by Judith Stafford | Jul 20, 2020 | Into the Woods
July in the woods It is well into summer now and we are returning to some semblance of normality and the foraging course I booked for July is running. Hurray! This time we were on the seashore rather than in a wood. It was a beautiful sunny day; the beach was packed but we were foraging on the marshes and in the grassy dunes where there we very few people. Which wasn’t surprising as the ground was boggy and uneven with channels of water everywhere blocking your path. The plants I saw were very different to those on other walks. They have to survive in a salty environment so tend to be fleshy and tough. One of the first plants we saw was sea spinach, which as its name suggests, can be eaten like spinach. Martin, our foraging guide, had recently made a quiche with it. A plant I am familiar with from my garden and one that keeps appearing in pots when I plant seeds, is fat hen. Also known as lamb’s quarters or White goosefoot (the leaves are shaped like the feet of geese), it is an annoying weed for gardeners but very good for forages as every bit of it is edible. The seeds are rich in starch and can be sprinkled on salads or sprouted and the leaves used instead of spinach or used in salads. Many of the plants we grow.as vegetables are related to wild versions. Wild carrot and parsnip and the sea radish which was in full radish bloom. You can see why it is called a radish in the picture. These...
by Judith Stafford | Jul 2, 2020 | Away with the Fairies
What is the difference between myths and fairy tales? Myths, legends, fables, folktales and fairy tales – it is hard to define exactly what they are. In this post I am going to look at the difference between a myth and a fairy tale and look at which stories belong to which label. I am going to show you why I think that all are interconnected to some degree. Note: For this article I have grouped myths and legends under the title of myths, and grouped fables, folktales and fairy tales under the fairy tale title. I have always been fascinated by these stories whether they are the long sprawling Greek myths of Homer or short fables of Aesop. They are the inspiration behind many fantasy and horror stories like those by Tolkien, Terry Pratchett and Stephen King. Where do these names come from? First to define what we mean by ‘myth’. The word is taken from the Greek ‘mythos’ meaning word of mouth, as this is how they would have originally been told before they were written down. These stories are usually quite complex and revolve around how the world was created or epic tales of events and achievements of nations or individuals. Fairy tales, on the other hand, come from the French ‘conte de fées’ first used by a group of 17th century writers. The word fairy in French is ‘fee’ or ‘feerie’ which means ‘ illusion’, also ‘fey’ was used to describe women who used magic. They are also known as folktales because they are about ‘folk’, ordinary common people. These stories are much more down to earth...
Recent Comments