Good Glorious and Gorgeous Morning!
Today, I am telling you all about my summer Queen Anne's Lace foraging experiences and the citrus Jelly I am making with them.
*Very important to note before I tell my tale, should you choose to forage it, you must be exceedingly careful NOT to confuse Queen Anne's Lace with Hemlock*
Below there's information on Queen Anne's Lace from the following site:
http://www.ediblewildfood.com/queen-annes-lace.aspx
QUEEN ANNE'S LACE:
Queen Anne’s lace earned its common name from a legend that tells of Queen Anne of England (1665-1714) pricking her finger and a drop of blood landed on white lace she was sewing. Belonging to the carrot family, Queen Anne’s lace is a biennial that is also known as wild carrot. Early Europeans cultivated Queen Anne’s lace, and the Romans ate it as a vegetable. American colonists boiled the taproots, sometimes in wine as a treat. Interestingly, Queen Anne’s lace is high in sugar (second only to the beet among root vegetables) and sometimes it was used among the Irish, Hindus and Jews to sweeten puddings and other foods.
Distinguishing Features: The Queen Anne's lace flower resembles lace, and oftentimes the flower has a solitary purple dot in the centre. In addition the root smells like carrots!
Flowers: Queen Anne’s lace flowers have a flat-topped white umbel, sometimes with a solitary purple flower in the center. These flowers bloom from late spring until mid-fall. Each flower cluster is made up of numerous tiny white flowers. The flower cluster start out curled up and opens to allow pollination. The cluster then rolls itself shut again, like a reverse umbrella when it goes to seed at the end of the season.
Leaves: Feathery leaves resemble those of the domestic carrot. The bases of leafstalks are broad and flat. Queen Anne’s lace leaves also closely resemble the leaves of the poison hemlock, fool’s parsley and water hemlocks, all poisonous cousins of Queen Anne’s lace.
Height: Wild carrot can grow tall, most average about 1 metre tall.
Habitat: Queen Anne’s lace is found in fields, meadows, waste areas, roadsides and disturbed habitats. They are very hardy and thrive in a dry environment.
Edible parts: Using first year Queen Anne’s lace plants are recommended. Roots are long, pale, woody, and are finger-thin and are used in soups, stews and in making tea. First year leaves can be chopped and tossed into a salad. Flower clusters can be ‘french-fried’ or fresh flowers can be tossed into a salad. The aromatic seed is used as a flavoring in stews and soups.
Similar Plants: Poison Hemlock, Fool's Parsley
This is a picture from when I was foraging at a later date by myself, I was still a bit sleepy as it was 6am when I went out to pick Q.A.L.
I almost grabbed Hemlock by mistake and went, whoo hoo hoo!
No touchie that stuff Kiki!
That was when I thought, it might be a good idea to take a side by side pic to help any of you foragers that might be interested.
The Hemlock is on the left & the Queen Anne's Lace is in my hand on the right. You can see how a novice could easily make a mistake and forage something, literally, deadly! Remember that Hemlock has a center of small yellow flowers with a cluster of white small petals around; whereas Queen Anne's Lace looks like a bird's nest, has white flowers and a very tiny purple "heart" center.
Below is the Queen Anne's Lace with that purple "heart", it is very small but easier to tell the difference if you are unsure. Remember that sometimes they already fall off, so you might not always see it. If you are not sure, ask, use a floral finder app (yup, those exist) and walk away without, if you are really unsure. It is always best to err on the side of caution.
This is a picture from when I was foraging at a later date by myself, I was still a bit sleepy as it was 6am when I went out to pick Q.A.L.
I almost grabbed Hemlock by mistake and went, whoo hoo hoo!
No touchie that stuff Kiki!
That was when I thought, it might be a good idea to take a side by side pic to help any of you foragers that might be interested.
The Hemlock is on the left & the Queen Anne's Lace is in my hand on the right. You can see how a novice could easily make a mistake and forage something, literally, deadly! Remember that Hemlock has a center of small yellow flowers with a cluster of white small petals around; whereas Queen Anne's Lace looks like a bird's nest, has white flowers and a very tiny purple "heart" center.
I received a call from Lady T and she told me that all the Queen Anne's Lace was out and in full bloom.
As it turned out my son needed a serious getaway from the city; so I asked him to come with, for a day of foraging, feeding chickens, and country fresh air. When we first arrived,we could see my son decompress in 10 minutes; it's amazing what getting away from the pressures and speed of the city can do to a person. We both agreed that moving out to the country one day would be something to work for, in our own respective houses of course!
It was beautiful and we got a lot of foraging done, I did not take pictures because it was by the side of a mildly busy road, was really hot, way too sunny, and we had a lot to do.
I did not feel right taking pictures, which could have been dangerous and made us slow down. We were at it for about 2-3 hours and then we ran to get something icy and cold to drink.
