Tomm Parr 30 Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 (edited) Here are the ones appearing in the month of May. woodruff - dried and used as pot-purri, or leaves crushed and added to a cold summer drink horseradish - roots for making fresh horseradish sauce ground ivy - dried leaves make a reasonable tea hogweed (cow parsnip) - leaves cooked up like a veg fennel - whole plant is edible, seeds and cooked leaves/young stems are great with fish or liver pignuts - root tastes like hazlenut if fresh, or boiled in a stews milk thistle - with spines trimmed, the flowerhead can be cooked like a globe artichoke Burdock - young shoots are great when peeled and cut. fresh in salads and fried/blanched like asparagus balm (also called lemon balm or bee-balm) - leaves are great ood in summer drinks, for stuffing meats too rosebay willowherb - shoots fried like asparagus in bacon fat and a dash of vinegar watercress - makes bosting soup (with onions/bacon). ONLY pick from running water, ALWAYS boil (might contain liver flukes) fat hen - whole plant is edible. young shoots best for cooking/frying. more iron than spinach alexanders - cook the shoots like asparagus ground elder (also called Goutweed) - leaves boiled up like a veg, not bad with fish wild mint - use it like cultivated mint, grows by the bucketload in late May near rivers and streams brooklime - leaves can be added in small amounts in salads, or larger amounts boiled like spinach then buttered Greater plantain (Englishman's foot) - a few leaves in salads, or larger amounts boiled like spinach then buttered Comfrey - amazing when cooked like spinach then buttered. Don't worry about the furriness, it wilts upon cooking Sweet violet - leaves are good with creamy desserts like rice pudding, or candied as sweets. hawthorn leaves (maytree, mayblossom) - great in salads, nice and nutty cow parsley (also called wil chervil) - leaves are used like parsley/chervil. SIMILAR to poisonous species such as Hemlock, Fool's Parsley - Always use a photo guide and ignore if unsure. Bistort - member of the dock family. leaves are great if cooked with bacon, onions, oats, nettles/spinach - Dock pudding. don't forget that most goodies from April are still about Dandelion - Flowers for wine, leaves for salads (more bitter than cultivated version called Rocket), great with worcs sauce. Roots can fried and served with soy/worcs sauce, or dried to make a caffeine free coffee. hairy bittercress - good with cheeses ramsons (wild garlic) - in cold salads, in cream/mayo, preserved in oil, cooked like garlic (handful instead of a clove) stinging nettle leaves - more iron than spinach, boil and chop with butter, or make beer/mead Sea beet (also called wild spinach) - super duper good for you, more iron than nettles Jack-by-the-hedge (also called garlic mustard) - ok for salads, not too many though Chickweed - in salads (cold or warm), with lemon and oil. goosegrass (also called cleavers) - chopped and boiled like spinach with butter hop shoots - great when fried up carrageen seaweed (also called irish moss) - for thickening soups, making jellies Dock (curled/broad) leaves - young leaves ok in small amounts in salads/omelettes, great with bacon and dash of Worcs sauce primrose - leaves can be candied, used in salads. Only garden ones though as too RARE in the wild. Beech leaves - spring leaves in salads or as a colouring/flavouring in licquers.... hazel leaves - as a flavouring mixed with other spices for pork dead-nettles - leaves and young shoots in cold or warm salads silverweed - leaves can soothe tired feet, roots baked and used as flour, or boiled in stews sea holly - roots boiled as a veg, or candied in syrup, or roasted like chestnuts rock samphire - fry in butter, blanch, or pickle marsh samphire (also called glasswort) - fry in butter, blanch, or pickle borage - young leaves/flowers are a good refresher/pick-me-up, in ice cubes in cold drinks Obviously there are hundreds of other edible goodies (particularly mushrooms) but if I am not 100% sure it gets left alone. Remeber as well that digging up any wild plant by the roots is illegal, unless it is on your land. Ask me for further info or recipes on these foragables....... Naturally, don't eat any of these if you are unsure. Edited May 8, 2011 by Tomm Parr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ben1191 9 Posted May 9, 2011 Report Share Posted May 9, 2011 Here are the ones appearing in the month of May. woodruff - dried and used as pot-purri, or leaves crushed and added to a cold summer drink horseradish - roots for making fresh horseradish sauce ground ivy - dried leaves make a reasonable tea hogweed (cow parsnip) - leaves cooked up like a veg fennel - whole plant is edible, seeds and cooked leaves/young stems are great with fish or liver pignuts - root tastes like hazlenut if fresh, or boiled in a stews milk thistle - with spines trimmed, the flowerhead can be cooked like a globe artichoke Burdock - young shoots are great when peeled and cut. fresh in salads and fried/blanched like asparagus balm (also called lemon balm or bee-balm) - leaves are great ood in summer drinks, for stuffing meats too rosebay willowherb - shoots fried like asparagus in bacon fat and a dash of vinegar watercress - makes bosting soup (with onions/bacon). ONLY pick from running water, ALWAYS boil (might contain liver flukes) fat hen - whole plant is edible. young shoots best for cooking/frying. more iron than spinach alexanders - cook the shoots like asparagus ground elder (also called Goutweed) - leaves boiled up like a veg, not bad with fish wild mint - use it like cultivated mint, grows by the bucketload in late May near rivers