tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52937980922860883242016-03-26T10:48:34.735+01:00Learning about wildcraft, edible plants, herbs, making gifts, recipes, natural cosmetics, crafts in bella Italiawildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-21906885731171792052014-01-02T10:09:00.001+01:002014-01-02T10:09:10.749+01:00

Happy 2014!!! Last year,  in January I wrote a post about dandelions, things-to-do-with-dandelions well it was actually a round up of links to recipes and ideas of  how to use dandelions. It has been my most popular post ever!!   I was and still am surprised  that  dandelions are so popular or have become more so of late. I see them popping up everywhere ! When I first started becoming

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-2185551483359812492013-12-11T08:46:00.001+01:002013-12-26T09:32:35.927+01:00

If you have been thinking of making a liqueur for Christmas and haven't got around to it you may like this idea. It  would be better to make these at least a month before consuming them, but they are pretty tasty even after a week or so. Although I've been living in Italy for ages, I discovered "zuccherini" for the first time in the Summer. I was undecided whether or not to write  about them,

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-25685724653523671262013-12-03T17:19:00.004+01:002013-12-05T20:26:23.383+01:00

If you ask my daughter what her favourite food is, without a moments hesitation, she will tell you that it is chestnuts. It has been her answer for as long as I can remember. Since she was a small thing and her answer made everyone smile, as it was unexpected. Although,  perhaps it's not such an unusual answer for Italian kids, from this region at least. Eating roasted chestnuts in

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-1320690451025104552013-11-17T00:39:00.001+01:002013-11-27T08:11:18.568+01:00

I'm feeling rather smug as I've just prepared two Christmas gifts, but I  will probably now do nothing until two days before Christmas and then panic. I love home-made gifts and I always have intentions to gift more than I actually do.  Home-made gifts  not only  indicate  good intentions but also love, thought, consideration,  dedication of ones time,  planning and  more......If they taste

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-54965887283932459342013-11-10T19:13:00.000+01:002013-11-11T16:15:59.148+01:00

I had never tasted truffles (black ones) before coming to Italy. I must admit that I had a rather confused idea about what exactly they were.   "Expensive, mushroom, luxurious, perfumed,  posh,  funghi, chocolate(?), rare" .....were some of the words that sprang to mind.  The first time I laid my eyes on a real black truffle (white ones are much rarer and very expensive) was many

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-50553042526012849792013-10-31T10:18:00.002+01:002013-11-06T12:00:01.501+01:00

Last year I wrote about Clematis vitalba, after discovering the new(to me) Italian wild edible plant was actually  considered highly toxic. That's what I love about Italians, they are so creative (let's leave politicians out of this consideration) and  have always discovered how to make the best out of anything, especially in the kitchen. Italy is an extremely bureaucratic place, but some

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-58821142433370606482013-10-24T11:39:00.000+02:002013-10-29T00:06:56.648+01:00

I'd just like to share a cake recipe for a lovely gluten free-walnut  cake. Sometimes nut cakes can be pretty heavy, this isn't, it's light. Often gluten-free cakes and biscuits can have a strange sandy texture, this hasn't, it's soft and spongy. It's also very special because it contains local gathered walnuts (but you could use shop-bought) and because it was made by my daughter, who is

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-73151516030232875802013-10-13T00:36:00.000+02:002013-10-13T09:51:34.566+02:00

If you've read my blog before you will know that I love discovering new wild plants and learning how they are used or have been used here in Italy or in different parts of the world. Recently walking along a country lane a little smudge of orange caught my eye. A chinese lantern!! Maybe you know them by a different name?  They also go by winter cherry, ground cherry, bladder

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-62621805348258995422013-10-07T23:34:00.001+02:002013-10-13T10:24:24.824+02:00

Speedy Post Loving the wild chinese lanterns (winter cherries) and wild rose-hips. They are so orange. Some wild rosehips (not all) are the same shade of colour as the husks of chinese lanterns. They get redder when ready for picking. Both the fruits  protect their tiny seeds for as long as possible and are bursting with vitamin C.

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-78198491599837483382013-09-29T18:21:00.005+02:002013-10-23T12:10:18.554+02:00

This is my last post about hops.....I promise.  I admit I haven't posted about anything else for quite a while. Before discovering hops growing wild, close to home this year,  I thought that hop flowers were only useful for brewing beer.  To be honest,  I wasn't even sure what hop flowers looked like. I had absolutely no idea that the female and male flowers were different or that they

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-76566006258291311452013-09-17T12:17:00.001+02:002013-10-23T12:10:54.970+02:00

Yesterday I posted some photos of wild hops and an easy recipe for "hoppy bruschetta"; hops-and-hoppy-bruschetta This is how I used some in other non-edible ways; Wild Hop Wreath  Gently pull down a hop vine. Put down an old sheet or some paper to make cleaning up afterwards easier. Roughly wrap it into a circle and wrap it around a number of times. I used a

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-6984870239175820172013-09-16T18:17:00.002+02:002013-10-23T12:12:01.218+02:00

The local wild hops are going beserk this year.  I've never seen so many.  I probably could set up a little brewery, not that I know much about brewing. Hop vines, or I should say "bines" ( they are luppolo in Italian), are sneaky plants, they spread along the ground unnoticed  and then,  from one day to the next, suddenly begin climbing, decorating and latching on to anything possible;

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-559400752001333132013-09-09T08:32:00.000+02:002013-09-10T14:02:15.983+02:00

