Remember this story? I loved the part when they were on the main factory floor and Charlie discovered that EVERYTHING he saw was edible and made out of the most delicious confectionary.
Foraging for wild food can feel a little bit similar! Have a look at the picture below, what do you see?
There’s nothing remarkable about it, or at least that’s how it seems. A bunch of weeds, with some plastic and even barbed wire. But actually, in this picture are two of the most scrumptious and healthy wild vegetables that you could wish to put on your plate: first of all the humble Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), a plant everybody knows. Every part of this plant is edible, from the yellow flowers to the sturdy roots. Flowers and roots make a delightful tea and the young leaves can be flash-fried like spinach. The other plant in the picture, centre-bottom, is Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagraria), which was introduced to Britain by the Romans. They grew it like a vegetable, but nowadays most people regard it as an unwanted weed. That’s very unfortunate, as it is absolutely wonderful. When there are a bit more of them (April is really their month), I tend to gather a few handfuls and cook them with onion and stock. It tastes like the freshest parsley you could imagine and is very healthy.
On the wall right next to it, grew Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis), a handsome little ‘wallflower’ with tasty, peppery leaves. They would make the perfect garnish on the abovementioned Ground Elder soup.
As you can imagine, walking around in this ‘chocolate factory’ where so much is edible, gave me a roaring appetite! But I’m not picking any of these plants just yet. Dandelions are an important nectar source for bees and butterflies that are just coming out of hibernation. The Ground Elder is only just beginning to poke through the earth, and it may sound silly but I like them to experience life a bit before I eat them.
When the time is right, I will post a recipe for our favourite Spring soup!
The healthy forager 