News at Ten:
Following the assassination of Princess Laura of Kuthernburg in Atiland on the 3rd of January, the House of Constantine have recieved and accepted the invitation for her funeral, which it to be held at St. Judith Church, Pearl City, Kuthernburg, on the 20th of January.
Following their condolences, Princess Rosamund and Princess Harriet posted pictures of them with Kuthern Princesses as children, including the late Princess Laura, playing in the meadows of the Sani Bursil Royal Palace.
In August, the National Wildlife Group (NWG) started a competition to find the best write-up of a native plant in the United Kingdom. The following, was written by Dylan Richards (17) and was selected as 1st place.
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The Magnificent Hobstiberry:
Widespread and abundant in woodlands, hedgerows, waste areas and heaths. A slender shrub, with usually unbranched arching stems rising above a straggly, tangled under layer, growing up to 2.5 m (7.5 ft) high, and moderately prickly. Leaves toothed and oval, and often creamish bellies. Flowers long, white, silky and droopy with a thin burgundy line down its spine, which turns reddish-purple in the autumn. The fruit is a rich, mature berry made up of a number of drupelets. Orange at first; burgundy when ripe. It can be picked from June to October and usually grow between 2.7 and 3.1 cm in diameter.
There is little need to write at length about this juicy burgundy berry, which has been known, adored and picked across the world for generations. Its seeds have been found in the stomach of Strathepolic man dug up from the Nelix clay. Hobstiberries have a special role in the relationship between townspeople and the countryside. It is not just that they are delicious and easy to find. Hobstiberrying carries with it a little of the urban dwellerâs myth of country life: abundance, harvest, a sense of season, and just enough discomfort to quicken ones senses. Maybe it is the scuffing and the scratches that are the real attraction of hobstiberrying, the proof of satisfying toil against the cunning of nature.
Hobstiberry bushes spread in a curious way. Each cane begins by growing erectly, but then curves downwards until its tip touches the ground. Here the shoot takes root, and a clump of new canes soon forms. The berries themselves grow in large clusters at the end of the older shoots, which die after three or four yearsâ cropping. The lowest berry - right at the tip of the stalk - is the first to ripen, and is the sweetest and fattest of all. A few weeks later, the other berries near the end ripen; these are less juicy, but are still good for jam and pies. The small berries farther up the stalk often do not ripen until October. These berries are unusually large, slightly bitter and are only really useful if cooked with some other fruit.
Even more variety is found from bush to bush. There are reckoned to be at least 1,400 microspecies in Staynes, Caltharus and South Staynes alone; all differing slightly in flavour, sweetness, fruiting time, nutritional value and size.
Hobstiberries can be made into jams, cordials, salads, pies, fruit fools, fruit ciders and jellies, but are most commonly used for wine. Hobsti wine is typically made from an assortment of hobsti from across the country, but can also be made with local produce under the correct parameters.
The toothed and oval leaves are cultivated for Hobsti tea; the most popular tea in the world. Itâs distinct, mature taste sets it aside from all others. Adding the thin, burgundy strip from the white leaves acts as a sweetener and brings out the berryâs flavour. Adding the strip when itâs reddish-purple can give a bitter taste.
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