WILD FOOD WORKSHOP
Spring is in the air and plants are springing back with fresh new growth. For the March Global Gardens supper we celebrated the arrival of spring with a focus on WILD and FORAGED FOOD.
In preparation for the supper, Vaida and Poppy harvested some wild garlic and nettles from the Coed Hills Rural Artspace.
With the wild garlic we foraged we made a wild garlic pesto. With the nettles, we made a vegan nettle soup.
We also spoke a little bit about the benefits and ethics of foraging wild food.
Here are some of the key things you need to know if you want to forage wild foods...
Safety first
Make sure you identify the plant, fungus or seaweed you are gathering.
Do not gather produce from any areas that have been sprayed with insecticide or herbicide.
Avoid areas near busy roads that may have been contaminated by car exhausts.
Foraging ethics
Never strip a plant of berries or leaves.
Do not take more than for your own needs.
Always make sure there is a plentiful supply left for birds and other foragers. The plant shouldn’t look as if it has been harvested.
Never dig up the plant –this is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Be careful not to damage other vegetation.
Do not harvest the seeds or flowers of annuals (otherwise they will not be able to reproduce!)
Adhere to the code of conduct by the Botanical Society of the British Isles.
Further resources:
To find out more we highly recommend the following resources:
'Food for Free' by Richard Mabey
'The Thrifty Forager' by Alys Fowler
The River Cottage 'Hedgerow Handbook' by John Wright
'Hedgerow Medicine' by Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal
The Rhizome Clinic also offer brilliant talks and workshops on wild food and wild medicine.
Foraging through the year
Here is a little list of some delicious foods you can forage around South Wales.
January
Chickweed
February
Chickweed
Wild garlic
Nettles
March
Nettles
Wild garlic
Hop shoots
April
Dandelion
Hawthorn leaves
Nettles
Tansy leaves
May
Dandelion
Hop shoots
Nettles
Woodruff
June
Elderflowers
Nettle
July
Lime blossom
Wild strawberry
Wild rose flowers
August
Bilberries
Blackberries
Elderberries
Rosehips
September
Beech nuts
Bilberries
Dandelion roots
Elderberries
Hawthorn berries
Hazelnuts
Rosehips
October
Beech nuts
Blackberries
Elderberries
Hazelnuts
Juniper
Rosehips
Sweet chestnuts
November
Sweet chestnuts
December
Chickweed
