Social Distancing - early doors

Early doors for our routine social distancing dog walk with Fred (Irish Terrier). We are generally out way before 7.30am, Fred is always raring to go long before we are, impatient to get going often choosing something like a slipper or a scarf to cavort around the house with. This is his way to say; 'COME ON ... Jesus, what's the delay this morning'.

We rotate these walks between Thornden Wood, East Blean Wood, Reculver, Clowes wood, The Downs Herne Bay and I have walked with Fred every morning for over two years now. However; now we have working from home directives my wife is able to come out with us before she starts her working day. So, from being just me and the dog, now it's us and the dog. We can now both experience the value that these early morning woodland/coastal walks have, a place to let your mind off the lead as well as the dog. Sometimes we chatter away, other times we are totally silent in our own little worlds.

Today we walked around the oyster farm by Reculver, we saw the same cyclist twice and another dog walker on the horizon and that was our human contact. We saw the early morning sunshine, cargo ships on the North Sea and the Reculver Towers close up and in the distance. Birds on the beach with carrots for beaks turned out to be Oyster Catchers. The dominating flora of the walk was the green and lush 'Alexanders' which was everywhere, completely omnipresent. Later when we got back, we discovered it was widely used as a food source, every part of the the plant is edible. Initially introduced from the Mediterranean by the Romans. Celery has replaced it in more modern times. 

 

Alexanders, all parts of the plant are edible (apparently)

 

 Recipes for Alexanders (from the Eden Project)

Here are just a few ways to prepare this wild food.
Fresh stems, flowers and leaves
To enjoy these as a fresh vegetable – similar to asparagus – try peeling the stems and boiling them for five to ten minutes, or until tender. Do the same with unripe flower heads, or eat them raw.
Larger leaves can be blanched briefly, while younger ones can be eaten raw.
Candied stems
You can also candy stems like angelica, to use for decorating cakes or to eat as a sweet snack. First, boil the peeled stems in a pan of water and sugar (one cup of each) for 10 minutes. Then drain and lay them on a non-stick parchment that has been covered with caster sugar, and sprinkle some more on top. When they’re dry, shake off the excess sugar and store in a sealed, dry container.
Tempura flower heads
Both the ripe and unripe flower heads can be dipped in tempura batter and deep fried until golden, Japanese style.
Spicy seeds
The hard black seeds appear later in the year and can be used as a spice, much like black pepper.
Roasted roots
Scrub, peel and slice the roots – much like you would with parsnips – toss them in sunflower oil, season, then roast at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or so, until tender. Remember, you mustn’t dig up plants without the landowner’s permission.