02 November 2011

The Thrifty Forager, by Alys Fowler - book review

You cannot buy that pleasure which yields to him who truly plucks it

Henry James Thoreau, naturalist, philosopher, wild fruit enthusiast

Alys begins her book The Thrifty Forager: Living off your local landscape with a confession to her husband: he's been eating a cornucopia of weeds gathered from urban spaces. Not home-grown garden spinach in some of his favourite dishes. Fortunately it's a deception he's devoured with relish.

I immediately warmed to Alys. I too have enjoyed gathering food for free and sharing with family and friends. Sloe gin for a Christmas toddy, slices of giant puff ball mushrooms for a tasty lunch and quinces to make a wonderful golden jelly.

With this book, you can be an armchair forager - thumbing through the beautiful illustrations and photos, and touring innovative and inspiring case studies from around the world. But the book also provides everything you need for practical action: a forager's calendar and identification guide, safety and legal advice and recipes for cooking, preserving and eating.

Did you know you can eat:

The young shoots and stalks of hostas
Or cook them to make Hostakopita - a hosta-filled version of the Greek spinach pie. A great way to beat cheat the snails of their favourite garden treat?
The pods of Himalayan balsam
A pretty but invasive non-native weed and curse of the nature conservationists. Or dry the seeds to add to breads or toast?
The flowers of the bell-like campanula
Stuffed with sweet ricotta or sprinkled in salads?

So pull on your wellies, grab your gloves and foraging bag. Visit those neglected places on your doorstep - parks and gardens, river banks and verges - to create some diverse and delicious meals.

There's one thing I might have to give a miss though. Alys's favourite fruit, the medlar, which is eaten when rotting and fermenting, and aptly nicknamed the 'cat's arse fruit'.

Adeela Warley, Head of Communications

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