Stinging Nettles / Spring/ Summer / Autumn/ Edible Stinging nettles are a plant that we’ve all been stung by at some point and, as such, have learned how to safely identify. Botanical Name Urtica dioica Known Hazards Stinging nettles are well known for the burning sensation they give if handled…
Category: Plant identification
Silver Birch (Betula pendula) How to Identify Silver Birch Edible Botanical Name:Betula pendula Known Hazards:The tar present in the bark of this tree has been recorded as causing skin irritation, there’s also reference to an insect that feeds on the sap of the silver birch leaves exuding a chemical called…
Hogweed / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible  Common Hogweed doesn’t sound like an edible plant, but it is and it’s one of my favourites! Botanical Name Heracleum Sphondylium Known Hazards A mild case of photo-phyto-dermatitis can be caused by touching the raw juice of this plant and,…
Hazel (Corylus avellana) How to Identify Hazel Edible Botanical Name: Corylus avellana Known Hazards: N/A Could be confused with: Other species in the Corylus family, of which are similarly used. Linden Tree (Tilia) which has a similar leaf structure but grows to a huge size and doesn’t produce hazel nuts…
Hawthorn / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Hawthorn is one of those plants that often blurs the line between medicine and food, it’s used for helping to regulate the heart and blood pressure, both for high and low blood pressure, but it can also be used in many…
Alexanders / spring / summer / autumn / winter / edible Welcome to our guide on Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum), a fascinating and versatile wild edible that deserves a place in every forager’s repertoire. Often overlooked in favor of more well-known wild plants, Alexanders is a highly nutritious and flavorsome addition…
Is Cows Parsley Toxic or can it be confused with any toxic or poisonous plants? well let’s take a low at Cows Parsley or Poison Hemlock – What’s the difference? So it’s that time of year where I see so many ID requests for cow parsley (or as some call…
Identifying trees in Winter is hard. It isn’t too bad in Spring, Summer and Autumn; But during the winter, when there are no leaves, flowers or fruits on show, it’s pretty awful. Why trees? What has that got to do with foraging? The obvious reason is that some have edible…
Dandelion / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Dandelion is one of the UK’s most prolific weeds and most of us have spent some time digging this one up out of the garden, kicking and swearing at it. But if we look at it slightly differently it could help…
Cherry / Spring / Autumn / Edible Cherry trees are found in almost every town, village and city within the UK & they have edible parts in spring and autumn. Botanical Name Prunus Cerasus Family Rosaceae Known Hazards Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, it belongs…