Jeremy Bartlett's LET IT GROW blog

The wonder of plants and fungi.

Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus

Posted on 6 January, 2012 by Jeremy Bartlett2 January, 2017

Chicken of the Woods

It is lovely to be on a walk or cycle ride and to see, quite unexpectedly, a bright orange and yellow bracket fungus on the trunk of a tree, usually an Oak or Willow. This is the Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus, also known as the Sulphur Polypore. It is unmistakable.

It is also delicious, with a texture and taste rather like chicken. Young specimens, which are soft, brightly coloured and ooze with moisture, are the best. (Older specimens are paler, dry and hard and can taste a little bitter.)

We’ve found this fungus in many places from spring until autumn in Norfolk, Suffolk, mid Wales, Sussex and the Lake District. My wife has even braved barbed wire, shinned up a tree and carefully cut a piece from an old oak gatepost in our quests to capture a lovely specimen.

Chicken of the Woods can be added to a recipe in place of pieces of chicken, but I’ve never done this, as I prefer to fry it simply in a little butter or oil. Don’t be greedy when you pick it – just cut off some small pieces and leave the rest.

I have eaten and enjoyed Chicken of the Woods many times and I have given it to friends too, with no adverse effects. But the first time you try it, eat just a small piece to check that it agrees with you. The fungus is reputed to cause dizziness, hallucinations and gastric upsets in a small number of people. Avoid specimens growing on Yew trees – they will be poisonous.

Before eating any fungi, it is wise to invest in a good identification guide. One of the best is River Cottage Handbook No.1, “Mushrooms” by John Wright. John has a great sense of humour too, making this the most enjoyable book on fungi that I know.

Sage – a useful winter herb

Posted on 5 January, 2012 by Jeremy Bartlett2 January, 2017

“How can a man grow old who has sage in his garden?” – Ancient proverb.

Sage, Salvia officinalis

I love herbs – edible, useful, ornamental and often very easy to grow. At this time of year many, such as chives, lemon verbena and mint, have died back for the winter. Others, such as thyme, have less flavour than in summer. But sage is different – it tastes good all year round and can be picked even in the coldest weather.

Sage, like many herbs, is in the family Lamiaceae. The botanical name is Salvia, from Latin salveo, meaning ‘I save’ or ‘I heal’. There are over 700 species of Salvia across the world.

The common variety we use in cooking is Salvia officinalis. Historically, the herb has been used medicinally for almost every ailment. The Greeks used it to heal ulcers, consumption and snake bites. Modern research suggests that it could be used to treat milder forms of Alzheimer’s disease and sage tea mixed with cider vinegar makes a gargle for sore throats. However, it is toxic in large quantities and drinking sage tea for more than a couple of weeks at a time can lead to poisoning.

However, sage has a strong flavour and so you only need to add a few leaves to a recipe. Used in this way, it is safe to eat and the leaves go well with fatty meats such as pork as it helps the body to digest fats. Sage can be cooked with sausages, as in Sage and Sausage Pasta. It also goes well in vegetarian recipes and in Christmas stuffing. The flowers petals are edible too and can be used to decorate salads.

The plain Salvia officinalis grows to 60cm high and has green-grey textured leaves. There is a slightly larger purple form (Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’) and a smaller form with pink, white and purple variegated leaves (Salvia officinalis ‘Tricolor’), which grows to 40cm.

One of my favourite varieties of sage is Blackcurrant Sage (Salvia microphylla), which is tender and dies back in winter. It has pink flowers, which can be added to salads.

Another is Salvia nemorosa, a hardy variety grown as an ornamental. There are several varieties, which will provide flowers over a prolonged period if grown together. For example, the indigo-blue flowers of Salvia nemorosa ‘Mainacht’ in May and June are followed by the violet-purple flowers of Salvia nemorosa ‘Ostfriesland’ in July and August. Both are very attractive to bees.

Salvia microphylla

Salvia nemorosa

Many varieties of sage grow happily in containers, ideally in a sunny spot. Older plants become woody but it’s easy start a new plant by taking softwood cuttings in late spring or early summer. Plant the cuttings in a peat-free compost mixed 1:1 with grit or fine bark and they will root in about four weeks.

If you visit Grapes Hill Community Garden in Norwich you can see Salvia officinalis, Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’, Salvia microphylla, Salvia nemorosa ‘Mainacht’ and Salvia nemorosa ‘Ostfriesland’.

I’d like to try growing another Salvia, Chia (Salvia hispanica), an edible, annual Mexican sage with lovely blue flowers. Mark Watson grew some last year in his conservatory in Suffolk and they flowered until November.

This blog post is adapted from an article I wrote for the November 2011 edition of the Grapes Hill Community Garden Members’ Newsletter.

In praise of Autumn Raspberries

Posted on 5 January, 2012 by Jeremy Bartlett2 January, 2017

Autumn Raspberry “Autumn Bliss”

If I could only grow one fruit, it might have to be the Autumn Raspberry. I love apples, their blossom in spring and their fruit from late summer and figs, with their reminder of sunny holidays in the Mediterranean, their exotic-looking leaves and the steady supply of sun-ripened fruit in August and early September. But for sheer abundance, taste and value for money it has to be the Autumn Raspberry.

The Raspberry, Rubus idaeus, is sometimes known as the European Raspberry, to distinguish it from the American Red Raspberry, Rubus strigosus.

Growing up in Scotland, my Dad grew Summer Raspberries – varieties that fruit on canes produced the year before. But when we took on our allotment our neighbour kindly gave us some Autumn Raspberry plants, of the best known variety, “Autumn Bliss”. These fruit on canes produced the same year.

Summer Raspberries fruit in mid to late summer, giving a large crop in a short time. Autumn Raspberries fruit in the late summer and autumn and, depending on the weather, it’s possible to have fruit from late July through to early December, though the peak season runs for two to three months, from August to October.

Summer Raspberries are pruned after fruiting – the old, brown canes that have just fruited are cut to the ground and the new, green canes are tied in to wires. These will bear the next year’s fruit. Autumn raspberries are easier – they are all cut down to the ground in winter. I usually prune mine around New Year. I’ve pruned about half of mine so far. The canes don’t need to be supported, unless you live somewhere very windy.

Since Autumn Raspberries fruit later than Summer varieties, they miss the peak of Raspberry Beetle activity and so, except for early in the season, there’s no need to remove the damage tops of the fruit (or spray, if that’s what you prefer). They also miss the main nesting season, so blackbirds are less likely to snaffle the fruit to feed their young.

Autumn Raspberries – watercolour by Vanna Bartlett

Most importantly, both Summer and Autumn Raspberries taste delicious. I love the start of the strawberry season but after a week or so the novelty has worn off. But with raspberries, I can eat them every day – which is just as well, as they fruit prolifically. I also grow the yellow variety “Fall Gold”, which has a milder flavour and crops slightly later than “Autumn Bliss” where I live.

Last but not least, they are good for you: high in fibre and full of vitamins (C, E and A, folate), antioxidants and minerals.

Right, time to get out and prune the rest of the canes…

Read more on the BBC Gardening and Fine Gardening websites.