Call Center:+353897001102 | info@orchardsnearme.com
Dublin, Ireland | Login
0
0

recipe

chocolate-covered-oat-balls

Foraged Vitamin C Oat Balls

This super simple recipe is becoming a staple in the kitchen for the Autumn months. Learn how to pack a healthy dose of fresh Vitamin C into your breakfast balls with these tasty foraged Vitamin C packed Oat Balls aka Rosehip balls.

Just before we head into winter the rosehips are ripe for picking from the thorn filled bushes. There has to be some natural force behind this as our bodies are craving some Vitamins to sustain us for the long winter nights. We have come up with the most delicious way to use up your unused hips at this time of the year. Here is our delicious Oat ball recipe, made with freshly foraged and dried rosehips.

Ingredients

  • Oats (3 cups)
  • Brown Sugar (1/2 cup)
  • Honey (5 Tablespoons)
  • Condensed Milk (1/4 can)
  • Dried and Fresh Rosehips (2 handfuls)
  • Blackberries (1 handful)
  • Grated Apples x 2
  • Dark Chocolate (1 Bar – 200g)
  • Sea Salt (1 Tablespoon)

How to make Vitamin C Oat Ballsrosehip-oat-balls-vitamin-c

Step 1. Head out on a local foraging adventure to pick some fresh rosehips or buy dried rosehips from us if you don’t have time.

Step 2. Gather the other ingredients of oats, sugar, honey and condensed milk and gently combine them. Stir in a handful of raisins and two handfuls of loosely chopped dried rosehips. Now add two grated apples and a handful of blackberries.

Step 3. Roll this mixture into small balls and leave in a heated oven for 20 – 25 minutes.

Step 4. While your oat balls are in the oven heat some dark chocolate over a hot pan. Add a tablespoon of sea salt.

Step 5. Take your balls from the oven and coat them in the chocolate, leave in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Voila, you have your very own foraged Vitamin C oat balls. It is easy to play with this recipe, adding different seasonal products at different times of the year. We will give some Spring Oat balls a go in a couple of months.

 

October 17, 2020 orchardsnearme Blog, foraging, nature, wild recipe , ,
wild-spring-samosa-recipe-ingredients-orchards-near-me

Recipe: Wild Spring Samosas

This is one of my favourite Spring dishes. Serve them as snacks to impress your dinner guests or rustle them up as a lunch time treat. Our wild samosas will put a spring in your step. We used three of our most loved wild Spring ingredients for these delicious samosas but feel free to get creative and add your own wild herb mix.wild-spring-samosa-recipe

Samosa Ingredients

  • Three cornered leak
  • Wild garlic
  • Dried Nettles
  • Potatoes
  • Cumin
  • Tumeric
  • Chilli Flakes
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Puff Pastry

Step 1. Boil your potatoes and mash them.

Step 2. Add a little olive oil to your pan. Next add wild-garlic-samosa-orchards-near-mechopped garlic leaves, three cornered leak, dandelion leaves, cumin, tumeric, chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Fry gently for 5 – 10 minutes.

Step 3. Add your curry mix to your mash potatoes. Add 1/2 cup of frozen peas and stir for another 5 minutes.

Step 4. Roll out your puff pastry. Turn over a bowl and cut out circles. Cut your circles in half and brush tips with flour and water. Make cone shapes with your pastry and add a spoonful of your samosa filling. Squeeze the sides together.

Step 5. Bake until golden crisp.

Step 6. Enjoy

April 5, 2020 orchardsnearme Blog, nature, wild recipe , ,
wild-food-recipe-forest-pho-soup

Wild Food Recipe: Forest Pho

Do you want a taste of the forest? The fresh air, the wild garlic, the scent of pine, everything about the forest shouts discover and explore. This is exactly what we do when we cook with wild foods and embark on a foraging adventure.forest-pho-wild-food-recipe-orchards

Today we went to the woods and found the most delicious wild greens, fiddleheads, wild garlic, scarlet elf cups and jelly ears. Now we are ready to whip up a tasty bowl of pho to warm us up for the evening.

INGREDIENTS

foraging-for-wild-herbs

    • 1 bunch of Wild Garlic Leaves
    • A few leaves of wild mustard
    • Cleavers aka Sticky Willies
    • Fresh Ginger
    • Fiddleheads
    • Mushrooms (any kind will do but we used Jelly ears and Elf cups because we had some freshly picked)

 

  • 1 large onion
  • Peppercorns
  • Cloves
  • Chili Flakes
  • A pinch of cinnamon
  • Beef Stock
  • Noodleswild-herb-noodle-soup-foraging
  • Mint to garnish

Now you are ready to put your dish together and this couldn’t be easier. Saute the onion in a tablespoon of butter, add the wild garlic leaves

for two minutes. Now add the ginger, wild mustard and Fiddleheads. Stir gently for 1 minute. Add chili flakes, peppercorns and cinnamon. After another two minutes frying add the mushrooms. Now gently ladle the beef stock over the mixture, stirring as you pour. When your soup mix has boiled add the noodles.

