As we head into Spring, there is soon to be an abundance of delicious wild greens pushing their way through the frozen earth. Here is a list of my favourite Spring greens, with tips on how to identify them, how to sustainably gather them, and which toxic lookalikes to watch out for.
Foraging is often thought of as an Autumn pastime, as we think of delicious hedgerow berries, sweet chestnuts and an abundance of mushrooms, but Spring is perhaps my favourite time of year for foraging. As the great awakening begins, there are a great many wild edibles which begin to push through the frozen earth, offering plenty of fresh, tender leaves for us to gather to help revitalise our bodies after the cold, dark Winter months.Â
Wild Spring greens are not only nutritious and delicious, they need very little in the way of preparing and cooking and not only can many be enjoyed just as they are, but their flavours can be combined making the culinary possibilities endless.Â
I’ve put together a list of my personal favourites, all of which are easy to identify, fairly common and easy to find, and the majority of which grow in great quantities when the season really gets going. Mindful and sustainable foraging practices should still be used, even in the face of such abundance. Always be sure to only take what you can make use of personally, and make sure to forage a little and move along, never take all of what you need from one patch alone. If you’d like to read more about best practices for foraging sustainably, please take a look at my Sustainability Policy to see the principles I aim to live by.

Stinging Nettles
As a society, we spend a great deal of time and energy trying to remove Stinging Nettles from our gardens and green spaces, but as they are one of the most nutrient dense plants on the planet, we should all be trying to make as much use of them as possible.
The leaves are best foraging in Spring as this is when they are the most tender and nutritious. After the plant has begun to flower (around the end of April/beginning of May), eating Stinging Nettles in any great amounts can cause stomach upset, problems for the kidneys and urinary tract system.
For being a humble 'weed', Stinging Nettles harbour an exceptional nutritional profile. They contain a myriad of different vitamins and minerals, including Vitamins A, C and D, as well as significant quantities of Iron, but perhaps the most surprising is the amount of Calcium they contain, which amounts to almost 10 times the amount of other greens such as Broccoli.
They have no toxic lookalikes making them a wonderful plant for beginners - and their prickly tendencies will be more than willing to let you know if you have found the right plant!

Wild Garlic
A true favourite amongst new and seasoned foragers alike, Wild Garlic is synonymous with British woodlands at this time of the year. They push through the frozen earth of the woodland floor, transforming the Winter landscape with a vibrant carpet of their lance shaped leaves and delicate star-like flowers.
From the bulb to the seed pods, the entire plant is edible, each part with its own intensity of garlic flavour, but its worth remembering that you will need permission from the landowner to uproot the plants before heading out to forage for them. If it's specifically the bulbs you are eager to try, Wild Garlic can be grown very easily in pots at home, so long as you have a shady corner to keep them sheltered from the sun. Bulbs can be bought easily online and I would personally recommend Naturescape if you're looking to buy some.
While its strong garlic aroma is a helpful friend when it comes to identifying Wild Garlic, there are a few toxic plants which like to grow in similar habitats, and can bear a very strong resembalance so it's a worthwhile task to make yourself familiar with them. These include, but aren't limited to: Snowdrops, Daffodils, Lords and Ladies and Dog's Mercury.

Dandelions
Alongside Stinging Nettles, Dandelions are one of the first plants that almost all British children learn to identify as they are told not to pick the Dandelions or it will make them wet the bed! They are tenaciously present in almost every garden, green space and woodland and even thrive in our towns and city centres as they take root in the cracks in the pavement and crumbling brick walls, making them a very easy to find wild food. Although care should be taken to avoid foraging near busy roads if possible, as plants can absorb pollutants, and be mindful that in towns and cities, Dandelions are considered a weed and often fall victim to weedkiller.
Their telltale lion's teeth shaped leaves can usually be found all year round, and although they are quite bitter tasting, they are a little less so in Spring, just as the plants are beginning to grow again. One of my favourite springtime spectacles of the plant world is the blooming of the Dandelions, which usually happens around mid to late April here in Northumberland. It almost seems as though they collectively decide to bloom at exactly the same time , displaying their beautiful yellow mane-like flowers and transforming lawns and grass verges almost overnight.
The roots, leaves and flowers of the Dandelion are all considered to be edible, and they have a long history of being used in herbal medicine as result of its many nutritional and medicinal benefits. They contain several different vitamins including Vitamin A, Cand B, as well high amounts of Calcium and Iron, and it's quite widely known that drinking Dandelion tea will help the body to release excess water.

Cleavers
A plant which goes by many different names, and one I often hear described as 'the one which sticks to your clothes', Cleavers are a common sight under most hedgerows, and it's during early Spring that this plant is considered to be at its most useful and delicious.
Young Spring growth is sweet and crunchy, with a flavour not too dissimilar to cucumber, making it a wonderful raw addition to salads, or slightly cooked in stir frys and rice dishes. As it grows and begins to develop flowers, it can become quite tough and fibrous so it is best cooked or made use of medicinally. Cleavers have a long history of being used in herbal medicine and it is said that the Victorians popularised its use in spring tonics - concoctions of various herbs which were made to cleanse the body after a long Winter.
Like many of the Spring greens, Cleavers are rich in Vitamin C, but it is their power to bolster along the body's lymphatic system which they are particularly well known for - and a simple spring tonic is one of the easiest way to make use of these benefits. All you need is a small handful of Cleavers, and either a tupperware box or a glass bottle. Place the Cleavers into the container, top it up with freshwater and place it in the fridge for a couple of hours, after which you can enjoy the delicious flavoured water which is now infused with all of the incredible benefits of this humble plant.

Jack By The Hedge
You may know this plant as Hedge Garlic, or perhaps Garlic Mustard - both of which give a little hint as to the kind of flavour you can expect from this hedgerow plant - as like Cleavers, it is a plant of many names, but my particular favourite is Jack By The Hedge.
Jack By The Hedge is a biennial plant, meaning it takes two years to complete its life cycle. In its first year, it is a relatively low growing plant, hugging the ground beneath the hedgerows, and producing broad, heart-shaped leaves, which often vary in size. In its second year of growth, it transforms by sending out a single flower stalk, growing to over a metre in height, and which produces small, white flowers from the growing tip, and the leaves which grow up the stalk become arrow shaped. The flowers have four petals and later develop into long, thin seed pods after pollination.
All aerial parts of this plant are considered to be edible and have a very strong garlic/mustard flavour. The leaves are best enjoyed in Spring from first year growth, as the leaves can become very bitter tasting as the plant ages and begins to develop flowers. The flowers and seed pods can be eaten raw, and the seed pods in particular can make for a very fiery hedgerow snack!
With the possible exception of Wild Garlic, and the potential toxic lookalikes mentioned alongside it, all of these wild Spring greens are considered safe for beginner foragers. The majority of these are common plants you are likely to find without any great difficulty, and shouldn't have difficulty identifying, but as always it pays to be careful and responsible when foraging and you should always make sure you are 100% certain of your identification before consuming any wild plant, fruit flower or mushroom.
コメント