Arum maculatum / lords and lady’s
I quite often have the conversation with other people about lords and lady’s (Arum maculatum) generally I love the chats as it nearly always ends up with a new common name being learned as it seems to have a multitude of regional names ,and then inevitably the fact that most people as a child are told its poisonous my favourite story has to be that the fruit spike of the plant is snake food and the berries are where the snakes poison comes from .
Foraged seeded mustard
Last year I made a lot of preserves , pickles and sauces , making the most of our seasonal foraged item and one of the most popular items I made was a spur of the moment thing,
I was really excited to be taken to a coastal foraging site in Dorset by one of the country’s leading foragers to introduce me to some amazing coastal leeks which I was told the seed heads were up and would make a great addition to my foraged relish, and when we were there we found a large group of seeded black mustard and I couldn’t resist and filled my bag with large haul and at the time not really knowing what I was going to do with them .
Foraged teas
Medical advice should be considered if pregnant
So I’ve been asked to put some ideas down on foraged teas , and to be honest I’m flattered that someone holds my writing in high enough regards to ask so I hope I do a decent job,
Firstly why bother with foraged tea ? Well actually I like to think of them as herb infusions and is a great way to take advantage of the nutrients and minerals found all around in our foraged plants , many of them not only having nutritional benefits but many medicinal attributes as well.
I’ve enjoyed infusions with a lot of people and many of them are quite surprised when they drink them , and most share the feeling of immediate lift which is felt upon drinking .
One of the positive things I can take from last year is the time I spent around two chefs who opened my eyes to a whole world of flavours and ways to using wild foods in a way which not only makes the very best of there flavours but which ones work well together in a complimentary way.
I had nettle pesto last year and enjoyed it and have made several pestos throughout the year which I will share as the ingredients are in season ,
So first my ingredients and as you will notice some of mine are not exactly off the shelf but I will give other easily sourced alternatives
Wild carrot , birds nest
( Daucus carota )
The wild carrot has easily got to be the most distinctive and easily identified member of the Umbelliferae family it grows to an average knee height with a tough stem covered in tiny hairs with a umbell of white flowers with a central purple spot in the middle of the head , when the seeds begin to form the head closes and takes on the nest like appearance many are familiar with .
Continue reading
I know that roadkill has been widely documented in recent times both sides of the fence have been more than vocal about the moral , ethical and unhygienic ramifications of the subject , I’ve read several great opinions on the subject none more respected or voiced than celebrity forager,chef, self sufficiency expert Fergus Drennan who is someone I personally am in admiration of and probably for different reasons than most , yes I applaud his way of living and enjoy his teachings but he is only one of many , the reason I admire him and even look up to him is he has the strength of character to step into the firing range and take on the massive onslaught of other opinions and stand fast and believe in his goal , it is easy for people like me to be a faceless member but to have the personality to be the face of a cause I find magical and applaud him .
One of the most underrated wild ingredients we have on hand I believe is the flower that many of our wild edibles offer ,
I’m not saying all flower are some great missing link between good food and great food in fact some flowers offer very little taste or indeed no taste at all but what they offer is something quite special it’s the difference between a non reactive plate of food and a plate of something that makes us smile , I see so many foragers filling up on edible fruits and greens but very few enjoying the finer pickings .
I’m not a believer in foraging to survive and part learning a skill to survive in a bad situation in fact I find the whole concept quite disturbing , surviving is in large mental it’s your self belief and I’m not talking about end of the world I’m talking about everyday and the ability to find a smile in a seemingly dreary day can make a huge difference ,
I more and more appreciate the small things that pass us by and cooking my foraged items has a massive feel good factor and the look on some people faces when they see a plate of wild food simply glowing is a great feeling .
So my plan is to give some advice on what flowers for what and I am going to do this in parts early spring,late spring , early summer,late summer and autumn as I don’t think there’s anything worse than reading about a great wild edible just to find it’s not in season so I’m including the ones on offer now .
I’m going to include my personal finding in regards to usability such as the flowers reaction to being cooked or if they are suitable for raw eating and again I’m no chef and certainly no expert and simply enjoy sharing my thoughts on my interests ,
Primrose (Primula vulgaris),
A pretty flower that has a slightly powdery texture , does not cook well and loses all colour and taste ,works well with sharp/tarte flavours
Violet. (Viola riviniana)
Defiantly a sweet /desert flower and a pretty garnish ,
It loses all consistency upon cooking and a little known fact is that it makes a great natural thickening agent for sauces or stews , also great a candied flowers .
Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
I think at one point or another most foragers have harvested gorse as it has so many uses from wine to syrup it has a mild coconut taste and is good cooked or uncooked a great addition to stir fry and candied make great decoration ( best picked after periods of sunshine)
Broom
One of my favourites the flowers of broom taste like young pea shoots they lose some of the flavour with long cooking but in salads they are great not a garnish but a ingredient
Dandelion ( Taraxacum )
Dandelion is a multiple purpose item when young and still in bud they can be cooked and have a mildly mushroomy taste raw picked when young they are sweat and almost honey like but as they mature they become very bitter I find that after the flower has opened the petals need to be removed before eating .
Grape hyacinth (Muscari)
These little flowers are great boiled in sugar they are fragrant and a great garnish on sweets cooked they hold there shape and taste like sprouts , eaten raw they are bitter and crunchy and fit well with peppery and garlic
Ramsoms (Allium ursinum)
These need no introduction picked as a young bud these are the centre piece of many salad and hold together well in cooked dishes
Three cornered leak (Allium triquetrum)
These are similar in taste to ramsoms yet slightly milder and better used as a garnish ,
Chickweed (Stellaria media)
Purely a garnish yet if enough are picked it will make the best salad look like snow sprinkled upon it
The dead nettle family
Not great on availability but a great decorative addition to deserts a mix of red dead nettle yellow archangel and white dead nettle is a ridiculously pretty garnish , due to size they are not suitable in cooking
Apple blossom
An easily collected and a delicate floral flavour as a decoration on salads and sweets but in moderation as they contain cyanide , try from tree to tree for flavour as they change from sweet to sour , my favourite on salads are red flowers and on sweets white .
When cooked they change to a brown mush which is actually nice in moderation on strong flavoured meats .
Speedwells
There are several speedwell varieties about at the minute some with bigger flowers than others nice as decoration only cooking is not suitable due to size ,
Common Daisy
Daisy’s are relatively neutral in taste but the small unopened buds pickled are great added to salads like capers I actually prefer them to the original my tip is to use a sweet vinegar ,
And do try them as it’s a great ingredient .
Lady’s smock (Cardamine pratensis)
Probably the real cuckoo as this little pretty white flower packs an amazing punch , it differs in strength from flower to flower but wow it’s a hot one even more so in my opinion than mustard , as a garnish on salads containing garlic or onions and is a great spicy flavouring in soups and stews ( the flower does not lose any flavour if dried well worth the effort )
Shepard’s purse ( Capsella bursa-pastoris)
Another great flavour with a real bite the flower is like a sharp additive something like sorrel has to be used fresh as it loses it’s taste with cooking
Lungwort ( Pulmonaria )
A bitter and tarte taste which is quite mild but the flowers need to be removed from any green parts of the plant as it is mucilaginous so the green bits make it unpleasant , turns to mush with cooking and does not retain any taste as a candied flower they are great .
Winter cress ( Barbarea vulgaris )
A very very mild mustard flower great for children’s salads giving a slight kick but not to much , not strong enough to retain taste in cooking
bitter cress (Cardamine hirsuta)
Just a decorative touch has a strong cress flavour as you would expect not good for cooking due to size but as the plants lose there appeal due to age the flower heads are a great replacement .
Coltsfoot ( Tussilago )
This is a strange plant the first bite is slightly aniseed in taste but that fades into a sweat taste unfortunately they lose any taste when cooked , also petals removed and sprinkled on sweats
Chamomile
I’m not going to comment on taste other than its pleasant I always taste an apple like taste but I’ve had so many conflicting tastes from people it’s a funny one , so apart from the normal use for tea it works well as a salad addition and petals on sweet foods
As I said I’m going to add to this list as the seasons allow and until then I will continue to smile on my dinner and hope some of you join me
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I’ve decided to write a piece on Japanese knotweed ( Fallopia japonica ) which is a wild edible that I actively use in various recipes ,
I’ve had various conversations with other foragers and conservationists regarding donkey rhubarb ‘ as we called it as children, many of them quite passionate with really good arguments on both sides of the fence but the one thing that I’ve noticed from both sides is the lack of actual information people are aware of is staggering , some of the most common comments made are ,
Violets are a pretty little plant and to me stand out like something quite different within the undergrowth almost like it calls you to its presence ,
I’ve collected this plant a lot and a traveler friend of mine refers to it as heart of the land which I quite like obviously a name reminiscent of its heart shaped leaves .
Oysters are fast becoming one of my favourite mushrooms and not just because of the taste. My last two finds resulted in a massive haul of superb quality mushrooms and now the taste and smell remind me of two great days foraging with good friends. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy my foraging so much more this last year; because of the people it has introduced me to and the massive part of my life they have become.
A mouse in the woods 