Foraging for Mushrooms

 

 

Foraging for Mushrooms

It's mushroom season! The anticipation of discovering a copious crop while on our daily walk with MacDuff is so great that you can't help but grab a basket and a knife on your way out the door. Foraging for other common varieties such  as chicken in the woods, shaggy ink caps and amethyst deceivers is always so exciting.  We are always lucky to find chanterelles and hedgehogs ( the fungi not the prickly mammal) to eat in a risotto or with a plate of pasta. Friends walking in Glencoe brought me some wonderful ceps the other day.  Wild mushrooms are so versatile, I sometimes  add  them to a stew or to an omelette depending on what takes my fancy that day.

Open from 23rd March - November 

11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Saturday

1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday (free day)

Dunollie

By  lots of fund raising, hard work and determination of the volunteers and staff at Dunollie, our local town of Oban  is now offering a wonderful new venue.

Visit the ruined Dunollie Castle with views looking over Oban Bay and to the Isle of Kerrera beyond. Discover the 1745 House which has been newly made into a museum housing a collection belonging to the once very powerful Clan MacDougall, a fascinating family with so many tales to tell. There is also the willow garden designed by Grum Kathedralen which you can find while wandering the castle grounds.

Kilchrenan Church

 

Kilchrenan Church built in 1771. Believed to be erected on a site of an earlier 1200 medieval church.
The graveyard is well worth a visit. Some of the many gravestones date back to the 1300s and 1400s.
One vertical stone dating back to 1500 depicting a large sword is supposedly a memorial to Cailean Mor (Sir Colin Campbell) an ancestor of the Dukes of Argyll who was slain at the Battle of The String of Lorne in 1294.

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Feel it's time to try and post a few recipes. While walking MacDuff it's always fun to forage for free and at this time of the year before the onslaught of house guests I usually have time to make a few jars of Pesto which I make from Wild Garlic locally found and abundantly available at this time of the year.
Most people think of Pesto as being ground up basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil which I guess are the traditional ingredients. However Pesto just means to crush or pound.

Ingredients :-
100g  Wild garlic leaves

50g     Chives

50g      Pine-nuts, walnuts or blanched almonds

50 - 60g  Parmesan or any hard cheese with a bit of a bite

200 ml    Olive oil or rapeseed 

Season with salt and sugar about 1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp each respectively.

 

Pick over the wild garlic leaves taking out blades of grass or other weeds. If necessary wash but then dry thoroughly 
Place all your ingredients in a food processor and blitz.
Put into clean sterilized jars making sure there are no air bubbles.
Cover with oil to help prolong its shelf life.
Serve with crusty fresh bread and enjoy. 

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 A Trip to Glen Etive


After a busy week entertaining friends and new visitors to Roineabhal. we managed to sneak a visit to Glencoe, Glen Etive and Glen Orchy. So sharing a taste of what we experienced on this wet but very eventful afternoon. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Roineabhal's Platter & Dessert

If you are wishing to stay in for a cosy evening after a long walk over the hills.......here is a tasty option. Although we no longer offer dinner at Roineabhal, what we can do is provide a sumptuous luxury platter of local produce, along with fresh seasonal salads and homemade preserves. One of Maria’s delicious desserts can also be included. (Please don’t forget to order a platter when booking your room or at least a few days before arrival. Living as remotely as we do - we need to make sure we have everything in stock for this tasty multi-layered dish!) 


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Spring! Its Official

Spring. It's official but certainly doesn't feel like it. The sun is shining and the conditions for rambling are fantastic due to the continued dry weather but its still so cold.

There is very little colour yet in the garden but plenty of promising buds. The cattle and sheep are managing to reproduce although there is little grass to produce the mothers milk. It will be costing the farmer much more on feed this year.

 We had a few visitors staying over Easter weekend but it remains quiet again until this weekend.My two workaways are here at Roineabhal to give me a hand. Cupboards are being cleaned and tidied ready for the season and we are planning to

dig and plant the potatoes in their furrows this afternoon. If you hear of 3 females dressed like Eskimo Inuk gardening in Kilchrenan you will know who it is.

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Easter

I am trying to blog via our website and I am learning that patience is certainly not one of my virtues. So if I manage to post this in the correct place I will be patting myself on the back.

I am hoping to wish everyone a Happy Easter before the weekend is over if you haven't already seen our post on Facebook.

It's Easter Sunday and it's a beautiful day with the sun shining.  We are having  the best weather in the country. The ground is so dry, perfect walking conditions. A sperm whale was even spotted in Oban Bay yesterday. Ideal conditions for fitting a few days in at Roineabhal.

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