In search of Stein Piltz

Dear Wild Cooks

Picture the scene … at 7am this wild cook was in her element in a Bavarian Wood with a local Chef.  We were looking for the wonders that are Cep mushrooms, or as they are known in Germany, Stein Piltz.

In Bavaria, Germany, these are as highly prized fungi as they are in England and my chef friend had the inside info on just where to find a good patch.

As we crunched through the pine cones and pine debris, Regina explained that Stein Piltz grow well in this terrain and that they seem to grow in certain areas of woodland more than others.

Regina’s father, Herr Maldoner, knew of this spot and told her areas for Stein Piltz growth are closely guarded and sometimes the farmers do not even know they have them on their land.

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Bilberry Bilbo Baggins

Dear Wild Cooks,

Good news … there is one bill that doesn’t cost much! In fact it costs nothing but time to don the wellies, get out into those hedgerows and pay nature in BILLberries!  These bursting blue bullets of flavour are in season in August and September.

These bitter sweet berries make a fantastic pie and this recipe is simple and quite quick to make. Why not try it at home. If you have the bilberries it is crazy not to use them!

Bilberry pie recipe

Some foraging tips:

As with all wild berries, make sure that you choose a patch which is unlikely to have been sprayed with any pesticides; preferably away from the road. You should also take care to only pick berries which you know are edible, as some wild fruits can be poisonous. If you are unsure it is best to take a guidebook with you for identification.

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Garden Finds!

Yesterday I had a little spare time so the boys and I “foraged” in our garden to make the last in our series of olive oils!

my boys picking lavender

Tomás came up with the idea of trying lavender and some lemon balm from our garden, so back in the kitchen we once again got out our bottles and oil!

Putting the lavender in the bottle

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Start infusing your olive oils now!!

You may remember that last week I introduced you all to the idea of olive oil infused with Chillies. Well here I look at some possible alternatives, either for your own consumption or to give as presents.

I recently spent a day with my 3 boys foraging for produce in my village, got a few items from the pantry kitchen and came up with some unique infusions – all of them use the same concept – olive oil in a bottle with some local produce.

Me and my boys collecting leaves

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