An edible tuber common in British woodlands.
Although these tasty tubers are beloved of pigs (hence the name) they are a most unusual and rewarding woodland snack and there was a time when they were a popular nibble for country children on their way to and from school. The fern like leaves appear along with the Lesser Celandine in the spring. During May and July they develop umbellifer heads with white flowers not unlike Cow Parsley. According to Gerard and others the Dutch once ate them 'boiled and buttered, as we do parseneps and carrots'.
Unearthing a pignut is a delicate operation. The root disconnects from the tuber very easily, which can be several inches from where the stem appears above ground.
Follow the stem under the earth using careful scraping with a twig, fingernail or knife. Eventually you will reach the pignut, which is covered with a chestnut coloured skin. If you can wash the nut at this stage it avoids getting muddy fingernails while peeling. Scrape off the papery outer coating to reveal the Earthnut.
The older name for Earthnuts is 'Earth Chestnuts' and this gives you a clue to their taste - a chestnut texture but with a more earthy taste.
There's nothing like carefully digging one of these up during a walk in the woods. Do it with your fingernails. As the earthy taste hits the senses you are drawn more completely into contact with the nature around you. A true 'pomme de terre'.
Gerard's Herbal mentions that 'There is a Plaister made of the seeds hereof, whereof to write in this place were impertinent to our historie'....Probably witches again!
Earthnuts also get a mention in Shakespeare's 'Tempest', from Caliban as he promises:
"I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow;
And with my long nails I will dig thee pignuts".
The Ancient Pathways of Cornwall
The Saint's Way in Cornwall is a story written into the land. This ancient route existed long before it was used by saints, taking advantage of the unique shape of Cornwall and its rivers. Evidence (especially Pictish Art forms) suggest that Phoenicians, Egyptians and Greeks journeyed to west coasts of Britain and Ireland even before the Iron Age, in search of Keltic wisdom and trade. They would hit Cornwall and Southern Ireland first.The Lily
This land is my memories. For two thousand years this valley has been mine alone. I know every rock, every stream and every tree. I know the forces that shape this land and the people who inhabit it.Cancer is an energy
Einstein, a genius scientist of the 20th century, and central to the new energy physics, stated that 'a problem cannot be solved by the same mind set that created it'. Cancer is a case in point. Cancer is a dis-ease that stems partly from the products of the mechanistic, anthropomorphic and exploitative philosophy at the heart of our culture, which we tend to ignore. Its effective treatment demands that we see ourselves in a different light and act accordingly.