From the 21st-23rd August, the Field Kitchen embarked on three foraging trips with small groups. We investigated the banks of Nottingham’s river Trent, searching for edible plants to cook with the mobile kitchen. August is a fruitful month with wild plums, blackberries, and elderberries in abundance. In addition to these more familiar foods, the foragers were introduced to chickweed, fat hen, comfrey, nettle tips, mugwort, plantain and yarrow.
Over the weekend, the Field Kitchen cooked rosehip soup (not an entirely successful experiment!); nettle and comfrey fritters; mugwort pancakes; salads of chickweed, fat hen and plantain; elderberry, blackberry and crabapple pie; and delicious ripe plums.
Cooking on the rocket stove proved challenging at times, and the pancakes were a little scrambled… but each group had an intimate picnic by the river, and I hope left inspired by the possibilities of finding food in our own localility.
Many thanks to Wayne Burrows for the photos!
Tags: foraging, hinterland
