Spring 2021

Hi friends,

Happy Spring! I’m guessing that many of you have had a lot more nature and outdoor walks than you bargained for? Hopefully most of us are looking forward to catching up with friends over lovely food and drinks outdoors too, but maybe the walking bug has caught on and so I’ll write a little bit about some plants that you can easily find at this time of year and some ideas for how to use them.

Our charity over winter was The Woodyard Calais, a brilliant collective of volunteers providing firewood to those displaced in Calais. People stuck there face destitution in freezing temperatures with no means of heating or cooking, sometimes for years. The police regularly evict people from their campsites, confiscating and destroying their belongings. The woodyard work hard to build trust with people who have been so appallingly treated when seeking safety, which after all is their human right in international law. You can find out more about their work and maybe donate a few quid if you can. Money very well spent. And if you bought a Dusk drink over winter, you’ve already become part of this work. Great!

I’m also proud to be part of the Eatwell Manchester programme, which links Manchester’s finest food and drink to doing some good in the form of nearly 40,000 meals to those in need so far. Although this project was a response to the covid crisis it’s not going anywhere so there’s still time to get involved. Check it out if you haven’t already.

Spring plants are really exciting to forage, there is so much variation as soon as the sun shines and the ground warms up, its a dynamic time of year. Her are a few plants you can easily spot

Blackthorn

This is a low, twisted and very spiky tree you will find in parks and wild unmanaged spaces in the city. It is easy to identify for two reasons; firstly, the small white almond scented flowers appear before any leaves so you will see branches covered with just flowers and secondly because it has very long sharp thorns! The flowers are fiddly to pick but make a lovely aromatic cordial when steeped in water overnight. Once the tree comes into leaf the first very small leaves can be picked to make a beautiful aperitif or digestif called épine noir (black thorn) where the leaves are macerated in cognac and then added to red wine and aged. Its a beautifully smooth and interesting drink either alone or in a negroni where it pairs really well with bitter notes and no doubt many other cocktails, I’ll be using it with fermented coffee and elderflower, let me know your thoughts?

The blackthorn has a deep folklore history. It is fabled to be guarded by spirits, the lunantisidhe, translated from Celtic as moon-fairies, who are unfriendly to humans at the best of times and who will curse anyone who breaks a branch of their tree. They leave the tree every full moon to worship their goddess and so this is the safest time to approach the tree. Blackthorn wood is traditionally used to make wands, walking sticks and shillelaghs and was often taken to be the the sign of someone with magic powers when they were persecuted by the church. Blackthorn is also associated with hope, protection and growth after times of crisis, which is very now! It shelters small birds from predators in its long thorns while they eat its berries. Remember where your blackthorn trees are because you can return to them in autumn to make super popular festive sloe gin! And be careful when picking from the tree, the thorns carry bacteria which can cause infection and wear your oldest coat or your mum will tell you off, basically you don’t want a coat or a finger looking like mine!

Cleavers

This plant is so fun that it has a ton of childhood names, sticky bud, hitchhiker, catchweed, robin-in-the-hedge, goosegrass, stickywilly… its the pant that you threw on your mates back when you were little. Who knew it is really good for you? Lots of herbalists! If you have partied hard post lockdown and you’ve spent all your money on fine booze, dont worry! this free-tox is probably growing a minutes walk from you right now. Cleavers are diuretic, meaning that they promote your unrinary system into action, and are used to encourage lymph health and wound healing. They taste fresh and gentle, you can steam them and eat with a little salt and butter/vegan alt, or just steep them in water for a delicious cucumber-y drink, freshly picked plants are probably more effective than anything you could pay for in a tablet form? I use them to add a final fresh green note to vermouths and bottled vodka martinis, just infuse them briefly before serving. Think of this as a hangover insurance policy?

Gorse

Gorgeous gorse, you can see it beaming from far away. It has a very long blossoming season, maybe that’s why it’s given as a lover’s gift and is a symbol of perseverance and strength, “gorse is out of blossom when kissing’s out of fashion!” The innocent coconutty fragrance and fresh green pea flavoured petals can eaten raw, maybe pop some in a very posh salad! I will be using them in spring amaro and vermouths where the simple gentle flavour will complement tender herbs and more complex floral notes. Gorse is another very spiky character, you’ll need to pick the blossoms carefully, I promise after a while you stop swearing and kinda find a technique and develop respect for such a well defended lady.

Conifers

Fresh luminous green conifer cones and springy needles are sprouting all over the city. Its really really important to identify them carefully as some are deadly poisonous, i’m not going to offer amateur advice here but do your research, if you’re not sure, move on and stay safe, as the booklet says KNOW YOUR CONIFERS! Douglas fir, larch, spruce and pine are all livening unusual tastes to a typical western palate. There are many traditions of using these vitamin C rich beauties in food and drink, in Russia and the Caucasus people have used their pine forests to make deep ruby jams and pickles, medicinal oils and valuable teas and broths for hash winter months without much fresh food. They are bursting with pollen at this time of year and will vigorously ferment along with the soft new needles.

until next time, take care everyone, I hope you enjoy getting back into social lives, meeting, chatting, eating, drinking, listening, watching and having a laugh. but don’t forget you spent a lot of last summer watching a snail meander over your garden… it wasn’t so bad, was it??

Emma x