WILD FOOD
Bristol's Wild Food Heritage
In the past people would have had the knowledge and need to use wild plants for food. Until recently many people collected wild fruits such as blackberries, rose hips, elderberry, sloes and crab apples to make country wines, jams and cordials as ways to preserve the fruit. These not only tasted delicious but they also provided an important source of vitamins in the winter in the days before freezers and supermarkets.
What we did
Young people from The LAMP collected blackberries (blackberries are ripe in August/September) from the local countryside and brought them back to make blackberry crumble.
Year 8 pupils from Withywood School collected elderflowers in June (elderflowers are usually ripe for picking in June) and made them into elderflower cordial
Resources
- Local fungi forays are held in the autumn and show you how to identify fungi and cook edible ones. Try Avon Wildlife Trust Tel : 0117 9177270 or Forest of Avon Tel:0117 9290066
- Michael, P and King, C All Good Things Around Us (1980). This book is now of print but can usually be found in libraries or secondhand copies are usually available from www.amazon.co.uk priced between £10-£20.
- Maybe, R Food for Free (2004) Price approx. £4.99 . This book tells you what you can eat in the countryside.
To make your own Elderflower cordial