:00:26. > :00:30.If you've been out in the countryside these last few weeks,
:00:30. > :00:37.It's not just the normal onset of autumn that I'm talking about.
:00:37. > :00:40.No, this is much bigger, and it's happening in woodlands
:00:40. > :00:49.our farmers have had a much better harvest.
:00:49. > :00:54.But that's nothing compared to what Mother Nature's got in store.
:00:54. > :00:57.There's an absolute profusion of nuts and berries,
:00:57. > :01:06.In this autumnal programme, I'll be looking at what it means,
:01:06. > :01:13.And, along the way, we have got some of the best of nature's wild
:01:13. > :01:17.harvest that has been featured on Countryfile in recent times.
:01:17. > :01:23.In Cornwall, Julia cooked up one of our least favourite weeds
:01:23. > :01:26.and produced something surprisingly tasty.
:01:26. > :01:31.Yes, I do. Do you like rhubarb? Lovely.
:01:31. > :01:42.Meanwhile, I went undercover to track down a very rare
:01:43. > :01:50.because we mustn't let anyone know where we are going.
:01:50. > :02:02.And, in Northern Ireland, Ellie went uncovered
:02:02. > :02:07.to test the unexpected benefits of something rather fishy.
:02:07. > :02:13.and the hypothesis is that it will make me feel younger
:02:13. > :02:37.This autumn has been a bumper one for wild fruits and berries.
:02:38. > :02:42.What's really remarkable is the massive overproduction of mast,
:02:42. > :02:48.an old name for the nuttier fruits of the forest.
:02:48. > :02:52.I'm in Somerset, not far from Taunton, at Langford Heathfield
:02:52. > :02:59.Nature Reserve, meeting tree expert Simon from the Forestry Commission.
:02:59. > :03:02.Let's get out of the rain for a moment, Simon,
:03:02. > :03:07.Look at all the acorns on this one, it's amazing. It's laden, isn't it?
:03:07. > :03:10.It's almost staggering under the weight of acorns.
:03:10. > :03:16.It's the way we describe these extraordinary abundant years
:03:16. > :03:21.for species like oak, producing acorns and sweet chestnuts,
:03:21. > :03:25.and beech mast is something that people know about.
:03:25. > :03:27.There seems to be in these particular species
:03:27. > :03:32.incredible spikes in production - it's almost as though, we believe,
:03:32. > :03:35.they're responding to some conditions in the weather.
:03:35. > :03:38.We don't fully understand it, and it seems to be a nationwide phenomenon.
:03:38. > :03:43.Between five and seven years on oak, and it varies with other species.
:03:43. > :03:49.this system of synchronising their abundance to produce so much
:03:49. > :03:53.fruit in one go that all the animals are satiated, they can't eat it all.
:03:53. > :03:58.They get full tummies. So there are still nuts around to survive.
:03:58. > :04:01.More of them will survive through the winter,
:04:01. > :04:04.and they'll be the next generation of oaks when they germinate next year.
:04:04. > :04:10.there are some strange looking things, like this.
:04:10. > :04:13.What's happened to that acorn? That is called a knopper gall.
:04:13. > :04:19.The adult lays its eggs in the developing acorn, the larvae develop,
:04:19. > :04:22.and this is the oak tree's response to those creatures being inside it.
:04:23. > :04:27.They're using the acorn's energy resources to develop.
:04:27. > :04:31.Unfortunately, that acorn will now be inviable.
:04:31. > :04:34.But there are plenty of healthy acorns on that tree.
:04:34. > :04:37.Which is good news for all the little mammals and birds.
:04:37. > :04:41.Indeed. Traditionally this would have been seen
:04:41. > :04:48.but also for people because they would have fed their animals on this.
:04:48. > :04:52.Pannage is a word we used to use for the right to have your pigs feeding
:04:52. > :05:02.Producing so many acorns and other nuts takes a huge amount
:05:03. > :05:07.of energy for our trees, so this won't happen again for a few years.
:05:07. > :05:10.Now, for those of us who don't have a pig to feed,
:05:10. > :05:13.what can we do with this excess of free food?
:05:13. > :05:16.It helps if you have a chef to call on, as Matt found out
:05:16. > :05:21.Bearing its plentiful bounty at this time of year
:05:21. > :05:28.is the sweet chestnut, one of Britain's most ancient trees.
:05:28. > :05:31.Their precious nuts have been a staple food source
:05:31. > :05:35.These trees were introduced to Britain by the Romans
:05:35. > :05:45.take advantage of this ancient tree's free harvest.
:05:45. > :05:50.So, I'm on a mission to champion the cause of the British sweet chestnut.
:05:50. > :05:54.the Ancient Tree Hunt Project is working with volunteers
:05:55. > :05:59.across Britain to help draw up a map of their locations.
:05:59. > :06:02.What exactly is the Ancient Tree Hunt?
:06:02. > :06:05.It's a project run by the Woodland Trust, where we're aiming
:06:05. > :06:08.to collect 100,000 records of ancient, veteran
:06:08. > :06:14.This month we've just gone over 75,000 records,
:06:14. > :06:19.How old does a tree have to be to be classed as ancient?
:06:19. > :06:23.It depends on the species. With a yew tree, over 600 years.
:06:23. > :06:27.These sweet chestnuts here, 250 years,
:06:28. > :06:34.They are. They're called the Twelve Apostles,
:06:34. > :06:37.they're the largest sweet chestnuts in the Chilterns.
:06:37. > :06:41.A classic example of parkland planting from 250, 300 years ago.
:06:41. > :06:50.It gets deeply fissured once it gets over a couple of hundred years old,
:06:50. > :06:52.then you can start to see the twists.
:06:52. > :06:55.This one's got a fantastic, almost serpent-like twisting
:06:55. > :07:05.Let's have a root around to see if we can find one to have a nibble of.
:07:05. > :07:10.I love them roasted, but I've never tried them raw.
:07:10. > :07:13.They're very crunchy. They are classed as a nut, aren't they?
:07:13. > :07:15.If there is anyone with a nut allergy,
:07:15. > :07:18.they should be aware before they start munching these.
:07:18. > :07:21.Exactly. It's interesting that the British people don't collect them
:07:21. > :07:24.like they do in the Mediterranean countries,
:07:24. > :07:29.I'm not quite sure why because they taste just the same.
:07:29. > :07:31.But I think the main difference is the size.
:07:31. > :07:35.Down in the Mediterranean, they fill out and get much bigger
:07:35. > :07:40.Do you find that restaurants are importing them?
:07:40. > :07:43.They do, they mostly come from Italy into the UK.
:07:43. > :07:47.With countless numbers of the sweet chestnut's bounty going to waste
:07:47. > :07:50.all over the country, surely there must be a way
:07:50. > :07:54.to turn this neglected British nut into more of a delicacy?
:07:54. > :07:58.To find out, I'm grabbing a load of the biggest sweet chestnuts here
:07:58. > :08:02.and taking them to this restaurant near Henley-on-Thames.
:08:02. > :08:04.Which happens to belong to a certain celebrity chef
:08:04. > :08:11.Antony, how you doing? Hello, Matt. Thanks for helping us out.
:08:11. > :08:15.It was a challenge for me. How versatile are these sweet chestnuts?
