£FREE Greenwood Bodging workshops May 5th-10th, ARTWORKS MK

Basketry, stool making, gypsy roses....check out the Artworks MK website.  Im gone be there or be square!
xx
Kat

"" They had been possessed of the finer mysteries of the world of sap and leaves as of commonplace knowledge; had been able to read its hieroglyphs as ordinary writing; to them the sights and sounds of night, winter, wind, storm amidst those dense boughs were simple occurrences whose origin, continuance and laws they foreknew.
From the light lashing of twigs upon their faces when brushing through themin the dark either could pronounce upon the species of tree from which it stretched...frrom the quality of the wind's murmur through bough either could in like manner name its sort afar off.  They knew by a glance at a trunk if its heart were sound, or tainted with incipient decay.  the artifices of the seasons were seen by them from the conjuror's own point of view, not that of the spectator.''

from Thomas Hardy, 'The Woodlanders' (1887)

Hi folks, I am checking the wilderness daily until there is enough food for a decent forage...due to the freezing weather plant growth has been a bit tardy!  We're looking at end of April -start of May unless it turns really Arctic!!
xx
Kat

Wildfood Forages to Start in April!

Stay posted for the first April wild food and mini-picnic dates folks.  Some of the pubs are going to let us (in modest numbers at a time!) use their kitchen facilities to create some quick hot wild food dishes, in the hope that we will drink a fair amount of alcohol\WKD orange juice in the meantime, which is fine by me....see y'all soon....xx.

ANIMASQUE Adventures in the Woods

Looking for a birthday party idea for your children/yourself?  Or a hen/stag do thats truly original and wild?  How about making your favourite animal into a magic Animasque headdress....tigers, dragons, birds and fish, cows, unicorns... acting out animal stories from classic Fairy tales and Myths...then sitting down to eat around a fire  in the woods/your back garden (fire provided, you will need to bring your own picnic!)

CHARLEY PARKER illustrations - Harvesting and Picking Wild Garlic

This guy is a LEGEND!!!
And heres two more from 'Charley Harper - An Illustrated Life' by Todd Oldham.

Woods to Warm You Well

Now is that time of year when, yes, it IS technically Spring, but we all know that means rain and lots of it, which is great for the plants that we eat but also time to get the firewood in!

Back in the day, every small child knew which native British woods were good as winter fuel and which were as useless for keeping you warm as a chocolate fire grate, but now with piped and increasing unaffordable electricity and gas, most of us don't have a clue.

"Oake logs wille warm ye well, that are olde and drye;
Pyne logs they wille sweetlye smell,
But the sparks wille flye;
Byrch logs theye wille burne too faste,
Chestnut scarce at alle...."

If you would like to learn both the next four verse of this ancient Irish wood song and which woods are best for foraging for your stove, stay posted for a Fuel Forage guided walk close to you soon.

SPRING GREENS in your step...

Hello fellow Foragers and Fossickers in the great natural river basin of the Ouse, Milton Keynes....

The first few shoots of delicious mustardy Jack-by- the Hedge (Allaria petiolata), spinachy Nettles (Urtica diocia) and Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) will be ready for your palates in a few short weeks.

Also that winter staple, the Jelly Ear Fungus (Auricularia auricle-judae) which can be pickled, fried or added to soups' a la Chinoiserie' style.   To find out how to identify and prepare delicious and nutritious dishes stay tuned for my HEDGEWITCH guided forages and tapas style tasting sessions at a pub near you!