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Fergus The Forager
Fergus Drennan, known as Fergus The Forager.... Is one of the country's few full time foragers. In other words, he comments "whilst other no doubt more sensible people, earn a sensible living with a sensible job, I write about wild food, run wild food courses and generally have fun messing around and experimenting with wild foods."
He makes it sound easy but it can in fact be both hard and challenging. That lesson was acutely learnt when he lived entirely on foraged food for 5 months - 2 months vegan! He has written for The Ecologist Magazine, BBC Countryfile Magazine and Country Kitchen. And currently writes regularly for Bushcraft and Survival Skills Magazine. He has featured in all the main daily newspapers and has appeared on radio and television: on BBC Breakfast and the ITV’s This Morning, Tonight, and various other programmes including international titles.
Fergus comments, "I even featured as the main 'talent' in a somewhat embarrassing programme for BBC3 a few years ago called The Road Kill Chef - he blames Jamie Oliver." He is currently looking into helping his friend and Freeconomy founder Mark Boyle set up freeconomy 'village'. As well as providing editorial for the Bramwell International website.
Fergus runs courses which are fun and highly informative. For more information on his courses or to learn more about Fergus, visit his website http://www.wildmanwildfood.co.uk In the meantime here's a couple of seasonal wild food recipes from Fergus, that he would like to share with our visitors, which you might enjoy. Fergus will be back with more in the New Year. "Catch you then".
Wild Things Mince Pies
Makes 5lb (2.2kg)
Ingredients
1lb (450g) sharp tasting wild apples, dwarf quince windfalls or Bramleys, peeled, cored and finely chopped.
8oz (225g) shredded suet
8oz (225g) candied rose hips, finely chopped
6oz (175g) raisins
4oz (115g) candied eryngoes*, finely chopped (or carrot as a substitute)
4oz (115g) sultanas
4oz (115g) candied green figs, finely chopped
4oz (115g) currants
6oz (175g) whole mixed candied peel, finely chopped
4 oz (115g) finely chopped candied sweet chestnuts
6oz (170g) soft dark brown sugar Grated zest and juice 2 oranges
Grated zest and juice 2 lemons
5 level tsp mixed ground spice
3/4 level tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 level tsp freshly grated nutmeg
6 tbsp brandy
*Please note eryngoes should be home grown, not from wild sources
METHOD
Together or separately use a food processor to break up the figs, rose hips, eryngoes and chestnuts or manually finely chop, then combine all ingredients, except the brandy, in a large mixing bowl and stir to thoroughly mix together. So the flavours have a chance to infuse and develop, cover the bowl and leave the mixture in a cool place for about 12 hours or overnight.
Pre-heat the oven to 110°C (225°F). Cover the bowl with foil and place it in the oven for four hours, then remove to cool stirring from time to time as the fat content sets.
When cold thoroughly stir in the brandy. If you wish to put some by, pack into sterilised jars, cover with waxed discs and seal, storing in a cool, dark place.
For individual mince pies, make the pastry and pies according to a standard recipe however substitute 25% of the wheat flour for sweet chestnut flour if you have it. Decorate with miniature pastry leaves and small candied red blackberries or rosehip halves.
100% foraged wild food celebration Christmas pudding (made in November)
Collecting a few dried fruit or nuts throughout the year it would be possible to incorporate them into a homemade Christmas pudding. But what would happen if you decided to forage all the ingredients. Here's one answer!
Ingredients - and when to gather them (serves 4-6, all measurements approximate) 100g chestnuts (October) 80g fresh hawthorn berries (October) 100g dried bilberries (Late August) 150g dried deseeded fully-ripened dark skinned grapes (September)
10 dried apple rings (October)
100g dried stoned plum or sweet cherry plum halves (August) 60g dried Physalis halves (Chinese lantern fruit) (September) 50g dried Himalayan Honeysuckle berries
3 fl oz concentrated apple syrup - from low acidity apples (October)
3 fl oz birch sap syrup (March)
2 fl oz rosehip syrup
4 medium sized dried fig quarters, from fully ripened figs (July-Sept) 100g dried stoned maximally ripe and sweet wild cherries (August) 50g deseeded rosehips halves boiled in apple juice (dog rose)(September) 50g dried fuscia berry halves (September or later) 10g staghorn sumac berry powder (Late August)
4 large bletted medlars (November)
10 finely chopped walnuts (October)
10 finely chopped hazelnuts (Late September)
1 cup home-made cider (October)
1 cup apple juice (October)
1tspn dried Wood Avens roots (September) ? cup triple distilled Physalis fruit and blackberry infused moonshine (October)
2 tbspn walnut sherry
5 oz badger suet (November) - or vegetable suet if you think this somewhat gross
4 oz bread crumbs -from Reedmace (January) and fallow-field wheat (August) bread 2oz powdered Great Plantain seeds (September)
2 beaten wild duck eggs (June) - deep freeze for later use.
METHOD
When the individual fruit come into season (except for the medlars and haw berries), halve or quarter, remove seeds/stones where necessary (plums, cherries, grapes and firm rosehips - do the latter under a running tap to remove all the fine hairs as well), slow dry all the fruit except the rosehips on wire racks in an airing cupboard or warm place such as on top of a radiator, aga, immersion heater or, best of all, a food dehydrator (Do not dry till the fruit are crisp though; they should remain slightly moist). For the rosehips, chop finely and boil in a cup of apple juice for five minutes before straining.
When you've collected and dried all the other fruit, roughly mince them all in a food processor, return to a bowl and set aside (It may be easier if the larger fruit such as the figs and plums are finely chopped first or broken up in the food processor separately). Score the chestnuts shells with a sharp knife, place in a roasting tray and bake for 20-30 minutes in a hot oven (200 °C); once cool, remove the shells and chop have the chestnuts very finely.
