Gin Alexanders (Smyrnium Olusatrum)

I first read about Alexanders (Horse Parsley or Black Lovage) at lovelygreens.com which is a very lovely green blog written by Tanya, a hand made soap maker of many talents, from the Isle of Man. The post is about using this plant as a steamed vegetable. I was very intrigued by this tall, leafy, strange plant that I was sure I had never seen before. It was a favourite herb in Roman times and apparently got it's name from Alexander the Great. It usually grows near the sea in the UK.

I was very surprised when I discovered it growing nearby, as I don't live near the sea, about six plants were  growing outside a very old church. Tanya says that it is often found growing outside old churches ...."the story goes that after the Romans left (UK) Alexanders were further cultivated in monasteries and eventually established themselves in the wild. The practice of growing them as a garden vegetable died out long ago but you will often find Alexanders growing at old churches and the ruins of former monastic sites".




I haven't seen it growing  in the nearby hedgerows, only outside that one church in an area that usually gets cut down at this time of the year.

Up until now I have steered clear of all  umbelliferae as  I just didn't trust my identification skills enough, seen as there are quite a few very toxic and potentially deadly ones out  there. There are also plenty of easy to identify plants which don't have poisonous lookalikes to keep me busy.  My home spice collection however is full of umbel bearing plants; coriander, parsley, wild fennel, anise, dill, caraway, etc.

Changing my mind,  after becoming 100% sure of it's identity I was curious to taste this celery related, ancient potherb. It's flowers are yellow/green and resemble angelica.  After my first nibble I did become rather  anxious that I had in fact got the wrong plant and expected to be struck down at any minute.
 It had such an unknown, strange flavour. An acquired taste?  The taste was pungent, slightly bitter, celery, parsley but  more aromatic. I haven't tried it cooked yet,  it would be better earlier in the year as it's very strong tasting now and the stalks are quite stringy.
 I have  used it chopped as a condiment in salads. I intend to collect the seeds, which will turn  black, later on in the summer. I think they will be a great addition crushed and added to curries and spicy dishes. I also may try to plant some seeds in my garden.

I decided that it was perfect, however,  for an infusion with  gin, inspired by this article from John Wright @the Guardian.co.uk/how-to-make-gin-alexanders

Cover leaves, stems and umbels with gin.
Leave to infuse for 3/4 weeks in a dark place.
Add a little sugar if you have a sweet tooth.
Filter and bottle.
Serve with tonic, ice and a slice of lemon.

John Wright ......was right.....it's a gin and tonic with wings :-)

Further reading and recipes @

pfaf.org/Smyrnium+olusatrum (about)
edenproject.com/edible-wild-food-alexanders (+how to use)
eatweeds.co.uk/alexanders (+many recipes)
wildfoodandrecipes.co.uk/alexanders-prawns-and-chilli (+recipe)
celtnet.org.uk/recipes/ancient/Alexanders

Black Locust (aka Acacia-Robinia-Gaggia) Frittelline

If you have read this blog before, you know that I like wildcrafting/foraging and creating things from whatever I can gather. Well, now it's crazy time.

 There are so many plants at their peak, ready and waiting to be appreciated,  but the weather has been very variable. We have had lots of flash flooding and storms so the actual collecting times have been greatly reduced.







I would like to experiment with new recipes and ways of using my fresh gatherings, but I must first sort out my "real life" obligations and when I have time, I'm also hindered by my family member's requests for repeat recipes. I'm happy when a recipe goes down well, but it means less time for experimenting.
My son absolutely adores the recipe for Black Locust Blossoms that I made last year and I have been begged to make it almost every evening.  He has eaten platefuls on his own.

When the Black Locust flowers were first ready he asked for them and I told him to go and find a tree and snip a few. He came back with a whole branch.

No-one else wanted any, but when they were ready  everyone changed their minds (me too).

more, please

I roughly followed the recipe from last year, fried-acacia-blossoms, but really you just need to mix flour, egg and water and a little sugar  to get a batter consistency that you like. Sometimes I make it thicker and more filling,  other times lighter with more water. The water needs to be as cold as possible and "frying"is very important. The oil needs to be hot (170°C), but not too hot and the flowers need to be fried quickly. You also need  to remember to absorb as much of the oil from them as possible.

The last of the  Black locust flowers are presently been blown from the trees, but I haven't even had two weeks of gathering time. Recently I watched a video(by Blanche Cybele Derby) and learned that the flowers actually freeze very well. This nugget of information arrived a little late for me, but maybe you can benefit from it if you didn't know and have nearby black locust trees. Next year I'll be freezing the flowers for sure.

