”Beech Leaf Noyau & Common Beech Tree - (Fagus sylvatica)
GeorgeFlavour Fred
Grows strongly on well drained chalk soils. Best way to identify is by the bark, leaves and fruit/seeds. With smooth bark and in spring the fresh leaves have a wavy edge, no serrations and 5-9 veins staggered with an eye shape to it. Right now they are green and tasty and perfect to use in salads and in beech leaf noyau just as I have in this video. All you need is a 1 litre jar, 6 weeks and the ingredients below:
INGREDIENTS
700ML GIN
(you choose – I’m not fussy but undoubtedly there will be differences)
YOUNG FRESH BEECH LEAVES
(enough to fill the jar without packing down too hard)
125ML BRANDY
(added after 3-4 week infusion)
SUGAR
(Approx 150g – but to taste – I like to use a mix of white sugar and Demerara in equal quantities)
DIRECTIONS
Pick the freshest tangiest leaves and fill the jar without packing it down. Add the gin and store in a dark cupboard for 3-4 weeks. Strain out the solution (hopefully still quite green but not the end of the world if not) and place back in the now empty jar and top up with brandy and sugar. Mix till sugar is dissolved and wait 2 weeks before tasting. That’s it and the result is a wonderful Amaretto (Disaronno is the brand I mentioned) style drink.
I’ll be making a sour come late June from this!
Later in the year we will see the male and female flowers on the same tree and two seeds sit inside a husk later in the year. The seeds were known as “mast” and used to fatten up pigs.
