review
I’ve always been somewhat jealous of writer, photographer and nature lover Phillips. You earn a living by traveling around in nature, writing about it and taking pictures. Yes, I dream about that too. One of his books ‘Pure Nature’ makes my mouth water. It is not only a practical book about the use of wild plants in the kitchen, but also a beautiful book with breakneck photos of dishes from nature photographed in nature.
Pure nature on the table is a plant and cookbook with recipes of the most common wild plants. About blackberry jam, dandelion coffee, lime blossom tea or elderflower wine. Originally medicinal preparation methods that were later also used in culinary terms. It used to be very common, old-fashioned poor people’s food, then it became an alternative and now even exclusive. In addition to those almost classic recipes, Phillips has inventoried a number of other fascinating natural food sources, such as seaweed and mushrooms, as well as included recipes for the most common weeds such as plantain, birdwort, dandelion and nettle. Philips concludes that there are several virtually unexplored areas in the vegetable kingdom that provide an adventurous spirit with many opportunities to prepare exquisite and nutritious meals. Philips also tried to choose one characteristic recipe for each plant instead of a list of all possible recipes. Most mushroom recipes are interchangeable, but he still chose that recipe for each mushroom, which after trying and tasting several times turned out to best suit the taste and structure of that particular mushroom. These recipes have been collected from various sources.
Old recipes
Rummaging through old herbal and cookery books also yielded a wealth of interesting ideas about how to prepare wild plants. However, many of those old recipes are too elaborate and impractical for preparing a simple meal. So they had to be adjusted a bit. According to his own words, he prepared and tested each recipe himself. He then only included those recipes in this book that seemed really worthwhile to his taste. As a curiosity, some medieval recipes have been sprinkled here and there.
Just like in his book Wild flowers (Het Spectrum), Philips has treated the plants in the order in which they grow and bloom over the course of an entire year. Are you looking for natural food in the spring? so you should refer to the first part of the book and look at the types and recipes described there. And if you want to know something about berries or mushrooms, which you can only find in autumn, then you have to browse a little further. However, if you want to look up a specific recipe or plant, the register at the back of the book will of course show you the way.
An example from the book
Bird wall Stellaria media (L.) Vill. An annual or overwintering herb, very common in roadsides, gardens and in ruderal areas throughout the country. Birdwort can be found all year round, but is not very attractive in full summer because it becomes natural and dries up. It is best picked at the beginning of autumn. It will remain in good condition until heavy frost ends it. In early spring, however, it gets fine green shoots again. The whole plant can be eaten. Instead of pulling the plants out of the ground, use scissors for collection.
Birdwall soup
- 1.5 liters of chicken stock, may also be other stock
- 6 spring onions (white and green parts), cut into thin rings
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- 2 bunches of birdwalls, cut, washed and stripped of the coarsest stems
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 dl coffee cream
Remove any hard stems from the bird wall and keep a few sprigs for garnish. In a large saucepan with a thick bottom, bring the stock to a boil and reduce the heat slightly. Add the onions, potato and bird’s wall to the stock and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes in the covered pan. Do not leave the soup on the fire for too long, otherwise it will lose some of its fine taste. Season the soup with salt and pepper and mix it in a cup mixer. Pour the soup back into the pan and stir in the coffee cream. Reheat the soup, but don’t let it boil again. Heat the soup with the twigs of birdwall and serve warm.
The book dates back to 1983, is no longer on the market, but can still be found here and there second-hand in a bookstore or on the internet. in one the translation and adaptation from English is by JM Veltman. Instructions for preparing dishes and drinks from ingredients that the free nature of Western Europe offers. With bibliography. and register. 160 Pages