This evening I went to see the doctor for my suspected hernia. An operation would severely challenge the foraging! Over recent days the pain had got a lot less and when the doctor asked ‘where do you feel it’, I had to admit that at this point I’m not feeling any pain at all. A manual check confirmed that there is no hernia at present.
He asked me how I sustained the injury. I mentioned the cherry tree. “And where was it that you picked these cherries?’, the doctor asked, with the same inquiring tone as if to ask about an ailment. For one second I thought this was somehow relevant to my injury, but then it dawned on me that he was after my foraging spot!
I’m mightily relieved that all is needed is a gentler pace of exercise than my usual routine for a while.
In celebration of all things vibrant I cooked a wonderful dish tonight. Chanterelles, homegrown cucumber and onion, Himalayan balsam flowers (doing my bit to halt the spread of this invasive species), sorrel (hugely underrated but the absolute star ingredient), seaweed sprinkles and some herbs from the unofficial herb garden at Hazlehead. Look at this, wouldn’t you want to eat it?
I’m quite proud of our cuucs as well. I’ve lost count how many we have had from the greenhouse, but they just keep on coming. I found this whopper lurking behind some leaves:
I mentioned ‘seaweed’ above and you’re probably wondering where I got that. Well, yesterday at low tide I cycled out to Cove and descended the 13% gradient towards the harbour (and yes, back up again of course…). Exposed rocks presented a wonderful green and brown larder. I found sea lettuce, gutweed, oarweed, serrated wrack and kelp. When washed and dried they taste amazing and are a nutritional powerhouse.
Tomorrow I’m back to work and I’m very excited to have bartered for some eggs with a colleague! I will make some unusual foraged jam for her, and I’ll be supplied with eggs from hens that she has reared herself. I haven’t quite decided what I will do with them, but thoughts are turning towards a Spanish omelette with our tatties and some tomatoes from the windowsill. Guess what I’ll be dreaming about tonight!
The healthy forager 