17 March 2020
In The Forager’s Calendar, John Wright shows us what species can be found when and where, how to identify them, and how to store, use and cook them. Fully illustrated throughout, with tips on kit, conservation advice and what to avoid, this is an indispensable guide.
In the first part of John Wright’s What to Forage Now blog series, he tells us about the wild food that can be found on your doorstep. Perfect for these self-isolating times.
Order your copy of The Forager’s Calendar from Amazon, Waterstones or Hive.
What to Forage Now: Wild Food on your Doorstep
With interest in foraging unabated and, indeed, increasing, I am often asked where is the best place to start. One would imagine that it might be a wild, rocky seashore, maybe an old oak wood or a well-established hedge. It is natural to consider wild food to exist in wild places, but urban and even domestic landscapes are often the best.
So, the answer to the question of ‘where’ is ‘in your garden’.
My Forager’s Calendar, as its name implies, is devoted to the seasonal nature of wild food. Some species are highly seasonal; Birch sap is only available for two weeks in March and with Flying Ants it is two hours in July! Many are around all year; for example, Sorrel which is found in old pasture, and the Jelly Ear fungus that grows on Elder trees.
The period between the ides of March to those of April is a little too early for most things, with mid-April being the time when spring really gets underway. But there are a surprising number of wild foods found in gardens in early spring and most of them are, of course, weeds.
The endlessly pernicious Hairy Bittercress establishes itself in every flowerpot, shrubbery or crack in the patio. It is, however, excellent to eat, with a peppery flavour identical to that of the cress that is grown in little tubs. Uproot it whole and snip off the roots, wash before serving.
A fellow denizen of odd corners is wild Cornsalad (left). This, or one of its cousins, is fairly well known as a cultivated salad and the wild version is just as good, if a little less succulent. Pick it when the tiny, pale blue flowers have developed – they will impart a floral component to your salad.
Unless you are lucky enough to have Wild Garlic growing in a shady corner, the most interesting and useful garden weed is the Stinging Nettle. It is particularly good in early spring, with bright young leaves which can be picked (carefully) as an entire sprig from the growing tip.
Nettles (right) are not suitable in a salad unless fire-eating is a hobby of yours, but they do make a famously excellent soup when thickened with potato and enhanced with a good stock. But there is much more that can be done with this highly nutritious plant. Individually deep-fried leaves make a splendid decoration on a dish; blanched and drained, they can be squeeze-dried in a tea towel then chopped up to a powder which is then mixed into a pasta dough, or even pastry. Indeed, if a (cooked) dish can be made with spinach, it can be made with nettles. By the way, you can eat raw nettles if you are careful, and they have a rather pleasant, fresh flavour. Just screw up a leaf into a tight ball and pop it in your mouth. The ‘screwing up’ breaks all the needles so that they cannot penetrate the skin. Try it!
You may find yourself uprooting dandelions from your lawn and borders about now. I certainly have. The roots are edible, if a little too bitter to eat unless starvation is the alternative. But if cleaned, dried, roasted (190C, 25 minutes) then coarsely ground, they make a genuinely good substitute for coffee. Honestly.
Finally, a gentle word of warning. The above mentioned plants are easy to identify, but do make sure you get it right. The average garden is full of dangerously poisonous species (I had Henbane appear in mine for a couple of years!), so do ensure that your wild supper will not be your last supper.
Order your copy of The Forager’s Calendar from Amazon, Waterstones or Hive.