:08:15. > :08:19.What can you do with them? You can do an awful lot with chestnuts.
:08:19. > :08:23.The British tend to make stuffings but not much else really.
:08:23. > :08:26.Maybe fried up with Brussels sprouts, which are quite nice.
:08:26. > :08:29.But the Spanish are big with them of course,
:08:29. > :08:32.but they don't use British chestnuts.
:08:32. > :08:35.What have you got here? I've just had a little play.
:08:35. > :08:38.I love spiced nuts and I like sweet nuts.
:08:38. > :08:41.These are the spiced nuts, which are a bit of cumin, smoked paprika,
:08:41. > :08:49.The sweet ones are mixed spice, cinnamon and brown sugar.
:08:49. > :08:54.I blanched them first, got them reasonably soft.
:08:54. > :08:57.You haven't got the crunch, they do go soft.
:08:57. > :09:00.I'd love more people to use British chestnuts. They're all around us.
:09:00. > :09:03.Especially here, there's loads of trees.
:09:03. > :09:08.Shall we put these on a little plate?
:09:08. > :09:10.Put those on a plate. This is the sweet one.
:09:10. > :09:14.It will be interesting to see. Quite Christmassy flavours going on here.
:09:14. > :09:21.You can imagine some of those with a glass of mulled wine. Oh, my word.
:09:21. > :09:23.Am I all right to dive in? It might be hot, be careful.
:09:23. > :09:34.They have got that creamy texture in the middle, haven't they?
:09:34. > :09:39.Now these - cumin, garlic salt and smoked paprika,
:09:39. > :09:47.It sounds fantastic, let's see how they taste.
:09:47. > :09:51.Actually, very different. Very different.
:09:51. > :09:54.You can imagine those getting your saliva glands going,
:09:54. > :09:56.so you need plenty of drink to go with those.
:09:57. > :10:02.and give the townsfolk an autumn treat.
:10:02. > :10:05.I'll keep my fingers crossed. See you later. Thanks again.
:10:05. > :10:09.The great thing about chestnuts is that they're fantastic
:10:09. > :10:16.flavour carriers, but how well will they go down here?
:10:16. > :10:18.British sweet chestnuts, picked about an hour ago.
:10:18. > :10:23.It's a surprise actually. Is it? Do you normally have chestnuts?
:10:23. > :10:30.Excuse me, sir? Can I interest you in a sweet chestnut?
:10:30. > :10:38.They are nicer when they're a little bit warmer.
:10:39. > :10:47.There you go, my friend. Just grab in there, look.
:10:47. > :10:50.I think he thinks it's chocolate. What are they like? Are they nice?
:10:50. > :11:05.Wow! Going in for seconds. He is! Yes, shove it all in. Magic!
:11:05. > :11:10.Very nice. British chestnuts. Lovely.
:11:10. > :11:25.Yes, we can do a thumbs up. Brilliant!
:11:25. > :11:28.Well, the general consensus seems to be
:11:28. > :11:34.that our British sweet chestnuts are a winner.
:11:34. > :11:37.With this year's bumper wild harvest
:11:37. > :11:38.there are plenty of other winners as well,
:11:38. > :11:42.like these hedgerow favourites, blackberries.
:11:42. > :11:48.There are loads of them, and they're delicious.
:11:48. > :11:52.'Sometimes, nature surprises us with its offerings.
:11:52. > :11:56.'It's extraordinary that, alongside many busy roads,
:11:56. > :11:58.'there are healthy and productive apple trees.
:11:58. > :12:02.'They've often grown from apple cores
:12:02. > :12:05.'thrown out of the window by passing motorists.
:12:05. > :12:08.'I've teamed up with the ideal person to check out
:12:08. > :12:22.I'm joining Liz Copas, a pomologist -
:12:22. > :12:24.that's an apple expert to you and me -
:12:24. > :12:28.and we're picking a selection to taste.
:12:28. > :12:31.This is what we gathered, Liz, in about five minutes
:12:31. > :12:33.on a random stretch of road. It's amazing.
:12:33. > :12:37.There's all sorts - green, red, and some sort of recognisable.
:12:37. > :12:39.But none of them are the true variety.
:12:39. > :12:44.So what does that mean? These are all new, if you like.
:12:44. > :12:49.When a seedling comes from an apple, it's never the same as its parent.
:12:49. > :12:53.This is sort of Golden Delicious. It's got ten pips in it.
:12:53. > :12:56.If you sowed those ten pips, they'd come up as ten little seedlings,
:12:56. > :13:01.but they would not be identical to one another, nor to the parent.
:13:01. > :13:04.But if it had been a commercial Golden Delicious,
:13:04. > :13:08.you'd have taken cuttings from the same tree.
:13:08. > :13:11.Exactly, that's vegetated propagation, where you cut a piece
:13:11. > :13:15.of vegetation off and grow lots like it, so they would all be identical.
:13:15. > :13:18.But seeds never are. Seedlings are not predictable.
:13:18. > :13:21.No! That's how you get all this variety.
:13:21. > :13:26.So what have we got here? That looks to me like a Gala.
:13:26. > :13:30.That might have come from a Gala originally.
:13:30. > :13:33.It's got some of the characteristics. These look like Coxes.
:13:33. > :13:39.Yes, it's that kind of russety, golden colour.
:13:39. > :13:42.And these are little crab apples. Yes, they are wild apples.
:13:42. > :13:46.Full of tannin, so they're quite good for adding to other things
:13:46. > :13:48.if you wanted to make a drop of cider.
:13:48. > :13:51.It's been a bumper year for apples, hasn't it?
:13:51. > :13:54.Just as it's been a mast year for berries and nuts.
:13:54. > :13:57.These are just a few from one of my trees. Last year we had none at all.
:13:57. > :13:59.Is there a connection there? Absolutely.
:13:59. > :14:02.It's about 80% down to the weather, and the other 20%
:14:02. > :14:05.is how you look after your trees, how you feed them and prune them.
:14:05. > :14:10.Apples make their flower bud for the following season in about August.
:14:11. > :14:14.So if you've had a good summer, even if you've got a good crop
:14:14. > :14:18.and it's taking a lot of the nutrients out of the tree,
:14:18. > :14:22.to make some good flower bud for the following year.
:14:22. > :14:25.So, quite a mixture discovered in a short time.
:14:25. > :14:27.Yes, all in the space of a few hundred yards.
:14:27. > :14:31.An excellent choice of apples that people have for lunch.
:14:31. > :14:37.Well, these apples aren't going for lunch. They've got another purpose.
:14:37. > :14:40.'And I'll tell you more about my plans for those roadside apples,
:14:40. > :14:43.'and for the ones from my garden, later in the programme.
:14:43. > :14:47.'This wild harvest is nature's last throw of the dice
:14:47. > :14:52.'Soon, these leaves will be turning and falling.
:14:52. > :14:56.'So what's the science behind this spectacular display?
:14:56. > :15:00.'One autumn day, Julia asked BBC weatherman John Hammond
:15:00. > :15:03.'to shed some light on it, literally.'
:15:03. > :15:08.Well, Julia, welcome to my outdoor living area,
:15:08. > :15:12.complete with beautiful sofa, pumpkin and of course table lamp.
:15:12. > :15:15.Very nice. You want to know what's going on. Yes, great views.
