A TASTE OF HEATHER pt2

[BoldHighlander]

Items made of the heather plant that didn't fit in over at the Pub.

Found on this site:
http://www.electricscotland.com/gardening/heather.htm
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HEATHER TEA
Gather the flowering heather and after breaking off the hard woody pieces, spread it in a cool open space and leave for approximately 12 - 16 hours. This should, in theory, allow a slight wither to take place - but with heather having a hard leaf, this is not too noticeable.

Put the heather into a liquidiser and bruise and break-up the heather as much as possible. After this spread thinly in a cool place and leave for a minimum of 3 hours to allow a ferment to take place. This should be apparent from a darkening of the mash. After this, put into an oven, temperature 200-250F until the heather is dry and crisp. The tea retains its misty mauve colour and looks attractive. Used on its own, the product gives a thin liquor. Mixed in equal parts with ordinary tea however, it gives a much stronger flavoursome brew. This is a proper tea - not herbs masquerading as tea.


TINKERS TEA
Trout fishermen having a day on the loch use the following method to make tea - they fill the kettle with loch water and take it to the shore, a sprig of heather and tea is then deposited in the kettle. Next, set old dry heather under and make a mountain of heather over the kettle and ignite. By the time it has burnt out the tea is ready and has a heathery flavour. This method was described to me by Mr George Sproat, 4 Rockfleld Road, Tobermory, Isle of Mull.

On the Isle of Skye they had a very simple remedy for tea which had been ruined by smoke from the fire. The solution - a sprig of heather simply placed in the cup!


HEATHER HONEY
There is no other honey quite like heather honey.

Quite different even physically from all other honeys, pure heather honey is sought after by the epicure and commands a high price. Bright golden brown with a pronounced and characteristic flavour, the harvest of heather honey is the premier honey crop in this country.

In some respects, gathering the honey from heather is easier than gathering honey from any other flower source. There is little likelihood of bees swarming when taken to the heather, routine inspection of the hives can be dispensed with and the expectation of a good harvest is reasonably certain - dependent on good weather and no early frosts.

Transportation of the hives to the heather moors is generally undertaken between the end of July and the 12th of August, although this can vary according to the season. However it is advisable to try to catch the best of the Bell Heather and Cross Leaved Heath Crops when they are in the first flush of bloom. Transportation of the bees is best carried out either in the cool of the evening or the early hours of morning. This reduces losses by suffocation.

Due to the flowering structure of the heather plants, where there are numerous flowers on spikes, close to one another in vast expanses of bloom, a considerable amount of honey can be collected in a comparatively short time. Being bell-shaped, the flower is easily entered with the nectar readily available to the visiting bee. The corolla tubes of these small flowers are approximately 2-3mm long with the nectar being concealed at the flowers base. This is easily sought out and collected by the honey bee’s spoon-tipped tongue which is approximately 6mm long. The nectar is converted to honey by the bees themselves.

Bell Heather honey is a thinner honey with a port wine colour and a strong characteristic flavour, whilst Cross Leaved Heath Honey is much thinner and lighter in colour.

[TexasMcGregor]

I am an amateur mazer, that's the proper word for mead maker. I am always trying something new, always creating my own recipes. Last year I created a mead from local honey spiced with heather. Quite tasty. I'll make some more of it it sometime.

[BoldHighlander]

I am an amateur mazer, that's the proper word for mead maker. I am always trying something new, always creating my own recipes. Last year I created a mead from local honey spiced with heather. Quite tasty. I'll make some more of it it sometime.

Sounds great!
Wish I was a wee bit closer to partake