Wild blackberries

I am particularly lucky to have a nature reserve just 5 minutes walk from my house. The area is a 'green wedge' that cuts right into the city, the whole place is full of wildlife, hundreds if not thousands of rabbits there as well as unusual birds and plants.
Of particular interest to me are the Blackberry bushes, literally thousands and thousands of them line the paths, at this time of year all of them laden with juicy and delicious fruit. I find it impossible to walk past blackberries without stopping to grab some, they are far too tempting for me to pass up!

So last week I went down there myself box in hand and got picking. It's a painful job as the cuts and scratches on my arms testify! It also turned my hands an interesting shade of purple! It is well worth it though, I filled two boxes, which was enough to make this crumble tart and have some for the freezer.

Imagine a pie crossed with a crumble and you have a crumble tart, pastry case with a crumble topping. I used my wild blackberries and some fantastic Bramley apples that I was very kindly given. Apples and blackberries are perfect companions and Bramley apples are probably the very best cooking apple.
I served this tart still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The wild larder, mushroom hunting and a risotto

When I go out for bike rides around Leicestershire as I regularly do, There is a particular lane which is shaded by trees where no one ever goes. It is one of my favourite places to ride, it's quiet, peaceful and beautiful.
Recently I have begun to notice something happening down MY lane, at first they were small and insignificant, I saw one or two little ones appear only to have vanished the following day. That all changed last week when I found this monster!
I'm talking about mushrooms and this one weighed in at a whopping half a pound!

Normally I am very cautious about eating any kind of fungi that I have found growing wild, as although I like mushrooms I'm not prepared to die for the pleasure of eating them!
This one however I could confidently identify as a common field mushroom, exactly the same as I would buy in a supermarket.
As I rode home with my find I was thinking of what I could make with it. It was such a special ingredient that I wanted a recipe that allowed the mushroom to be the star. At first I just thought of making a mushroom sandwich but then I had ideas of stroganoff, pasta and pizza. But finally I went for a simple risotto.

The results may not be pretty but they were certainly tasty, the mushroom flavour was allowed to come through loud and clear and was not obscured by other flavours as can often be the case. I thoroughly enjoyed this meal which was made all the more special by having found the main ingredient growing wild.
The Risotto I made was as simple as they get, onions and garlic were softened in butter as a base, to which I added Italian Arborio rice, white wine and stock. I fried the mushroom and added it at the end. The risotto was finished with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Wild food is abundant here at the moment, only today I have found wild plums, blackberries and apples so expect more posts to follow...

I have entered this post into a great event called grow your own. The idea is to feature dishes that people have made with food they have grown or raised themselves. Find out more here: Grow Your Own