass of water. And enjoy!
*/?>