IT IS SPRING....SO GO GET SOME FREE FOOD IN THE SUN...
Wood Sorrel
· Woods and shady places
· Best in the Spring
· Lemony grape-skin flavour, use in salads and sauces
Black Mustard Leaves
· Seaside cliff edges, waste ground, river banks
· Cross between horseradish and green salad
· Very hot mustard taste
Broom
· Heath, roadsides, open-woods. Often on sand
· Buds from April to June
· The buds taste of peas and can be used in spring salads/stir-frys
Bulrush
· Swampy areas, ditches, garden ponds
· Early Spring for the young shoots
· To be chopped and stir-fried
Sweet Cicely
· Hedgerows, wood margins, often near water
· Leaves from March to October
· Sprinkle on Strawberries or use in salads
Common Chickweed
· Gardens, dung heaps, field margins. Prefers damp areas
· Found all year round
· Use young stems in salads and the rest for soups and stir-frys
Common Sorrel
· Rough pasture, hedgerows, woods
· Best in the Spring
· Added to salad, shredded into yoghurt as a sauce and served with fish
Crow Garlic
· Grassy banks, field edges, cultivated land
· Bulbs late Spring and early Summer
· Tastes halfway between Garlic and Onion and can be used in place of either
Fennel
· Near habitation, waste ground, coastal
· Spring till summer for the leaves
· Use as an accompaniment to fish
Ground Elder
· Gardens, woods, hedgerow. Most often near habitation
· March to October
· Use like Parsley or cooked like spinach
Hogweed
· Roadsides, field edges, waste ground
· March to June
· Cooked shoots taste similar to Asparagus, best steamed
Hop
· Hedgerow
· Shoots in April and May
· Use in soup, stir-frys and Pakoras
Spear-leaved Orache
· Waste ground, cultivated ground, compost heaps, upper beaches
· May to October
· A good spinach substitute
Perennial Wall Rocket
· Mostly coastal or urban
· March to July
· Use the same as bought rocket
Redcurrant Flowers
· Hedgerows, Shady woods, overhanging river banks
· Flowers April-May
· Use to make Redcurrant leaf tea
Watercress
· Shallow streams, ditches
· March to November
· Peppery taste
Watermint
· Stream sides, boggy places, damp meadows
· April to November
· Use to make Mint Tea or Watermint Sorbet
Wild Garlic
· Shady hedgerows, woodland
· Leaves Feb-June, Flowers and seed heads April-June. Root bulbs all year round
· Use in salads and sandwiches, or make Wild Garlic Pesto
Garlic Mustard
· Shady hedgerows, woodland edges
· March to May
· To be used in salads
Common Mallow
· Roadside, waste ground, field edge. Frequently coastal
· Spring for the leaves
· Mild and pleasant, slightly slimy textured vegetable
Stinging Nettle
· Woods, waste ground, hedgerows, near habitation
· Spring before the flowers form
· Make some Nettle Soup
Pignut
· Hedgerow banks, woods, old pasture. Prefers dry soil
· All year round
· Must find the plants then dig up the ‘nuts’ to be used raw in salads or cooked in stews
...HAPPY FORAGING!
