A Handbook of Scotland's Wild Harvests: The Essential Guide to Edible Species, with Recipes & Plants for Natural Remedies, and Materials to Gather for Fuel, Gardening & Craft - Softcover

Fi Martynoga; Emma Chapman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1887354964 ISBN 13: 9781887354967

Publisher: Saraband, 2012

Synopsis

Are you a forager? If you dream of being more connected to the landscape and all the bounty it can provide, this invaluable guide from the team who created A Handbook of Scotland's Trees will inform you about plants from fields, woods and seashores, as well as firewood and seaweeds. Here you'll discover well-tried recipes from Scottish kitchens - from nettle haggis to blaeberry muffins - and a wealth of woodland and hedgerow materials you can use in the garden or home. The information is drawn together from expert members of both Reforesting Scotland and the Scottish Wild Harvests Association (SWHA), trusted custodians of our environment and natural resources. Many are professionals in the field, and all of them know their plants and materials thoroughly from years or decades of experience. Their entries abound in useful information on habitat, history, uses, lore, and how to distinguish a useful plant from similar species that are not.

About this title

Review:

'I have collected mushrooms myself for many years, and all our chefs are experienced in gathering wild local ingredients for our dishes. What I find really exciting about this book is the number of unusual flavours and species it highlights, and how many new ones we can look for in addition to the more familiar species. In Scotland the value of our wild ingredients has been well recognised and valued long before foraging became as fashionable as it is now. This guide reveals so many new possibilities and emphasises how lucky we are to have such a fantastic variety of edible wild mushrooms, plants and seaweeds. All this bounty makes us the envy of top chefs not just in the UK but around the world. With the resurgence of interest in sustainability and the creative use of our native fresh ingredients, this inspiring and comprehensive resource comes at the perfect time.' - Andrew Fairlie Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles is Scotland's only 2-Michelin starred restaurant. 'This is a treasure-chest of practical information, first-hand experience and common sense advice, laced with passion and enthusiasm, that will inspire and give confidence to go foraging safely and sustainably' - Tess Darwin, Falkland Centre for Stewardship. 'We have been foraging our lands for centuries to feed, clothe and warm ourselves. Here Fi Martynoga has put together an incredibly informative handbook detailing all things edible, drinkable and sustainable.' Neil Forbes, Scottish Restaurant Awards' Scottish Chef of the Year 2011. 'This book is like a box of treasure: dip in and you'll find fascinating nuggets of information that will make you appreciate Scotland's wild harvest so much more.' Danielle Ellis, blogger for the Edinburgh Foody (edinburghfoody.com). --Andrew Fairlie, 2-Michelin-starred chef at Gleneagles

Caledonia? Cornucopia, more like ... This handsome handbook opens up the possibilities of a Scottish natural scene which is not only beautiful to look at, but good to eat. Some of these free-range foods and drinks are the ones you d expect (elderflower wine, blaeberry muffins, wild mushroom risotto), but there are much more recherché tastes too: dock pudding and dog rose petal jam; nettle-stuffed ravioli and silverweed salsa; salads with hawthorn and chickweed leaves, gorse flowers and hogweed stalks and seaweed recipes aplenty. The emphasis is on eating quality: taste and texture trump eco-worthiness in a guide that s as indispensable for the foodie as the forager. Medicinal plants are not neglected: there are free-range herbal treatments here for everything from colds and constipation to sprains and stains, from varicose veins and headaches to palpitations and PMT. And brief sections too on non-food uses: natural dyes and fragrant fuels; which woods are good for carpentry, which twigs for basket-weaving ... --The Scotsman

A handy reference book, it is also a most enjoyable read. It leads you through the extraordinary variety of Scottish edible options: key species nettle, elder, hazel and heather; salads, fruits, fungi, cordials, medical...giving excellent practical advice along the way to eliminate the likelihood of internment in either hospital or jail! It is a timeous foodie publication as increasing numbers of Scots are warming to the traditions of their forebears and gathering goodies from nature. There are clear instructions and recipes and I also really enjoyed the historical references to our food culture and geographical links with our terroir. In that sense it is a reminder that a healthy planet will reap its own rewards. Reading of heathery beds for sweet dreams and Captain Cook s spruce beer for sea voyages was fascinating. There are also useful tips for about the home natural dyes for textiles, weaving opportunities and the best logs for those, like me, with wood burning stoves. Mentally ticking off nettle pesto, bird cherry cordial (pictured as proof!) and goosberry jam made me feel as smug as any munro bagger! There are inspirations to keep me going for years - my autumn mission will be rosehips. --Wendy Barrie, food blogger

About the Author:

Fi Martynoga, a member of the Scottish Wild Harvests Association and Reforesting Scotland, writes regularly for the RS Journal and edited A Handbook of Scotland's Trees. She is a life-long forager, gardener, keen cook and campaigner for sustainability issues. Emma Chapman is the founding force behind, and current secretary, of SWHA, and a long-term member of RS. She is a beekeeper and committed forager.

About this edition

• Publisher: Saraband
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1887354964
• ISBN 13: 9781887354967
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256