Cleavers / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Everything you need to safely identify the edible and medicinal Cleavers or Sticky Weed (Gallium Aparine) before heading out to forage some. Scientific Name Gallium aparine Family Rubiaceae Also known as Clivers, “bort”, bedstraw, goosegrass, catchweed, stickyweed, stickybud, robin-run-the-hedge, sticky willy,…
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Darwins Barberry (Berberis darwinii) How to Identify Darwins Barberry Edible Scientific NameBerberis darwinii FamilyBerberidaceae Also known asMmichay, calafate, and quelung. HabitatNative to southern Chile and Argentina and naturalized elsewhere. Moist shady woodland in the Patagonian mountains. Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Hedge; DescriptionIt is an evergreen thorny shrub growing…
GROUND ELDER (Aegopodium podagraria) How to Identify Ground Elder(Edible) Common namesGround Elder, Bishop’s Weed, Goutweed, Gout Wort, Snow-in-the-Mountain, English Masterwort, Wild Masterwort Botanical nameAegopodium podagraria Meaning of botanical nameFrom the Greek Aigos for “goat” and podo meaning foot. The second part of the name is Latin and is another reference…
Primrose / Spring / Edible Primrose is one of the first plants to produce edible wild flowers in spring, our favourite thing is to use them as a garnish or to crystalise them for future use. Common names Primrose, Common Primrose, Wild Primrose, English Primrose Botanical name Primula vulgaris Meaning…
HIMALAYAN BALSAM (Impatiens glandulifera) How to Identify Himalayan Balsam(Edible) Common namesHimalayan Balsam, Indian Balsam, Bobby Tops, Copper Tops, Gnome’s Hatstand, Ornamental Jewelweed, Policeman’s Helmet, Kiss-me-on-the-Mountain Botanical nameImpatiens glandulifera Meaning of botanical nameImpatiens is from the Latin for impatient, referring to how the seed pods burst open. Glandulifera means to have…
Wood Avens, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Edible Wood Avens are one of those plants we walk over and past every time we go through a woodland, it’s amazing to learn the roots taste like cloves. Uncertain Could be confused with Water Avens (Geum rivale), and wild strawberries (Fragaria), but the…
Garlic Mustard / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible How to Identify Hedge Garlic Common names Hedge garlic, Jack-by-the-Hedge, Garlic Mustard, Poor Man’s Mustard, Garlic Root, Penny Hedge, Sauce Alone Botanical name Alliaria petiolata Meaning of botanical name The first part of the name, Alliaria, means “resembling an Allium”,…
ROSEBAY WILLOWHERB (Chamerion angustifolim) How to Identify Rosebay Willowherb(Edible) Common namesRosebay Willowherb, Fireweed Botanical nameChamerion angustifolium Meaning of botanical nameThe first part, Chamerion, comes from the Greek words for low to the ground, chamai, and oldeander, nerion. Angustifolium is derived from Latin words for narrow, angustus, and leaves, folium. Known…
HAIRY BITTERCRESS (Cardamine hirsuta) How to Identify Hairy Bittercress(Edible) Common namesHairy Bittercress, Lamb’s Cress, Hoary Bittercress, Spring Cress, Flick Weed, Shot Weed Botanical nameCardamine hirsuta Meaning of botanical nameCardamine comes from the Greek Kardamon, meaning cress-like. Hirsuta means hairy, which is in references to the hairs on the leaves of…
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 learnt how to safely identify. Botanical Name Urtica dioica Known Hazards Stinging nettles are well known for the burning sensation they give if…
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 How to Identify Alexanders Common Names: Alexanders, horse parsley, alisanders and smyrnium. Botanical Name: Smyrnium Olusatrum Meaning of Botanical Name: Smyrnuim indicates the plants distinct myrrh-like aromatics. While Olusatrum comes from Olus meaning garden herb and Atrum from…
The Prince/ Summer/ Autumn / Edible Common Name The Prince Botanical Name Agaricus Augustus Meaning of Botanical Name Augustus is refering to the month of August which is when these mushrooms appear. Family Agaricaceae Known Hazards None Known Could be confused with Agaricus Impidicus, which has a strong radishy smell…
