Gathering

Immune boosting Hedgerow Syrup and Bramble cocktails

Elderberries, blackberries, echinacea flower tops, rosehips and apples. These are the ingredients which made up our Hedgerow Syrup/Brambleberry cocktail.

It was a guided forage; through a field, an allotment, an orchard and a garden - all belonging to our guide. Whilst assembling our pot of wild goods, we learned a little bit about the anecdotal properties of the various herbs and fruits we were gathering:

• Elderberries for flavonoids and vitamin C

• Rosehips also for vitamin C

• Echinacea for anti-inflammatory and anti-viral benefits

• Blackberries for (more) vitamin C, anthocyanin antioxidants and potassium

The addition of apples was for a bit of extra sweetness.

Assembled in a pan, everything together looked prettier than the Crown Jewels. With a splash of water all we had to do was wait for it to simmer and meld into the consistency of pulp.

It took more than an hour, over the intense heat of an outdoor stove. Finally it was amalgamated and had broken down enough to be squished through a potato masher, followed by a sieve.

Despite the inevitable stained mess this created, the result was a deep, rich, wine-toned syrup. We didn’t have enough to bottle up, but that wasn’t the point. We came away with the knowledge to create our own, at home.

The syrup was delicious on its own. Definitely worth the time and effort. Slightly warm, it tasted like a non-alcoholic mulled wine. When it had cooled a bit more, I had some of my syrup with a dash of vodka, over ice: a brambleberry cocktail, which I would also wholeheartedly recommend!