Foraging in Leeds

[arb culture]

Hello all,

 

Don't know if anyone is interested, but I got an e-mail today from a lady who does foraging walks in Leeds.

 

I've been on one before where I learnt a few things, and had a nice day out with lovely food at the end of it.

 

Anyway, I've copied her e-mail below...

 

"Hello Everyone!

 

After a looong break, my walks are restarting now for the summer. The next walks will be on Saturday the 19th of June and Sunday the 20th of June from 10am until 1pm. They will be followed by a picnic lunch of foraged wild goodies. At today's walk we had vintage cheddar and Good King Henry quiches and a Swahili style chicken of the woods mushroom coconut curry with mung bean rice, Fruit leathers and home made cordials.

 

As far as things we are likely to see go, the two things at the top of my list are wild garlic and chicken of the woods mushrooms.

 

I have been running wild food walks for nearly two years now, taught in excess of 250 people, have been featured in the Leeds Guide in the articles "How To Be More Green" and "Food For Free Foraging Walks". I was also on the 4th episode of "The Edible Garden" with Alys fowler on the BBC. These walks are a lovely day out (if I do say so myself) and Spring is an awesome time to go on one due to the sheer abundance of food out there. I will be covering a variety of wild fungi and edible greens as well as teaching you how to identify fungi in a systematic manner to make it as safe as possible.

 

For those of you who have come on these walks before, there are a few changes this year. The walks now cost £15 per person, with a £3 discount for students on showing a valid NUS card (so £12 per person). I am also offerring a new deal where, if you buy blocks of three walks, you get a voucher for a fourth walk for free which you can either use yourself, or pass on to someone else so that they can give it a go too!* I decided to do this after seeing quite a lot of faces reappearing at the walks in different seasons. As these people realised, the kinds of plants available at different times of the year can vary hugely, and everytime they come, they learn something new. This gives you the perfect opportunity to come along to walks in all seasons, and truly learn what the green spaces of Leeds have to offer.

 

Walks of this type and length normally cost in excess of £40 per person but I do mine for just £15 (£12 for students) so that more people can afford them and join in the fun!

 

I also do wild food walks on demand for groups and for these, I can come to your local area and show you what you can eat on your own doorstep. These walks make lovely presents and cost the same as my usual walks. (subject to minimum attendance). I also teach courses on preserving and show people how to make fruit leathers, jams, syrups, cordials, fruit cheeses, fruit vinegars and other preserves.

 

All the profits I make on these walks and the courses that I do goes to fund the charity work we do in Kenya. It will either be used to pay the teacher's salaries, rent on the school house, food for the children or other running costs.

 

Please feel free to email me if you require any more information. If you want to confirm a place on the walk, email me back with the number of spaces you would like, which walk you would like to book for, and your contact telephone number in case of emergencies. I will then email you to confirm your spaces and will give you our meeting point.

 

Regards,

 

Mina"

[finchyo]

sounds pretty good, might look into it