:15:15. > :15:19.Here we are surrounded by the effects of autumn, but what is the cause?
:15:19. > :15:22.Well, autumn is of course one of the seasons
:15:22. > :15:25.if we didn't have a tilted Earth on its axis.
:15:26. > :15:28.If it wasn't tilted, we wouldn't have any seasons,
:15:28. > :15:30.so it's a good job. Let me show you why.
:15:30. > :15:34.Let me grab the Earth on its axis. So that pumpkin is the Earth.
:15:35. > :15:38.The Earth spins on its axis once a day.
:15:38. > :15:44.But it also goes around the sun once a year.
:15:44. > :15:48.OK? Now, I get over here and... I shall reveal the sun for you.
:15:48. > :15:51.Ta-da! ..dissemble the table lamp to reveal the sun in all its glory.
:15:51. > :15:54.I've painted on the UK. Nicely done, very professional.
:15:54. > :16:00.Sort of. If I hold the axis, like this, in summer,
:16:00. > :16:04.the sun is shining almost directly overhead in the UK,
:16:04. > :16:08.so you get very strong sunshine and you get a longer day length.
:16:08. > :16:18.Because of the angle, because of the slant of the axis,
:16:18. > :16:20.you can see that the sun is lower in the sky
:16:20. > :16:23.and the UK isn't getting the direct effects of that sunshine.
:16:23. > :16:26.So the weather is colder and the day length is shorter.
:16:26. > :16:28.That's the difference between summer and winter.
:16:28. > :16:31.And autumn is the transition between the two.
:16:31. > :16:34.All to do with the angle of the dangle. Absolutely, yes.
:16:34. > :16:37.The further north you are, the earlier autumn starts.
:16:37. > :16:41.And the greater the changes to temperature and length of day.
:16:41. > :16:45.So Matt went to Scotland to find out how those changes cause plant life
:16:45. > :16:56.to create beautiful autumnal shows of colour.
:16:56. > :16:59.It's one of the most dazzling displays in the whole of nature.
:16:59. > :17:10.When the treetops blaze with colour. Autumn's crowning glory.
:17:10. > :17:12.For many, it's their best time of year.
:17:12. > :17:16.There's a bit of a nip in the air. The chance to kick up a few leaves.
:17:16. > :17:22.I tell you, you cannot beat colours like this.
:17:22. > :17:25.And Perthshire in Scotland is one of the best places
:17:25. > :17:30.This is the famous Pass of Killiekrankie.
:17:30. > :17:37.The leaves here are well ahead of the rest of the country,
:17:37. > :17:40.but what's happening to create this fantastic display?
:17:40. > :17:44.Well, it's all to do with the different types of chemicals
:17:44. > :17:49.in the leaves, and how they are affected by the onset of autumn.
:17:49. > :17:54.As you know, when autumn comes, the temperature gets a bit colder
:17:54. > :17:56.compared to summer and the days get shorter.
:17:56. > :18:02.adapted to recognise those signals. And as that happens,
:18:02. > :18:09.OK, let's get in and have a look at what's going on in the tree.
:18:09. > :18:12.Just talk us through this process. This is an old tree, a sessile oak.
:18:12. > :18:14.And, um...superficially, it looks like
:18:14. > :18:17.losing its leaves is an inefficient process.
:18:17. > :18:19.You can imagine it's getting rid of all that energy.
:18:19. > :18:23.it's taking back a lot of the sugars, the energy,
:18:24. > :18:28.storing it in the tree for use next year.
:18:28. > :18:33.It goes into the trunk and so on and helps them prepare for next season.
:18:34. > :18:37.Then it drops all the waste stuff that's left here.
:18:37. > :18:40.What happens is the tree's normally green,
:18:40. > :18:42.that's the chlorophyll which helps photosynthesis.
:18:42. > :18:47.With the leaf fall it withdraws all of the chlorophyll
:18:47. > :18:49.and what you then see are either the waste products
:18:49. > :18:52.which is this brown stuff here, the tannin,
:18:52. > :18:57.or yellows, reds and oranges which make up the normal pigments
:18:57. > :19:01.Normally, they are masked by the chlorophyll,
:19:01. > :19:03.but in autumn that chlorophyll is removed
:19:03. > :19:06.so you get to see this wonderful display of colours.
:19:06. > :19:08.So these colours are always there in the leaves,
:19:08. > :19:11.it's just that the green is a more dominant colour.
:19:11. > :19:13.They are. When you think of the flowers,
:19:13. > :19:15.some of these pigments you find in flowers.
:19:15. > :19:31.So red flowers, yellow flowers have these pigments.
:19:31. > :19:35.Well, I've had no problem at all today gathering wild apples.
:19:35. > :19:39.But not all wild food is that easy to find, as I discovered
:19:39. > :19:48.when I went in search of the most expensive of all woodland produce.
:19:48. > :19:53.and were plentiful in our woodlands a few hundred years ago.
:19:53. > :19:57.But, as our landscape changed, the truffle, like the wild boar
:19:57. > :20:00.that helped spread them around, began to disappear.
:20:00. > :20:04.On the continent, the cousins of these British truffles
:20:04. > :20:07.change hands for thousands of pounds a kilo.
:20:07. > :20:13.Here, it's more like £400, but they've never been so highly prized.
:20:13. > :20:16.They are considered by some to be just as delicious as their
:20:16. > :20:21.French or Italian counterparts, and in this country, even rarer.
:20:21. > :20:24.But in recent years, there's a top-secret location
:20:24. > :20:28.that's been consistently turning out kilo after kilo of this black gold.
:20:29. > :20:33.To protect his treasure, the farmer needs to hide his identity.
:20:33. > :20:37.So instead, I'm meeting someone a little less reclusive.
:20:37. > :20:40.Roger Phillips is an expert in mushrooms
:20:40. > :20:45.and it was he who identified the first truffle found here.
:20:45. > :20:48.Roger, where are these truffles, then?
:20:48. > :20:54.because we mustn't let anyone know where we're going.
:20:54. > :20:59.That secret, is it? It's that secret, yes.
:20:59. > :21:01.Right, this is going to be intriguing.
:21:01. > :21:03.OK, I'm going to do the camera as well.
:21:03. > :21:06.The camera obviously not allowed to see where we're going.
:21:06. > :21:08.He can't see where we're going. Let's go.
:21:08. > :21:20.Do they actually grow on trees or around trees?
:21:20. > :21:24.They don't grow on trees, but they grow in association with trees.
:21:24. > :21:29.Without the truffles, the trees wouldn't grow.
:21:29. > :21:31.Because we've got hazels here. Do they like hazels?
:21:31. > :21:40.How come this particular little wood is a truffle trove?
:21:40. > :21:48.And the truffles supply water and minerals to the trees
:21:48. > :21:54.I'd only ever found one meagre, horrible, dried-up truffle
:21:54. > :21:57.before in my life. Then I came down here. In England?
:21:57. > :22:00.In England, yes. And how many did you find here?
:22:00. > :22:04.I went out with the farmer and we collected, I don't know,
:22:04. > :22:09.maybe 25 or something like that. I was out of my mind!
:22:09. > :22:12.Well, you've won me over with your enthusiasm for the truffle.
:22:12. > :22:15.What I need to do now is to try and find one somewhere here.
