The bilberries and raspberries have been abundant in the little corner of South West Scotland I’ve been exploring this July. I love how my fingers are stained purple from picking, and my tongue turns blue from the wild feast. When I’ve had my bellyful, I like to smoosh some basket-bruised berries on pieces of card to make postcards with the raw pigment. Over the coming weeks and months the colours change and fade. It’s a reminder that natural dyes are just that, natural and organic, they have a life of their own. They are not always permanent in the way chemical dyes can be. I like that. I like it when things remind me of the cycles of life and change and death, the vibrant violet of fresh bilberry juice maturing to muted brown.
I’ve also been making red cabbage kraut-chi this week, with various ingredients foraged and gifted to me on my travels. I’ve tried a couple of recipes, one with smoked paprika, chilli flakes and chives from Glentrool community garden, and another with herbs from friends’ gardens- winter savoury and oregano. I also hand squeezed a couple of plums into each batch because some recipes call for apple juice or pear juice, but I decided to use what I had to hand. The reality of storing fermented food in a small, intimate space is that you do get some interesting smells emanating from the jars, and occasionally the sounds of the fizzing ferments can take you by surprise when you’re lying in bed! But it’s worth it to eat something that feels so alive and nourishing.
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stravaig 