FORAGING FOR FRESH ITEMS

FORAGING

As a Country Woman who does a bit of Foraging I thought I would write some information on it.

As perishable items like salad and many  vegetables are not easily available I thought I would look at “Foraging”.  

I always hate to see items like blackberries, crab apples, sloes and various other plants wasted.

Many items are garden weeds like dandelion and nettle leaves which we tend to ignore or just pull up. They are useful in soups and salads.

PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK WHAT PLANTS, FUNGI AND FRUITS ARE  AS SOME ITEMS ARE POISONOUS –I AM NOT GOOD AT IDENTIFYING WILD MUSHROOMS APART FROM A FEW SO I RARELY USE THEM.

Foraging: what to look out for each month

There are various sites and the Woodland Trust has a really good  one which suggests items month by month. It also notes the vitamins in the various items. It also says on the site about harvesting and not damaging plants.

On the Woodland  Trust site, March has various suggestions like nettles –do wear gloves to pick these and only pick the tender leaves for use in soups

There is a suggestion about Japanese Knotweed which is horridly invasive and will lift cement, foundations, and paths—I found some on a farmers field and told him and he killed it with weed killer followed by burning debris on the site. That I feel is the best thing for it as it is so prolific and destructive!

I have not tried Clevers but I think it needs to be really young as a friend told me that she was upset by eating the old ones

Worth looking at the garden and walks with new eyes.