Candlesnuff fungus / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Inedible The Candlesnuff Fungus, scientifically known as Xylaria hypoxylon, is a remarkable ascomycetous fungus that graces the woodland with its intriguing presence throughout the year, but particularly during the colder months of late autumn and winter. This enigmatic…
Tag: spring
Good King Henry / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Good King Henry originates from the Alps but will be found in much of Europe. Apparently it was the Romans who first brought it to Britain. It’s an easy to identify plant, that makes a great, nutritious spinach substitute. Common…
Over the past couple of years I’ve heard, on and off, different tales about fern edibility. Some saying they’re all highly carcinogenic and others saying they’re delightful and highly sought after species for restaurants. I wanted to spend a little time researching this and thought I’d write my findings up…
Water Pepper / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Water Pepper is a plant of the Knotweed or Polygonaceae family, that was previously cultivated as a pepper alternative. It doesn’t strike you as anything special to look at as it’s just growing in the water, but when you grab…
Field Bindweed / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Toxic Field bindweed is a persistent and troublesome perennial weed, much hated by gardeners. Its is a toxic plant in the Morning Glory family, it’s generally 20–100 cm tall and it trails or climbs up other plants. Common Names…
Red Campion / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Red Campion is a common, native wildflower. It is a biennial or short-lived perennial plant that produces beautiful, bright pink flowers, which bloom in spring and early summer. Common Names Robin hood, Robin-run-in-the-hedge, Adder’s flower Botanical Name Silene…
Elm / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible There are many species of Elm such as the English Elm (Ulmus procera), Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra) and Field Elm (Ulmus minor). All were sadly affected by the fungal Dutch elm disease which came to the UK in the…
Henbane / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Toxic Henbane Is a poisonous plant in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) it is native to temperate Europe, and naturalised in Great Britain and Ireland. It’s a shrubby biennial that grows up to 1m tall. The whole plant is very hairy, very sticky…
Laburnum / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Toxic Laburnum is a fairly common sight in parks and gardens especially in spring when they are in flower. Although it looks absolutely beautiful when it comes into flower all parts of this plant are toxic so it’s an important species for…
Candied Angelica stems are a very old form of candy, I remember it as something bright green that my Nana used to decorate trifles. Normally Garden Angelica (Angelica archangelica) is used but in my opinion the wild variety has lots more flavour. This recipe is really simple and only really…