A new book

With some of my birthday money I bought a new book from the Remainders shop which is known as The Works in Peterborough.  I  was browsing along the shelves as you never know quite what you are going to find when I espied this little gem.   What tickled me most about this book was the way the book starts and I quote

"Darling.

I have something to admit.

I have been lying to you.

every time I've served you up spinach be it in soup, pies pr risotto.  I've actually been feeding you wild things.  You've had stinging nettles dead nettles, purslanes and oraches.  I've fed you fat hen, good King Henry and goosegrass.  You've eaten dandelions and thistles.  They have come from the side of train tracks, along the river, in the parks and sometimes my garden.

You've gone back for seconds and had it on the following day, so I guess youve' like some of it.  Actually I think by now you must know that spinach is a pretty loose term in our kitchen.  I hope you don't mind but I don't intend to start growing it anytime soon.

Lots of love

A"

Intrigued I was completely taken  by this wonderful paragraph, and  as I stared to browse I realised that it is the most different foraging book that I have come across to date.and what's more is I love it.

The book The Thrifty Forager by Alys Fowler her of  The Edible Garden fame and also head Gardener at BBC Gardeners World programme.  This is her follow on book which is currently for sale at around £16.99  recommended retail price and I was lucky enough to find it for £4.99.  Bargain bought with some of my birthday money.

This book outlines that weeds are only plants that set themselves where most of us don't want them but that instead of discarding them or depositing them in the compost bin we are missing a trick as many of them are edible.  I was particularly interested in the recipes that are littered through this lovely gem too including for fruit leathers and membrillo.

If you love foraging then this is certainly one for the book shelves.

I think serendipity came into play yesterday with me finding this book, as in the morning we had walked our canine friend Missy and I had noticed that the Hawthorn blossom is starting to come out and having read a little about the leaves not being bad eating I decided to try a few.  The common name is "bread and cheese"  for the leaves  and on eating some of these leaves I must say that I totally got this and when I offered them to OH he could not discern what I had i.e. the faint flavour of bread and cheese but he didn't mind it either.  So I might forage a few later on and add them to a salad..