Pignut

Yesterday the weather changed - dropping to a chilly 10C with a gusty northerly wind. I wasn't feeling too well so spent much of the afternoon in bed reading - though I managed to get up and enjoy a splendid dinner of tender pulled pork with all the trimmings, cooked by Sarah, with a bit of help from Ben and Alex.

I was still feeling rather poorly today so spent most of the day indoors quietly working at the computer. I was getting a bit stir crazy by late afternoon so went for a short walk round part of Castor Hanglands - it felt a bit like I was dragging myself through treacle and was much more exhausting than it should have been. 

The bluebells and wood anemones are long gone, but pignut is in its prime, forming a low white froth along some of the ride margins. Common in open woodland, hedgerows and dry grassland, pignut is a small member of the carrot family with fine leaves and delicate stems. It gets its name from its dark brown tubers (roots), about 15-20cm long, which are edible and taste a little like hazelnuts. Digging for these 'nuts' was once a popular pastime among children, and are very much enjoyed by pigs, which were often set free in woodlands in the autumn to feast on acorns and beech mast.