Hey friends!

Back again with another recipe involving foraged ingredients. Although, I'm not even sure I can call this a recipe, it's too simple. But hey, works with the blog name I guess?

The humble dandelion. I think they get a little bit of a bad reputation as weeds. However, I am here to defend their case as a foragers dream. You all know how to identify this flower I'm sure, so you'll pleased to know that all parts of it are edible. Toss the leaves into salads, the flowers can be made into tea or fritters, the root can even be used as a coffee substitute!
If that's not enough, before you cut down your lawn make sure you read about the potential health benefits too. They contain plenty of vitamins, are great for digestion, and may also play a part in reducing inflammation, blood pressure and cholesterol.

Have I convinced you yet? Great! Let's put a cuppa on :)

Option 1: Fresh

Simply wash the dandelion heads, pull off the petals of 6-7 flowers and put them in a tea infuser.
Use almost boiling water and infuse for about 10 minutes, or to taste.
Sweeten with honey or agave if you like, then enjoy!

Option 2: Dried

It seems like only a few days ago I was thinking autumn had crept up on us, and now it's time for winter too. Despite the cosy crunch of leaves underfoot, a gentle tap on the head from a falling acorn, and the familiar smell of fallen apples, there is a chill in the air.
Saturday morning we set out on a gorgeous sun drenched morning, and despite looking cosy and happy (happy I was), I spent most of the day shivering. The first few days of cold always take me a bit by surprise. One minute you're swimming in the sea and sipping lemonade until the middle of the night, the next you're tucked up at six, huddling into a hot chocolate and having urges to knit about 10 hats. Or is that just me? Probably just me. I'm an old lady at heart.

Anyway, despite being a hermit as of late, this weekend called for an adventure. Leon's mum was down so we took a day trip out to the Lost Gardens of Heligan, which neither of them had been to before. I last time I visited was last year during summer, and then before that was about 4 years ago with my family. At that time I was planning to become a fashion designer in London, and now here I am being a little country bumpkin tree-hugging zoologist in Cornwall.
Funny how things change ;)
 The gardens were beautiful and still full of colour. There were bright squashes and festivities throughout the acres of land, and we even saw a few little witches and devils!
 Of course, my favourite area is always the flower garden, filled with roses, dahlias and chrysanthemums. Spring feels like years ago, so seeing a patchwork of beautiful colours and petals.  There was also still a variety of herbs growing that put my little windowsill pots to shame, and rows of beetroots, apples, chard and cabbages. I'm so excited to come back in spring to see how the gardens change each season.

 The last couple of times I've been, there are normally some chicks hatching in the barn, however being Halloween, this time there was tarantulas and stick insects. I've not included photos of those for my friends who despise creepy-crawlies, but here's a photo of some beautiful geese instead. Don't say I don't treat y'all ;)  There were also ducks, turkeys, goats, sheep, pigs and horses. 
 And finally, every corner of Heligan has something new to explore. My favourite sculpture is the 'Mud Maid' which was made in 1998, so she's the same age as me! She's made from timber and netting covered in mud, sand and cement. Her hair is planted with Woodsedge and Montebretia and ivy has been trained to clothe her. She's so peaceful looking, especially with the sun setting behind her, it's hard to feel stressed whilst you're in her presence. 

Emma xo

Hello folks! It's been a long time since a baking recipe hasn't it? In fact, it's been a fair old while since a post in general- but I can assure you I've been up to plenty of adventures which will be documented on here in the coming weeks.

Last week I was in my family home and we have two huge elderberry bushes in the garden, so I decided to create a loaf cake to use some of them up! To me, elderberries feel like a special secret as you can't find them in supermarkets and shops- you have to go and find them yourself. British hedgerows are full of them at the moment, so head out foraging for a real treat! (Note: please make sure you research first, make sure you know what you are picking, and also don't eat elderberries raw).

This cake also has cooking apples from our neighbour, and eggs from our own hens, so it's a very autumnal, homegrown cake!! You could also use blackberries, pears, raspberries, whatever fruit you fancy or have in your garden. Let me know what you come up with in the comments.

If you enjoy elderberries, I also have an elderberry pie recipe HERE, and an elderflower cordial recipe HERE to bookmark for spring!

Happy baking...

Ingredients

Method

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup brown rice
Half a red onion, chopped
Half a red pepper, chopped
Tin of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
4/5 leaves wild garlic, or a crushed clove of garlic
1 teaspoon vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons flour
Cracked black pepper to season

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 Celcius, grease a baking tray with oil or butter then sprinkle on some flour to prevent the burgers sticking.
2. Put the rice in a pan of  water, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, before adding the sweet potato. Cook for a further 10 minutes.
3. Add the onion to the pan and cook for a further few minutes to soften.
4. Drain the pan, then add all of the other ingredients, stir well
5. Use a hand held blender to lightly pulse the mixture, so that it is smooth enough to form burger shapes but still has some texture.
6. Flour your hands then shape the mixture into balls then flatten onto the baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes.