GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS. 4 EASY TO IDENTIFY WILD PLANTS FOR SPRINGTIME FORAGING.

So this post is going to be a simple how to designed to help the newcomer to wild food build a base knowledge of four easy to find plants. They are low to no risk in regards to poisonous counterparts and have a variety of uses. So without further adieu lets dive in to the hedges.

RAMSONS/WILD GARLIC:

Righto, so this handsome allium is wild garlic. Everything part of this plant is edible and it's hard not to stagger upon it if your walking near a river or body of water this time of year. I often take a sliced tomato, jar of vinegar dressing, and a bowl and fork in my ruck sack when hiking in areas I know this amazing plant to be growing. There's nothing better than a quick bite of a super healthy salad foraged fresh to pick you up on a long walk.

Another use I have found for this plant is it makes a great antiseptic ointment....and pesto.... Literally if you have some leaves left over after making a salad or pesto blitz them in a blender and then leave the pulp to sit in olive oil for three days. After that strain the oil out through a muslin cloth to get rid of any debris and presto... You then have an oil for cuts and abrasions as well as a tasty adage to any salad. It works better than any store bought ointment due to its antimicrobial properties.

JACK BY THE HEDGE/ HEDGEROW MUSTARD:

So this fellow is Jack By The Hedge. Aka Hedgerow Mustard. It's an easy spot all year round and can be found in among the stinging nettles in most northern climates. If you are uncertain as to whether or not you have the right plant then simply pluck a leaf off and rub it in between your fingers. If it smells strongly of garlic then you've hit salad gold. Though this leaf doesn't retain the garlic flavor when cooked it is a delight in most salads. Especially in the spring when it's tender.

STINGING NETTLE:

It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't know you can eat this plant. It's mildly cucumber flavor and fresh bite are always a treat to bring home to the kitchen and work with. To me it tastes of spring. When harvesting it wear gloves of course as stinging is in the name. But once you have cooked it it loses the stinging hairs on the plant and is perfectly safe to eat. In fact if you want to you can run a lighter gently under a plucked leaf and then give it a go. Heat wilts those nasty little stingers and leaves you with a delightful green to chomp.

A couple fun facts about this plant are:
It contains a high content of vegetable based proteins.
It by far and away outstrips the orange in vitamin C content. If you're aren't putting this fellow in your diet when the cool spring rains are rolling through then you should be.

SHEEP SORREL:

I love this leaf. It tastes of sour plum with a slight peppery bite. It can be found pretty much everywhere. I've harvested it from the sub tropics in the U.S all the way to Europe. It does sort of resemble a plant called Good King Henry over here in Europe, but it's edible as well... and bitter if not cooked. Basically if you don't get that sour plum bite then it's not Sheep Sorrel. Oh, and Sheep Sorrel and Wild Garlic make awesome friends in a salad.

Well guys that's it for now. I try to get these posts out when the seasons turn but fell a bit behind this year on Spring. My nephew @bucksforaging15 did an awesome one a couple weeks ago covering various mushrooms and plants you may want to take a peek at if this sort of thing interest you. Thank you so much for taking the time to give this a read and best of luck on your posts and projects. Steem on. :)

image credits:
(image credit: ladapechefrance.com)
(image Credit: Wikipedia)
(image credit: wildfood.co.uk)
(image credit: hatch magazine)
(image credit: suburban foragers)