and streams brooklime - leaves can be added in small amounts in salads, or larger amounts boiled like spinach then buttered Greater plantain (Englishman's foot) - a few leaves in salads, or larger amounts boiled like spinach then buttered Comfrey - amazing when cooked like spinach then buttered. Don't worry about the furriness, it wilts upon cooking Sweet violet - leaves are good with creamy desserts like rice pudding, or candied as sweets. hawthorn leaves (maytree, mayblossom) - great in salads, nice and nutty cow parsley (also called wil chervil) - leaves are used like parsley/chervil. SIMILAR to poisonous species such as Hemlock, Fool's Parsley - Always use a photo guide and ignore if unsure. Bistort - member of the dock family. leaves are great if cooked with bacon, onions, oats, nettles/spinach - Dock pudding. don't forget that most goodies from April are still about Dandelion - Flowers for wine, leaves for salads (more bitter than cultivated version called Rocket), great with worcs sauce. Roots can fried and served with soy/worcs sauce, or dried to make a caffeine free coffee. hairy bittercress - good with cheeses ramsons (wild garlic) - in cold salads, in cream/mayo, preserved in oil, cooked like garlic (handful instead of a clove) stinging nettle leaves - more iron than spinach, boil and chop with butter, or make beer/mead Sea beet (also called wild spinach) - super duper good for you, more iron than nettles Jack-by-the-hedge (also called garlic mustard) - ok for salads, not too many though Chickweed - in salads (cold or warm), with lemon and oil. goosegrass (also called cleavers) - chopped and boiled like spinach with butter hop shoots - great when fried up carrageen seaweed (also called irish moss) - for thickening soups, making jellies Dock (curled/broad) leaves - young leaves ok in small amounts in salads/omelettes, great with bacon and dash of Worcs sauce primrose - leaves can be candied, used in salads. Only garden ones though as too RARE in the wild. Beech leaves - spring leaves in salads or as a colouring/flavouring in licquers.... hazel leaves - as a flavouring mixed with other spices for pork dead-nettles - leaves and young shoots in cold or warm salads silverweed - leaves can soothe tired feet, roots baked and used as flour, or boiled in stews sea holly - roots boiled as a veg, or candied in syrup, or roasted like chestnuts rock samphire - fry in butter, blanch, or pickle marsh samphire (also called glasswort) - fry in butter, blanch, or pickle borage - young leaves/flowers are a good refresher/pick-me-up, in ice cubes in cold drinks Obviously there are hundreds of other edible goodies (particularly mushrooms) but if I am not 100% sure it gets left alone. Remeber as well that digging up any wild plant by the roots is illegal, unless it is on your land. Ask me for further info or recipes on these foragables....... Naturally, don't eat any of these if you are unsure. Is this from a book or just personal knowledge? if its from a book can you pm me the name of it? if its personal knowledge then welldone Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomm Parr 30 Posted May 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2011 (edited) Is this from a book or just personal knowledge? if its from a book can you pm me the name of it? if its personal knowledge then welldone Hi Ben, About 2/3 of the stuff are from personal knowledge that i have tried and eaten over the years. I started this foraging malarkey when i was in school, so i have had a few years practice! The other 1/3 are plants i still have yet to identify so i use a few foraging books for them whilst searching whenever i go out for a walk with the dog: Pru Coates, Ray Mears, Richard Mabey have written some good ones. pm sent mate Edited May 9, 2011 by Tomm Parr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
oakey 57 Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Are you going to do this every month ? Reminds me of my old mr crabtree fishing books what to look for in may Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trappa 518 Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 tom, you seem to be a super knowledgable fella, respect!. Quite random here but have you ever made acorn coffee? Ive tried it a couple of times but it tastes like sh*t, my dandelion coffee is "drinkable" but thats it. Ive heard of people making acorn coffee thats good but i cant and want to kno what im doing wrong, look like your the man to ask! ps. keep up the monthly foraging list, i enjoy it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomm Parr 30 Posted May 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 tom, you seem to be a super knowledgable fella, respect!. Quite random here but have you ever made acorn coffee? Ive tried it a couple of times but it tastes like sh*t, my dandelion coffee is "drinkable" but thats it. Ive heard of people making acorn coffee thats good but i cant and want to kno what im doing wrong, look like your the man to ask! ps. keep up the monthly foraging list, i enjoy it! I tried dandelion coffee a few years ago but it wasn't a patch on maxwell house! I have never tried acorn coffee; my pal has made it once or twice though. I think he said you must roast them after you have leached them (to remove most of the tannins as they can really bad for you....) I think.... I'll check with him. Mind you, we've a while to wait before we have a crack at that. Yes i plan to do one of these each each month... until everyone gets pissed off with me being a cheapskate and finding food without paying! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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