Other ideas for black locust blossoms @

strawberries with black locust blossoms
black-locust-pancakes-with-elderflower-syrup (wildness.me)
black locust blossom wine (winemaking.jackkeller.net)
black-locust-jelly (3foragers.blogspot.com)
black locust pancakes (aprons and sneakers)
black locust and almond cake (lamoradigelso.blogspot.com)
four-ways-to-eat-black-locust-blossoms(greengabbro.net)

DISCLAIMER: 
Always be 100% sure of plant identity before consuming.
The leaves, stems and bark of  Robinia Pseudoacacia are considered toxic. 

Do not confuse with  Laburnum species which have yellow flowers and are reportedly highly toxic.


shared @
wildcrafting-wednesday

Tassel Hyacinth - Lampascioni/Cipolline Selvatiche

Over the last few rainy days, in between showers downpours, I've seen a few of these lively, colourful little flowers. As I had no idea what they were, I set about trying to identify them as soon as possible. If you are also a plant nerd  you  will understand how frustrating it can be  sometimes trying to  identify flowers, leaves or  plants.                                                                     

I had spied these flowers before, but only ever seen a few in hedgerows, here there was a huge colony. Eventually I found a book that could help me "Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean" by Neil Fletcher.  I discovered that they are called  Muscari Comosum (Hyacinthus Comosum or Leopoldia Comosa). In English the common name is Tassel Hyacinth)

I didn't expect them to be edible. They don't look as if they could be  in my trusted list of wild edibles.

I was very surprised when I realized that the bulbs are edible and considered a delicacy in the South of Italy, especially in Puglia and also Greece. I had to laugh when I read the entry for the tassel hyacinth at pfaf.org  "A slightly bitter taste that is appreciated by certain ethnic groups, especially Greeks and Italians".

They are boiled and added to recipes or boiled and preserved in oil. I've eaten them a few times, but had no idea what the plant looked like.

They are known as " Lampascioni"or "Cipolline Selvatiche" (wild baby onions) and look like pickled onions. They are crunchier than pickled onions and have a pungent, peppery, slightly bitter taste. My husband loves them. I don't mind them in recipes with other ingredients, but I find them quite strong tasting to eat on their own. They should be gathered in early Spring when the first leaves appear.

Further reading and recipes @
theshepherdandtheolivetree (roasted wild hyacinth bulbs)
blog.italian-connection.com (wild hyacinth bulbs preseved in oil and vinegar)
theatlantic.com (Greek lentil soup with wild hyacinth bulbs)

Poppy Leaf Lasagne (Papaver Rhoeas)

Red poppies are beginning to line the fields and roadsides now. Last year I collected petals to make a liqueur. It was a great success and really improved with time.  Hopefully the weather will dry up so that I collect some more this year.

Thinking about poppies has reminded me that I experimented with the leaves a little while ago, but forgot to post about it.  Young poppy leaves (basal rosettes, before flower formation) are also used as a spring green here in Italy and you can sometimes find them at Farmers' Markets. They are good  eaten  cooked as a spinach alternative.

young poppy leaves

they become longer and more pointed as the plant grows

Cross section of the stem (hairy) and basal rosette

This recipe comes from a book by Davide Ciccarese "Cucinare Le Erbe Selvatiche"(Cook Wild Plants)

Poppy Leaf Lasagne (Lasagne al Papavero)

Wash the leaves well and cook until tender in salted water. 

Drain and squeeze out excess water.

Add the ham cut into small squares.

Cut for a few minutes in the butter

Make a beschamel sauce;
Melt a little butter and oil  in a pan, sift in the flour and stir (I used less flour, it depends how you like beschamel- you could also use a readymade sauce), adding the milk a little at a time to obtain a smooth sauce. Cook for a few minutes until it thickens. Add the eggs and half of the cheese(grated).  Season to taste. Mix well.







Use a lasagne dish or foil  dish and make layers of pasta/ poppy/ham/ beschamel sauce.







Push the sauce to the corners of the dish.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top.

Cook at 180° for 45 mins or until cooked
 (the recipe says 20mins, but I think that would be ok for fresh pasta not readymade)
If the lasagne becomes to dry you can pour a little milk over it and replace in the oven for a few minutes.
Finish it off under a hot grill to get a golden topping.

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