Winter plant count(pic heavy)

[stuart f]

Hi folks,i went for a wander yesterday in the sunshine to see what foragables were on offer,and there were quite a few.

The walk itself was only about 1-2 miles round. Most of the plants were on southern facing slopes,getting a head start,as the northern facing slopes are still pretty thin on the ground for plant life.

So heres whats available if you fancy a munch.

Ground Elder(Aegopodium podagraria)

Dandelion(Taraxacum officinale)

Ribwort Plantain(Plantago lanceolata)

Common Sorrel(Rumex acetosa)

Dog Rose(Rosa canina)hips

Cleavers(Galium aparine)

Stinging nettle(Urtica dioica)

Gorse(Ulex europaeus)

Ramsons(Allium ursinum)

Wood Sage(Teucrium scorodonia)

Jews/Jelly ear(Auricularia auricula-judae)

Thistle(Cirsium spp)

Field Garlic(Allium oleraceum)

Hairy Bitter-cress(Cardamine hirsuta)

Garlic Mustard,Jack by the hedge(Alliaria petiolata)

Wood Sorrel((Oxalis acetosella)

Watercress(Nasturtium officinale)

17 different plants,not bad for a January day out.

But if you are foraging,just be careful,as there are some plants that are out which you may mistake for Ramsons,and can also grow in among Ramsons.
Lords and Ladies or Cuckoo pint(Arum maculatum)

Well it was'nt all Flora,as i managed to see some protein.

So there we are,a fine day out in the sunshine yesterday,shame it can be said the same about today.


Thanks for looking.
Cheers Stuart.

 

[Ogri the trog]

A good haul there Stuart,
and great photos too - they'll help a few people with identification!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[shaggystu]

looks like a good day out, thanks for sharing.

i didn't know that gorse was edible, any chance of a bit more info please?

stuart

 

[spandit]

Very impressive. Wood sorrel looks a lot like clover (but I'm guessing the latter isn't edible?). Which part of thistles and gorse can you eat?

 

[Toddy]

Oh very good Stuart

Thank you for the thread

atb,
M

 

[salad]

I like these sorts of threads, cheers for taking the time

 

[dwardo]

Lots of very early stuff there. I was out a couple of weeks ago and nothing had poked its head above the leaf littler..

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Very impressive. Wood sorrel looks a lot like clover (but I'm guessing the latter isn't edible?). Which part of thistles and gorse can you eat?

You can eat the gorse flowers & the thistle stems, either raw or cooked.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Nice one Stuart, you certainly know your edibles

 

[stuart f]

Hi folks thanks for the comments.

looks like a good day out, thanks for sharing.

i didn't know that gorse was edible, any chance of a bit more info please?

stuart

Hi Stu,its actually the flowers that you can use,there are recipes for wine and teas,but i have often put them in wild salads.They smell of Coconut.

Very impressive. Wood sorrel looks a lot like clover (but I'm guessing the latter isn't edible?). Which part of thistles and gorse can you eat?

Hi spandit,Clover is edible,BUT CARE MUST BE TAKEN,i won,t go into detail here,but if you are interested in clover i suggest you check out Ray Mears Book Wild food http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Food-R...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327503089&sr=1-1

As for Thistles,the roots of Spear Thistle(Circium vulgare) can be used and the stems eaten raw. Marsh Thistle(Circium palustre) has very thin roots,not like the former,but the stems can be used just the same. Also Spear Thistle has an edible core in the flowering shoot.

As for Gorse please see above.

I hope that helps.
Cheers Stuart.

 

[shaggystu]

.....Hi Stu,its actually the flowers that you can use,there are recipes for wine and teas,but i have often put them in wild salads.They smell of Coconut....

thanks for that stuart, never heard of that before, i'm surrounded by gorse here too so i'll be trying that one

cheers

stuart