Milk Thistle / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Milk Thistle is an aggressive-looking plant, but with a pair of thick gloves and a little effort you can get plenty of fantastic edible stems & centres from this plant. Common Names Holy Thistle, Zebra Thistle, The Spikey Queen…
Tag: summer
Angelica / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible A common, annual and edible member of the Carrot or Umbellifer family. It’s not the easiest plant to ID as its leaves look a little like Hemlock Water Dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) so care must be taken. Common Names Angelica, Wild Angelica…
Selfheal / Summer / Autumn / Edible Self Heal is a common and edible member of the Mint family. It’s a creeping, perennial plant with a long history of use in herbal medicine. Hippocrates said ‘let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.’ And this plant is a…
 Docks / All Year Round / Edible A common and familiar wild plant. Well known as a cure for Nettle stings but it is also edible. There are two main species found in the UK, Broad-leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifolius) and Curled Dock (Rumex crispus) both have a similar taste and…
One of the most commonly asked questions, when we are running courses, is ‘Will we find any Truffles today?’ unfortunately my answer is almost always no, through this guide we’re going to look at An Introduction to Truffles in case you happen to be lucky enough to stumble across some…
Shepherds Purse / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Shepherds Purse is a tasty, native, annual member of the mustard family. The common name comes from the shape of the seed pods which look like old fashioned purses. It’s very common – in fact it’s the world’s 2nd most…
Spear Thistle / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Spear Thistle is a native, biannual member of the Daisy family.  It’s massively common and the stems can be used as a celery substitute. Common Names Spear Thistle, Bull Thistle, Scotch Thistle Botanical Name Cirsium vulgare Scientific Classification Kingdom –…
Ground Ivy / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter / Edible Ground Ivy is one of Britain’s most common plants, it’s not a true Ivy but a member of the Mint family and it can be used as a substitute for Thyme, Mint or Rosemary. It’s an evergreen, ground…
Wild Asparagus / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Wild Asparagus is a flowering, perennial member of the Asparagus family, it was once fairly common but due to changes in land use and management it’s in serious decline and is on the GB Red list for endangered species. Common…
Watercress / Spring / Summer / Autumn / Edible Watercress is a fast growing, aquatic member of the Cabbage family. It’s very nutritious, easy to ID and edible. Common Names Watercress, Yellow cress, Poor Man’s Bread Botanical Name Nasturtium officinale Scientific Classification Kingdom – Plantae Order – Brassicales Family –…