Hawthorn is a traditional and ancient British tree. It’s flowers bloom in May and are wrapped in folk lore with fairies and even sexual fertility! Hawthorn has the ability to reduce cholesterol, hypertension and it contains compounds which increase blood flow and alleviate angina. It is a great heart tonic.
How to make Hawthorn fruit leather
This recipe is fairly straight forward to make.
- Place large quantity of ripe hawthorn berries (haws) in a saucepan
- Cover in water or apple juice but don’t add too much as you will need to dehydrate the puree
- Simmer for about 15 minutes & allow to cool
Mash the pulp briefly then rub through a sieve
Pour the strained pulp onto baking paper on a baking tray less than 1cm thick - Place in the oven for approximately 2-4 hours. Leave to dry in the oven at its lowest setting
Leave until the pulp is dry and leathery and can be peeled off the trays - Cut or tear into pieces & store in an air tight jar
- If dried and stored properly they will easily last for a year
Warning
A few words of warning and rules:
- Some plants and fungi are poisonous, so if you are not 100% certain that your identification is correct – DO NOT EAT IT.
- Avoid foraging where agricultural sprays or vehicle pollution may have contaminated produce.
- Always stay on Rights of Way unless you have the permission from the landowner to leave them.
- Picking nuts, berries, leaves etc. is permitted on Rights of Way, but the uprooting of any wild plants is illegal without the landowner’s permission.
Why not join me on a course. Book via Eventbrite or email me for enquiries
Visit our online shop
Learn more about our wildflowers and natural world with a beautifully crafted pack of playing cards. This series of playing cards covers wildflowers, trees of Europe and alpine flowers. There are also wildflower Top trump cards to buy too. Top Trumps are the UK’s best selling card game! Visit our shop to buy