Candied Catkins, Catkin Flour and Catkin Syrup is a traditional British recipe for a classic method of boiling catkins in sugar syrup and then drying to make candied catkins whilst generating catkin flour, catkin crumbs and catkin syrup as by-products. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Candied Catkins, Catkin Flour and Catkin Syrup.
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February is one of the very leanest months for wild foods. The greens of March haven't emerged yet and it's generally too cold for fungi. Apart from things like black mustard greens and oak moss (which is really more of a spice) there's very little else. One of the few items in abundance in February are catkins. Normally I would think of hazel catkins, but having moved to an area with beech woodland and hazel groves in abundance I've become aware of beech catkins too. Both are structurally and botanically quite similar, with pollen pods emerging from a central stem. It's possible to collect the pollen on a sunny day, but the pollen pods are also edible and it's these that are used in this recipe.
This is a way of turning catkins into a snack that you can enjoy for a full year. I first made these with hazelnut catkins but this recipe also works just as well for beech catkins too. I usually process a big batch of catkins, leaving them in the sugar syrup over night. This helps 'burst' as many of the plant cells as possible, improving digestibility. Then half the catkins I process as candies and the remainder I dry and turn into catkin flour.
For more flavour I typically add about 3 cubes of jaggery with my first lot of sugar which then goes on to prepare catkin syrup.
Ingredients:
700g Catkins (hazelnut and/or beech)
2l Water
1kg light brown Sugar (1st Stage)
3 cubes of jaggery
750g golden Caster Sugar (2nd Stage)
Method:
When I get home, I pick over the catkins to make sure no bits of stem are left on them (these are hard and can be bitter). Then I spread the catkins on a wire rack for an afternoon to ensure they're dry before beginning.
Once processed and dry, place in a saucepan with the water, first lot of sugar and the jaggery (if using). Bring the mixture slowly to a boil then immediately take off the heat and set aside to infuse for at least 1 hour (but up to over night).
The following day, drain the catkins in a sieve (reserve the syrup) then arrange the catkins on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Place in an oven pre-heated to 140C and toast them for about 2 hours, or until they're just beginning to brown. During this time, toss the catkins gently every 10 minutes or so to ensure that they cook evenly. At this stage they should still be soft but nicely coloured. This is the stage at which you can use the catkins for preparing biscuits and cookies. This is also the stage at which I air-dry my catkins for making catkin flour.
To finish the candied catkins, return the catkins to a pan then pour in the reserved sugar syrup and mix in the addition 750g golden caster sugar. Slowly bring the ingredients to a boil.
Immediately take off the heat then strain the catkins through a sieve, reserving the catkins and the sugar syrup.
Arrange the catkins on a lined baking tray then place in an oven pre-heated to 170C. Bake for about 60 minutes, tossing regularly to ensure that they dry evenly. You can tell when they are ready once they start to feel crisp and brown (but ensure they do not become burnt). They will get even crisper once they start to cool.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Package in to an air-tight container and enjoy for up to 12 months.
For catkin flour, take half of the catkins after the first stage of oven baking. Arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Set aside in a breeze to air dry over night. The following day pop into an oven pre-heated to 180C and bake for 30 minutes, tossing them frequently to ensure even cooking.
The catkins will dry out and brown further (but make sure they do not burn). Remove from the oven and allow to cool then either rub the grains of the pollen pods free of the central stem to give grains or process everything to a fine flour in a spice or coffee grinder. I usually strain through a fine-meshed sieve to remove any fibrous matter. Store in a jar and use as an additive to four.
For the remaining catkin syrup, pour into a saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook down to a thick consistency. Allow to cool and store in a jar. Enjoy on pancakes, in porridge or on yoghurt.
