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NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 2007
Welcome to the first of my newsletters, I hope you will find it interesting.
Below are details of the next wild food walk and I’ve also included
my ‘pick of the season’, sweet chestnut, with a sneak preview
from my November article coming soon in The Mendip Times. I would appreciate
your constructive feedback on the newsletter, my web site, and any suggestions
about activities or courses you would like me to provide. 
Best wishes, Adrian
CONTENTS
• Wild Food Walk & Edible Mushroom Talk Sun 25 November
• Looks can be deceiving
• Mushroom Myth No. 1
• Pick of the season ~ Sweet Chestnut
• Foraging Facts
• Publications & Services
WILD FOOD WALK AND EDIBLE MUSHROOM TALK ~ SUNDAY 25 NOVEMBER
 The
date for the next Wild Food Walk is Sunday 25 November. The walk this
month will be on Burrington Ham - we’ll look for a range of
winter greens on the extensive grassland, and we may find some late
hazelnuts and sweet chestnuts as well as some edible fungi in the
wooded areas. Most of these wild foods were available to our Bronze
Age, Iron Age and Saxon ancestors, so I’ll also be pointing
out and briefly discussing the fantastic archaeological evidence of
their occupation in this area.
I’ve had a lot of enquiries recently about fungi forays and
although this isn’t my speciality, edible mushrooms are an important
element of wild food and I thought it might be useful to spend a bit
of time on the subject. If you are particularly interested in fungi,
come along an hour before the walk and we’ll look at some examples
of common edible mushrooms, their characteristics and habitats and
we’ll briefly discuss some of the myths around what mushrooms
you can and can’t eat! To get you in the mood…
Mushroom Myth No. 1: If you can peel it, you can eat it…
WRONG, some of the most highly poisonous mushrooms can be peeled!
Sun 25 November - details
1.30pm – Mushroom talk with tea/coffee/hot chocolate and biscuits
at Ashcroft House
2.30pm – Wild food walk leaving from Ashcroft House (ends approx
4.30)
The wild food walk is £15 and the mushroom talk is free to
those coming on the walk. Places are limited, so please book by phone
01761 463356 or email.
Looks can be deceiving!
A beautiful, and highly edible,
Amethyst Deceiver mushroom.
PICK OF THE SEASON ~ SWEET CHESTNUT
 What
winter’s eve can be complete without ‘chestnuts roasting
on the open fire’. The sweet chestnut was introduced to Britain
by the Romans, unsurprisingly as they are a staple food in parts of
the Mediterranean. The Empire had already traded with Britain for
many goods including lead, and made it to the Mendips six years after
first arriving in 43AD, keen for the rich mineral resources found
in the area. So it is possible that soon after their arrival here,
the Romans planted the first Sweet Chestnut.
On Mendip the nuts will have begun to fall in late October, so November
is a good time to start collecting them. The sharp, spiny husks are
not easy to remove without a stick and gloves but the effort is rewarded
when the polished, deep brown coloured nuts are revealed. The nuts
are edible raw and as such can make a snack when out and about, but
nothing can beat that roasted flavour and it is worth restraining
yourself and saving them for cooking. Be warned - chestnuts must be
punctured before roasting otherwise they have a habit of exploding!
There are many culinary uses for chestnuts: boiled, baked, candied,
pickled, chopped in a nut roast, as a favourite stuffing for meats
or ground into flour for baking in to breads, as was no doubt popular
with our Roman friends. Don’t confuse sweet chestnut with horse
chestnut, which produce inedible nuts more commonly known as ‘conkers’.
FORAGING FACTS
A few notes:
• Avoid poisonous plants or those causing allergic reactions
• Make sure you are 100% sure of your identification before
eating any plant – carry a good plant identification book or
go with a knowledgeable guide
• Avoid plants near busy roadsides, dog walking areas, or places
where chemicals may have been used
• It is illegal to uproot or destroy any wild plant without
the landowners permission, but you can pick small quantities of leaves,
nuts, fruit from plants on public rights of way
• If you are actively foraging, please only pick a few leaves,
flowers or fruits from a number of plants across a geographical area
so as not to affect populations, and never pick a whole plant
• Please avoid picking any part of a plant if it is uncommon
in the area
SERVICES
• Wild Food, Natural History and Bushcraft walks, courses and
activities for individuals, groups, families and friends
• Training for professionals working in nature conservation
and ecology
• Corporate training, entertainment, team and away-days (can
include top quality conference facilities at The Lakewood Centre)
• Research, presentations, lecturing and writing publications
and articles on landscape ecology, nature conservation, history of
the landscape and wild food
Subscribing / Unsubscribing
You have been sent this email because you have asked to join my mailing
list, have expressed interest in my walks, courses or services, or
because you’re a friend / colleague / business associate and
I hope you may be interested. I only want to send information to you
if you want to receive it. If you do not wish to receive these occasional
mailings, please reply with a request to unsubscribe. I respect your
privacy and will never share your contact details with any other organisation
or individual.
If you have been forwarded this email and would like to subscribe,
just send an email to me with a request to subscribe. Thanks.
Copyright
All content and photos are copyright Adrian Boots 2007. Photo of Burrington
with thanks to Dave Parke.
Contact details
Adrian Boots
Walk the Mendips
Ashcroft House, Ellick Rd,
Blagdon, Bristol, BS40 7TU.
Tel: 01761 463356.
Email: adrian.boots@onetel.com
You can also view this newsletter at www.walkthemendips.com/newsletter.htm
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