Silver Birch

Many edible mushrooms have symbiotic relationships with birch, but the tree itself can provide a delicious product . . .

This tree’s sobriquet ‘silver’ is a comparatively recent invention – often credited to a Tennison poem. In reality the second part of its scientific name (Betula alba) seems more apt (it means ‘white’). This is particularly so in late winter when the bleached bark stands out in damp woods. Foresters usually regard it as a weed, but more charitable voices describe it as a ‘pioneer’, for this is usually first to appear on waste ground, thanks to its downy seeds which can be carried long distances by the wind.

It has long been considered lucky, perhaps because it is one of the first to burst into life in spring. Its sap rises from early March and this sugary liquid makes a good base for a drinkable country wine. To collect, drill a hole at an angle up into the tree about two foot from the ground. Insert a length of tubing and feed the other end into a collecting bottle. A decent-sized tree can quickly produce a couple of litres after which you should plug the hole with dowel. The wine is made by adding lemon, raisins, sugar and yeast and fermenting in a warm place for a month. It is ready for drinking in the autumn.

Please click here if you would like to join our Newsletter mailing list

Latest

Newsletter

Mushroom Newsletter (23 January 2010)
The recent snow may not have been conducive to mushroom hunting, but spring is on its way and the arrival of my new mushroom cards and an invitation to hunt morels in Turkey have lifted my spirits . . .

Wildlife Profile

Brown Hare
‘Mad as a March hare’ is a familiar expression, but one which means little to many young people. Few people fortunate enough to have seen a group of these surprisingly large creatures bouncing like boxing kangaroos across the frost-dusted grass will forget it however . . .

Wild Food

Hops (March 2010)
These are one of the earliest green shoots to emerge each year, snaking up through the hedgerows, curling around sturdier, now dormant, shrubs at a phenomenol pace . . .

Recipes

Morel Stroganoff (March 2010)
Morels are the first seriously delicious mushrooms of the year to emerge. This delicious recipe merges their superb flavour (surely these must be in anyone’s top half-dozen wild mushrooms?) with yoghurt to create a light, creamy, dish with a hint of sour . . .

Shop

German mushroom knife
These specially imported knives have a hawk's bill stainless steel blade, lanyard hook and measuring scale. The blade's serrated back and inbuilt natural bristle brush allow collectors to clean their finds in the field.

Website designed and Hosted by Mid Wales Design

Nochex Merchant Account