At the house, Lady T made them both some yummy gyros with tzatziki sauce and bbq chicken. I was breaking my juice fast, I chose to eat a light salad and drink a freshly made savoury juice.
We had fresh blueberries for dessert and enjoyed a quiet end to the day.
As it turned out my son needed a serious getaway from the city; so I asked him to come with, for a day of foraging, feeding chickens, and country fresh air. When we first arrived,we could see my son decompress in 10 minutes; it's amazing what getting away from the pressures and speed of the city can do to a person. We both agreed that moving out to the country one day would be something to work for, in our own respective houses of course!
It was beautiful and we got a lot of foraging done, I did not take pictures because it was by the side of a mildly busy road, was really hot, way too sunny, and we had a lot to do.
I did not feel right taking pictures, which could have been dangerous and made us slow down. We were at it for about 2-3 hours and then we ran to get something icy and cold to drink.
At the house, Lady T made them both some yummy gyros with tzatziki sauce and bbq chicken. I was breaking my juice fast, I chose to eat a light salad and drink a freshly made savoury juice.
We had fresh blueberries for dessert and enjoyed a quiet end to the day.
This was one of the several bags we managed to forage, just a little tip for you intrepid foragers. Do not bring these bags in your house! These along with any other flowers you forage will have so so so MANY bug critters and you DO NOT want an infestation. It does not take long for a nest of bugs to set up shop in your home, don't risk it!
I leave them out back and when I am ready the next morning, I grab a bowl, a big garden fork, and then I proceed to CAREFULLY and GENTLY shake out the flowers. Fork remove any beetles and unwelcome critters. Do not leave longer than overnight to begin processing these flowers, as they are so delicate and will end up as a loss. They are just not made to last long, once picked.
These were what I started with:
And then I had these cute tiny blossoms:
It's time-consuming, I suggest some fav tunes, sitting comfortably, and asking for some help from hands that can be patient and gentle.
This is how they look when all the flowers are removed, feel free to compost these:
By the time we finished picking everything apart, we had my pitcher full and I could proceed with my steeping process, to draw out the flower flavour, for jelly making.
I do not have a pic of the actual steeping process, to be honest, it looks a tad yuckie. I get that that is not yummy sounding at all, as such, I decided that you did not need to be exposed to the unappealing part. I did manage a pic of the strained steeping liquid; which was a beautiful rosy blush, infused with Queen Anne's Lace loveliness. It's below with the steeping liquid recipe.
This is the glorious and perfectly pretty jelly that I got from this wonderful citrusy floral combo.
I tested it on waffles, just to be sure that it was the proper level of deliciousness before I shared it here. Fear not my lovelies, it is a citrusy wonder of scrumptiousness! I am selling this in my Etsy shop, until supplies last. This is obviously a seasonal, short-run item, but I managed to get in a few foraging sessions and made loads of steeping liquid. When I went the last time, there were smaller flowers but very abundant.
This has given me a few jars more than anticipated, I am excited to share them with you in the soon to re-open shop (It is really, really, almost opening day!). I may do a giveaway with this flavour, let me know in the comments if that would be something you would like; I could even add one of my jars of Lilac & Pineapple Jelly as a floral taster giveaway set. The Lilac & Pineapple Jelly is so pretty and is one of my best sellers, people really adore it. It looks like this and tastes heavenly:
Does that look yummy or what? As I said, comment down below if you would like this. as a giveaway contest.
Here is the recipe for those of you who want try this out in the summer, picking/foraging Queen Anne's Lace starts at the end of July and goes into the earlier weeks of August.
THE BEST CITRUS QUEEN ANNE'S LACE JELLY
This recipe makes about 4x250ml mason jars
Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups Steeping liquid (recipe follows)
4 Cups Sugar
2 Pouches liquid Certo pectin (85 ml each pouch)
2 tsp Powdered sugar-free pectin (I used Bernardin brand)
Method:
-In a non-reactive medium sized pot, heat steeping liquid and sugar until melted at a medium high temperature; making sure to stir constantly.
-Once sugar is melted, bring liquid to a rolling boil, add pectins, cook at a boil for no more than 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
-Skim scum and ladle into still warm, sterilized jars
-Process in a water bath canner, bring to a rolling boil and process for 10-15 minutes.
-Remove jars carefully and place on a rack, allow to cool completely.
-Chill in refrigerator before eating, as this really tastes best when it is cold. Ty it on toast, waffles, it would be really great with scones or as a filling in a sponge cake with whipped cream.
Oh yeah! The possibilities are endless.
