The Sussex Downs
Hey everyone!
I wanted to do follow up from my last blog on plants and give you some more hedgerow bits that I want to incorporate into later recipes! It’s across the South Downs which is where I grew up, so definitely my spiritual home.
I was reading up on some other blogs about wild flowers and I wanted to import a database of plants and the info from Grow Forage Cook Ferment. It was just a great reference of all thing you can learn and I wanted to give that site some love! I also looked at Country File to find some further UK specifics.
DANDELION
Dandelions are the quintessential spring foraging plant, with edible and medicinal flowers, leaves, and roots! They are super easy to identify, and any look-a-likes are edible and medicinal as well, so no worries there.
Make dandelion salve with the flowers, dandelion pesto with the leaves, and dandelion root coffee with the roots.
If you’re worried about harvesting dandelion blossoms in the spring because they might be food for bees, it’s actually not as big of a problem as it’s been made out to be. In fact, there are enough dandelions to go around, and picking them only makes them produce more flowers! (Read this post on flowers to plant for the bees).
CHICKWEED
Chickweed is a tasty edible green that comes up in early spring. In some milder locations it will even grow throughout winter. Once it warms up chickweed will die back, so be sure to get it while you can so that you can add it to salads or make chickweed pesto!
MINER’S LETTUCE
Miner’s Lettuce looks a bit like chickweed and is sometimes confused with it, but it is a different plant. It is a delicious salad green that grows wild in western states, but can be cultivated in other areas. Like chickweed, it prefers cooler temperatures and will sometimes grow right through the winter.
WILD VIOLET
Wild violets and their leaves are both edible and medicinal. They come up in early spring and are often the first flowers of the season, making them a lovely sight! They love cooler temperatures and will grow in the winter in warmer locations.
Make violet flower infused vinegar or violet leaf balm with your foraged violets!
CLOVER
Both red and white clover are beneficial to us in many ways. The blossoms are sweet and edible, perfect for adding to baked goods or infusing into honey. Red clover is especially high in vitamins and minerals and makes a wonderful tea.
Make these red clover biscuits or these strawberry white clover cookies!
FIDDLEHEADS
Fiddleheads are fern leaves before they’ve unraveled, and they are usually only available for a few weeks in the springtime. The fiddleheads of the Ostrich fern are the most popular for foraging, as they are the tastiest. They have a flavor that is similar to asparagus and are excellent sauteed with butter and garlic.
Some other varieties of ferns are also edible as fiddleheads, such as western sword fern, bracken fern, and lady fern. These should all be cooked before consuming.
Some varieties of ferns are toxic, so be sure that you consult a guidebook and have a positive identification before harvesting.
RAMPS
Ramps are also called wild leeks and are in the same family as onions and garlic (Allium). They have a strong onion flavor and can be used just like you would use onions or garlic. They grow wild in the eastern United States and Canada.
Ramps require special harvesting practices as they are becoming threatened in many areas.
CATTAIL SHOOTS (AND POLLEN)
Cattails are known as the ultimate survival plant, as every part of the plant can be used in some way. The young shoots that come up in the spring are the tastiest part, resembling the flavor of a cucumber, and can be eaten raw.
The yellow pollen that covers the flower spike in late spring or early summer makes a delicious foraged flour substitute.
Make fermented cattail shoots or cattail pollen pasta!
WILD ASPARAGUS
Wild asparagus is one that I’ve never found myself, but would absolutely love to one day! They are found in patchy areas throughout the United States and Canada and are notoriously difficult to spot. Wild asparagus is just like regular garden asparagus in flavor—which means delicious! You can bet I’d make Fermented Asparagus & Garlic with it if I did find it!
Read more about foraging for wild asparagus here.
STINGING NETTLE
Stinging nettle is one of my favorite plants to forage for in the springtime. They are usually pretty easy to find, but don’t forget to bring a pair of gloves for harvesting! Stinging nettle is a superfood that is packed full of vitamins and minerals. Cooking the plant will dispel its sting.
Make this stinging nettle-ade recipe or these nettle chips with your foraged nettles!
English Marigold
The English Marigold is a familiar sight with its pale green leaves and bright orange flowers, but it has a few more benefits than just looking pretty. Herbal healers have used the flowers for centuries as a remedy to a multitude of skin problems. For example, a dried Marigold flower can be rubbed onto an insect bite or sting to help reduce the pain and swelling.
