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A guide to making a simple dandelion syrup - the perfect way to welcome spring!

We have just wrapped up a busy week here in the woods selectively thinning a number of Scots pines (Pines sylvestris) as part of our long term management plan. Woodland management is a complicated business, one which I have conflicting views on. In truth I loathe the idea of ‘managing’ any part of nature in any way. Management sounds sterile and dull, yet nature is chaotic, messy and pulsing with living energy. I am an advocate of allowing natural processes to take place and learning from nature by watching events unfold.

This autumn has been a wet, windy and fairly dull affair here in the woods so far; a far cry from the two previous years which delivered warm sunny days and cold nights resulting in riotous displays of autumn colour. There has been one positive from all the wet weather however, our gaze has been diverted from the golden leaves above to the earth beneath our feet and an explosion of fungi working their mycelial magic amongst the leaf litter.

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to build my own house or a cabin in the woods somewhere, and having the ability to make things with my hands and a shed full of tools accumulated over the years and a good reason, it seemed like now was the right time to give it a try. When I had visions of building a cabin, I imagined it would be built from round timber and I would build the whole thing with hand tools; axes and gouges, Dick Proenekke style.

Around this time every year, we head into the woods to cook up an outdoor feast to celebrate midwinter, the forthcoming festive season and to toast the year past. This year we decided to focus on creating a liquid accompaniment to our feasting, something warming that celebrated the season, something that tasted like Christmas in drinkable form.

Sometimes multiple events or situations culminate at just the right time to generate a greater impact than each individual moment could of by itself. One of those moments, which lead to the start of Miscellaneous Adventures is the tale of Dick Proenneke. 

It's become an annual tradition for us in recent years to celebrate the festive season by heading into the woods and cooking up a Christmas feast over the campfire. Read on for all the details our latest recipe maybe give it a go this holiday season.

All around us here in the woods, autumn is making its presence felt; vivid green leaves are slowly yellowing, robins are singing their melancholy song, acorns are raining down from above and flowers have transformed into colourful, shiny alluring fruits.

Yesterday was the first truly warm day of spring so far; In the evening I took a short walk around the woods, chasing the fading orange light and taking mental notes on the activity of the fallow deer, when I heard a crackling, popping sound coming from the canopy. I looked up and around, expecting to see a grey squirrel munching on the pine cones but none could be found. No birds either. What could it be?

In spring, as a tree awakens from its dormant winter state, water and nutrients begin to pump through the sapwood as sap. These nutrients are sent to the buds enabling them to unfurl and thus begins the process of new growth for that year. In this post we'll show you how to tap a birch tree for it's sap and how to make beer with the results.

This year we headed into the woods for Pancake Day and ditched the classic sugar and lemon recipe in favour of a hearty sweetcorn, potato and cheese savoury lunchtime snack. We found this recipe online but omitted a few ingredients to make it easier to cook outdoors and added grated cheese because, well, cheese.

As Christmas fast approaches and visions of anticipated feasting and merrymaking begin to fill our thoughts, we'd like to introduce you to our festive twist on the burrito, one of our favourite foods to cook outdoors. The Pheasantly Festive Burrito is a little like an entire Christmas dinner cooked over fire.