Soapwort - SAPONARIA OFFICINALIS

 I was out for a dander near the coast recently and found some soapwort. Now this one is a little different than the one I've seen before so I'm assuming it's a garden escapee. Nonetheless it was quite prolific and pretty to look at

Same leaf configuration I've seen before but the petals are a little different, however I took some back to see if it had saponins that could lather in soft water..

I crushed the leaves, gave it a little rub between my hands and it lathered up very well.. A handy find.

Bit of a sea Forage

Its been quite a while since I've been out along the coast looking for edibles so I recently got the chance to go out along the Ulster shore line in search of a meal

Gorgeous part of the world with lots of potential for sea foraging.

Selection of the finds after about 30 minutes, 

Purging them in clean salt water to get rid of the sand, the catch included, mussels, cockles, clams, scallops and whelks.

And steamed then garlic butter added,it was delicious. 

Summer Solstice at the Hill of Tara

A few pics from the hill of tara, the ancient seat of the Kings of Ulster at this years summer solstice

I was more captivated by the numerous fairy thorns than anything else !

Natural right angled handled walking sticks

Every now and again mother nature gives you a gift. I often cut sticks to make walking sticks, staffs, wading poles etc and I'm always on the look out for something special. And today I cut two rather special sticks, as they both have perfectly naturally formed right angle handles.. rarer than hens teeth. I'm really pleased with these and they'll make lovely walking sticks after they're seasoned.

Modifying a utility knife into a fillet knife

Sometimes you just need a filtering blade that's a little smaller than the normal 6 inch blade, for smaller fish and for removing ribs I like a 4.5 inch blade, so not being able to buy one like that I thought I'd modify a knife to make one.

I bought a couple of rockingham forge utility knives  these are great for the price, but I decided to modify one so that it is slimmer and more flexible.

I ground the spine down and curved the tip up to enable me to work round the bones more easily.
The bonus was it also made the knife much more flexible.

Now to catch the fish !!

Logan's Homemade pasta.

My multi talented son (well, he takes after his Dad) was a little concerned about everybody during this pandemic when he heard how everyone was buying as much pasta as they could , so he figured he'd show you all how to make it at home from a few simple ingredients..

Firstly, what you'll need is some flour, salt an egg or two depending on how much you want to make and a little oil.

Put two cups of flour on the counter and add the egg, a little salt and just enough oil to bring it all together into a dough.

Knead it till it forms into a non sticky dough, add some flour to the counter top and your hands to stop it sticking.

Let the dough rest in the fridge for an hour or so.

Once rested roll it out into thin layers

Cut it into thin strips and separate into plastic bags, these will stay fresh in the fridge for 3 or 4 days

It will cook quickly, 2 mins or so, then add some garlic, mozzarella, cheddar, a few herbs and a drizzle of oil and there you have a meal fit for a king..Enjoy!

Mink tracks

This lockdown due to the coronavirus seems to be taking its toll on a lot of people, I know its difficult not getting out the way we used to but hopefully it wont be like this for long. We are allowed out for exercise each day and theres a little creek not too far from me and I saw mink tracks on the riverbank, first time I've ever seen them in this area thought they are prevalent in other places I've been too  but it's nice to know our furry friends still go about their daily business oblivious to what's happening to us.