For Rowan: Hedgerow salad

[naomi24]

Hi Rowan, I was served a salad made by someone who forages from hedgerows. It contained an assortment of leaves and flowers, none of which I recognised, but it was absolutely delicious. Do you have any idea what the ingredients might have been?

Answers from any other knowledgeable people will be welcome too. :o)

[Tilly2]

There were probably some hawthorn leaves in there, naomi. That's about the extent of my knowledge.

[DTCwordfan]

dandelion, chard, cow parsley and bull's heart leaves - could also have had

Perennial wall rocket with ragwort, ragwort leaf and flower, rocket leaf and
flower swinecress and its seed cases, marsh samphire, Sea Purslane, Japanese Rose hips, Purple-leaved hazel, Beech shelled nuts, Duke of Argyle’s Tea Plant
a handful of ripe berries, preferably slow-roasted to remove toxins (like elderberry), Black nightshade.......

[rowanwitch]

DT has pretty much covered it...a lot depends on the area they collect from... for example there is a lot of wild fennel in the midlands,

wild carrot wild parsnip, jack by the hedge, wild garlic in the spring, rowan berries,,,, I'd keep clear of the nightshade family though.

[DTCwordfan]

there maybe a local foragers group that could help you, naomi......I'm sure you realise that picking berries and funghi can be risky if your knowledge levels are limited. I have only done it with a friend of mine in Oxfordshire who is extremely versant of the hedgerows and woods....

[rowanwitch]

Some nature reserves do walks showing what is edible, fungi forays and things might be a nice way to spend a few hours

[DTCwordfan]

nothing like freshly picked mushrooms, simply sautéed in a knob of butter, twist of black pepper - variant a little white wine, wild garlic and rosemary.......

[naomi24]

Thanks very much all. No worries, DT, I wouldn't dream of picking wild plants myself to use in salad - I haven't a clue about them - but I was toying with the idea of seeding some of the edible ones in my own substantial hedges and letting them run amok. Supermarket shoppers don't know what they're missing! :o)

[paddywak]

There's nothing better for breakfast then dry cured bacon fried with fresh picked field mushrooms, the shop bought ones are ok but you don't get that dark tasty black juice that you do with the wild ones.

[gness]

Oh Paddy..that black juice! Once I stole a lump of butter from the kitchen, took the old shortbread tin the cats in the barn had milk and slops in, rinsed it in the stream, picked some mushrooms, lit a fire and cooked the mushrooms. I was about ten but they are still the best mushrooms I ever tasted!