Wild-food diary: Summer 2010

Early summer fills the hedgerows with aromatic elderflowers, which can be deep-fried in batter to make the most amazing pud, or used to make elderflower champagne – an absolute must for a posh summer picnic! The later-ripening elderberries are just right for making a lush ‘porty’ red wine to store away for the winter.
The much sought after chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) is well worth searching for in mossy banks under trees. Smelling sweetly of apricots, these glorious golden yellow funnels are wonderful cooked lightly in butter or added to an omelette.
Another easily identified fungus is the giant puffball (Langermannia gigantea). Found in old, unimproved meadows and pastures, they’re delicious fried in thick slices in bacon fat or stuffed with your favourite filling. Perhaps the brightest and easiest edible fungus to spot, growing throughout the summer and early autumn, is the sulphur polypore or chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus). This large bracket fungus matures to form golden brackets, usually in tiers growing up tree trunks – often high up. Avoid those on yew, as they may take up toxins from the tree.
Throughout August, of course, many popular wild berries will be ripening, such as blackberry, strawberry, raspberry and gooseberry. Less well known is the bilberry, found on open moorland and hillsides – great in pies or jam.
Sheila Spence