I always have a few crackers on the side.

Now you are ready to serve and enjoy!

If you enjoyed this wild food recipes then you might also like to give our wild garlic pesto a try.

To start planning your foraging adventures you can download a copy of our Foraging Workbook Planner here.

Happy Foraging!

contact-us-button-orchards-near-me

March 19, 2020 orchardsnearme Blog, wild recipe , , ,
blackberry-and-basil-salad-recipe-orchards-near-me

Blackberry Season: Blackberry and Basil Salad Recipe

As foragers we love to discover rare plants and wild edibles all year round but the months of August and September are extra special. These are prime harvest months in Europe. Vines are weighed down with grapes and bushes are filled to the brim with ripe berries ready to be picked.

To celebrate one of our favourite times of the year when all of the blackberries start to appear on the bushes we will be telling you our top blackberry recipes each week for the next six weeks.

We will start with a blackberry and basil salad that we recently tried out for friends.

I can safely say that the mixture of sweet and fresh ingredients makes this wild salad recipe extra special.

blackberry-and-basil-salad-recipe

INGREDIENTS

Fresh wild blackberries
1/2 red Onion finely sliced
Foraged Seabeet and Lettuce Leaves
Feta Cheese
Toasted Almonds
Basil Leaves
Balsamic Vinegar

blackberry-and-basil-salad-with-feta-cheese-foraging-orchards-near-me

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Pick the berries and basil leaves. This is the most important part of the preparation. There are plenty of berries around at the moment. Head to the countryside or a nearby park with your foraging basket and enjoy spending time with nature. We grow basil at home so it’s easy to pick off our leaves.
  2. Gather the other ingredients from your local store and wash all of the greens and berries.
  3. Carefully slice half an onion into thin slices
  4. Cut the almond nuts in half and toast them lightly in a hot pan.
  5. Cut the feta cheese into cubes.
  6. Mix all of the ingredients in your salad bowl
  7. Sprinkle a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar over the top.

Fresh, seasonal and super tasty this is the perfect addition to any dinner party or weekend brunch.

We have some delicious blackberry recipes to share in the coming weeks so stay tuned and look forward to hearing some feedback. If you have any top berry recipes to share please get in touch.

contact-us-button-orchards-near-me

August 9, 2019 orchardsnearme Blog, fruit picking, fruit-recipe, nature , , ,
seabeet-detox-smoothie-orchardsnearme

Delicious Homemade Seabeet Detox Smoothie

Packed full of iron, Vitamin C and healthy goodness, this easy detox smoothie is the perfect way to cleanse and repair your body after any long weekend.

We often forage for sea beet, using it as a natural substitute for greens in stir-fry’s, stews and more but on one Sunday filled with sunshine we were inspired to create this delicious smoothie that is now a monthly fixture in our ever growing plant based recipe list.

Never tried and tested making homemade smoothies before? Don’t fear, this is probably one of the easiest recipes to start with. Here is the short list of ingredients and a few useful tips when you plan to forage for this healthy plant.

INGREDIENTS

  • Three cups of freshly picked Sea Beet leaves
  • Two large pears
  • The juice from half of one lemon
  • Grated Ginger
  • Crushed mint leaves (just a few)

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

This is pretty easy. Wash your ingredients thoroughly. Cut off the stems from your sea beet leaves and chop into thin slices. Peel your pears carefully (save the skins and add them as a decoration in the end), finely grate a small cube of ginger. Slice a lemon in half. Now you are ready to put it all together. Blend these ingredients until smooth. After you have gotten rid of the lumps add a few ice cubes and 3 – 4 mint leaves. Blend gently for two minutes. Tadaa you have made your very own detox smoothie. Enjoy!

HOW TO PICK SEA BEET

Sea beet is a seaside plant we love to forage for all year round. It is easy to identify and will pop up at the edges of beaches in small bundles. Never pull the plant from the root. If you are picking sea beet just snip a small amount of the leaves and the rest will replenish itself.

Always wear gloves when you are out foraging and make sure to wash the leaves thoroughly before using them in any recipes.

We hope that you enjoy this easy sea beet detox smoothie and hope to see you soon for some foraging adventures.

contact-us-button-orchards-near-me
April 30, 2019 Lisa Long Blog, fruit-recipe , ,
how-to-make-wild-garlic-pesto-orchards-near-me

HOW TO MAKE WILD GARLIC PESTO

If you take a stroll to the woodland or keep your eyes peeled in your local park you may discover some delicious wild garlic. Spring and Summer months are perfect for foraging this wild herb. It usually grows at the edge of woodlands, around damp soil. 

