One of the things I love most about spring is that it is probably the time when picking plentiful quantities of wild food is the easiest, at least in temperate northern zones such as the area in which I live. There are many edible wild spring greens in the hedgerows, woods and waysides and in no time at all you can have an abundant harvest for creating delicious and healthful meals and teas.
Eating even small quantities of wild foods regularly is one of the best things you can do for your health as they are so nutritionally dense, vibrant, seasonal and fresh. So many of the best wild foods are those we consider weeds, but when we look at the qualities of these plants, how tenacious and insuppressible they are, we can see that their strength and vitality surely makes for a more fortifying meal than those cultivated plants that have been shipped half way round the world and sat on supermarket shelves for days. I think weed is a derogatory term, the four letter word of the plant world, which I will henceforth refer to as w**d. I do however reserve the right to use it, along with other four letter words, in the presence of my arch-nemesis ground elder.
At this time of year we have a lovely mix of mild tasting moistening greens, like the young lime/linden and violet leaves, and more drying or pungent herbs like nettles, young yarrow leaves, jack-by-the hedge and the dead nettles. This makes for a perfect balance of nourishing and toning qualities to help build us up and get us into shape after winter.
The three cornered leek or wild onion is one of the most delicious additions to spring salads, tasting something like a spring onion, and the flowers make beautiful decorative additions to any meal and are also edible. They are more common in the south west than the south east and I don’t find many growing near me but luckily it has spread all over my parent’s garden so I got to pick lots when visiting recently.
From a distance it looks a little like white bluebells or even snowdrops but can be easily differentiated close up by the shape of the flowers and the distinctive triangular stem, hence the common name of three cornered leek. Also the smell of onion is a give away. Do be sure of your identification as both snowdrop and bluebell bulbs are poisonous.
Wavy bittercress is a very common spring salad green which has delicious leaves and flowers and tastes much like normal cress.
Lady’s smock, also known as cuckoo flower, is another edible mustard family plant with deliciously peppery leaves and flowers.
Jack by the hedge or garlic mustard is also in the mustard family or Brassicaceae. This family used to be known as the Cruciferae so if you have an older plant identification book you will find this name instead.
Nettles are found in abundance at this time of year and are a true superfood for the blood. You can read more about them in a previous post here.
Pick cleavers by the handful for use in cold infusions and juices, instructions for which can be found here.
Wild garlic is one of the true delicacies of the season. If, like me, you love the fiery garlic taste then make it into a pesto by itself but if it is a bit too intense for your palette you can tone it down with nettles or shop bought herbs like basil. More about wild garlic can be found here.
Do remember when picking wild greens to be absolutely 100% sure of your identification as some edibles have poisonous lookalikes. Also avoid the sides of paths where dogs are commonly walked and always, always pick with respect to the environment and don’t over harvest. Finally avoid the edges of fields unless you know the land to be organically managed.
Spring greens and flowers also make for wonderful teas.
Ground ivy has a pleasant but musky flavour which is nice in teas when mixed with something lighter like a little mint from the garden. It is great for stuffy sinuses that can go along with spring allergies.
And the most wonderful spring tea of all in my opinion is hawthorn blossom, the very Queen of May herself. Read more about hawthorn blossom here.
I have also written a post on harvesting spring greens in this issue of the Mother magazine.
Wishing you all a joyous Beltane and a marvellous May Day!
loved this post thanks so much for the excellent photos too-I shared on fb
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Thanks Kathy!
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growing up we used to pick what nature brought forth, my father was a organic gardener, head of the garden club, and would often teach people about harvesting and gardening – since I left Europe, I have not done this much, to my dismay. Thanks for the inspiration and the look back at my childhood, blessings!
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How wonderful, your father sounds like a treasure trove of information! I hope you get chance to enjoy some of nature’s bounty again soon.
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What a wonderful post…..full of info and beautiful images.
Your little boy is just so beautiful…………those sleepless nights will be well rewarded as he makes his way in life.
I use so many weeds from the garden now tks to you. Wild garlic and hawthorn are my favourites.
Enjoy the long weekend with your little one.
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Oh I’m so glad I have added to your love of weeds. The sleep deprivation is hard now but I know I will look back on these early years and miss them dreadfully.
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I just love the Springtime, when nature bursts into life and fills the Earth with new growth and glorious colour.
Thank you for another informative post, Lucinda. Beltane blessings to you and your beautiful son.
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Thank you Alice. 🙂 Many blessings to you also. x
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We finally have had two days of sunshine (snowing a week ago) and it’s as if the plants are leaping forward to catch up. Beautiful outside, and your post just adds to that. Time to head outside.
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Ah i’m glad spring has arrived with you and hope you have been enjoying all the many delights of the season. 🙂
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I loved this, your beautiful collection of wild foods makes me feel really at home, we’ve been blending so much garlic green pesto…and drinking ground ivy tea anew, the scent reminds me of the wood we used to live in. Thankyou for this post it made me feel very nourished…
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Thank you Henrietta. i hope you and your beautiful family are well and nurtured.
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A wonderful post with some delicious photos and I love the Hawthorn blossom post you link to.
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Thanks Andrea. Hawthorn is truly one of my favourite plant allies!
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In the valley where I live the lowland nettles are about done for the season, too big to use for food. I have to keep chasing them higher. I’m not ready to be done with nettle pesto!
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Soon you will have the nettle seeds to look forward to though! 🙂
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What a beautiful post. I loved seeing most of the plants that I do eat, and then was amazed to see three-cornered leek. It grows in my garden and I had no idea it was edible! Thank you.
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I hope you have had chance to try it and enjoy it. It’s delicious isn’t it!
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I need a reliable herbal reference manual but aren’t sure which to buy. May I ask for suggestios? By the way, I seem to recall that at one time, hawthorn branches were popular for fragrancing and decoration indoors. There’s quite a lot of it where I am, so I think I need to investigate.
I have Gerlinde Seeley from Gerlinde Naturals, to thank for pointing me in the direction of your wonderful blog.
Regards,
Ali Harriman
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Hi Ali, There are quite a few good ones depending on what you are looking for. Bartram’s herbal encylopaedia is always a good place to start as is has lots of information in alphabetical order. If you are looking for a good reference on medicial herbalism I would recommend David’s Hoffman’s ‘Medical Herbalism’. There is also a shorter version of this which is better for a beginner called ‘The Holistic Herbal’. Anne McIntyre and Rosemary Gladstar also write some lovely books. I hope that is helpful.
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A beautiful and informative post once again. I’m always so much in awe of your pictures!
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Thanks Karin. x
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I just discovered your blog and I am in heaven. Thank you for all of the wonderful information, gorgeous photos (so much help in identifying) and recipes, uses and lore. I have been searching for information on the Eastern Wahoo or Spindle Tree, as I now know. I too am drawn to make a tree flower essence from this interesting and beautiful species.
I look forward to following your posts.
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[…] Do some research on your own. Your area may not have the same offerings in spring but surely wherever you do live, you will find what you need. Here are a few of the sites I found of interest: https://whisperingearth.co.uk/2014/05/01/spring-wild-green-cuisine/ […]
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