Foraging Challenge

jumblejack

Splodger (or any other seasoned brewer),
I need help! ('Tell me something I didn't know', you all mutter;))

Attempt number 2 at the elderflower champagne has gone a bit wrong too. I want to know can it be saved?

Attempt no.1, I discarded as there were clouds of matter forming in the bottles.

Attempt no.2... Well. I have left it in a VERY sterile fermentation bucket with a tea towel above it for about 4-5 days. It has now got a thin skin of mould on the top:eek:
It was left in the cool pantry do don't understand what has gone wrong.

Can I filter it out with the flowers? Also, I cannot see any bubbles but the bucket is quite thick so that is probably why I cannot observe them?

Should I add any pectolase/campden tablets to the mixture after straining?

I REALLY could do with some advice please.

I don't want to admit defeat as I may become disheartened and not try again. It would be such a shame as this seems a great way to use up foraged produce in a delightfully hospitable way to guests

I await any instructions with anticipation!

jumblejack

Just went on a mini forage as I had half an hour spare when the kids were at their class.

I think I've found chickweed! I'm fairly certain.
Could anyone confirm?


The stem did have a single line of very fine hair which is one of the characteristics. They did creep for quite a while before gaining any height so all criteria matched exactly. I would love this in the garden in my wilderness spot as it is good all year round for eating apparently.

A veg and chickpea curry is on the go at the moment and I have brought in a few dandelion leaves and more nasturtium leaves to add in the final 5 mins;)
Edit:
Yep, i can now confirm that nasturtiums (&dandelions) indeed go great as a green in a veggie curry:T

splodger_seedswapper

i don't think so jj - the leaf shape and position doesn't look right at all

did it have any open flowers on it - although books suggest it flowers all year round - it is more likely to flower in spring and/or autumn - in the 2nd pic it looks more like berries than flower heads - were they flower heads?

also chickweed is a flopper - it either flops on ground or flops on other plants - it doesn't climb up them

how big was it? chickweed is smallish (25-35 cm)

jumblejack

splodger_seedswapper wrote: »

i don't think so jj - the leaf shape and position doesn't look right at all

did it have any open flowers on it - although books suggest it flowers all year round - it is more likely to flower in spring and/or autumn - in the 2nd pic it looks more like berries than flower heads - were they flower heads?

also chickweed is a flopper - it either flops on ground or flops on other plants - it doesn't climb up them

how big was it? chickweed is smallish (25-35 cm)

It was a blanket of growth. When I pulled a few up thinking it would be about 20cm in length, it had stems that were hidden but sprawling so it was much longer than it looked. In height from the ground it was about 20-25cm. There were no berries at all. The tiny flowers had finished but you could see the tiny white petals still inside the droopy heads.

I've been after IDing this for ages so I really hope it is. I have a picture of the blanket of growth. I will upload it on a larger image as there is the odd white flower still evident....
Cheers

jumblejack

Let me know if this is too large and I will remove it pronto :beer:

splodger_seedswapper

hmm - i see where you are coming from now jj - you might be ok afterall - although i think the flowers heads are too upright and too big tbh - it might be a chickweed relative

if you can pick a flower - count the stamens - chickweed will usually have 5 stamens (and 5 petals are shorter than the sepals)

of the relatives - greater chickweed and wood stichwort have 10 stamens and the wood stichwort has much longer petals - both have stalked leaves

water chickweed also has larger petals

kerrypn

So sorry if already posted but just came across this as a freebie

http://www.eatweeds.co.uk/

Not downloaded it yet will let you know how it is

adelight

jumblejack i had some scum and mold on some lemons in the bucket of HFW recipe elderflower champagne. I did a quick google and people just skim it off then filter it a few times.

I just tasted the first lot of elderflower champagne (yeah it's barely been a week!) and it's very refreshing and quite nice :j That was one head of flowers and chunk of lemon per pint, left for 36 hours, filtered through a flannel into old milk bottles with 75g sugar per pint. Also tried the bottle made the same way but with a tiny pinch of normal yeast and that's good too, OH said he could taste a kick of alcohol (he's more sensitive to it than me).
I am most definitely going to get some more flowers from another spot tomorrow

DebtFree2012

Can I use fast action (bread typ) yeast for this? Thanks.

jumblejack

I'm not really sure about the added yeast, debt free. What's the worst that could happen though? I'm gonna put mine in the Demi John when I finish my garden jobs. I can't see any bubbles in mine either although it smells slightly alcoholic now, almost cider like. I'm sure it will be pleasantly edible either way

I just used lavendar flowers for the first time:j
I experimented with some biscuits. I only added half a dozen flower heads though as worried about the soapy taste. Needn't have worried:T

If any of you want to 'forage' from your garden for a sweet treat, the recipe is here:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=54444625&postcount=907
There are provably loads of recipes online for lavendar though. A bit of googling is called for I think;)

Have a great day, peeps.

Weather is perfect for a foraging foray:T