Archive for the Foraging Category

Pignut (Conopodium majus) is a woodland plant with an edible root. It’s a popular plant with many foragers – probably as much for the effort it requires to locate, identify and excavate the edible tuber as for the taste and calorific content. Continue reading →

Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum), AKA Ramsons, has to be one of the easiest UK edible wild plants to identify, but it’s not without some risk (see below). The vast swathes of Wild Garlic leaves carpeting my local woodlands from March onwards is a sign that the foraging ‘year’ has begun. Continue reading →

Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) is a commonly found distinctive flowering plant. The scent, somewhere between caramel and Germolene, combined with the unique shape of the leaves and the delicate flowers make this an easily identified and unusual foraging ingredient. Continue reading →

Rock Samphire (Crithmum maritimum) is a prized edible coastal plant that can be found on much of the UK coastline, but sometimes takes a bit of effort to locate. The taste is loved by some and loathed by others – John Wright claims it has a ‘carrots and kerosene’ flavour. I find it palatable, but not really worth the effort if you cannot locate it easily! Continue reading →

Common Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is often listed as being toxic in wild flower identification books, but it is recommended by many foragers. There are some potential health and toxicity issues to be aware of (see below), but in small quantities it is quite a good edible wild plant with a refreshing/tangy flavour. Continue reading →