Wild flowers

[Lankyman]

Are you sure those are cranberries? They look a bit bushy. THe UK cranberry (at least the typical growth form on Ingleborough) is trailing over Sphagnum, those look more like cowberry to me, though I could be quite wrong as it wasn't me that saw them! It doesn't help that most of the pictures thrown up by google aren't of uk cranberries. Here is a picture of cranberries on Ingleborough for comparison View attachment 27397

I think you're probably right. I can't say I was that aware of cowberries - 'if it's not a bilberry or a cloudberry then it must be a cranberry'. Next time I'm on the moor I'll collect some for taste testing (although they do look a bit dry/waxy).

 

[Lankyman]

Had it for lunch today. Well, most of it - I always leave a piece for the ambulance, just in case. Googling suggested that, rather than fry in butter with a tiny bit of garlic, which works well for most species, it might be better boiled for 10 mins, to destroy anything that might upset the stomach. It was quite amazing - tasted completely of chicken and not at all of mushroom. It was a bit old and tough, though, so I must try again with a younger one. Can't wait!

You're braver than me! The one I saw last week behind Scorton is still there if you're interested ...

 

[Lankyman]

Out at Abbeystead yesterday, purple loosestrife growing by the outflow of the lake

Not sure what the rope was there for.

 

[JasonC]

Had it for lunch today. Well, most of it - I always leave a piece for the ambulance, just in case. Googling suggested that, rather than fry in butter with a tiny bit of garlic, which works well for most species, it might be better boiled for 10 mins, to destroy anything that might upset the stomach. It was quite amazing - tasted completely of chicken and not at all of mushroom. It was a bit old and tough, though, so I must try again with a younger one. Can't wait!

Interesting - I had some once, 'kindly' given to me. I think we fried it - indeed it was astonishingly like chicken in taste and texture - except that there was quite a strong bitter aftertaste that kicked in after a few seconds. Maybe boiling destroyed the bitterness. Apologies for drifting further off topic into fungus recipes...

 

[Cantclimbtom]

That looks almost scorched! I've watched the news coverage showing drone shots of dry, brown land in southern England with a sense almost of horror. By contrast, in northern Lancashire we seem to be almost back to normal with just a small amount of recent rain. Here's what it's like not far from me in the Hodder valley just over a week ago. The pastures are pretty much all green.
View attachment 27380
By contrast, the moor grasses are turning brown but that's not all that unusual for mid-August.
View attachment 27381
Hopefully, once the rains return things down south will recover?

Looking so green!
Send me your water please.
Collected water ration for family of 5 as no water since Sunday evening, clay contracted and major distribution pipes keep breaking

Daren drums, jiffy bags, post me what you have to spare

 

[Cantclimbtom]

Still got some flowers, some are very hardy

 

[Lankyman]

Looking so green!
Send me your water please.
Collected water ration for family of 5 as no water since Sunday evening, clay contracted and major distribution pipes keep breaking

Daren drums, jiffy bags, post me what you have to spare

View attachment 27408
View attachment 27409

It's almost as if Great Britain is being divided into climatic zones where (unfortunately) the southern parts are getting more like continental Europe. Tough if you voted for Brexit? I think up here we've just dodged the bullet in some ways having had a small amount of recent rain which has allowed things to recover somewhat. My mother lives just fifty miles away further south and she's had virtually no rain at all for months. The soil is very thin and sandy so grass is noticeably brown and dead looking.
I was at Abbeystead a couple of days ago by a pumping house (scene of the fatal explosion in 1984) where they transfer water from the Lune into the Wyre for processing into drinking water. I think we're going to have to start pumping the stuff from Scotland (got to give the SNP something else to complain about).

 

[Lankyman]

Still got some flowers, some are very hardy
View attachment 27410

Looks like ragwort? They'll outlive us all along with the cockroaches.

