Home > Plants > Himalayan balsam The transportation of seeds or whole plants is an offence under the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 in England and Wales and Section 14AA of the Wildlife and Countryside Act in Scotland. This means that no seeds or plants should be …
Bistort, Persicaria bistorta, a wild green with a long history of culinary use, is a key ingredient in a traditional British springtime dish known as dock pudding or Easter ledge pudding. The dish, which is particularly associated with the Calderdale area of West Yorkshire, is made by combining bistort leaves …
When mystery comes, she will grab you from behind, lift you high into the air and spin you around until you are giddy with delight. How long until you throw off the human tyrants and instead embrace the love and guidance of wildness. The spirit that lies inside you is …
Reverence exists all around. The smile of a child. The kiss of the rain after a long dry spell. The smell of Land as she sighs in delight for simply existing. Reverence for self and soil. The first meeting point starts with breath. Where we go from there is up …
I like my gods and goddesses dirty, wild-haired, raggle-taggled and anarchic. Which is why I love the earth so much. Which is why I forage. The sermons aren’t in the books or churches or temples. They are in the wildness of the world. You just have to get outside regularly …
There is an ancient wild plant called Cleavers or Goosegrass (Galium aparine) that carries a secret of the hedgerow believed to have been handed to humans by fairy-folk. This hedgerow detox recipe comes from a collection of herbal remedies created by Rhiwallon Feddyg. He founded a medical dynasty called ‘The …
The Elizabethans were so enchanted by the blue-purple, star-like flowers found along the seashore that they invited Sea aster (Tripolium pannonicum) into their gardens. Its resemblance to daisies earned it the common names blue daisy or blue chamomile. By 1640 its star had begun to fade with the arrival of …
It seems something is afoot. Over the last week, I have received numerous emails from people who feel they have found their community, and their place in the world. They tell me the Green Path (my plant lineage) has awakened something inside them. A curiosity and connection that goes far …
It’s been a funny old week down here in Devon. With Spring finally sprung, I look at the delicious delights adorning the hedgerows. Sadly there seem to be whispers of scallywags taking more than their fair share. Overharvesting has become a problem. You cannot approach wild edible plants with the …
Foraging is all about sustainability. The relationship between plants and people. How we engage with the natural world without violating it. Here are my foraging guidelines so you can become a responsible and sustainable forager. Try and harvest away from other humans. Some people think picking any wildflower is illegal. …
I love plant ID apps. I really do. They have been so helpful when I have been overseas trying to get to grips with the local flora and unable to find a plant guide. They do, however, come with a caveat. Plant ID apps are not 100% accurate. They are …
I always forgot how to sterilise jars effectively. So many different opinions. In this article I show you my preferred method.
A quick guide to taking brilliant photographs of wildflowers and plants for identification.
Here is my list of reliable (evidence-based) herbal coronavirus resources to help you and your family stay healthy (and safe).
Years ago, circa 1986, I used to teach ‘Biogenic Nutrition’. Don’t ask, it was a crazy diet and I was young and chasing enlightenment. Ah, the folly of youth. Back then I taught people how to ferment seed cheeses and how to sprout seeds in jars in their kitchens, along …
A reader asked me: “Why do you use cold water when making a cleavers infusion?” At the time I didn’t have an answer. I had simply taken the old herbals at face value. The answer can be found here.
This is a list of wild edible plants in the Carrot, Apiaceae, Umbelliferae family that have historically been used as food. It is for information, education and research purposes only. If you wish to experiment with these species you must do further research in order to find out how to cook …
There is apparently no known toxicity to magnolia (unless you have an allergy). However I wanted to find magnolia species that have traditionally been used in human culture and recorded in the food record. Outside the list below, you are on your own. Personally I try them all and my …
What are the traditional and modern uses of wild garlic? I’ve written a comprehensive article on the uses of wild garlic as food and medicine, including its history and folklore here. Can you eat wild garlic? Yes, all parts of wild garlic are edible. From pesto to kimchi, you’ll find a list …
For many, their foraging journey starts by looking for “free food”. Yet as we continue down this amazing path, we begin to realise that we are actually being fed on many levels. Not only the physical but mental and emotional. The very act of gathering wild edible plants takes us …
Fermenting foods has finally come of age. Back in 2010, I interviewed the godfather of the modern fermentation revivalist movement Sandor Katz. I was speaking with him because he and my plant mentor Frank Cook had both been instrumental in bringing foraging and fermentation into the mainstream. Sadly, the interview …
For the last few years I have taught on my plant courses about the Moken sea gypsies, and the extraordinary relationship they have with their environment. Little did I realise that I would ever get the chance to meet them. I had tried back in the Winter of 2015 while …
Today I want to share with you a little about what I have learnt as a forager. And it goes against the grain about how we usually look at food. I have an aphorism: “Wild culture is not mono-culture”. “What the bloomin’ heck does that mean Robin?” I hear you …