:22:15. > :22:23.Traditionally, female pigs were the truffle hunter's faithful friends.
:22:23. > :22:26.The scent of a mature truffle is similar to that of a male pig.
:22:26. > :22:30.So when the female sniffs one out, she becomes excited
:22:30. > :22:35.The trouble is, unless the hunter is quick off the mark,
:22:35. > :22:39.the pig will eat the truffle before it even sees the light of day.
:22:39. > :22:44.dogs are now the truffle hunter's companion of choice.
:22:44. > :22:49.This is Valentino, a specially bred Italian truffle hound.
:22:49. > :22:55.following in the hectic footsteps of truffle hunters of old.
:22:55. > :22:59.And it's not long before Valentino's super-sensitive nose
:23:00. > :23:07.This is a great truffle, a winter truffle.
:23:07. > :23:10.It's a strong smell. It's not about size,
:23:10. > :23:12.it's really about the quality of the truffle.
:23:12. > :23:14.I think 100 years ago they were nothing special.
:23:14. > :23:18.They were ordinary food and they came from the great craft
:23:18. > :23:21.of woodland industry, which has gone. He'll find another one.
:23:21. > :23:30.This is quite amazing, truffles are everywhere!
:23:30. > :23:35.This is unusual because it's a young wood.
:23:35. > :23:37.But there are a lot more places in England where truffles exist.
:23:38. > :23:41.And there are a lot of... Good boy. Good boy!
:23:41. > :23:44.And there's a lot of work you can do to bring them back.
:23:44. > :23:47.If you want truffles to flourish, you need chalky,
:23:47. > :23:51.alkaline heavy soil, and well-managed woods like this one.
:23:51. > :23:56.We've gathered quite a haul in no time at all,
:23:56. > :24:01.Zak Frost is the farmer's right-hand man.
:24:01. > :24:05.As well as hunting truffles, he also helps take care of the business.
:24:05. > :24:08.Here, you've got some drying out on a towel.
:24:08. > :24:11.Very much a cottage industry, this. Indeed, a shed industry.
:24:11. > :24:14.As you can see, we take them straight from the wood into this shed,
:24:14. > :24:16.where they are dried for about four hours and then
:24:17. > :24:20.packed into padded bags and sent off to chefs around the country.
:24:20. > :24:23.You can see we've got some great big ones at the back there.
:24:23. > :24:28.We find them up to 600 grams on the farm.
:24:28. > :24:36.Truffles from Italy are selling for up to £4,000 a kilo this year.
:24:36. > :24:45.this wood was never planted as a commercial venture,
:24:45. > :24:49.So the money side of things has never been
:24:49. > :24:54.It's been a nice little bonus if such a wonderful hobby can
:24:54. > :24:58.bring in some extra money on the side as well.
:24:58. > :25:00.Whatever it was that brought the truffles here,
:25:00. > :25:04.this place has provided the perfect home for them.
:25:04. > :25:07.And at a time when our native trees are under threat,
:25:07. > :25:20.here is a healthy new wood giving birth to an ancient delicacy.
:25:20. > :25:24.but I doubt if conkers are going to be this year,
:25:24. > :25:29.which is good news for all those conker competitions.
:25:29. > :25:34.armed with the wild apples I picked from the roadside,
:25:34. > :25:44.and some from my own garden, to join in a community apple pressing.
:25:44. > :25:47.Well, lots of people seem to have had same idea.
:25:47. > :25:51.Where have you got your apples from? Got mine here. You've only got two!
:25:51. > :26:02.You've got a vast box - from your garden? All over. All over.
:26:02. > :26:05.Look at all the trees in this orchard. Fantastic.
:26:05. > :26:17.What a vast selection of apples, wonderful! Which are yours?
:26:17. > :26:21.These miserable things. Never mind, they'll be all right.
:26:21. > :26:25.it doesn't matter how beautiful they are. Amazing collection!
:26:25. > :26:29.Everybody got the apples from their own gardens, or what? Yes.
:26:29. > :26:34.Anyone collected any wild ones? Yes, lots of scrumping.
:26:34. > :26:38.Well, those are my wild ones that I picked this morning.
:26:38. > :26:41.It was amazing - within just a few hundred yards,
:26:41. > :26:45.we picked loads of them and lots of different varieties.
:26:45. > :26:48.So, this is going to make some pretty good apple juice, isn't it?
:26:48. > :26:53.They are, I hope so. Yes. And cider as well maybe? That's the main aim.
:26:53. > :26:56.I've bought some of my apples from my garden
:26:56. > :26:58.and they're cooking apples. Does that matter
:26:58. > :27:02.No, Bramleys make the best juice, I was told
:27:02. > :27:05.when I first started doing this, they're very juicy.
:27:05. > :27:07.So it doesn't matter that they're sour?
:27:07. > :27:09.No, you've got the right ones for that. You mix them up?
:27:09. > :27:12.You get what they call a sharp apple juice
:27:12. > :27:15.which is more tasty than a pure sweet one.
:27:15. > :27:23.Oh, good, so mine should do OK? Yes, lovely.
:27:23. > :27:26.Apples and autumn go hand in hand, but it is possible
:27:26. > :27:31.to trick nature, by creating artificial changes in the seasons
:27:31. > :27:35.in order to produce harvest conditions all year round,
:27:35. > :27:46.as Ellie found out when she reported from the Welsh mountains.
:27:46. > :27:52.These days, in Snowdonia, the stunning scenery draws the crowds.
:27:52. > :27:55.But farming has long been key to this area.
:27:55. > :27:58.And now new eco-businesses are being developed
:27:58. > :28:00.that will invest in weird and wonderful foods.
:28:00. > :28:06.The hope is that they will produce unique, high-value crops.
:28:06. > :28:08.And in the world of farming vegetables,
:28:08. > :28:12.there's no darker art than that of growing mushrooms.
:28:12. > :28:16.In the wild, they pop up mysteriously in parts of the forest every autumn.
:28:16. > :28:20.Rare and unusual varieties are craved by top foodies
:28:20. > :28:26.Some are notoriously hard to find and even harder to farm.
:28:26. > :28:33.In the UK, we import most of our mushrooms.
:28:33. > :28:37.come from places like Holland and Ireland.
:28:37. > :28:41.And 95% of our exotic mushrooms come from the Far East.
:28:41. > :28:43.But now one local man has started to grow
:28:43. > :28:45.his very own gourmet shiitake mushrooms
:28:45. > :28:54.'for self-confessed mushroom obsessive Cynan Jones.'
:28:54. > :28:59.What have you got there? This is the first stage of growing mushrooms.
:28:59. > :29:02.It's a bag of local oak which has been chipped
:29:02. > :29:07.Then it's sterilised and inoculated with shiitake spawn,
:29:07. > :29:10.a Far Eastern mushroom that we grow here.
:29:10. > :29:13.You've got to be very careful to make sure you get the right fungus,
:29:14. > :29:16.which is the shiitake, in here, and nothing else.
:29:16. > :29:19.So it's got to be grown under laboratory conditions.
:29:19. > :29:22.That's the very first stage. So you get sent these bags? Yes.
:29:22. > :29:24.A colleague of mine makes them for me
:29:24. > :29:28.and then we bring them here and then we take them into the summer.
:29:28. > :29:31.So where's the summer? The summer is inside this container here.