If you have just begun your foraging adventures than this herb is a flavorful find for beginners. You will smell them before you see them and they usually hang around in big bunches. 

The wild garlic flowers and leaves can be used in many recipes and salads but for today’s recipe we will focus on how to make wild garlic pesto which is perfectly paired with fresh pasta or toasted breads.


Picking and Preparation 
Don’t pick from the roots, leave some for others and be sure to wash the leaves thoroughly before you use them. 

  • If you are out foraging for wild garlic follow these simple tips: Never pick plants from the root, always use a scissors.
  • Make sure to wear gloves at all times.
  • Wild garlic is most commonly found from March to July.
  • Pick healthy leaves that are long and bright in colour! Try and pick the leaves from an area that’s less likely to have been crossed by animals.
  • The best way to check that what you’ve picked is wild garlic is to smell it. The smell is strong.

Here is a great and simple recipe for wild garlic pesto!

wild-garlic-pesto-recipe-orchards-near-me

How to make wild garlic pesto

INGREDIENTS

100g wild garlic leaves (a big bunch or a basket full will do)

50g nettle leaves

50g parmesan cheese

50g toasted pine nuts or walnuts are a nice alternative

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Lemon juice (at least half a lemon is needed)

A pinch or salt and a pinch of pepper 

METHOD

Wash wild garlic leaves and nettles thoroughly. Be sure to always wear gloves when cooking with fresh nettles. They sting until they are boiled.

Place the nettle leaves in a pot of cold water, make sure the nettles are covered and allow to boil. This should only take ten minutes.

Drain the water and squeeze the leaves in a dry cloth to get rid of all excess water and juice. Place the galic leaves, nettles, parmesan, and nuts into a food processor and blitz. Slowly add two tablespoons of olive oil.

Add an extra spoon of olive oil if the mixture is too dry. 

Add in your salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.


Once you have your wild garlic pesto prepared you can use it with pasta, as a dip or add to sandwiches for extra flavour. You can store fresh pesto in the fridge for up to one week. If you want to keep it longer, freezing it will hold the taste for 9 months. 


If you are interested in embarking on a foraging adventure or learning more about the wild foods we work with contact our team anytime.  Join us on any of foraging adventures in Ireland.

contact-us-button-orchards-near-me
April 23, 2019 Lisa Long Blog, foraging , ,
fruit-recipe-chocolate-dipped-orange-pe

Fruit Recipe: Chocolate Dipped Orange Peels

This Chocolate dipped orange peel recipe is inspired by Spain and it has to be the perfect party snack for fruit and nature fans. In addition to being super delicious orange peels are the perfect healthy snack.

We stumbled upon this sweet treat in the beautiful spanish town of Sevilla. Famous for it’s juicy oranges and groves dotted throughout the landscape. This region of Spain forces you to reconnect with the produce around you. In cobbled streets and buzzing restaurants you will find local foods, freshly grown from the nearby fields.

Now for our super simple orange peel recipe that not only delights your guests but save you throwing away the peels too.

INGREDIENTS

  • Seville oranges 450g
  • Chocolate (plain or dark will do) 200g
  • Sugar 250g
  • Water 125ml

INSTRUCTIONS

Slice the peel from the flesh, being sure to keep as much of the pith as possible. Slice it into strips. Put in a saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and repeat.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over the hot bowl of boiling water.

Dissolve the sugar in water over a low heat.

Mix the syrup and the chocolate together gently and add the peel.

Cook and stir gently for around 30 minutes or until the syrup is mostly absorbed.

Decorate them with zigzags and drippings of the chocolate for an extra touch of party-time.

ADULTS ONLY: Add a splash or two of rum to the syrup mixture to give it an alcoholic kick.

Pick the pieces out with tongs and drain on a rack over a dish. Don’t throw away the remaining syrup.

This tasty easy orange peel recipe will impress friends and give you a fun weekend activity in the kitchen.

Enjoy!

So, why are orange peels good for you? The peel is said to contain Vitamins A, B and C as well as plenty of calcium and iron that we can stock up on for winter. Also, citrus peels contain Limonene which can be found to reduce the skin cancer. A study published by Nutrition and Cancer in 2000 found that people without skin cancer consumed significantly more citrus fruits. However, we must be mindful when eating any fruit and choose organic fruit as much as possible. Fruit that isn’t labelled organic may be grown with chemicals that can have a negative effect. For the most health benefits always choose to buy organic.

December 5, 2018 orchardsnearme Blog, fruit-recipe , , , ,
Select your currency
EUR
USD