CITRUS QUEEN ANNE'S LACE STEEPING LIQUID:
Ingredients:
4 Cups Foraged, bug-free, Queen Anne's Lace blossoms, gently removed from the plant stems.
8 Cups Citrus liquid such as orange juice or grapefruit juice, I used pink grapefruit. (pulp-free)
Method:
-Place blossoms in a non-reactive bowl, that can handle hot liquid, large enough to contain the blossoms and the liquid. Do not put the liquid with the blossoms yet!
-In a large pot, heat the liquid, once it reaches scalding (do not boil), gently pour over blossoms and stir until all are covered. The flowers will float to the top, this is fine.
-Allow to cool to room temperature, cover and place in fridge overnight.
-Using cheese cloth covered strainer, strain the steeping liquid with a bowl to catch the strained liquid underneath.
-You may need to do this twice to be sure you have a clear liquid, now you may use the amount required for the jelly recipe up above. This recipe is high in acid and may give varying results when making the jelly, that is why I recommend using both liquid and a bit of powdered pectin for the jelly recipe. I did have a bit of a problem with my first batches as I had foolishly added another acidic juice in a bid to play with the flavors, I had to fix several batches; so don't do that.
-The rest of this liquid can be frozen to use at a later date.
Leave any questions or comments down below, don't forget to subscribe and let me hear from yah if you give this recipe a go.
Take care, be well, love freely.
I leave them out back and when I am ready the next morning, I grab a bowl, a big garden fork, and then I proceed to CAREFULLY and GENTLY shake out the flowers. Fork remove any beetles and unwelcome critters. Do not leave longer than overnight to begin processing these flowers, as they are so delicate and will end up as a loss. They are just not made to last long, once picked.
These were what I started with:
And then I had these cute tiny blossoms:
It's time-consuming, I suggest some fav tunes, sitting comfortably, and asking for some help from hands that can be patient and gentle.
This is how they look when all the flowers are removed, feel free to compost these:
By the time we finished picking everything apart, we had my pitcher full and I could proceed with my steeping process, to draw out the flower flavour, for jelly making.
I do not have a pic of the actual steeping process, to be honest, it looks a tad yuckie. I get that that is not yummy sounding at all, as such, I decided that you did not need to be exposed to the unappealing part. I did manage a pic of the strained steeping liquid; which was a beautiful rosy blush, infused with Queen Anne's Lace loveliness. It's below with the steeping liquid recipe.
This is the glorious and perfectly pretty jelly that I got from this wonderful citrusy floral combo.
Does that look yummy or what? As I said, comment down below if you would like this. as a giveaway contest.
THE BEST CITRUS QUEEN ANNE'S LACE JELLY
This recipe makes about 4x250ml mason jars
Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups Steeping liquid (recipe follows)
4 Cups Sugar
2 Pouches liquid Certo pectin (85 ml each pouch)
2 tsp Powdered sugar-free pectin (I used Bernardin brand)
Method:
-In a non-reactive medium sized pot, heat steeping liquid and sugar until melted at a medium high temperature; making sure to stir constantly.
-Once sugar is melted, bring liquid to a rolling boil, add pectins, cook at a boil for no more than 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
-Skim scum and ladle into still warm, sterilized jars
-Process in a water bath canner, bring to a rolling boil and process for 10-15 minutes.
-Remove jars carefully and place on a rack, allow to cool completely.
-Chill in refrigerator before eating, as this really tastes best when it is cold. Ty it on toast, waffles, it would be really great with scones or as a filling in a sponge cake with whipped cream.
Oh yeah! The possibilities are endless.
CITRUS QUEEN ANNE'S LACE STEEPING LIQUID:
Ingredients:
4 Cups Foraged, bug-free, Queen Anne's Lace blossoms, gently removed from the plant stems.
8 Cups Citrus liquid such as orange juice or grapefruit juice, I used pink grapefruit. (pulp-free)
Method:
-Place blossoms in a non-reactive bowl, that can handle hot liquid, large enough to contain the blossoms and the liquid. Do not put the liquid with the blossoms yet!
-In a large pot, heat the liquid, once it reaches scalding (do not boil), gently pour over blossoms and stir until all are covered. The flowers will float to the top, this is fine.
-Allow to cool to room temperature, cover and place in fridge overnight.
-Using cheese cloth covered strainer, strain the steeping liquid with a bowl to catch the strained liquid underneath.
-You may need to do this twice to be sure you have a clear liquid, now you may use the amount required for the jelly recipe up above. This recipe is high in acid and may give varying results when making the jelly, that is why I recommend using both liquid and a bit of powdered pectin for the jelly recipe. I did have a bit of a problem with my first batches as I had foolishly added another acidic juice in a bid to play with the flavors, I had to fix several batches; so don't do that.
-The rest of this liquid can be frozen to use at a later date.
Leave any questions or comments down below, don't forget to subscribe and let me hear from yah if you give this recipe a go.
