More Nature Day photos!

Thanks to Jane for these photos from the day - if you took any you'd like to share, please send them over! 

Tas and Dan on the hunt for macroinvertebrates

A very, very excited Thomas :)

Virge, Vivi, Me and Rohan

Rose and Liszu

The Bird Hide - BioBlitz HQ!

Species lists: insects, lichens, herbs, grasses, fungi, birds, trees, mammals

Here's what we found! I'm going to do up proper lists and then go through each species one by one and do a blog post on them - their ecology, folklore and cultural history, edibility, medicinal properties, etc. Should keep me busy for a while...

River Field Nature Day 2016

On June 4th, over 100 of our nearest and dearest joined us in the River Field for a nature day. The idea was to identify as many species of plant, animal and fungi as possible over the course of the afternoon, record them, figure out what's interesting and/or unique, and submit everything to the National Biodiversity Data Centre so we can contribute to the national effort to improve our knowledge of Ireland's biodiversity. The whole thing was inspired by the 'BioBlitz' initiative, which brings communities and scientists together to do something similar, except over a 24 hour period.

Naturally enough, we went to town and turned it into a bit of a party with straw bale seating, bunting, new signs, a freshly-mown willow maze, a brand new compost toilet, lanterns, bonfire, etc.

Straw bale seating and handmade bunting

The entrance to the Willow Maze...

...leading to this at the centre

Our new compost loo

The Roundhouse

Here are some photos from the day itself. Species lists to follow!

Duncan, Valerie, Paul Dowding, Mum Yvonne and Shane identifying grasses

Paul Dowdling identifying butterfly larvae

Pay and Mary Durkin's group identifying birds by their song

More birdsong identification

...and some more!

The entomologists arrive! Jane and Eileen come armed with butterfly nets and pots

Virge and Vivi inspecting the insects

Compiling the lists

Getting up close and personal with the insects

Eileen, puzzled! 

Two wonderful wildlife detectives, Isabel and Caoimhe

Summer by the river

Early summer is magic by the river. The hawthorn trees are heavy with more blossom than I've ever seen, the bright yellow mayflies are emerging from the water in swarms and the birds are feasting on them, the purple vetch and ladies smock flowers are in full bloom and tasting delicious, the owls are nesting, the willow is going to seed and there's white fluff floating through the air, the water's low and clear... and it's WARM. I'm so going swimming tomorrow.

Hawthorn blossom and low, clear water

Willow going to seed - white fluff in the air, everywhere!

The owls make an appearance on May Day

We were enjoying our May Day Sunday lunch when a small white dot appeared at the entrance to the owl house, which is visible from our dining table. Shoving aside the roast potatoes, we quickly set up the photography equipment. Tech spec: coffee table, telescope, camera on a tripod and two paperback books that are just the right thickness.

Our equipment. Note the entrance hole to the owl box in the camera viewing pane

We haven't seen the owls since Christmas Eve so it was great to know that they're still there. It's egg laying season and we have our fingers crossed for another clutch of babies. Maybe this one was poking its head out in the day time because things are just too cramped below deck in the nesting area? Or maybe it's just a bit stinky inside? We saw lots of flies coming out... and barn owls are known for their squalid living arrangements.

The long view: see the little white dot?

We took it in turns to man the camera and, after 1 hr and 30 minutes of neck cramps and zoom fiddling, this little white face was the result.

Christmas floods and bird-spotting: buzzards, barn owls, cormorants, lapwing, herons and LOTS of water

It has been an exceptionally wet and windy December and the floods are up. Fields as far as the eye can see have been transformed into lakes.

This is great news for the cormorants as they swim through the water hunting for trout that have strayed over the flooded riverbanks (a gang of them have taken up positions atop a dying ash tree opposite our kitchen window where they dry their wings in the promise of sunshine and spy on unsuspecting lunch items below).

Flocks of lapwing are also enjoying the winter feast and we've spotted a heron or two as well as the usual swans. On Christmas Eve-Eve I was lucky enough to catch a rare and spectacular close-up view of one of our local buzzards and on Christmas Eve itself our two beautiful barn owls appeared out of their nest box and flew up the road, right past our house. What a wonderful treat.

There was rather a lot of birdsong in the River Field this afternoon - robins and blackbirds, I suspect, among others - and the fantastic sound of gushing floodwater as it raced through the hedgerows and under the roads from one field to the next. I would love to find a way to record it. Must hit up Chris Watson for some tips...

Confused buds

Raindrops on roses... or is it willow?

Rosehip syrup

Rosehip syrup is versatile and delicious, with a delicate, exotic flavour. You can use it as a base for a drink, as a topping for porridge or pancakes, pour it on ice cream, mix it with natural yoghurt or use it as a flavour in cocktails - rosehip bellini anyone?! Rosehips are also good for you. They have 20 times as much vitamin C as an orange and are rich in vitamins A, K and B (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin), so it's a great winter tonic.

You will need...

300g rosehips

300g sugar

Step 1

Wash the rosehips and chop them roughly. Then soften them up by mimicking a frost - just leave them in the freezer for a couple of hours.

Step 2

When they're suitably softened, bring 600ml water to the boil. Add the rosehips, bring it back to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave them to steep in the water for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Strain the liquid out using one or two layers of muslin cloth in a sieve.

Step 4

Return the rosehips to the pan, add another 600ml of water. Bring it to the boil, then again remove from the heat and leave to steep for another half an hour before straining.

Step 5

Put all of the rosehip liquid back in the pan and boil it until it reduces by half.

