Bonus material: My food reserves
This is a rough list of what I have managed to gather and preserve over the last year or so. All of the preserves have been made with vinegar, which I have made from foraged apples and my own bees’ honey. The only bought item has been a little salt. I aim to procure most of my salt from seawater (boiled down) and seaweed.
NUTS (estimated Kg) sweet chestnut x 25, acorns x 12, hazel x 6, walnuts x 1, almonds (from a trip to Spain) 0.5, horse chestnuts (for soap) x 10
SEEDS (number of jars) Sedge x 2, plantain x 2, ash key pickle x 1
MUSHROOMS (jars) x 7 dry, x 2 powdered, pickled chanterelles x 1 (for Xmas!)
FLOURS (jars) Acorn x 2, sedge x 1, sweet chestnut x 3, plus acorn grit x 4
DRY FRUIT (jars) Haws x 2, apples x 33
FERMENTED (jars) Wild garlic with some 3-corner leek, hogweed & other wild greens x 12 (more on the way!)
Cider 8L, red wine 2L (from foraged grapes!), mead x 4L
Apple cider vinegar 1L
VINEGARS (jars) Elderberry x 4
SYRUPS (jars) Rosehips/elderberry x 9
HONEYS (jars) Elder/blackberry/nettle seed x 7, honey from my bees x 3
CHUTNEYS/SAUCES (jars) mix of apple & hedgerow fruits x 15, haw ketchup x 5,
SEAWEEDS (jars) Dried dulse/pepper dulse/wracks x 5 (more coming very soon)
HERBS/SPICES (jars) Magnolia flowers (dry/pickled) x 6, lime seeds (roasted/ground) x1 plus a bunch of dried water pepper, wild chives, hogweed seeds, mugwort, yarrow
ANIMALS- Pest controlled in the protection of crops, by qualified and experienced hunters (which I am not, although I did catch the squirrel).
In the freezer: 2 fallow deer, 1 roe deer, 1 wild boar, 2 grey squirrel (so far). My intention is to smoke the meat in manageable batches of jerky as I go along. The skins are being turned into clothing.
