Pickled Elder Flower Buds Elder flowers open in succession, so even now while there are flowers in full bloom there are further flowers still to open. The flower heads when harvested at the green bud stage are delicious pickled, a bit like a substitute for capers. Collecting the flower heads Snap off unopened flower heads.Continue reading “Pickled Elder Flower Buds – Recipe”
Category Archives: Foraging
Green Elder Shoots – Recipe
Green Elder Shoots in Brine This is an old recipe, and an odd one. While elder flower coridals and elder flower ‘Champagne” are becoming more widely known, I bet not many people are trying out the new green shoots! In spring and early summer the common elder, Sambucus nigra, produces very vigorous strong green shootsContinue reading “Green Elder Shoots – Recipe”
Respect Your Elders – Elderflower Cordial Recipe
It’s wild. Its everywhere. Its elder flower –Sambucus nigra. In the month of June its flat flower heads whiten hedgerows and fields around Ireland. Outside my office window I can see the branches bob and sway with the breeze. Seedlings all too often appear in the garden, unwanted, in abundance. But I don’t mind, theContinue reading “Respect Your Elders – Elderflower Cordial Recipe”
Nasturtium Pesto – Lower Food Miles Version- Recipe
We have The Garden School at BLOOM this year situated in the “Budding Bloomers” area. We are hoping to inspire future generations of gardeners by teaching children (and many adults) how to make plant pots from newspaper and then sow a nasturtium seed into peat free compost. Nasturtiums are ornamental and edible. The simplest wayContinue reading “Nasturtium Pesto – Lower Food Miles Version- Recipe”
Spruce Shoot Jam – Recipe
Spruce trees are a common site in the west of Ireland, not just as part of the alien forestry that covers much of the land, but also you see groups of old trees close to houses, derelict old cottages and lived in houses like ours. That is exactly what we have close to our house,Continue reading “Spruce Shoot Jam – Recipe”
Primrose Petal Jam– Recipe
Primroses carpet the ground under an old hawthorn tree in our garden, the clothe the soil with a fragility and light, their gentle perfume is a delight. Primula vulgaris is a native plant, a wild flower that is always welcome in our garden. Each year they bring freshness and beauty to the Spring. Their flowersContinue reading “Primrose Petal Jam– Recipe”
Spicy Fried Dandelion Flowers – Recipe
Dandelions, Taraxacum officinale , are the bane of many a gardener’s life. They pop up everywhere, their happy flower heads cheekily appearing in the lawn, in the borders and even in the driveway. They are however nice flowers, they spread like a golden coat over the spring green fields at this time of year. SoonContinue reading “Spicy Fried Dandelion Flowers – Recipe”
Ciaran The Gardener 