CRAB APPLE & ROWAN JELLY Place equal quantities of crab apple and rowan in a saucepan and simmer in a little water until the fruit is soft and mushy. Strain through a jelly bag overnight and then to each pint of juice add ¾ lb of sugar. Dissolve in a pan over a low heat and then boil to a setting point (220F). This can take between twenty and sixty minutes. Pour into hot and sterilised jars and seal when cold.
This is a good sharp jelly, which is excellent eaten with game or on toast.
This is just one of the delicious but different recipes you could be making after a visit to the annual Wild Harvest Festival being held at Grange Farm, Rowner.
So, if you’ve never tasted nettle soup and you relish the thought of real horseradish sauce on your beef, then pop along to Grange Farm on Sunday 16 September. Here you will be able to give your taste buds and cooking skills some real stimulation and learn how to make everything from fruity jam to nettle soup or mushroom stuffing.
Entry to the event, which runs from 1pm to 4pm is completely FREE and, for those of you who have had a bumper harvest this year, demonstrators can show you how to turn all that excess produce into delicious food that you and your family can enjoy.
“Much of the knowledge our grandparents had on how to prepare and cook native wild plants has diminished over the decades, especially as now supermarkets and shops fly in food from all over the world,” said Fred Gibson, Countryside Officer for Gosport Borough Council.
“But one should also consider the air miles, the fuel and pollution involved in providing us with these exotic vegetables - especially as there are often tastier and certainly fresher alternatives growing under our noses – right here! For example blackberry picking is great fun for the whole family and when you take the fruit home and cook your own blackberry jam it’s delicious - always so much tastier than the shop brought variety!”
But the day has much more to offer for as well as the demonstrations and recipes, there will be storytellers on hand to enchant listeners with their tales. Music of a folksy flavour will also be performed throughout the day by Gosport’s home-grown talent, the ever popular, Gardner. So come on, grab a taste of autumn and enjoy the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness – enjoy Gosport’s Wild Harvest Festival.
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