Step 6

Stir in the sugar until it dissolves, then put the heat back on and boil it hard for five minutes.

Step 7

Once cool, pour the syrup into sterilised jars or bottles. It'll keep for a few months, but to be on the safe side, store it in the fridge.

Crabapple 'Cheese' Chutney

Crabapple cheese is one of the weirder recipes I've come across on my quest for the finest hedgerow-related eating opportunities, but it has quickly become a favourite.

It's called a cheese, but it's more like a firm chutney/jelly-type thing that you eat with cheese. It has a distinctive floury texture that is offset beautifully by the apple-y sweetness and hint of spice. I've eaten it with brie, goats cheese and cheddar (especially good with strong cheddar), it's brilliant in chicken sandwiches, and - though I haven't actually tried it yet - I have a suspicion that it will work very well with porridge as a compote*. It's really easy to make, and much less fiddly than jam.

*Update on this tomorrow morning

All you need is:

1.5 kilos of these little beauties (from the crabapple tree)

Half a litre of sweet cider

Half a tsp of ground cinnamon

Half a tsp of ground nutmeg

Half a tsp of ground cloves

Sugar (we used white caster, but soft brown is good too)

Step 1

Wash and drain the apples. Chop them into bits - halves or quarters.

Step 2

Pop them in a heavy pan and with the cider and simmer until they're pulpy.

Step 3

Tip the pulp into a sieve, put the sieve back over the pan and push the pulp through with a ladle.

Step 4

Weigh the puree and add half of this weight in sugar (2:1). Stir the mixture over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the spices, bring it back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer while stirring until the mixture has thickened.

Step 5

Pour into sterilised jars, top with a circle of parchment and seal.

Step 6

Enjoy with homemade brown bread and lashings of creamy goat's cheese

Hedgerow Jam

I love foraging. Going for a walk and coming back with a pocketful of berries is one of my favourite things to do. Just yesterday, I had half an hour to kill at the NCT centre while my car was tested, so went for a walk and ended up with half a kilo of rosehips almost by accident (my upcoming rosehip syrup recipe and fancy cocktail suggestions will make it clear why this is An Excellent Thing).

Anyway, this autumn I've decided to chronicle my hedgerow adventures in order to share some delicious recipes with the internet (hellooo!), and also to keep a colourful record of what I've been up to in the harvest season (it'll help me get through March - worst month of the year, in my opinion).

First off is this rather spectacular Hedgerow Jam. It has elderberries, blackberries, haws, sloes and cooking apples in (I would have used crabs, but I'd already used up my store of them in the Crabapple Cheese - recipe coming later). I can't believe how delicious it is and intend to experiment with different proportions of hedgerow fruit for the rest of the harvest season. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, OMG, toast has never been happier.

All you need is.... 

Elderberries (from the Elder tree - about 500g)

   

Haws (from the Hawthorn tree, aka Whitethorn - about 250g)...

 

Sloes (from the Blackthorn tree - about 250g)...

Blackberries (from the Bramble bush - about 500g)

and cooking apples from my mum's garden (about 500g)!

Oh, and a kilo of sugar

Step 1

Soften up the tougher berries by mimicking a frost -  just shove the haws and sloes in the freezer for a few hours. 

Step 2

Put the haws and sloes in a pot and cover with cold water, then simmer them until they're gooey. Scoop them out into a sieve and, using a large ladle, push the soft red mush through the sieve until you're left with just the hard pips. Collect the mush and weigh it - mine weighted 225g.

Gooey sloes and haws

Step 3

Strip the elderberries from their stalks. This is a fiddly job that is best endured with assistance from Van Morrison and a large gin and tonic. I think the easiest way to do it is with a fork rather than fingers. Watch out for good clothes, tablecloths and unforgiving carpets: elderberries do stain, and they have a tendency to get anywhere and everywhere, so exercise caution. 

Peel and finely slice the apples and check the blackberries for beasties. Wash everything and pat it dry.

Step 4

Take the soft fruit - the elderberries, blackberries and finely sliced apples, that is - and put them in a pot. Cover with water and simmer them until soft - maybe 20 minutes.

Step 5

Once the soft fruit has, uhm, softened, you can add the gooey haw and sloe mush. It might look something like this when you do.

Step 6

Add the sugar. At this point, it's quite crucial to keep stirring as the hot sugary fruit starts to become jam and the mix starts to darken, as it might stick to the bottom a bit (which is why I don't have photos of this stage). To know if it's ready, spoon a blob onto a cold saucer and poke at the sides of it with your finger. If it wrinkles on top, it's ready. If it doesn't, it's not. Either way, don't let it boil for too long or you'll end up with solid jam that you can't get a knife into - I let mine go for ten minutes. I think that was on the long side and my jam did end up quite solid (though I like that...).

Step 7

Sterilise some jam jars by giving them a good scrub and popping them in the oven at 50 degrees or so to dry. Then spoon in your jam. While it's cooling, cut out some rounds of parchment paper and pop them on the top.

Step 8

No jar of homemade jam is complete without a gingham hat and a handwritten label! Thanks to my mum's offcuts, a 3" roll of masking tape and some surprisingly sharp pinking shears, my jam jars are quite sweet.

UPDATE 21/9/15 - I tried this again last night with a slightly different selection of ingredients and it was also delicious and a bit sharper than the other version. It made six pots.

• 250g blackberries
• 370g elderberries
• 300g cooking apples
• 100g sloes
•   60g haws
• 125g hips
• 115g crabapples
• 600g sugar