Food for Free Book

This is a great reference book with interesting descriptions of edible plants (and some poisonous) accompanied with very pretty illustrations in colour (eleven artists contributed).

I was reminded of some things I knew, but also learned new stuff. For example, I knew that rosehips Rosa canina contain 20 times more vitamin C than oranges but did not know that in 1941 the Ministry of Health in Britain distributed rosehip syrup to families.

I thought I knew all about blackberries Rubus fruticosus which I look forward to picking every year. I knew that the berries grow in clusters at the end of shoots but did not know that the older shoots die after two or three years' cropping. I enjoyed being reminded that "the berry at the tip of the stalk is the first to ripen and is the sweetest and fattest of all. Eat it raw."

There are some interesting recipes. Here's one for elderflower Sambucus nigracordial. 1 lemon, 1 oz citric acid, 2 lb sugar, 10 elderflower heads, 3 c water. Dissolve sugar in boiling water. Add grated lemon rind, lemon slices, citric acid and flower-heads. Leave for 24 hours. Sieve through cheese cloth. Pour into bottles. I have made elderflower fritters from the elder in my previous garden. I feel the need to plant one in my new garden.