Foraging in Spring
I recently went on a day’s foraging workshop with a wonderful French lady and her dog. It was fascinating to identify and collect some fresh, nutritious and free food while enjoying an energising walk in the sunshine. Did you know you can forage from the same place and collect different food from the same plants at different times of the year?
The most nutritious part of the plant is that which has just grown or where the energy is being stored. In Spring the best parts of the plant are the flowers and leaves which are starting to grow while in Autumn the most nutritious parts of the plant are the roots which are beginning to store energy for the winter. The same plant can share its nutrition as you eat different parts of it during its yearly cycle.
On this Spring foraging walk we collected lots of leafy greens such as wild garlic, garlic mustard greens and ground ivy. We collected lots of nettle leaves which never fail to catch your attention with their gentle bite at your ankles or fingers! We also ate the flowers of the hawthorn and the dandelion (picked carefully away from areas frequented by dogs). To top it all, we shared lots of healthy, seasonal recipes to make use of all that fresh, nutritious food. In this blog I share some of the best finds and some of the best recipes for you to try too.
Garlic Mustard Alli aria petiolata
This is an interesting plant which gets its name from the distinctive smell of garlic and mustard. You will recognise it as it is quite common and if you fold one of its leaves in your fingers you will get a definite smell of garlic and mustard!
Its name is self-evident and it is also called Jack-by-the-hedge or garlic root. It has heart-shaped leaves that are smooth and hairless, with small, white flowers that grow in clusters at the ends of the stems. The flowers have four petals that sometimes look like the shape of a cross.
If you look closely, the flowers look a bit like broccoli and the stem and flowers might remind you of purple sprouting broccoli. Broccoli, like cabbage cauliflower, kale and turnips, are all from the same mustard family (Brassicaceae)!
At this time of year you can collect Garlic Mustard greens by carefully breaking off the stem and leaves while leaving the roots in the ground. Later in the year you can also harvest the seeds from well-established plants and they can be sprouted or dried and ground up with pepper.
You can find a recipe for Garlic Mustard Pesto on my website.
Nettles Urtica dioica
Nettles are very easy to find. You can identify them by their sharp leaves and the tiny hairs on the leaf and stem…you know them immediately from their sting!
British stinging nettles inject formic acid, histamine, acetylcholine and serotonin and some people actually welcome the sting as it is said to help reduce arthritis! Nettles have been used to reduce pain and stiffness since Roman Times and there are now studies that show nettles may reduce the pain and disability associated with osteoarthritis, as well as re
duce arthritis pain, joint inflammation, and stiffness. The strong anti-inflammatory mechanism is why nettles can also found in supplements for joint support.They are also packed with nutrients. They have a high pro tein content for a vegetable and are rich in vitamins A, C, D, iron, potassium and calcium.
While foraging in Spring, you can collect the young nettle leaves and infuse them in a tea or add them to soups. One excellent thing to do with these young leaves is to let them dry out then powder them in a food processer so you have a jar of nutritious powder that you can add to soups, smoothies or stews for the rest of the year! In the Autumn, when nettles go to flower, all the energy and nutrients go into producing the flower and seeds, and we can start foraging for nettle seeds.
You can try making nettle crisps which are so easy. Heat a frying pan with one tablespoon of butter or coconut oil until it bubbles, then add nettle leaves and salt to taste and cook for a few minutes. Turn them frequently as they start to crisp up and then dry on a paper towel. Or if you are feeling adventurous, you can also make this nettle cake with blackberry or damson jam and lemon drizzle.
If you would like to know more about foraging for this plant you can read more from an experienced forager here.
Ground ivy Glechoma hederacea
Ground ivy is also called Gill-go-by-the-ground, Lizzy-run-up-the-hedge, cat’s foot, devil’s candlesticks and alehoof. It can be sometimes hard to find ground ivy because but once you look out for its purple flowers and small heart-shaped leaves, you will begin to see it everywhere!
According to Chaucer in the Nun’s Priest’s Tale ground ivy ‘makes our yard so merry.’ What is it about ground ivy that makes a yard so merry? Firstly, it was used in the process of making ale.
Secondly, its leaves, when crushed and applied to the skin, are an excellent remedy for nettle stings. Many people say they are far superior to dock leaves and have anti-inflammatory properties that have you smiling again in no time!
When eaten it has a unique flavour of rosemary, sage, mint and thyme with a mild bitter aftertaste. It is high in vitamin C, iron and flavonoid antioxidants. Ground Ivy is effective in the treatment of many ailments and is popular within traditional medicine. In traditional medicine, it has been used to treat throat and chest problems by working to relieve congestion and inflammation.
The young shoots and leaves can be eaten as bitter greens, like spinach, or added raw to salads, but you can also add it to soups or make a salsa verde with it. You can find a recipe for salsa verde with ground ivy and wild food on my website. Many people make a tincture with the young leaves and flowers by infusing a handful of sprigs in vodka or tequila for a month. Or it makes a lovely tea, called gill tea in the past, by steeping it in boiling water and adding honey or liquorice for sweetness.
If you would like to know more about foraging for this plant you can read more from an experienced forager here.Foraging for Flowers
Did you know you can also eat flowers and blossoms? The delicate white blossom from the hawthorn tastes like amaretto and the bright yellow flowers of the dandelion give a light honey flavour when added to teas like nettle tea! The spectacular magnolia tree also has edible flowers which give a floral flavour with hints of ginger, clove, cardamom. Some people stuff the buds with nuts and honey or add the petals to vinegar. You can read more about magnolia flowers here.
Foraging Tips
There are quite a few apps that can help you identify plants correctly while you are foraging. You might like to use these two: Leafsnap is very simple and accurate for quick identification while PictureThis accurately identifies plants while giving comprehensive information about each one.
As always, only eat the wild food that you have identified correctly. Especially with mushrooms, it can be dangerous to consume anything that will poison you. None of the wild foods in this blog are dangerous. You should also be careful about the locations you use for foraging. Busy roads or farmland will have more pollution and pesticides than woodlands or country parks.
Also, make sure you forage respectfully and leave roots in the ground for regrowth, and you will be able to forage for many years to come!
I will keep you up to date with my foraging adventures as I go foraging in each season of the year and you can browse my recipes for ideas of what to do with your foraged food! If you would like to go on your own foraging adventures, you can look up a foraging day near you or see this online guide for foraging from the Woodland Trust showing what to forage each month!
With every blessing,
Emma
Emma Maitland-Carew – Registered Nutritional Therapist
Dip.ION, mBANT, CHNC Registered Practitioner, ILM Accredited Wellbeing Coach
Certified Live and Dried Blood Analysis, Metabolic Balance® Coach, HeartMath Coach, Accredited Wellbeing Coach
Further Reading
Allen, D. E. & Hatfield, G. (2004) Medicinal plants in folk tradition: an ethnobotany of Britain & Ireland. Portland: Timber Press.
Duke, J. A. (1985) CRC handbook of medicinal herbs. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Grieve, M. M. (1998) A modern herbal. London: Tiger Books International.
Hatfield, G. (2008) Hatfield’s herbal: the secret history of British plants. London: Penguin.
Irving, M. (2009) The forager handbook: a guide to the edible plants of Britain. London: Ebury.
