Join me, Murphy and Andrew from the Nine To Alive team as we swapped a dull day in the office for some outdoor foraging with @howl Bushcraft.
We’ve all tried to light a fire, build a shelter and perhaps even stretched our curiosity to checking whether a plant is edible or not.
At least I certainly did during my childhood. Spending time outdoors in the woods with my scout group, always wondering if plants can actually taste nice. Unfortunately, my childhood daydreaming has since become pessimism, as a meat-eater I don’t often think about the benefits of wild flowers or mushrooms.
In fact, only Murphy did not demonstrate cause for concern as founder of Howl Bushcraft and seasoned outdoors expert Jamie Dakota led us into Wharncliffe woods on the outskirts of Sheffield for some knowledge, foraging and food.
”I already knew a lot, but Jamie showed me there’s levels to this game. There is still so much that anybody can learn no matter what they do.” Murphy said.
We began with a 30 minute hike to the official Howl Bushcraft campsite sporadically stopping to check out the food the forest had to offer.
A standout was the Woundwort. Described as ‘sweaty’ in smell and taste by my compatriots, it turned out to be my favourite herbal tea around the campfire.
Ribwort Plantain was another fascinating find. The head of the plant had a distinct mushroom taste and texture that wouldn’t have been out of place in an everyday omelette.
We marvelled at Jamie’s knowledge of the trail and got sucked into picking up nettles with our bare hands. Of course we were taught the proper method of removal without suffering a nasty sting, but that didn’t stop me.
If you want to see us all fall victim to a few nasty stings check out our video on our Youtube coming tomorrow.
The nettles were allegedly going to become crisp once charred over the fire so we picked up a batch with our newfound method and placed them in our dock leaf shopping baskets. (Everything was homemade).
Of course always foraging safely and sustainably to avoid affecting the wildlife.
Finally we ambled to the Howl Bushcraft basecamp which was full of sturdy makeshift shelters that had been created by their previous campers.
Andrew and I sharing a two-man insulated shelter was certainly a tight squeeze.
“It was a great experience and I feel like we all learnt loads from it,” Andrew said.
“I’ll be honest, I had basically no knowledge of Bushcrafting before we went but I feel like now I could definitely give it a go and that’s all thanks to Jamie’s expertise.
“My favourite moment was when me and Huw tried out the two man shelter, it was certainly a moment to remember!”
As we sat down in a fully insulated, waterproof shelter made out of branches and leaves, we all felt on the same level. A calming experience chatting about the peacefulness of the woods and how quickly we had escaped the chains of city life.
Next on the agenda was cooking. Today’s kitchen was in the middle of the woods sat around a campfire created by firewood that we had collected on our walk. I did the honours lighting the fire with a flint and steel. I was told it was ‘expert technique’ to the others dismay.
We learnt more about Jamie’s life sitting around the fire stoking it and maintaining a steady flame. Slow-roasting our find from the day and boiling a pot to make some interesting herbal teas.
Far flung from hula hoops, the nettles were still a tasty crisp that no longer stung you on the way in or out. My favourite creation was the wound wart tea, a pleasant and soothing drink.
Andrew was less than impressed with the wild garlic tea however, he said: “I enjoyed the wound wart and even the nettles themselves were not too bad.
“But the nettle tea was so bitter I had to spit it out, but just like real food I guess it won’t be to everyone’s taste.”
“My favourite food to try was the Rosebay Willow Herb or fireweed. It had a long stem and was surprisingly filling.”
No, Andrew was not still talking about our encounter in the shelter but his favourite snacks from our campfire picnic.
Now, eating the wild garlic and stinging nettles may have not been a fulfilling meal but, as Jamie explained, a lot of the plants that we had picked were useful garnish and could go into a side dish like a salad.
A day of education for the Nine To Alive team and a fulfilling day spent outside the confinements of the office.
We can all agree if we are ever stranded in the woods with no phone, no food and no shelter, Jamie taught us all the essential skills for Bushcraft survival.
If you want to hear more and see some exclusive footage from around the campfire stay tuned to our Spotify tomorrow!
