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Happy Friday,
The squirrels are starting to harvest Hazelnuts (Corylus avellana), so it might be wise to see if the trees in your area are ready and get in before our wild fluffy friends do.
'Hazel was one of the first trees to colonise the land after the end of the last Ice Age,' writes Gabrielle Hatfield, 'and for a great period of time it would have been one of the most abundant tree species.'
Little wonder the Hazel tree has become deeply entrenched in our ancient history, beliefs and customs.
Hazel forests provided materials for making houses, fences, furniture, baskets and tools.
Its charcoal gave early people the thrill of gunpowder. The nuts have provided a valuable source of sustenance probably since prehistory.
People told epic stories about the tree and its fruit (hazelnuts) from ancient Greece to Medieval Europe, and it had a magical reputation in many traditions.
Yet, for all its vaunted power, in the language of flowers, Hazel signifies reconciliation and peace.
The Hazel tree has provided people with food to eat, flowers to heal, and wood to build for many centuries.
Click here for its food and medicine uses and more.
Talk soon,
Robin
P.S. I have just released new Autumn foraging course dates. All courses are in Devon and run between 10am and 12.30pm.
For full details, click the links below.
- Exeter: Thursday, 15th September 2022
- Exeter: Thursday, 22nd September 2022
- Exeter: Saturday, 24th September 2022
- Exeter: Thursday, 29th September 2022
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