:29:31. > :29:43.Wow. Why do you bring the mushrooms into a container like this?
:29:43. > :29:45.Because we need to get them into a warm environment.
:29:45. > :29:48.This is a metal box, basically, that's been insulated,
:29:48. > :29:51.and we can control the temperature to get exactly what we want.
:29:51. > :29:53.It does feel nice and cosy, I have to say.
:29:53. > :29:57.It has to be 25 degrees here to get the mycelium to grow properly.
:29:57. > :30:01.So, mycelium, that's effectively the mushroom's roots? Basically, yeah.
:30:01. > :30:04.It's like the root system. It's how it gets its food, really.
:30:04. > :30:06.What we see as a mushroom is just the fruit.
:30:06. > :30:10.The body is this mycelium that grows and colonises organic matter
:30:10. > :30:14.and after a few weeks, really starts going... Oh, yeah. That's different.
:30:14. > :30:19.It's really colonising there now, and then, after another month,
:30:20. > :30:27.That's the popcorning stage, actually. Is that what it's called?
:30:27. > :30:29.And these are little mushrooms telling us,
:30:29. > :30:34.But it won't fruit properly here because it's too warm.
:30:34. > :30:37.It's got to think the autumn's coming.
:30:37. > :30:40.And it's got to think, "Dear me, winter's coming.
:30:40. > :30:44.So we've got to get inside its head and cheat it,
:30:44. > :30:47.which is the container next door. Right.
:30:47. > :30:54.'But how do you recreate autumn in the middle of spring?'
:30:54. > :31:00.This is not what I expected. It's like a lab for mushrooms!
:31:00. > :31:02.You're like the mushroom alchemist, Cynan.
:31:02. > :31:09.The first thing we need to do is take it out of the bag. OK.
:31:09. > :31:13.and now it needs to be properly shocked to make it grow.
:31:13. > :31:18.Here, 15 degrees, humidity's very high, about 97%, six hours' light.
:31:18. > :31:27.Within a few days they will be like this one here. Within a few days!
:31:27. > :31:31.That's quick! Within a week, they'll be like this.
:31:31. > :31:35.They need to be harvested just before the cap opens up fully,
:31:35. > :31:38.so something like this. That's perfect, is it?
:31:38. > :31:41.That is absolutely perfect. And look how beautiful that is.
:31:41. > :31:45.Some chefs would want them like this for presentation, for stuffing.
:31:45. > :31:50.Oh, that's lovely. A rich flavour. Others would want them smaller.
:31:50. > :31:53.So that one's ready as well, even though it's half the size? Yeah.
:31:53. > :31:55.I think the biggest thing is that they're fresh.
:31:55. > :32:03.they'll be going out this afternoon or tomorrow morning.
:32:03. > :32:05.'There's no need to peel cultivated mushrooms.
:32:05. > :32:10.'and the skin contains nutrients and flavour.
:32:10. > :32:12.'And if you're worried about food miles,
:32:12. > :32:34.'I have to let Matt have a taste of this.'
:32:34. > :32:37.Lucky old Matt Baker, that's what I say.
:32:37. > :32:42.'there's only one way to complete a visit to Snowdonia
:32:42. > :32:48.Oh, right. At the front? Or the back?
:32:48. > :32:53.'It's an hour's train ride to reach the top.
:32:53. > :33:12.'Plenty of time to relax and enjoy the views.'
:33:12. > :33:14.What's in here, then? I've cooked the mushrooms.
:33:14. > :33:21.I've got shiitake mushrooms in here on some Welsh bread, all for you.
:33:21. > :33:36.That's delicious. Is it? That is really nice.
:33:36. > :33:40.JOHN: 'In West Somerset, our apple pressing event is well under way
:33:40. > :33:44.'and there's work to be done for all of us.'
:33:44. > :33:52.You crush the apples with this thing, here. Yeah.
:33:52. > :33:56.Do you want to have a go? Oh, yes, please. Thank you.
:33:56. > :34:00.Turn it around? Turn it around the other way. The other way?
:34:00. > :34:06.Shall we hold the handles? That is hard work, isn't it?
:34:06. > :34:09.They've got stuck, so you need to go backwards a bit. Oh, right.
:34:09. > :34:14.Now try. You've got the technique. That's it.
:34:14. > :34:16.Oh, I can really feel them going through, now.
:34:17. > :34:20.It's hard work, isn't it? I'll go back again.
:34:20. > :34:27.I'm going to have to take a little break from this, Jane. Hard work?
:34:27. > :34:29.Now, you've organised this event today, haven't you?
:34:29. > :34:34.But there must be an easier way of doing it than this. Well, indeed.
:34:34. > :34:36.This is the way it's been done for many years,
:34:36. > :34:38.but we do use a centrifugal mill now
:34:38. > :34:44.to mill the apples. Can we have a look at that? Yeah, come and see.
:34:44. > :34:48.So this is the modern one, is it? This is the press that we use, yes.
:34:48. > :34:52.It's a centrifugal mill, and it's way over spec for what we need.
:34:52. > :34:53.It can process a huge amount of apples
:34:53. > :34:56.in a very short amount of time. It's got a motor. It's got a motor.
:34:56. > :34:59.You don't have to turn anything. Indeed. And it's made of plastic.
:34:59. > :35:01.You can tell it's modern. This is a great idea, isn't it,
:35:01. > :35:04.getting all these people together to press their apples.
:35:04. > :35:08.It was just a group of us sitting around being aware
:35:08. > :35:10.that so many apples are going to waste.
:35:10. > :35:13.Someone saw a whole dumping bag-full being taken to the tip and wasted
:35:14. > :35:17.and a huge crop, and we thought, "There's got to be a better way.
:35:17. > :35:19."There's got to be a way of making use of this fruit."
:35:19. > :35:23.So we started off borrowing a press and we've gone on to
:35:23. > :35:26.purchase our own equipment and we now have a mill.
:35:26. > :35:29.Word certainly got around, didn't it? We hire it out locally.
:35:29. > :35:31.There's lots of people that hire it out for the day.
:35:31. > :35:34.Can I hire it for a moment to process mine?
:35:34. > :35:40.'So, my roadside apples and the ones from my garden
:35:41. > :35:44.'are well on their way to being turned into fresh juice.
:35:44. > :35:48.'And one juicy Countryfile moment for Julia happened in Cornwall
:35:48. > :35:51.'when she tangled with a Countryside invader
:35:51. > :35:56.'and ended up making a right meal of it.'
:35:56. > :36:00.'then you're guaranteed a warm welcome around here.
:36:00. > :36:05.'But there's one visitor that's certainly not welcome.
:36:05. > :36:08.'An alien invader that's making a dramatic difference
:36:08. > :36:16.Knotweed was introduced as an ornamental plant from Japan
:36:16. > :36:19.in the mid-19th century, and now it has a ferocious reputation.
:36:19. > :36:26.and it's one of the most invasive species in the UK.
:36:26. > :36:28.'Getting rid of Japanese knotweed comes at a price
:36:28. > :36:39.'You'd need around £1.5 billion to clean up the UK alone.
:36:39. > :36:41.'This wasteland is due for development
:36:41. > :36:45.'and must be knotweed-free before work can begin.
:36:45. > :36:48.'Mark Prout's going to show me how it's done.
