TIPS : FORAGING IN SPRING
Spring is one of the best times to get out there for some easy foraging wins .
Wild garlic
Location : broadleaf woodlands .
Wild garlic season is from late winter to early spring . If you miss the leaves pick some flowers and sprinkle on a salad or pickle the seeds to make a punchy condiment .
Jack-by-the-hedge
Location : alongside hedgerows .
Jagged leaves that look like a fat stinging nettle will help you distinguish this punchy plant .
Use in : leaf stems as a vegetable ; pesto ; very sparingly in horta vrasta ( Greek boiled leafy greens ) and salads .
Nettles
Location : nutrient-rich soil . Loves to colonise shallow graves !
Use in : soup ; also makes an excellent cordial .
Dandelions
Location : anywhere there is a teaspoon full of soil !
Use in : drinks ; salads ; as a side dish . All parts of the plant are edible .
Pine
Location : mountain paths , planted plantations .
At this time of year you can munch on the tiny male pine cones . These can be fermented or eaten raw and are full of phytonutrients , Vitamin C , and will help boost testosterone . roasting does take some of that away – as does the glaze . The seeds can be ground and used as a unique seasoning . Alternatively , I like to crush them a little and add to gamey stews . Young leaves make excellent winter greens and older plants can be thrown in the boiling water when steaming mussels to give them a hint of something unique .
That is perhaps the best way to think of the wild food cabinet : each flavour is a new adventure , something to fire the imagination . There is always something new to learn . The first challenge is learning to identify the plants . This becomes easier with practice . We learn these skills as we go along – and it doesn ’ t feel like learning as we are enjoying ourselves . The best of us know that we are continuing to learn .
Those of us reading Outdoor Focus are lucky ; our interests have given us direction , purpose , and afforded us a living . If you learn foraging it adds something else too : freedom .
At 25 I moved to the big city , Nottingham . I worked a series of insecure jobs , lived in substandard housing in crimeridden areas , and often had to depend on others for my subsistence .
A year or two later I moved to a new city , started writing and rediscovered a childhood interest , foraging . I set myself the challenge to be able to identify all the edible plants I could find . In a surprisingly short time I managed to identify about 80 % of the native plants in an area . I was no
longer reliant on others for my food ; more importantly I could always contribute to a dinner . There is a joy , after all , in being able to give . I love it when I teach children , who then show their parents how to forage . The subtle change of status from dependent to provider gives them a little swagger , a confidence in themselves . They start to see gardens through the eyes of a forager , the abundance rather than the neglect . They see freedom . After all , free is the man who can see food where others want to use weedkiller .
The First-Time Forager : A Complete Beginner ’ s Guide to Britain ’ s Edible Plants by Andy Hamilton ( National Trust Books ) launches on April 11th , 2024
16 outdoor focus / spring 2024