Welcome to Wild Harvest

Spring Season 2012

Spring has certainly arrived! The warm weather has accelerated plant growth and many plants are more mature than expected at this time of the year.

Edible plants that can be collected now are Chickweed, (Stellaria media) and Bittercress, (Cardamine flexuosa) – both good in salads – and the leaves of Jack-By-The-Hedge or Garlic Mustard, (Alliaria petiolata) which is a mild substitute for garlic that also gives a peppery tang. Wild Garlic or Ramsons, (Allium ursinum) can also be collected now, it is much stronger than Garlic Mustard, which can readily be judged by how easy it is to detect by its smell.

Wild Violets, (Viola riviniana) have been in flower for a while – the flowers and leaves can be used in salads or puddings.

Nettle, (Urtica dioica) tops are good now, so are Hop, (Humulus lupulus) shoots. Young Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) leaves can be eaten fresh or boiled, though opinion is divided as to their tastiness.

Lastly, Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) leaves can be used as flavouring, but be cautious, the flavour is very strong, doesn’t appeal to everyone and can be unpleasant if used generously. It also has a purgative effect. It was popular in former centuries, used in egg dishes, but may have been eaten as much for its medicinal qualities as its culinary ones.

Fungi are few at this time of year but St George’s Mushroom, (Calocybe gambosa) – which appears at this time on or around St George’s Day, (April 23rd) – and the Fairy Ring Champignon, (Marasmius oreades) are exceptions. If you are very lucky you may find Morels, (Morchella esculenta and M. vulgaris) which are excellent. Check shrubberies that have been mulched with bark chippings or areas of ground where fires have burned in the hope of finding Morels.

There are also two fungi which grow on wood that occur all the year round, so there is a possibility of finding them. The first is Poplar Fieldcap, (Agrocybe cylindracea) – as its name implies, the fungus grows on various species of Poplar tree. The other is the familiar Oyster Mushroom, (Pleurotus ostreatus) – this is commonly found on Beech but also grows on other trees like Birch, Horse Chestnut and Holly.

See the listings for more details.