Love whorts

Lughnasa (31 July-1 August) is one of the more obscure traditional festivals in Ireland. It leaves very little trace on our collective unconscious, unlike Samhain and Imbolc, which continue to be celebrated as Hallowe'en and St. Brigid's Day respectively. Lughnasa is a more mysterious beast altogether.

The traditions surrounding the event are recounted in Máire MacNeill's seminal work The Festival of Lughnasa. Named after Lugh, a Celtic god of the Tuatha Dé Danann, it was the occasion for feasting, matchmaking and feats of strength and valour at the elaborate Óenach Tailtenn, the legendary games of Tailtiu.

Little remains today of the magnificent celebrations which once surrounded Lughnasa. The Sunday beforehand has long been known as 'Garland Sunday' or 'Reek Sunday'. Today, it is best known as the day when thousands of pilgrims climb Croagh Patrick in County Mayo. In the past, young people would climb hills and pick 'whorts' (whortleberries, also known as 'huckleberries' in the United States). This was a common name given to the wild blueberry or Vaccinium myrtillus, which was also called the bilberry or fraughan (fraochán). These would be baked into a pie or made into a garland as a gift from a girl to her admirer.

This year on Reek Sunday I went on a hike in the Dublin Mountains with the hope of finding these wild berries. As my trusty Collins Gem Food for Free guidebook, written by foraging legend Richard Mabey states: 'Widespread and locally abundant on heaths and moors... The shrub grows low, often largely concealed by dense heather', I feared that I might be on a fools errant. Nevertheless, as it was a beautiful, sunny day, I was looking forward to an enjoyable hike in the mountains in the fresh air.

I won't divulge the exact location of the hill, but it was a fairly energetic walk and it was only by chance that I found a cluster of whort bushes at the crest of the hill. Suffice to say that I was overjoyed. The first taste of the berry is something to remember; they are sweet and tangy like blackberries. To my taste, they are nicer than the cultivated variety.

I found this recipe for blueberry sponge cake, replacing the usual blueberries with my foraged wild whorts.

The cake turned out to be a delicious, perfect with vanilla ice-cream and shared amongst loved ones as a fine way to celebrate Reek Sunday. Happy Lughnasa!

 

Summer and the Elderflower

In Ireland, we are coming to the end of our elderflower season. For a few precious weeks in June and July, roadsides and hedgerows are alive with a profusion of white blossoms from the elderberry tree (Sambucus nigra).

We will have to wait a few more months before the harvest of juicy black berries are ready to be made into jams, jellies and syrups. In the meantime, the elderflower can be turned into a number of different and delicious recipes.

I had never picked elderflowers before. Like many people, I never saw their use as an ingredient. Though not as multipurpose as the berry, I found a number of recipes to experiment with. After harvesting a bumper crop from along the banks of the Royal Canal in Dublin, I decided to try my spin on some recipes I found online.

The first of these was Elderflower Pancakes. After washing the elderflower heads, I pulled the heads into small branches. I made an ordinary pancake batter; my favourite recipe is as follows:

100g white spelt flour
300g Avonmore Lactose-free milk
1 large organic free range egg
Add elderflower branches to taste

The taste is somewhat sharp and a little acrid, so I recommend serving with honey or syrup. I had mind with Crowe's Organic Bacon and fresh Irish strawberries.

Another handy use for elderflower is Elderflower Cordial:

15-20 elderflower heads
300g caster sugar
3-4 lemons 
600ml water

Wash elderflower heads and remove petals. Melt sugar in boiling water and add syrup to elderflower petals. Add lemon juice leave overnight to infuse and pour into sterilised bottles. Store in fridge for up to six weeks.

Elderflower cordial can be used to make delicious desserts such as elderflower and lemon sorbet. It can also be added to lemon juice, club soda and ice and garnished with mint for a refreshing summer drink.