The Traditional and Modern Uses of Sea Beet
Sea beet is the wild ancestor to common vegetables such as beetroot, swiss chard and spinach beet. We can even thank the rugged coastal … Continue
Plants
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Navelwort (Pennywort)
There is a tendency to overlook the navelwort in favour of the house-leek (Sempervivum tectorum) in folk medicine. David Allen and Gabrielle Hatfield consider … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Smooth Sowthistle
The hollow stem yields a white, milky juice said to be eaten by sows to increase the flow of their milk. The Latin name … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Horseradish
Horseradish has been cultivated since ancient times and is a familiar culinary herb of many kitchens. Its distinctive taste is used to flavour many … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Sweet Chestnut
There are few customs more autumnal than collecting chestnuts and roasting them over a fire. Chestnuts, from the sweet chestnut tree (Castanea sativa), are … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Sea Aster
Scientific name Tripolium pannonicum Family Asteraceae. Botanical description The plant yields blue-purple, daisy-like flowers with bright yellow stamens among a sea of long, slender … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Lime (Linden)
Common Lime (Tilia x europaea) is a sweet-scented blossoming tree that brings a generous crop of nectar for bees and lime-flavoured honey for beekeepers … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Rosebay Willowherb (Fireweed)
Every herb garden should grow rosebay willowherb (or fireweed as it is known) for a splash of colour and a buzz of bees. Where … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Primrose
This humble little plant that often pops up unexpectedly in a corner of the garden after a long winter is a gentle herbal soother … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of White Dead Nettle
While children once sucked the sweet nectar from White Dead Nettle flowers, today’s wild food enthusiasts may enjoy the plant in many other ways. … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Brooklime
Introduction Brooklime is a delicate blue flower of ponds and streams and often grows with watercress. It was used for centuries as a salad … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Fat hen
Chenopodium comes from the Greek chen, meaning goose, podus or foot. Fat hen was considered important enough in Anglo-Saxon times to have places named … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Ground Elder
Medieval monks cultivated ground elder as a medicinal plant, but it later earned a reputation of a nuisance weed thanks to its rapid growth. … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Oak
Oak is arguably Britain’s most beloved tree and can live up to 800 years. The fruit it bears – the acorn – has been … Continue
The Traditional and Modern Uses of Guelder Rose (Crampbark)
Guelder rose berries have fed and healed people in many cultures. They have become part of European and Native American cuisines. They appear in … Continue