:36:48. > :36:51.'But, first, why is this plant so persistent?
:36:51. > :36:58.'Well, it's all to do with the underground stems called rhizomes.'
:36:58. > :37:07.This piece of rhizome here could potentially regenerate
:37:07. > :37:13.Within the next 12 months it could be almost as big as that.
:37:13. > :37:16.'Not only does it spread like wildfire,
:37:16. > :37:18.'it chokes the life out of everything else as well.
:37:18. > :37:21.'It even fights its way through concrete and tarmac.
:37:21. > :37:25.'Here, they're going to extraordinary lengths to tackle it.'
:37:25. > :37:26.We're going to be excavating all of the soil
:37:26. > :37:29.and all of the knotweed areas, and literally putting it through
:37:29. > :37:34.a big sieve to remove the rhizome and put the soil back into the site.
:37:34. > :37:37.So you've got to dig it up first, which is a major exercise,
:37:37. > :37:42.that there isn't a single trace of this left in the soil?
:37:42. > :37:46.'But sieving the soil doesn't work everywhere.'
:37:46. > :37:49.Mark has one way of fighting these space invaders.
:37:49. > :37:53.However, Simon Hocking has found another way of getting rid
:37:53. > :37:57.'Simon relies on a more targeted technique.
:37:57. > :37:59.'It's already helped clear a Cornish valley
:37:59. > :38:03.'that had almost disappeared under the troublesome triffid.
:38:03. > :38:08.'This is what Kenidjack Valley looked like when we visited in 2006.
:38:08. > :38:15.'Today it's a farmer's field that needs Simon's help.'
:38:15. > :38:19.We've developed a technique down here on sensitive sites
:38:19. > :38:22.where we actually cut the stems of the knotweed
:38:22. > :38:24.and inject them so we can get a targeted kill
:38:24. > :38:29.Now, when you say a sensitive area, you mean an area such as this
:38:29. > :38:32.where you need to be mindful of other plant species and things?
:38:32. > :38:35.Yeah, spraying wouldn't be appropriate in an area like this.
:38:35. > :38:40.'Simon injects the knotweed with a herbicide containing red dye
:38:40. > :38:44.'so he can easily see which plants have been injected.'
:38:45. > :38:49.and you need to know which ones are treated, so you don't overdose them.
:38:49. > :39:03.And we just discharge 10ml into that. And that's it?
:39:03. > :39:04.If it was a new infection of knotweed,
:39:04. > :39:06.that may be possible in the first year,
:39:06. > :39:10.but in an established site like this you would need to do it year on year
:39:10. > :39:13.and hopefully see a 50% reduction in the first year
:39:13. > :39:18.and every year after that until you had it in a manageable position.
:39:18. > :39:21.'But there is a third way of getting rid of it.
:39:21. > :39:24.'Believe it or not, you can eat this alien invader.
:39:24. > :39:28.'Foraging expert Caroline Davy likes nothing better than turning
:39:28. > :39:30.'this problem plant into a tasty treat.'
:39:30. > :39:33.Today we're going to be making a Japanese knotweed and custard tart.
:39:33. > :39:38.Which we'll serve later with some Japanese knotweed ripple ice cream.
:39:38. > :39:42.Right, get me to work. What shall we start chopping first?
:39:42. > :39:44.This is the end result, this is what you want.
:39:44. > :39:46.Which looks just like celery, doesn't it?
:39:46. > :39:48.Yeah, we're coming towards the end of the knotweed season for eating
:39:48. > :39:51.because things are getting a bit big and a bit tough.
:39:51. > :39:54.You want to pick knotweed when it's looking like asparagus.
:39:54. > :39:58.I put it in a sealed container when I leave the site.
:39:59. > :40:03.I make sure I'm taking absolutely nothing with me that I can drop
:40:03. > :40:05.and then when I come home, if I don't use it,
:40:05. > :40:06.I boil it up and throw it in the bin.
:40:06. > :40:08.I don't get it anywhere near my compost.
:40:08. > :40:10.So you really need to know, because you can be prosecuted
:40:10. > :40:15.And can you imagine, as well, one of those in your compost heap. Exactly.
:40:15. > :40:20.What do we do with it, then? OK, we want to peel it a little bit.
:40:20. > :40:24.We want to get these little feathery bits off around the nodes.
:40:24. > :40:29.Unfortunately, most of the flavours are in the outer layers,
:40:29. > :40:33.but what I do to compensate for that is I boil up all the bits
:40:33. > :40:37.so it gets all the nice pink outside.
:40:37. > :40:44.'A word of warning, and take it from someone who knows,
:40:44. > :40:49.'pregnant women are advised not to eat Japanese knotweed.'
:40:49. > :40:52.Right, presumably, we're going to boil the knotweed out of that now.
:40:52. > :40:54.We're going to poach it in a sugar syrup. Oh!
:40:54. > :40:58.Very posh way of saying we're going to boil the knotweed out of it.
:40:58. > :41:04.'A quick squeeze of lemon and a few minutes on the boil
:41:04. > :41:19.OK, so we're going to put a bit of custard in first.
:41:19. > :41:25.'Next, a good scoop of cooked knotweed and, finally,
:41:25. > :41:31.And how long have these lovely little pielettes got to go in the oven for?
:41:31. > :41:33.Just about ten minutes and then they'll be ready.
:41:33. > :41:36.'Time to see what the tourists at Sennen Cove
:41:37. > :41:40.'make of Japanese knotweed in a Countryfile taste test.'
:41:40. > :41:45.Do you want to have a little taste of a Countryfile tart?
:41:45. > :42:05.OK, now we're going to surprise you. What are they, Caroline?
:42:05. > :42:08.It's not actually rhubarb. It's a superweed called Japanese knotweed.
:42:08. > :42:11.Have you heard of Japanese knotweed? No!
:42:11. > :42:16.It's Japanese knotweed. Oh, is it? Yeah!
:42:16. > :42:30.Most people try and kill it. She cooks it.
:42:30. > :42:33.Last week on the show we launched the Countryfile Calendar for 2014
:42:33. > :42:36.and revealed the winner of our photographic competition.
:42:37. > :42:46.And that picture, as you can see, graces the front cover.
:42:46. > :42:50.'The calendar costs £9, including free UK delivery.
:42:50. > :42:57.'You can buy yours on our website. That's...
:42:57. > :43:20.'To order by post, send your name, address and cheque to...
:43:20. > :43:24.'And please make cheques payable to BBC Countryfile Calendar.
:43:24. > :43:27.'A minimum of £4 from the sale of each calendar
:43:27. > :43:37.'will be donated to the BBC Children in Need appeal.'
:43:37. > :43:40.The 2013 calendar was a record breaker.
:43:40. > :43:46.so let's hope that this one, with your help, does even better.
:43:46. > :43:48.Now, if today's programme has inspired you to go out
:43:48. > :43:53.well, you'll want to know what the weather's going to be like.
:43:53. > :44:15.Good evening. We saw a dramatic drop in temperature this week to 10
:44:15. > :44:20.Celsius in places. We will lose that, we will replace it. The
:44:20. > :44:25.weather that is coming in from the Atlantic is shaping up. This is the
:44:25. > :44:28.troublesome creature. It is an area of low pressure that is giving a
:44:28. > :44:35.heavy band of rain and bringing heavy rain and strong to gale force
:44:35. > :44:39.winds. More rain to come. It is a chilly winter, as well. It looks
:44:39. > :44:43.like eastern England will see the worst of the weather. They will be
:44:43. > :44:49.showers further West. Not a cold night, but there could be some fog.
