Elderflower Cordial with roses

Elderflower Cordial July 2013

I have been beckoned once again to wander the lanes of Carrick Golloghan by the scents of elderflower and honeysuckle. Clambering into the heavy growth of the banks I collect this season’s floral abundance on early mornings. For the last 6-7 weeks the hedgerows have been smothered in creamy white flowers, first it was hawthorn (Crataegus monogynae) and now the elderflower (Sambucus nigra) reigns. 

It’s only the second year that I have made the vitamin C rich sweet smelling cordial. For my first batch, I added in other wildflowers of the laneways including dog rose, honeysuckle and pink clover. 



My most recent batch just bottled 3 days ago has the most wonderful pink blush. Truth be told I found the most amazing large cerise pink rose petals of Rosa rugosa growing nearby (beside the N11 and not on a laneway). I remember reading what Culpepper, the 18^th Century herbalist said that what your body needs is never far away. Even in modern medicine elderflower plays an important role in skin and eye ointments.

Having tasted the two batches now, it has made me consider using other rose petals to see how the taste varies with variety. Elderflower cordial has maybe once again taken me to the hill again and my Mountain Views. I feel an elderberry wine or rosehip syrup post developing....

Food For Free on the Mountain

From seaweed to wild violets to Japanese knotweed. All in one week these ingredients found their way into my kitchen with various results.

I’ve only just started to experiment with seaweed after going to a workshop held by the Waterford branch of the Irish Wildlife Trust in Ardmore in Waterford last year. I recently attended a lecture in the Science Gallery. Prannie Rhatigan, a qualified doctor and seaweed expert sang the praises of the ‘seaweeds’. From having a great source of various minerals to having exceptional medicinal properties including anti cancer – weeds they are not. Last Summer I tried the sea spaghetti – a bit chewy. I prefer the sea lettuce.






The wild violet now in flower along grassy banks and laneways can be picked and either used as an edible garnish in salads or cakes but it is also very pretty if teamed up with soft yellow primroses (also in flower - see image).


The wild violet or Viola has many mythological associations but I prefer the version connecting it to Jupiter and his lover Io. Jupiter took the dramatic decision to change his lover into a heifer to protect him from Juno’s jealous outbursts. Violets then grew over pastureland in order to provide rich feed for the heifer. It is frequently thought that violet is the diminutive of Viola which is the Latin variant of Io. The violet is now frequently associated with loyalty and dedication and I have even seen references of its power to instil ‘night time magic’!

Send it back to Japan. Introduced into gardens as an ornamental, Japanese knotweed is now considered to be one of the top global invasive species. Known to rip up concrete paths, car parks and invade natural habitats, Polygonum cuspidatum is a plant that needs a strong and rigorous hand both legal and manual. Control measures include spraying with glyphosphate, in late Summer and/or digging up the soil with roots and burning and burying the waste up to 5metres deep. New moves to use a natural predator, a Japanese beetle could be a solution as trials are ongoing in the UK. But going back to the food issue, recently learnt that the young stems can be eaten and is similar to rhubarb. I took the brave step and tried it. Yes, its very similar to cooked rhubarb but the flavour wasn’t quite there and I’ll be consigning my cooked tips to the bin and hopefully well maintained landfill!!!

Author’s word of warning – take care when eating any plant from the wild. Do your research before you taste.

Squirrel pox on the Hill

Little did I think that one month after writing my second post (about squirrel pox in Wicklow) that I would be writing something very similar - squirrel pox in South Dublin hit the RTE News on Thursday. With expert advice, surveying of the local red squirrels started on the hill last November. However as of today, it has stopped. Sadly, but I'll never know for definite but it is possible that the squirrel tubes being used may have progressed the spread of the disease. A red squirrel was found dead last weekend and it was confirmed that it was infected by the fatal pox disease carried by grey squirrels. My only hope is that the remaining small population survives this outbreak.

The saying there is more than one way to skin a cat seems appropriate. This may be a stumbling block to the fight against the grey squirrels. I'll just go around to the other side for a clearer view.

2012 - Signs of hope and growth

Happy New Year. I've never been able to get too excited over New Year's celebrations. Last year was yesterday. So much can happen in a day. For me it is the changing seasons which brings joy and inspiration.

As I sit at home, on this first day of 2012, watching the birds selectively pick out their favourite seeds, I wonder what the Spring holds. They say that this is the best time to plan your gardening activities, browse through the seed catalogues, list various must do tasks. What is top of the list for me is to lift and separate my many thousand snowdrops after they have covered the lawn in their nodding white bell flowers. Most of mine are the double form with flecks of green on the petals. Lifting and splitting the clumps is always a messy job but best to do it 'in the green'. Flowers have finished and green foliage remains.

Sadly, I never got around to doing my tulip bulbs for their Spring display. Maybe last year's will offer some  level of colour. However, I'll take this opportunity to plant some lily bulbs for the Summer. For the time being that is enough armchair gardening. I'll return to watching the coal tits and great tits pick out the sunflower seeds and dump the cheap millet onto the ground for the local robins and pheasant to clean up.

Squirrel Pox in Wicklow

UCD Vet College confirmed the first case of squirrel pox in the Republic of Ireland over a week ago. Invasive Species Ireland tweeted this sad but not surprising news only today. I strongly suspect that there has been cases of squirrel pox in the Republic for years.

Approximately 4 years ago I came across two dead red squirrels on Caty Gallagher with all the symptoms. Not a pretty sight. The bodies are covered with blisters and sore swollen eyes. Not dissimilar from myxomatosis symptoms in rabbits. I should have had the initiative to send the bodies to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Its the grey squirrel that carries the virus but is not susceptible to the disease itself. Squirrel pox is one of the reasons why are native reds are threatened. Whether this news helps conservation  of the reds remains to be seen. However, it will raise the awareness of the red squirrel plight.

There are currently various projects and studies occurring throughout Ireland and indeed Northern Ireland. The Forestry Service would appear to be more pro-active unlike its counterpart, Coillte down south. Coillte has been named an major party in the All Ireland Red Squirrel Action Plan. I very much doubt if Irish grey squirrels take any notice when entering Northern Ireland through nice wooded areas along the border. Though we would welcome any reds coming down South! Fair exchange?

Greetings from Carrick Gollogan

On this cold and Wintery night, I welcome anyone who wants to follow my new blog. I hope to bring a range of insights and views about a very special place in South County Dublin. Named Carrick Gollogan but her friends know her as Caty Gallagher. She is a small mountain (but really a hill). Her views stretch out as far as the Wicklow Mountains to the South, she can see on a clear day, the Mountains of Mourne and Snowdonia in North Wales on a really good day.