Out Come the Wolves

Picture taken from the Wildlife Trust Myself and other environmental-leftist thinkers will have been cornered into a strange position in the previous few months; agreeing with a proposal that infamous tory politician Michael Gove has put backing behind. Indeed, as environmental secretary, he has been saying many of the ‘right things’ when it comes to environment, sustainability & their future in Britain. Gove has recently given his backing to the proposal for the reintroduction of  beavers to the Forest of Dean where they have been absent for four hundred years.             Elsewhere in the West country, the Devon Wildlife trust has been conducting a heavily monitored trial release of beavers in the River Otter since 2015. These are just a few of the voices clamouring for beaver reintroduction to the united kingdom, amidst calls for other reintroductions, many of them much less timid creatures as the beaver...

Although I have put together the odd jam or syrup every year for at least three years now, I still consider myself an amateur at best when it comes to making preserves. Nevertheless, I feel I have got the gist of making certain products and what defines them in ingredient and technique. These are products that I consider 'autumn' products. Savoury I have made chutneys and ketchups before, but not many times. This year I made a Hawthorn ketchup with some added Sloes (the fruit of the blackthorn plant) as part of a gift bundle of foraged preserves (mainly because I am stone broke!) The ketchup came out brilliantly, with a subtle berry sweetness perfect with cheeses. I prefer it with halloumi or a goats cheese, but have had it in sandwiches regardless. I did not use many sloes, and they are more commonly used to make gins. Hawthorn has many medicinal attributes, mainly to do with the health of the heart and circulation.   A jar and a half of Haw & Sloe Ketchup. I m...

All pictures are taken from the Sussex Roots facebook group (link at bottom) and so may not be my own. Sussex Roots is a society at the University of Sussex; we have always attempted to act as a co-operative as much as Student Union society limits will let us. Basically, it is an allotment for all to get involved in, learn about DIY gardening for the purpose of food, learn about interacting with the environment, experiment with sustainability and socialise outside of an academic space. The original allotment site- we grew almost everything in raised beds outside. I first heard of Roots from a group of my neighbours from East Slope, the now condemned student halls at Sussex, that were about to head out to the site. It suddenly dawned on me that this would be the first time I could make decisions and be more active in growing food. Before, when working on family member's plots, I was merely clueless labour; now, I was part of a team, all of us clueless, welcoming to more c...