I generally like to play in the kitchen. I use recipe and cookbooks simply as guides. And although I create recipes and post them on this site. I really try and encourage people to NOT slavishly follow my recipes or any recipes they find in books. Cooking is about creatively …
I have written this brief profile as a result of some confusion on social media as to whether Field Horsetail Equisetum arvense is edible. And to whether there could be a problem with consuming too much of it. I list the research that I have briefly done, along with citing …
When I first encountered Dandelion intimately, I fell in love instantly. Out came my camera, and clicking through the countryside I went, taking snapshots of sunbursts. Only to return to my computer and stare mesmerised at the wonderment in front of me. I’d blow up the flower pictures until my mind …
A week or so ago I mentioned that I was pondering what to do with hawthorn berries. Something a little different to the usual sweet dishes that they are used in usually. At the weekend while out with the grand-urchins I gathered a small bag of hawthorn berries. I was …
Over the weekend the anarchists came to stay. Who could imagine that a couple of wild urchins aged two and four years old could cause such chaos in my house. When I entered the living room arms brimming with plants, it was as if a burglar had deliberately trashed my …
The rose family (Rosaceae) is a large clan of dozens of species and thousands of hybrids. It is one of the most famous flowers in the world prized for its beauty and fragrance. The story of rosehip Rose petals are made into scented sachets, distilled into rosewater, and sold as …
Yesterday I told you about Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus), and my desire to make it into a jelly. Well last night I finished the recipe. As the jars where cooling down, I wondered whether I would simply end up with a syrup rather than a jelly. Then this morning when …
Home > Plants > Guelder rose I went out yesterday with my beloved on a quest for some lush rose hips. The sun was shining, the breeze cool, church bells ringing out in the distance, and the human world quiet and calm. It reminded me of when I was a …
Each morning I go outside and ponder the old oak that stands on the side of the road. Each morning I say a blessing to it. I’m beginning to shift my understanding of plants, even big plants like trees. No longer seeing them in gender specifics, but sensing into their …
The right to forage has been enshrined in British law since at least the 13th century. See Daniel Butler’s excellent article on the legalities – Has Foraging Gone Too Far? Gathering Wild Plants – 1968 Theft Act Section 4, subsection (3) A person who picks mushrooms growing wild on any …
Home > Plants > Rosehip The following is an extract from a report on Vitamin C loss in cooked Rosehip syrup, by the British Medical Journal dated May 2, 1942. “Recently Meiklejohn and Stewart (Biochem1. J., 1941, 35, 761) described a more accurate method of measuring ascorbic acid in foods, …
I’m often asked when the best time to harvest seaweed is. Look up the nutritional content of seaweed and you’ll soon discover that there’s a large discrepancy in the figures between one authority and another. The reason for this is due to the seasonal and species-specific variations that occur in …
Processing and storing acorns has a lot of mystique surrounding it. The process that follows comes from Marcie Mayer (who I interviewed for my podcast – listen here) and has been developed over 20 years. How to Dry and Store Acorns How to Process Acorns: Method 1 How to Process …
I am often asked which edible wild plant identification books I recommend. There isn’t a specific edible wild plant ID book available for the UK, so you are left with using wildflower plant ID guides instead. Most wild food books only give cursory plant ID specifics and are generally not …
The Green Man: A Tribute to Frank Cook A film on the life and works of Frank Cook, ethnobotanist, herbalist, transition culture activist, teacher, and botanical explorer who taught appreciation of nature’s abundance. I am deeply saddened by the news that Frank Cook (plant teacher and herbalist) died on Wednesday, …
I often get asked if there are any poisonous seaweed around Britain. From my own research, I discovered that Desmarestia is the only poisonous seaweed that you should leave well alone. However, I wanted to double check my own knowledge against that of a world-class expert. So I went and …
My sweetheart and I were up in London the past few days visiting family and friends and doing a bit of ‘business’, talking and meeting people who are at the cutting edge of community healthcare using food and plants for healing. While wandering around on the top of Putney Common …
Collect your dulse (Palmaria palmata) from a clean seashore. I collect my dulse off a beach which is MCS recommended. This means it has the highest water quality standards. Further Reading: Edible Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland Step 1 Make sure that you cut your dulse just above the holdfast, …
One of the off-shoots of eating wild food plants is the appreciation that comes for all the wild plants that cross your path on your foraging journey. Needless to say, you are not by law allowed to pick every plant that you find. For a complete list of protected plants …
Question: I have read that rose hip seeds contain cyanide, is it truly safe to consume the tea with ground seeds? Some species of Rosaceae family do contain a small amount of cyanide. However, I can find no reference in any scientific journals stating that rose hip (Rosa canina) seeds …
Rose Hip Tea (Rosa canina) is so refreshing and packed with vitamins and minerals. A great hot Winter time drink. Delicately sweet, this is one of my favourites, and I consume it daily throughout the Dark Months. For rose hip tea, simply put 1-2 teaspoons of dried rose hips in …