:44:49. > :44:52.It will be a cold night in the Glens of Scotland, perhaps some frost.
:44:52. > :44:56.Also the Northern Ireland which fared quite well for weather
:44:56. > :45:02.tomorrow. A bracing east wind for Scotland. Lots of showers to wake up
:45:02. > :45:06.to across England and is, as well, through the morning and also quite a
:45:06. > :45:10.lot of cloud, but possibly some brightness and some fog or the drive
:45:11. > :45:16.to work. Not a pleasant start the week. We still have those strong
:45:16. > :45:19.winds. Although they will is down, it will feel quite raw, as we say,
:45:19. > :45:24.particularly in eastern areas. Plenty more showers coming and
:45:24. > :45:29.going. So brighter spells as well. The best of those will be reserved
:45:29. > :45:32.for Northern Ireland and perhaps western Scotland, but for much of
:45:32. > :45:37.Scotland, very different weather to this weekend. The bridges aren't
:45:37. > :45:43.anything to write home about. Monday night and into Tuesday, we lose that
:45:44. > :45:48.pressure, so we get a bit of high pressure which will bring a brief
:45:48. > :45:51.spell of drier and brighter weather. Hopefully, it'll happen through the
:45:51. > :45:54.day on Tuesday. The biggest fly in the appointment will be the
:45:55. > :45:59.potential for morning fog, so to clear at this time of year. But with
:45:59. > :46:04.lighter winds and sunshine, 13 or 14 sources should feel more pleasant.
:46:04. > :46:09.Already knocking on the door of the South West is more rain. Although we
:46:09. > :46:15.are turning milder, those winds will bring more rain. At times, not all
:46:15. > :46:18.the time. It may start quite dry and bright on Wednesday morning, but
:46:18. > :46:22.then the weather fronts will accelerate in and you can see
:46:22. > :46:29.intensified rain. A good three to six hours. It will make it feel
:46:29. > :46:33.cool. Behind it, as it brightens up, it'll be a bit milder with showers
:46:33. > :46:37.following on and quicker blustery breeze. It is quite chilly, but
:46:37. > :46:41.slightly dry in the North East until late in the day. Once that weather
:46:41. > :46:44.arrives for West Scotland, it will get stuck through Wednesday night
:46:44. > :46:50.and into Thursday and it will be a player, actually, as we so have the
:46:50. > :46:56.North and then this big Atlantic fleet of air. Much milder for the
:46:56. > :46:58.country apart from the far north on Thursday. It restarts to dig its
:46:58. > :47:02.country apart from the far north on heels in across the North on
:47:02. > :47:06.Thursday. -- really starts. That means we could see a bit of snow on
:47:06. > :47:08.the very tops of the Scottish mountains and a chilly day. For the
:47:08. > :47:13.the very tops of the Scottish rest of us, Thursday will see some
:47:13. > :47:18.sunshine, the odd rumble of thunder and heavy shower. 17 is higher than
:47:18. > :47:24.we have seen all weekend. The next weather system will roll into bring
:47:24. > :47:29.more rain for Friday. It joins forces and ill still be called air
:47:29. > :47:40.in the far north of Scotland. We keep the unsettled picture, but at
:47:40. > :47:44.On today's programme, we've seen how this mast year has brought
:47:44. > :47:46.a bumper crop of acorns and other nuts,
:47:46. > :47:52.At the roadside, I found wild apples,
:47:52. > :47:55.which have grown from discarded apple cores.
:47:55. > :47:59.I brought them to a community apple pressing in West Somerset,
:47:59. > :48:04.and it's time to turn up the pressure and make some juice.
:48:04. > :48:10.Lovely smell, isn't it? It is indeed.
:48:10. > :48:15.It's always nice working with lovely smells, isn't it?
:48:15. > :48:18.So, how do you turn this into juice now, then?
:48:18. > :48:21.There's a bladder in the centre, which is filled with water,
:48:21. > :48:25.off the mains, and the pressure pushes against the sides,
:48:25. > :48:28.and the pulp gets pushed to the sides, and...
:48:28. > :48:30.Gets turned into juice. ..turns into juice.
:48:30. > :48:31.Oh, very clever. Let's put the lid on.
:48:32. > :48:41.While the juicer works its magic, we've got time to join Ellie,
:48:41. > :48:44.who visited the Northern Ireland coast to try a wild food
:48:44. > :48:53.It's been harvested off these shores for hundreds of years.
:48:53. > :48:56.Mac O'Neill has eaten it all his life.
:48:56. > :49:00.is off a group of islands called the Skerries.
:49:00. > :49:04.Mac says he's too old to row out to the Skerries these days,
:49:04. > :49:06.but he's keen to show me his favourite harvest spot,
:49:06. > :49:16.'Mac's used his Irish charm to hitch us a ride.'
:49:16. > :49:20.We're getting a lift, are we? You're going to get a tow.
:49:20. > :49:23.You're going to go a bit of Irish water skiing.
:49:23. > :49:28.Out of a rowing boat, you know? THEY LAUGH
:49:28. > :49:31.'A fisherman by trade, Mac used to fish off the Skerries.
:49:31. > :49:36.'but used his rowboat to get closer to the shore
:49:36. > :49:41.Did you ever row the whole distance from the land?
:49:41. > :49:43.Oh, certainly, oh, yes. Lots of times. It's not a hard row.
:49:43. > :49:46.It's only a mile and a half. Must have kept you fit!
:49:46. > :49:48.If you work it out with the tide, the tide takes you there
:49:48. > :49:51.and the tide will bring you back again, you know?
:49:51. > :49:57.so we're ditching our ride to get in closer.
:49:57. > :49:59.The temperature of the Skerries during the summer months
:49:59. > :50:02.is warmer than other parts of Northern Ireland,
:50:02. > :50:05.so the rocks are home to a particularly interesting flora,
:50:05. > :50:08.like laver, an algae traditionally eaten on bread.
:50:08. > :50:14.Legend has it that there's some rabbits out here.
:50:14. > :50:16.We've got rabbits, yes. How did they get here?
:50:17. > :50:19.Well, I picked a few tame ones and put them on it.
:50:19. > :50:26.when you used to come and harvest the seaweed, then.
:50:26. > :50:30.there's a couple of big sunk rocks there.
:50:30. > :50:33.And when the tide goes out, the dulse comes up,
:50:33. > :50:36.lying on the top, and you can gather it.
:50:36. > :50:38.We're just not getting the right tide today.
:50:38. > :50:41.This is a wee bit too breezy now. It is. So, on those sorts of days,
:50:41. > :50:43.you'd come along, and what would you do,
:50:43. > :50:45.you'd pick the dulse straight from the rock?
:50:45. > :50:50.and throw it up on the rocks there and let the sun dry it.
:50:50. > :50:52.And then once it's all dry, how do you eat it?
:50:52. > :50:57.We would eat it just the way it is, you know? Oh, yeah. Salty.
:50:57. > :50:59.Drinking pints! Best served with a pint.
