Squirrel Pie and other delicacies...

I just stumbled upon this news article. A while ago I saw a TV programme about Paul Parker and he came across as a scary squirrel-nazi (it was genuinely quite disturbing!) but I *am* intrigued by the idea of trapping common wild "pest" animals and eating them for my dinner. This would include rabbits and American crayfish, as well as grey squirrels.

The thing is, I'm not convinced I could actually kill a cute furry animal. I realise, of course, that I do this by proxy every time I buy meat - I'm just not sure I could do it with my bare hands. Perhaps I'll start with a crayfish license and work my way up!

Any advice on such matters, particularly in terms of legalities, would be much appreciated...

Recycled plastic bags...

This is my very first attempt at crocheting with plastic carrier bags. It doesn't look particularly amazing but I think this little gathering basket will be very practical - it folds up when not in use, and although it's breathable it's also waterproof so it won't get soggy or stained when I fill it with fruit!

Edible Seashore

Above is the title of the latest River Cottage Handbook by John Wright, which I've just aquired and am enjoying reading (it's funny!). I'm not all that confident with seafood as I've relatively little experience of it, but my new year's resolution is to eat Oysters and I'd love to be able to forage for my own dinner on the beach. I'm particularly excited by the idea of catching Razor Clams... but more on that when and if I ever manage it!

Today Matt and I walked along the beach from Worthing to Goring (I think!) in East Sussex. We saw quite a few edibles including Sea Kale, Alexanders, Sea Beet, an ice-cream van and a fantastic little shack selling fresh fish. Although it's a bit late in the season (isn't it?) I took some Alexanders home for tea. I'd never tried it before - in fact I'd never even seen it until a few weeks ago when I visited Whitby. It's nice, but the stems were a little very tough, even after boiling. I'll have to remember where it grows and try to go back in early spring next year. Any cooking tips or other thoughts would be very welcome!

I'm very much enjoying my (now regular) visits to the seaside :)


Sea Kale

Alcoholic beverages...

Today I started making Beech Leaf Noyau - a kind of fancy liqueur that I'd never heard of until I got into this wild food lark. I collected young Beech leaves from the cemetery at lunchtime (there are some beautiful trees in there), and I've left them to steep in Gin for the next three weeks. Following that the liquid will be strained off and mixed with sugary syrup and a bit of Brandy. I'm really looking forward to tasting the results!

Yesterday I finally got around to starting a red wine kit that I've had at the back of my cupboard for ages. I'm not a very experienced wine maker and I accidentally overfilled the demijohn - bit of a mess this morning! :)