 

[kay]

Interesting - I had some once, 'kindly' given to me. I think we fried it - indeed it was astonishingly like chicken in taste and texture - except that there was quite a strong bitter aftertaste that kicked in after a few seconds. Maybe boiling destroyed the bitterness. Apologies for drifting further off topic into fungus recipes...

Thankfully I didn’t get the bitter aftertaste!

 

[kay]

I think you're probably right. I can't say I was that aware of cowberries - 'if it's not a bilberry or a cloudberry then it must be a cranberry'. Next time I'm on the moor I'll collect some for taste testing (although they do look a bit dry/waxy).

I made an effort to remember the 4 “c-berries” - cow, crow, cloud and cran. Crowberry is the one with the narrow leaves with a white stripe. It was only by remembering them as a group that I could remember which was which

 

[bagpuss]

Have tried to keep my wild flower photos to cave related areas but failed to take a camera caving last night so these ones are from the Severn Estuary this evening post swimming which feels almost like caving with the muddy water

Rock Samphire (edible)

 

[pwhole]

The parks look like prairie in Sheffield, but the trees are just about hanging on.

 

[Lankyman]

Have tried to keep my wild flower photos to cave related areas but failed to take a camera caving last night so these ones are from the Severn Estuary this evening post swimming which feels almost like caving with the muddy water

Rock Samphire (edible)
View attachment 27452View attachment 27453

I've seen this growing a lot on the limestone crags around Morecambe Bay. I've not tried it in anything but it used to get put out with the fresh fish in a supermarket I used to work in. My big bumper book of wildflowers says it features in Shakespeare: 'Half-way down hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade!' (King Lear). Apparently, it was big business along the south coast until the 19th Century mainly harvested in May before the flowering season.

 

[aricooperdavis]

I've not tried it in anything but it used to get put out with the fresh fish in a supermarket I used to work in.

There's "sea samphire" as well, which is what I've usually seen put out with fish. It's nice steamed, sweet and salty flesh around a stringy core.

Rock samphire is much less tasty, quote a soapy flavour, I've heard it described as tasting like creosote. But the textures better and you can eat it raw, it's got a bit of a crunch.

 

[Lankyman]

There's "sea samphire" as well, which is what I've usually seen put out with fish. It's nice steamed, sweet and salty flesh around a stringy core.

Rock samphire is much less tasty, quote a soapy flavour, I've heard it described as tasting like creosote. But the textures better and you can eat it raw, it's got a bit of a crunch.

I see - I was just assuming that what I saw at work was what I saw on the rocks nearby. I've just looked up sea samphire (it's also called marsh samphire and glasswort in my book) and it does indeed seem to be a tastier prospect by far. Apparently, the rock samphire is a member of the carrot family with 'a pungent citrus-or-petrol-like aroma'. Hmmm ....

 

[bagpuss]

There's "sea samphire" as well, which is what I've usually seen put out with fish. It's nice steamed, sweet and salty flesh around a stringy core.

Rock samphire is much less tasty, quote a soapy flavour, I've heard it described as tasting like creosote. But the textures better and you can eat it raw, it's got a bit of a crunch.

Not sure if this one was Marsh Samphire or something else.

 

[Pegasus]

There's "sea samphire" as well, which is what I've usually seen put out with fish. It's nice steamed, sweet and salty flesh around a stringy core.

Rock samphire is much less tasty, quote a soapy flavour, I've heard it described as tasting like creosote. But the textures better and you can eat it raw, it's got a bit of a crunch.

The things you learn on UKC!

 

[aricooperdavis]

Not sure if this one was Marsh Samphire or something else.

I don't think so, I think that's Sea Blight, which I believe is also edible but I've never actually tried. I'll keep a look out and report back if I survive the experience!

 

[bagpuss]

I don't think so, I think that's Sea Blight, which I believe is also edible but I've never actually tried. I'll keep a look out and report back if I survive the experience!

Thanks for the info, I'm not so clued up on coastal foraging and coastal plants, will have to try and learn more.

 

[bagpuss]

The things you learn on UKC!

It smelled a bit like lemons when I broke it up, could be nice in salads