Lady’s Mantle
This member of the Rosaceae family grows abundantly in wild meadows, especially in northern parts of the UK. The astringent properties of this flower allow it to treat a range of conditions from muscle spasms to cuts and wounds. However as the name suggests, traditionally it was a ‘lady’s’ herb and mainly used to relieve maladies associated with women.
DEAD NETTLE
Dead nettle got its name because of its supposed resemblance to stinging nettle (I don’t see it) but without the sting. Purple dead nettle, which is pictured above, is the most common variety and is often found in backyards or gardens. It is perfect to add to a wild greens salad or pesto!
HENBIT
Henbit is in the same family as purple dead nettle, and they are often confused with one another. If you compare the two photos above you can really see the difference between them.
This is another tasty green that can be added to salads or made into a wild pesto. Chickens love henbit too, which is where it got its name!
GARLIC MUSTARD
Garlic mustard is a prolific plant that is sometimes considered to be invasive. This means that you can and should harvest as much as you want! It has a strong garlicky flavor that is tamed by blanching.
Make this garlic mustard pesto with your foraged greens!
WILLOW
Most everyone is familiar with soft and fuzzy pussywillows that emerge in the springtime. Not everyone knows that willow is a highly medicinal tree! White willow bark in particular is a powerful pain reliever—it actually has the same compounds in it as aspirin!
Make willow bark tea to help ease your aches and pains.
YARROW
Yarrow is another highly medicinal plant that comes up in the spring. Its frilly, frond like leaves make it easy to identify. It is also technically edible, but is quite bitter so is most often used for medicinal purposes.
Use yarrow for treating fevers and coughs, or to help stop bleeding. I also have this recipe for wild rose and yarrow soap!
Be aware that yarrow can sometimes be misidentified for poison hemlock!
PLANTAIN
Plantain is both edible and medicinal, and is a very important herb to know about. There are two main varieties, broadleaf or narrowleaf, and both are beneficial. Young and tender leaves can be eaten raw and are highly nutritious. Older leaves can be added to soups and stews.
Using plantain medicinally is as simple as chewing up a leaf and putting it on a bug bite, bee sting, or minor wound. It stops itchiness and helps to heal wounds.
CLEAVERS
Cleavers is a plant that often surprises people with its medicinal properties! It is most well known for its habit of being a pesky garden weed and sticking to everything. Turns out that it’s highly nutritious and is good for the lymphatic system. It is edible, but I recommend blanching first to dispel the sticky hairs.
Here are some great recipe ideas for using cleavers.
MOREL MUSHROOMS
Everyone gets excited about the thought of finding morel mushrooms during spring foraging forays. Maybe it’s because they have a relatively short season, or that they can be a bit elusive to find. Regardless, morels are some of the best mushrooms to forage for in the springtime!
Be sure to use a mushroom guidebook whenever you are out mushroom hunting.
Morels should be cooked before eating and can be used like any other mushroom in recipes. Try them simply sauteed or even deep fried!
OYSTER MUSHROOMS
Oyster mushrooms will grow spring through fall in many locations, and they are easy to identify because they always grow on trees or stumps (if it’s not growing from a tree, fallen log, or stump, it’s not an oyster mushroom!). They are also some of the tastiest wild mushrooms around.
Be sure to use a mushroom guidebook whenever you are out mushroom hunting.
KING BOLETE MUSHROOMS (PORCINI)
King boletes, also known as porcini mushrooms, are considered a delicacy in many places for good reason: they’re delicious! They are often found growing in the forest duff underneath conifer trees, and they start to emerge in the springtime.
Boletes can sometimes be tricky to identify, be sure to use a mushroom guidebook whenever you are out mushroom hunting.
Elder
You’ve probably tried elderflower in a tasty summer cordial but these flowers can be used for much more. The flowers have both anti-septic and anti-inflammatory effects, so country folk have been using them in home-remedies for centuries. A mix of elderflower and water can be used to alleviate symptoms of anything from the common cold to some forms of arthritis.
Evening Primrose
Introduced to the UK in the 1600s, the oil derived from the leaves of this plant contains the pain-relieving compound phenylalanine. This gives Evening Primrose remarkable healing properties.
Feverflew
Part of the daisy family, this traditional herbal medicine has been highly commended for its preventative treatment of migraines. Feverflew is effective as it treats both the cause of the headache and the associated symptoms. Some studies have even shown that regular intake of Feverflew medicine can reduce the frequency of migraines altogether.