Journal
Archaeologists Making Baskets
A crisp cold November morning and I'm meeting a group of archaeologists at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth for a day of basketmaking. During our discussions and through the making itself, a couple of very interesting revelations happen over the day, which make...
Looped Cordage: Netted Bags
After a day of making cordage from foraged plant fibres, my grubby fingernails show evidence of all the separating and scraping. Once you're committed to the steady, repetitive nature of prepping and twining cordage, it's a deeply satisfying process. So much so that...
Making an Ash Pack Basket
For ages I've been wanting to make a pack, or back, basket from wood splints. They're best made in the spring when the sap's rising, so earlier this year I took a trip to the woods near Bath for a few days to make one. There's a long tradition of black ash splint...
Nests in Nets
I've returned to Wakehurst on a bright autumn day to see if the rumours are true. One of my areas of research for this project was looking at nests. And that's why I'm back today. I've heard birds have nested in the work I made. My godson showed me a blurry photo on...
A Song for all Foraging
It’s a busy time for foraging plant materials right now. The plants have made all the vegetative growth they’re going to make this year. And now they’re setting seed. Over the past months I’ve logged key spots in my mental map of the neighbourhood, spots where certain...
Stonehenge: Neolithic Basketry
During the Neolithic time at Stonehenge, there would have been willows growing on the banks of the river Avon, which ran right by the houses situated at nearby Durrington Walls. These are the Neolithic dwellings that have been reconstructed at Stonehenge visitors...
Forage of the Month
Forage of the Month- April
Cleavers & Nettle Spring Tonic. I've been watching the cleavers and nettles in my garden over the last few weeks, waiting for them to get big enough to start harvesting for this, my all time favourite thing to make as spring arrives. Cleavers and nettles make one of...
Forage of the Month- February / March
Late winter wild greeens There are a surprising number of tasty wild greens to forage in these late winter months. Here are some that grow plentifully around most gardens / allotments. Many of them are best eaten raw in salad, but a couple are good for cooking or...
Forage of the Month- November / December
Rosehip Vinegar This is a favourite, super-easy recipe. It comes from 'Hedgerow Medicine' by friends Julie and Matthew Bruton-Seal. You can easily find recipes for rose hip syrup... but if you want to preserve their goodness without using sugar this is the recipe for...