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…
Blackberry / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible How to Identify Blackberries and Brambles Common Names Blackberry, Brambles Latin Name Rubus Fruticosus Known Hazards The stem of this plant contains many thorns and spikes, it’s almost impossible to walk through brambles and it’s fairly common to catch or even…
Sweet Cicely / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible How to Identify Sweet Cicely Botanical Name Myrrhis Odorata Could be confused with Cows Parsley (Anthriscus Sylvestris) very easily, the leaves are almost identical although Sweet Cicely leaves are a little softer to touch, the flower bunches of Sweet Cicely…
How to Identify Bilberry Bilberries are Edible Botanical Name: Vaccinium myrtillus Known Hazards: The Plant has high tannin content and if eaten to excess can effect digestion. Avoid eating if taking anti-coagulating medication. Could be confused with: Other Closely Related species in the Vaccinium Genus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Vaccinium cespitosum, Vaccinium…
Japanese Knotweed / Spring / Summer / Edible Japanese Knotweed is an incredibly invasive plant, but it has an amazing rhubarb flavour which we can use in cooking. Botanical Name: Fallopia japonica Known Hazards: Oxalic acid and oxalates are mild nephrotoxic acids that are abundantly present in the stem and…
This Sea Arrowgrass Stir Fry Recipe can be made with a plethora of wild ingredients from coastal goodies to inland vegetables & Seaweeds. However, the star flavour is the sea arrowgrass which has a beautiful coriander like flavour – and it can be found growing all around the UK coast…
The Carrot and Sea Arrowgrass Soup is a brilliant way to get the most out of the coriander-like sea arrowgrass. This dish is incredibly fresh and is lovely hot or cold, for me I always enjoy this with a big chunk of Nettle Soda Bread and plenty of butter. Click…
Through this guide we’re going to take a look through the potential for Lacto Fermnting Wild Ingredients. The possibilities are endless and once you get started it just gets more exciting. When we begin to start foraging we find one or two exciting wild ingredients and try every recipe we…
Through this piece we’re going to join Forager Jane on discovering the ins and outs of Coastal Foraging in Norfolk. We need to be mindful Foragers when Coastal Foraging in Norfolk If the North Norfolk Coast was a parcel it would come with big red labels, saying, “Fragile”, “Handle with…
This Sea Bass with sea beet and marsh samphire dish was created using the Wild Veg box from Totally Wild UK, using the foraged ingredients, sea bass and a few other simple ingredients. Ingredients Knob of butter (make this recipe dairy free by substituting with dairy-free spread) 100g Girolles mushrooms…
This Elderflower Eton Mess Recipe is a fantastic way to utilise the summers Elderflowers, and once they’ve dropped out of season, if you’ve made up some elderflower cordial or elderflower syrup then you can use that in the recipe too 🙂 Ingredients for Elderflower Eton Mess Recipe (enough for 4)…
This Wild Kimchi Pickle Recipe is one of the most moorish things I’ve ever concocted from our foraged goodies. You can serve it as a side dish itself, or add a little more soy and oil to it to utilise it as a dipping sauce, or – like I often…
This Nettle Energy Ball Recipe is incredibly simple and the energy balls you get are absolutely jam-packed with nutrients and minerals – the perfect thing for a mid-hike snack. Ingredients for this Nettle Energy Ball Recipe: 1 cup of rolled oats 1/2 cup of ground almonds (or other nuts/seeds of…
Elderberry & Nettle Seed Energy Balls An amazing wild energy ball recipes that will keep you going throughout your foraging excursions or bring some wild energy to the office Ingredients: 1 cup of rolled oats 1/2 cup of ground hazelnuts (or other nuts/seeds of choice or more oats) 1 1/4…
Through this article we’re going to look at Why Foraging Is Good For Our Health And The Planet from picking a little in your park to heading out to the wild to sustain you and your family. It’s a fact. Our urban parks had never been so busy as during…