Gorse, furze, or plain old whins?
WHIN bushes are coming into full bloom just now, with a golden glow of yellow flowers to be seen throughout the countryside, writes Tom Gillespie.
In some parts they are called gorse of furze, but when I was growing up we knew them as whins - and you avoided getting tangled in their prickly branches. This makes them an important plant for wildlife, providing a dense, thorny cover which is ideal for protecting nesting birds.
I do remember dried whins emitted huge bellows of white smoke when thrown on fires we used to light as youngsters, and there was a distinct smell from the smoke which clung to our clothes.
There are about 20 species of the thorny evergreen shrub which are native to western Europe and northwest Africa.
They are related to the less-thorny broom, a lot of which can been seen around the Pontoon area. Like whins, they have green stems and very small leaves.
A mention of Pontoon reminds me of nights delivering The Connaught Telegraph in the 1970s.
On one particular occasion en route back to Castlebar it was impossible to see the road because of a dense fog and the only way to make any progress was to follow the roadside whins as they lit up in the van headlights.
Between the different species, some whins are almost always in flower, hence the old country saying: ‘When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion’.
I’m told whin flowers have a distinctive coconut scent, experienced very strongly by some individuals but weakly by others, including myself.
The Irish word for gorse is aiteann and both furze and gorse are words with Anglo-Saxon origins.
Yellow whin petals are actually edible - not that I have tried them - and are used to make a special brew called gorse flower wine, a favourite of our ancient Celtic forebears.
In years gone by, the golden glow of Irish whiskey was achieved by using gorse flowers, which also added subtle almond flavour to the distilled beverage. These edible flowers have been used in salads and for making tea.
Like many of Ireland’s edible wildflowers, herbalists of years gone by used these plants for many medicinal purposes.
Children suffering from scarlet fever drank an infusion of the flowers; seeds were considered a treatment for diarrhoea; bad breath was treated by mixing the blossoms with honey and using it as a mouthwash; and flower petals were strewn about on the earthen floors of cottages since they were thought to be a flea repellant.
Whins grow like wildfire, making it a little invasive for some farmers’ liking. Before there were limitations on unlicensed burning, old whin growth was frequently burned back to help nourish the soil. The ashes were alkaline, making them a perfect fertiliser. New whin shoots were a food greatly enjoyed by cattle and sheep.
Burning whin torches around farm animals was believed to promote fertility.
Whether this fertility trick worked or not, the whin smoke also helped to kill fleas and other unwanted creepy crawlies in animals’ coats. Alkali furze ashes were also mixed with animal fat to make soap.
In Co. Kerry whins were used to treat horses for worms: ‘Get a few handfuls of the yellow blossoms of the furze and boil them in water. Give the water as a dose to the horse and this will cure worms’ (from the National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin).
In the past, a small sprig of whin was added in bridal bouquets, but like many old traditions there were rules associated with its use. Only the bride herself could cut the whin for her floral arrangement.
Whins were used in ancient times for collecting gold. By lining the bed of a stream with whin plants, our predecessors would capture gold dust flowing on the currents.
Bealtaine, the ancient Celtic feast, is celebrated on May Day. Whins were considered a sacred wood and because of the high oil content, may have been used to start the Bealtaine fires.
The Celtic god of light, Lugh, is linked to the whin bush, probably because of the golden glow of its vibrant yellow flowers.
According to The Irish Food Guide Blog, you can make whin bush cream for eclairs. Apparently it's a simple pastry cream using those same lovely coconut fragrant flowers that would be delicious inside homemade eclairs.
The ingredients:
½ litre milk
200g whin flowers
Four egg yolks
130 g castor sugar
30 g plain flour
10 g cornflour
a pinch of salt
The method:
Bruise the flower petals with a mortar and pestle or a very quick whizz in the food processor to help release more of that delicious coconut flavouring.
Bring the milk, flower petals, sugar and a pinch of salt to a gentle boil in a pot. Strain into a jug.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a big bowl until it's creamy and light. Whisk in the flour and cornflour until it is thoroughly mixed. Gradually pour the boiling milk into this while whisking continuously.
Transfer the whole mixture back into a clean pot and heat it on low to cook out. Stir it constantly with a wooden spoon until it has thickened. Don't let it stick to the pot.
Once this custard cream has thickened, take it off the heat, pour it into a clean bowl and let it cool down. It will be thicker than a custard, more the consistency of a cold porridge. Once cooled you can cover it and refrigerate it until needed.
To fill the eclairs or flaky pastry slices, etcetera, give the cream a good stir to smooth out before you spoon or pipe it into the cakes.
This is based on the classic French 'Creme Pattissier' so the recipe (without the flower petals) can be used and flavoured with whatever you like.
* Read Tom Gillespie's column every Tuesday in our print edition