Discover how you can forage and pick things to eat that will be growing wild already in your garden with our expert guide from forager and garden writer Alys Fowler <\/p>

You may also like<\/h4>
Beth Al Rikabi’s foraging recipes<\/a> <\/li>
What are edimentals?<\/a><\/li>
Growing an edible garden<\/a><\/li>
Is growing your own veg really a good way of saving money?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) – \u00a9 Getty\/shugsfishing<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
What is foraging?<\/h2>
Foraging is the practise of finding, picking and ultimately eating plants growing wild, whether that’s in your back garden or on a countryside walk<\/a>. There\u2019s considerable joy to foraging your own garden, you can go out in your backdoor shoes<\/a> and you know the plant’s history: so, no fear of whether it\u2019s the local pee post for passing dogs or it has been sprayed or is a parking spot (exhaust fumes have considerable amounts of particulates that you don\u2019t want to eat). All of these bring an ease to foraging these ingredients, you can experiment with cooking with them, adding just a sprinkling of this or that to see what works and more importantly learn what you can substitute. I can\u2019t remember the last time I bought supermarket spinach<\/a> because a recipe calls for a handful, I just wander about the garden picking from any number of wild greens. I\u2019ve learnt how to temper the bitter flavoured ones with milder ones so they suit the dish at hand.<\/p>
Cross reference with several books and don\u2019t miss details <\/p><\/blockquote>
How to start foraging in the garden <\/h3>
Dos and don’ts when foraging<\/strong><\/p>
Take care when foraging and always check at least twice<\/strong><\/p>
You should only pick from plants you have clearly identified<\/strong>. If in doubt, cross reference with several books<\/a> and don\u2019t miss details, if it says it\u2019s a woodland plant but you\u2019ve found it growing in full sun, then there\u2019s a chance you are looking at different things. <\/p>
Please make sure you have correctly identified any flowers and plants you wish to consume. Gardens Illustrated cannot be held responsible for misidentification of plants.<\/em><\/p>
$\"Borago$ Borago officinalis – \u00a9 Maayke de Ridder<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Don’t forage from new plants, or polluted areas<\/strong><\/p>
Do not pick or eat off recently bought plants unless you know that they have been organically grown. Be wary of picking anything next to a busy road, exhaust fumes are to some extent blocked by barrier, so the roadside of dense hedge is no go, but the otherside of it can be considerably less polluted.<\/p>
Only pick healthy leaves, flowers and berries<\/p><\/blockquote>
Watch out for allergies<\/strong><\/p>
Be allergy aware, introduce a small amount of any new food into your diet, if you have an allergy to conventional foods like celery, mustard or alliums, that will mostly likely carry over to their wild counterparts. Mustard family includes hairy bittercress, garlic mustard and horseradish, ground elder is the celery family.<\/p>
Look for healthy leaves<\/strong><\/p>
Only pick healthy leaves, flowers and berries, if there\u2019s any sign of mildew or moulds on the plant, don\u2019t pick any part. <\/p>
$\"Garlic$
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) – \u00a9 Michael Meijer\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Wash thoroughly<\/strong> and don’t over pick<\/strong><\/p>
Wash everything thoroughly. And just as importantly as your health, is the ecosystem\u2019s, be honest in your harvesting, don\u2019t over pick any one plant, or one patch, many other beings are relying on these plants for their only meal. Leave plenty for others, both human and non-human. Your freezer doesn\u2019t need to be packed full of berries that you\u2019ll throw out in a year\u2019s time. Forage with the season – there\u2019s always some new delight just around the corner.<\/p>
Plants you can forage in your garden <\/h2>
Always cross reference and check with at least two different sources before you eat anything you pick. <\/strong><\/p>
For detailed descriptions of these plants, we’d recommend heading to Naturespot<\/a><\/p>
Bitter greens<\/h3>
I find that nearly everyone can tolerate bitter greens if they are given something mild to temper them with. Mix bitter and mild green in a one-part bitter to three-parts mild for salads and wilted greens. Fats and acid \u2014 butter, lardons, vinegars, raw onions and shallots \u2014 also help with very bitter greens. A wilted dandelion salad with bacon, finely sliced onion and waxy potatoes dressed with a little vinaigrette is a very fine thing.<\/p>
$\"Dandelion$
Dandelion – \u00a9 Martin Ruegner\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Dandelion<\/strong><\/a> leaves<\/strong> Pick the youngest leaves to the centre of the plant. Or pick a whole head, preferably with an unopened flower bud, and discard the tough outer leaves. I particularly like dandelion leaves saut\u00e9ed.<\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
Forage with the season, there\u2019s always some new delight just around the corner<\/p><\/blockquote>
$\"Dock$
Dock leaves<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Dock leaves<\/strong> are very good with a strong vegetable flavour, but can be bitter. I find there\u2019s two ways around the bitterness, either soak in salt water for 30 minutes or so, or dehydrate them first and rehydrate for soaps, stews etc. Or embrace the bitterness and pair with cheese or cream sauces.<\/p>
Here’s a full description <\/a><\/p>
Mild greens<\/h3>
$\"Borago$
Borago officinalis – \u00a9 Maayke de Ridder<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Borage, Borago officinalis<\/em><\/strong> Pick the young leaves before the plant flowers (don\u2019t pick after flowering), salt the leaves for at least ten minutes, before washing and using.<\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
Mallow, Malva sylvestris<\/em><\/strong> Pick young, unblemished leaves that are free from rusts and use just like you would spinach. Do not pick from nitrogen-rich soils such as roadsides, as plants may contain high levels of pollutants.<\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
$\"Nettles\"$
Nettles – \u00a9 Judith Haeusler\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Nettles, Urtica<\/em> spp<\/strong> Pick the tops and stop picking once the plant comes into flower. Best wilted, steamed or very briefly cooked.<\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
$\"Common$
Common chickweed – \u00a9 Getty \/ Stefan Rotter<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Chickweed, Stellaria media<\/em><\/strong> Young leaves, stems and flowers are particularly good in salads. If this one appears in your polytunnel over winter consider this a win as you now have plenty of free salad.<\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
Spicy or perfumed greens<\/h3>
$\"\"$
Hairy Bittercress – \u00a9 Getty\/ Mantonature<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Hairy Bittercress, Cardamine hirsuta<\/em><\/strong> Pick particularly succulent, larges specimens, wash well, as there\u2019s often a lot of soil splash back, and add to salads. More mature, coarser leaves can be chopped finely and used in pestos, salads, and chimichurri sauces. Excellent substitute for rocket leaves.<\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
$\"Garlic$
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) – \u00a9 Michael Meijer\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata<\/em> <\/strong>Young leaves and washed roots are excellent substitute for horseradish.<\/p>
Ground elder, Aegopodium podagraria<\/em><\/strong> Stems and young leaves, best I think raw, rather than cooked. Chop very finely they make an excellent substitute for parsley working well in tabbouleh, gremolatas and pestos<\/a>.<\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
Flowers for cordials, syrups, and to infuse into vinegar, honey and puddings<\/h3>
$\"Rosa$
\u00a9 Richard Bloom<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Scented roses, Rosa<\/em> spp<\/strong> Macerate petals in sugar for at least a month, then blend. Delicious in puddings and porridge.<\/p>
$\"Honeysuckle$ Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) – \u00a9 Getty\/shugsfishing<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Honeysuckle<\/a>, both common, Lonicera periclymenum,<\/em> and Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicera<\/em> japonica<\/em><\/strong> Edible flowers, but the berries are toxic, so however delightful they look don\u2019t eat them. The flowers can be used just like elderflower.<\/p>
***Here’s a* full description<\/a><\/p>
$\"Meadowsweet\"$
Meadowsweet<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Meadowsweet flowers, Filipendula ulmaria<\/em><\/strong> Wonderful infused into milk or cream for puddings and tarts, etc. Or infused into syrups. Do both at very low temperature and use sparingly, a little goes a long way.<\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
$\"Lilac$
Lilac blossom: Syringa vulgaris ‘Katherine Havemeyer’ – \u00a9 Jason Ingram<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Lilac blossom<\/strong> Excellent infused in vinegar or honey, where it imparts its sweet perfume impeccably.**Cherry<\/a> and plum blossom<\/strong> Good infused in mild flavoured vinegars.<\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
Protein rich seeds for smoothies, muesli, salads and baking<\/h3>
$\"Plantago$
Plantago major or broadleaf plantain – \u00a9 Getty\/skymoon13<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Broadleaf plantain, Plantago major<\/em>, plus all the cultivated forms such as Plantago<\/em> major<\/em> ‘Purpurea\u2019 <\/strong>Healthy specimens can reward you with lots of seeds in very little time. Seeds are nutty, reminiscent of hazelnuts, and very good on muesli or porridge or baked into breads and crackers. Don’t eat large amounts if you are on blood thinners or have a blood-clotting disorder.<\/strong><\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
$\"Nettle$
Nettle seeds and nettle leaves – \u00a9 coramueller\/Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Nettle seeds, Urtica<\/em> spp<\/strong> From female plants, these are particularly rich in protein and energy-giving. They can be eaten raw or dried for winter use. Work well in smoothies or added to food.<\/p>
Dock seed, Rumex spp<\/em><\/strong> Best toasted, slightly bitter chocolate flavour, interesting in cakes, biscuits, etc.<\/p>
Evening primrose seed, Oenothera<\/em> spp<\/strong> Can be substituted for anywhere poppy seeds are required. A wonderful source of omega-rich oils.<\/p>
$\"Mallow\"$ Mallow – \u00a9 Getty\/Crispin la valiente<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Mallow, Malva spp<\/em><\/strong> Best picked as young fruit green and eaten whole as a snack. These are known as mallow cheeses. Or you can be pickled like capers.<\/p>
$\"Fennel$ Fennel seeds – \u00a9 Douglas Sacha\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Wild herb fennel, Foeniculum vulgare<\/em><\/strong> Best toasted to add a nutty, aniseed flavour to soups, salads and works particularly well in tomatoes sauces.<\/p>
Here’s a full description<\/a><\/p>
Discover more recipes from things foraged in your garden<\/a><\/p>
Please make sure you have correctly identified any flowers and plants you wish to consume. Gardens Illustrated cannot be held responsible for misidentification of plants.<\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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