After our morning at Junior Scholars on Saturday, we spent the rest of the day with our cousins in Watford.
After lunch, the children played together in the garden for a while, and then we went out to the park.
The children played really well together with their three cousins, and it was lovely to watch.
On the way back, we indulged in a bit more impromptu foraging!
After a quick dash back into town to visit the Lego shop (and Junior Scholars again) we went back to their house for supper (and baths!) and the children played together while the adults chatted until it was time to come home.
We came home with just enough brambles to add to some apples from our garden to make a crumble for Sunday evening…
…and elderberries, rosehips and haws which I have finally made into syrup this evening. Tiddler was very proud of his acorn collection so I have to mention that too!
Oh those berries look too good – a gorgeous feast.
Thank you, it was very satisfying – I love foraging 🙂
so many fun photos! i love the jam making too! hope it tasted fab!
Thank you, it’s syrup not jam, but yes it is yummy – great for pouring on cereal or yoghurt 🙂
Looks like a totally perfect day – family, parks, fun and foraging 🙂
Thank you, it really was!
Lovely collages! I have been a crumble making maniac recently but I have never made syrup. It sounds delicious! x
Thank you – first time for me too!
Hannah, Can you please come and visit us and teach me more about foraging? Your haul there looks just too delicious
Would love to Monika – I’m just learning though. We have a lovely friend in our home ed group who is the real expert 🙂
Days like these are fab, fun, games and laughter spending time with family – what more could you want! It’s great how they all get on so well and I was curious to see what you made from your Silent Sunday photo . Thanks for linking up and sharing with Country Kids.
Thanks Fiona x
I loved spending time with my cousins and it looks like your kids do too. I’m very jealous of your berry loot. Looks amazing and the sound of crumble really makes me crave one…
I loved spending time with my cousins too 🙂
i love all the forraging you manged to do and the tasty goodies you made from your hoard. my boys are lucky enough to have cousins in similar age and they all get on so well too x
Thanks Jenny x
Hi, looks like a really lovely day had by all. I was wondering if you have the recipes for the syrups you made, I’m struggling to find one I like the sound of! Much appreciated, thanks 🙂
PS Sorry if I missed it posted elsewhere on the page!
Funny you should ask, I was just trying to remember what we did as we picked some more berries on Sunday. Had to search back for a conversation in a facebook group where I was asked the same question – this was for elderberry syrup. “Remove the elderberries from the stalks and place them in a bowl. Cover with cold water so that any bits of stalk/bugs, etc float to the top, and pour them off. Rinse the berries and place in a pan with enough water to cover them. Bring to the boil and simmer for about half an hour. Strain through a muslin or jelly bag. Add granulated sugar (to half a pint of juice I added half a pound of sugar) and a few cloves. You could add ground cinnamon and/ or ginger as well. Boil for ten minutes and leave to cool. If you want it to last a long time, put it in sterilised jars or bottles. I didn’t sterilise mine because I will probably use it within a week or so.” Most of the recipes for rosehips tell you to chop them first, but I didn’t bother, so I just used the same method for any combination of haws, rosehips and elderberries. I really should write a post about how to do it 🙂
Thanks, Hannah, I make Elder syrup every year, but hadn’t made the haw and rosehip, so maybe I’ll give that a go just using same method, probably with raw honey as sub for sugar! Thanks again, Nicola