Andrew Price (founder and head instructor of Dryad Bushcraft), takes you on a short stroll through the Gower Peninsula in Wales exploring a variety of edible wild plants.
Covered in this video…
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)
Other local names are Jack By The Hedge or Hedge Garlic. As Andrew mentions, any plant that is garlicky is often named Jack, which is an old word for the Devil, as in Devil’s Breath.
Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris)
Other local names are Pennywort or in this instance Wall Pennywort. Andrew reckons that it tastes like sugar-snap peas. Personally I find it has a fantastic flavour and it makes a great addition to a salad bag. As with many wild foods, the flavour can dramatically change within just a short distance. Even as close as 10 feet can make the difference between a good flavour and one that appears bitter.
Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
The wonderful coconut smell of Gorse flowers is unmistakable. Use the flower buds in a tea or pickled in vinegar and use like capers in salads.
Sea Beet (Beta vulgaris)
Young, tender leaves are eaten in salads, while older leaves can be steamed or fried gently. This is one of my favourite wild foods which I prefer to regular beets of which Sea Beet is the original ancestor.
Scurvy Grass (Cochlearia officinalis)
The leaves are slightly salty and peppery and along with the flower-heads can be added to salads. Great as a filling for sandwiches. Because of its high Vitamin C content it used to be taken on sea voyages.
Sea Holly (Eryngium maritimum)
Young tender, flowering shoots are first blanched, usually by excluding light from the growing plant, and then boiled or steamed and eaten like asparagus. The roots can be boiled or roasted and are said to be similar to chestnuts or parsnips. In Elizabethan times the roots were candied and used as a main ingredient in Marrow-Bone pie.
Rock Samphire (Crithmum maritimum)
The salty/spicy leaves are pickled in vinegar or used like capers for flavouring foods. When I say capers, I am referring to how you find capers sold in countries like Greece, where you find ‘caper greens’ rather than the actual ‘caper berries’. The leaves are rich in Vitamin C.
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