Hedgerow Booze

The finished articles

And as a reward for my dedicated foragers... a little boat trip.

Fillets De Perche A La Puree D' Orties ....

 ...Or fillets of Perch in a Nettle Puree, sometimes it just sounds better in French.

Below is the recipe I made from the lovely fish Rick caught me.  It was sods law that the  camera ran out of battery just as I plated it up, so you'll have to use your imagination.  I can assure you it looked and tasted great though!  I plan to make it again soon and will put up a picture but will definitely use more Perch fillets next time as it wasn't big enough to share.  

Fishing for Perch in the Ouse

01.09.12

Fishy Business

I’ve never been much of a fisherman; in fact, I’ve never caught a single fish.  In theory, I’m all for sitting quietly by a river or lake with a rod and line with only my thoughts for company, but in practice, I find my limited patience is not well suited for the sport.

Fortunately for me, my good friend Rick is very patient and a seasoned fisherman to boot.  Rick graciously agreed to help me catch some fish from a stretch of Ouse not far from my house.  I was the one tasked with dispatching the fish as Rick is more of traditionalist when it comes to fishing and usually puts them back.

Below, is a timelpase of Rick expertly catching 3 Perch for my dinner, whilst I tried to entertain myself as best I could.

Wild garlic pesto

The wild garlic season may have come to an end (April-June) - but I found myself with a craving for it  so got out some Wild Garlic I froze a couple of weeks ago to use with lunch...

Nettles meet the East

 

I used regular stinging nettles to make my Pichchhoo aloo but you could also use White dead nettles or Red Dead nettles - although they are much harder to find.  Archie managed to find one:

My First Full Meal with Foraged Sussex Food!

Wood Sorrel from the local woodland to create my Beurre Blanc and sautéed sea purslane from a tidal river- both excellent accompaniments to a lovely fillet of Sea bass.  Oh and mash, never forget the mash.

Purslane aka Sea Blight

One of my first forays in foraging: Oxalis