Foraging/Wildcrafting doesn't always come with guaranteed results,  sometimes you don't find  what you were searching for and go home  empty-handed.  Other times you find a completely different salad leaf, berry, nut or fruit than  you had hoped for.  If you forage frequently in the same place, year after year, you get to know what you can gather, where and when to look for it, but it's not

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-26103446692118792692013-09-02T22:36:00.000+02:002013-09-06T16:26:20.378+02:00

A few days ago I went for a long walk around a small mountain. This is what I brought home;  blackberries, crabapples, elderberries, sloe berries and a few juniper berries.   I have been longing to try my hand at jelly making for quite a while and it seemed a good day to try.  I also had a vague idea of trying to make  a type of membrillo aswell.  I recently came across this  lovely

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-30877532068118713932013-08-27T12:37:00.001+02:002013-08-30T18:57:46.334+02:00

I've recently spent some time in the North/West of England. The weather was pretty cool and rather wet, but I did manage to go for  quite a few walks. The countryside was very green and the hedgerows were  rampant. One of the plants  that I noticed the most was a plant that I haven't seen  growing  in the surroundings of my home in Italy (although apparently it does grow here)  Chamerion

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-66441909962381282292013-08-07T10:40:00.000+02:002013-08-07T12:51:45.687+02:00

I've been to the seaside for a few days staying with my Mamma-in-law. Visiting her is always a trip down memory lane, as she has kept all my kids old toys, drawings, invented games and general doodles. I found these necklaces that they made one summer. They made them with a couple of "beach friends" and a little help from  the adults and sold them for pennies (cents or maybe a euro) to

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-72727556823149990132013-08-06T00:38:00.002+02:002013-08-30T18:57:58.283+02:00

The first time I ate purslane was in Greece, quite a few years ago.  It was  in a hotel restaurant near Olympia, which I had just visited with my family. Purslane was served as  a salad ingredient.  I remember that I really liked it's refreshing, slightly sour, substantial crunch. When I asked the waitress  what it was, she wasn't able to tell me in English, but told me that  it  was

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-58266470303556497642013-08-01T10:55:00.001+02:002013-08-30T18:58:08.085+02:00

Walking close to home a few days ago, peering in the ditches as I often do, I spotted some low growing weeds which at first glance I thought were red clover. When I looked harder I saw that they were not, in fact   many of the "flower spikes" had pale pink/purple flowers. They were quite  strange looking plants, a complex structure covered in tiny hairs and interesting shapes. I

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-20105698022423447122013-07-26T09:11:00.000+02:002013-08-30T18:58:38.096+02:00

If you read my post  the-scented-isle about Corsica's perfumes and scents you will have realized that Corsican  wild plants made a big impression on me when I visited the island. I especially loved seeing the myrtle flowers and crushing the leaves in my fingers. I have a tiny myrtle plant in a vase in my garden, but the scent is very different. Myrtle leaves are used in Corsica to flavour

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-92047793944720184882013-07-13T10:01:00.001+02:002013-07-26T09:50:26.666+02:00

Super Speedy Post A while ago I planted a little herb corner in four old drawers that were going to be thrown out. Some of the herbs planted have gone berserk and are growing beyond control, others are being decimated by snails, birds and insects. It's a rather shady corner and has become shadier, but it is very hot here and I don't water the plants as often as I should. It has been a good

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-10114057694065684222013-07-12T10:43:00.000+02:002013-09-01T07:32:51.771+02:00

I'm just back from CORSICA.  It was my first visit, but not my last hopefully, although  I have been to nearby Elba and Sardenia before. Corsica is a French island just four hours by ferry from Livorno in Tuscany. The local dialect sounds more like Italian than French, as the island was inhabited by many Italians (Genoans) in the past. I loved Corsica. It's a beautiful, breathtaking,

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-60420922800613379442013-06-25T23:44:00.001+02:002013-11-18T13:43:03.222+01:00

I've done it.....finally. I have intended to make nocino for the last three years and have always managed to miss the time slot. This year, I was determined and have been checking the walnuts since the beginning of June. I picked some a few days ago and they are now infusing on a window ledge which catches the sun light for most of the day. Nocino is believed to have originally been produced by

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-15185108093264432022013-06-18T12:13:00.001+02:002013-06-18T22:25:56.241+02:00

The moth in the photo is the Cream-Spot Tiger Moth (Arctia Villica). I took a photo of it  a couple of evenings ago. It was sitting on the ground next to my front windows and I spotted it when I was closing the shutters (most Italian homes have shutters or external blinds).   When I opened the shutters in the morning I was shocked to see what was left of the the pretty moth. Sitting close

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-47073385993997753092013-06-17T09:25:00.000+02:002013-06-21T00:52:38.928+02:00

The cherries in the park close to my house are ready. They haven't been attacked by insects yet and look perfect, but I  can't eat too many of them straight off the trees as they are quite tart. The black cherries are a little sweeter, but there are less of them. Since living in Italy I have learned to appreciate eating sweet/spicy/pickle jams and jellies  with cheese. Some of my

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293798092286088324.post-42801488735363738712013-06-13T00:54:00.001+02:002013-11-19T11:58:23.926+01:00

About a month ago I won a copy of recently launched  e-book called "Wildly Nourished". The author is Leaf @ www.wildplantforager.com, a  Belgian herbalist and wild plant lover. I was really pleased to win. I can't remember winning anything since I was a kid. How did I win it? Well, I had been following Leaf's informative blog for a while and she asked her readers to submit photos of edible

wildcraft divahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07743587952428928237noreply@blogger.com2