Wild Gooseberry Crumble

I'm staying up in Falkland for a couple of nights and I found a wild gooseberry patch on my wanders.

It's quite late in the season for gooseberries but that didn't stop me foraging enough to make a crumble.

I'm staying in unfamiliar surroundings, so this recipe was made without scales - crumble is pretty forgiving though.

Wild Gooseberry Crumble

Ingredients:

2 handfuls wild gooseberries
2 handfuls of plain flour
1 handful of caster sugar
1 handful of demerara sugar
1 (estimated) handful of butter
Pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C

Wash, top & tail gooseberries.

Place gooseberries in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the caster sugar.

Rub butter, salt and flour together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in demerara sugar.

Top gooseberries with crumble mix.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top and bubbling from beneath.

Until next time, Good Foraging!

Birch Sap Syrup

Tapping the Birch Sap

Finally, Spring is in the air. And in my step! Winter is so long, for a forager.

I'm sure you will have tasted maple syrup at some point in your life. My gran was very fond of Canada and would always have maple syrup in her larder. She would make drop scones (Scottish pancakes) with bacon and maple syrup. I loved those breakfasts.

The Maple is less common in the UK, but we are surrounded by Birch and the process is the same - tap the sap from the tree and boil it down to syrupy goodness.

I bought my first birch taps 7 years ago, but this is the first time I've ever used them. The sap of the birch starts to rise in early spring and there is only a short window of opportunity, which I usually miss. Not this year!

I bought my taps from Touch Wood, as I liked the fact that they were made from UK-grown Oak and hand-turned. Check out that website or YouTube for more info on Birch tapping. They work beautifully!

I took just over a litre from a good-sized Silver Birch and this made a couple of teaspoons of syrup - just enough for my breakfast and no waste (as foraging should be).

Birch Sap Syrup Recipe

• Strain sap through filter paper or a clean teatowel, to remove any wood or other debris.
• Boil sap gently (this can take several hours, depending on the original volume).

Birch Sap (strained) - approximately 1 litre

• Do not stop watching it as it cooks and as soon as it turns amber, it's ready.

Birch Sap Syrup for One

Drop Scones Recipe

Ingredients:

• 100g self-raising flour
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons of milk
• Pinch of salt

Method: 

• Mix all ingredients togetherto make a thick batter.
• Drop (hence the name) spoonfuls onto a hot griddle, skillet or frying pan.
• Turn over once air bubbles start appearing in the drop scones. (A couple of minutes on each side).
• Serve with smoked bacon and the Birch sap syrup.

Drop Scones with Birch Sap Syrup and Smoke Bacon

Absolutely divine!

Until next time; good foraging.