A Day Foraging in Carlow
Yesterday myself and some friends went along on the Foraging walk with Mary and Robert of Blackstairs Eco Trails to experience the event for ourselves. What a fabulous day! (Despite the rain trying to sabotage us!!)
We were first welcomed warmly by Mary who introduced everyone to one another thereby making us all feel very comfortable as we relaxed in the firelit lounge where there was an information table set up with timely recipes (Elderberry and Apple crumble – delish!) and factsheets on fungi etc.
Then Robert and Mary spoke of the ethics of Foraging and explained a bit about the days’ events which would involve a forage around the ample garden, a trip to a nearby riverside and a delicious lunch.
The group was a mixed bunch of lovely people (from age 3 upwards) and we headed round the garden coming across Ceps, fly agarics, slippery jacks, wild horseradish, nettles, dandelion, rosehips, haws, plantain and much more!!
We were then treated to a mouthwatering lunch which included homemade lentil soup, a selection of cheeses (including the very tasty Carlow chedder), apple and onion bread (a firm favourite) and more. Yum!
After lunch we drove down to the nearby River barrow to identify the fruits of the hedgerows which included sloes, haws, rosehips, guelder rose berries to name a few.
Mary also gave us some information on the Tree types which you can find out more of on her upcoming Celtic Tree Walk here >>
More food awaited us upon our return with a taster plate of wild salad (you will never buy an iceberg lettuce again – as Robert said they are simply a water receptacle!) and a seriously good elderberry and apple crumble the recipe for which was supplied to us also on a printout. – Nice touch!
Robert joked that when eating wild fungi one should always leave a sample on a nearby table for the autopsy lol!
All in all it was a very enjoyable day and today I got up off my sofa and collected plenty of sloes and elderberries (keeping to the one third foraging rule) to make sloe gin and elderberry liquer – although I just might make Marys’ elderberry apple crumble!
Dates as follows:
- Saturday April 12th 2014
- Saturday May 10th 2014
- Saturday June 14th 2014
- Saturday July 12th 2014
- Saturday August 16th 2014
Price: €95 pp
For more photos of the day visit our Facebook page >>
Thanks Mary and Robert- see you again soon, Roz