:50:59. > :51:04.'So, seaweed can make a tasty bar snack, but that's not all.
:51:04. > :51:08.'Back on shore, GP Prannie Rhatigan is a self-confessed seaweed fanatic,
:51:09. > :51:11.'particularly when it comes to eating it.'
:51:11. > :51:19.Well, I just spotted some absolutely beautiful nori.
:51:19. > :51:22.It's the slimy looking one. Well, it is.
:51:22. > :51:24.But you probably would recognise it if you enjoy sushi,
:51:24. > :51:28.because that is what is wrapped around your sushi roll. Gosh.
:51:28. > :51:31.How many different types of seaweed have we got here?
:51:31. > :51:33.Well, there are 600 around the coast of Ireland. Wow.
:51:33. > :51:36.Yes, and most of them would be edible,
:51:36. > :51:39.but palatable would be a different matter,
:51:39. > :51:43.so there are probably 14 or so around this coastline
:51:43. > :51:46.that we would harvest easily and in season.
:51:46. > :51:51.That's dulse, that's an absolutely beautiful seaweed as well.
:51:52. > :51:54.All right. And if you'd like a little nibble of that one...
:51:54. > :52:03.Mmm. It's strange. It's got a sort of blood, iron taste.
:52:03. > :52:06.Oh! That's incredible, because this seaweed has
:52:06. > :52:11.the highest content of iron of any of them that we harvest today.
:52:11. > :52:15.In fact, they say, with the research that's done,
:52:15. > :52:20.'Well, the proof's really in the tasting.
:52:20. > :52:22.'To show me just how versatile seaweed can be,
:52:23. > :52:27.'Prannie's prepared a picnic feast on the beach.'
:52:27. > :52:31.Well, it's a very seasonal pumpkin and squash,
:52:31. > :52:36.And I brought you just a little condiment,
:52:36. > :52:39.which is a mixed seaweed, just to sprinkle on top. Wow.
:52:39. > :52:42.You could almost wrap yourself in a blanket with it.
:52:42. > :52:46.It's just so thick and so warming. Oh, that's lovely.
:52:46. > :52:49.It's really good with a little bit of bread,
:52:49. > :52:51.which of course, has the dulse in it.
:52:51. > :52:54.So this is sort of being treated as a herb, then, in this bread?
:52:54. > :52:58.Prannie, the soup and the bread is fantastic,
:52:58. > :53:00.but what else have we got for our picnic meal?
:53:00. > :53:03.OK, we have the little dulse and cheese scones here,
:53:03. > :53:07.and this is a local cheese, which has dulse in it as well.
:53:07. > :53:10.And then if we still have a little bit of room,
:53:10. > :53:12.we're going to have a little bit of carrot cake.
:53:12. > :53:16.It's packed with the nori. 'And it doesn't just taste good.
:53:16. > :53:20.'the potential health benefits of seaweed too.'
:53:20. > :53:22.Just here in the University of Ulster,
:53:22. > :53:25.there's some very interesting research going on
:53:25. > :53:28.in the area of osteoporosis and in the area of inflammation,
:53:28. > :53:32.and I hope that those results will contribute further
:53:32. > :53:36.to our understanding of just how seaweeds work
:53:36. > :53:42.'But there are some that don't need scientific approval.
:53:43. > :53:45.'They've already declared seaweed a superfood
:53:45. > :53:48.'that can help with weight loss and even stop your hair thinning.'
:53:48. > :53:51.So, could this slimy sliver of marine weed
:53:51. > :53:56.be the secret of health, happiness and eternal youth?
:53:56. > :54:02.They regularly took seaweed baths, because if it purified the sea,
:54:02. > :54:07.Apparently, the oils in seaweed can help with joint pain,
:54:07. > :54:12.skin conditions, and can relax you after a very hard day.
:54:12. > :54:19.I am prepared to undergo a clinical trial of my own.
:54:19. > :54:28.and the hypothesis is that it's going to make me feel younger,
:54:28. > :54:53.Normally on Countryfile, we're up hill and down dale
:54:53. > :54:56.dressed head to toe in full wet weather gear,
:54:56. > :55:00.and not lying in a hot bath listening to power chords.
:55:00. > :55:06.'As for the results of this experiment,
:55:06. > :55:09.'I think I'll have to do a bit more research first.
:55:09. > :55:23.Back in Somerset at the apple pressing,
:55:23. > :55:35.Probably the best apple juice I've ever tasted!
:55:35. > :55:37.And much of it is from my own apple tree. Indeed, yes.
:55:37. > :55:41.And how do you make sure that it doesn't go off?
:55:41. > :55:46.We just heat it to 70 degrees, 20 minutes,
:55:46. > :55:48.and that ensures it will keep for up to two years. Great.
:55:48. > :55:52.out of something that would otherwise go to waste.
:55:52. > :55:54.Yeah, and how do you turn it into cider?
:55:54. > :55:56.Oh, apple juice wants to be cider. You don't have to do a lot.
:55:56. > :56:00.It will make cider itself. Generally, put it into a barrel,
:56:00. > :56:05.Otherwise, it uses the own yeasts that are there anyway.
:56:05. > :56:08.And how long does it take from apple juice to cider?
:56:08. > :56:11.You may be able to drink it by Christmas.
:56:11. > :56:14.Some chaps who know a thing or two about cider
:56:14. > :56:17.are Somerset's own pop legends, The Wurzels,
:56:17. > :56:23.who had a number three hit with I Am A Cider Drinker in the '70s.
:56:23. > :56:43.And here are two of them now! Hello, John! How are you?
:56:43. > :56:45.Good to see you, Pete, and Tommy. Hiya, John. Hi.
:56:45. > :56:49.And you brought your apples. I brought some apples, yeah.
:56:49. > :56:51.And how did it all start, The Wurzels, then?
:56:51. > :56:54.Because it's all about the Somerset countryside, really, isn't it?
:56:54. > :56:57.Well, it started with Adge Cutler. Unfortunately, Adge passed on
:56:57. > :57:00.to the great cider vat in the sky in 1974.
:57:00. > :57:03.And he was the man that wrote I Am A Cider Drinker.
:57:03. > :57:05.And from then on, all the songs were cider-based.
:57:05. > :57:07.And you've been going for such a long time now,
:57:07. > :57:10.and you seem to be ageless. Oh, thank you!
:57:10. > :57:13.Because you've a whole new generation of fans.
:57:13. > :57:17.are coming up and talking to you, aren't they?
:57:17. > :57:19.Yeah. Well, it's just that we've looked old for a long time, John.
:57:19. > :57:26.And what do you think it is about your music
:57:26. > :57:30.It's just happy music. Anybody can sing it.
:57:30. > :57:35.Anybody in the world can sing Wurzel music. Anybody can play it.
:57:35. > :57:37.If you've learned to play a guitar, you can do it.
:57:37. > :57:40.And they're easy tunes to remember, aren't they? Easy. Yeah.
:57:40. > :57:45.a little bit of I Am A Cider Drinker? Yeah!
:57:45. > :57:48.# When the moon shines on the cow shed
:57:48. > :58:14.And that's it from harvest time in Somerset.
:58:14. > :58:17.Hope you can join us next week. We're in the Yorkshire Dales.
:58:17. > :58:20.Until then, goodbye. One more time!