Four tips for collecting food this spring so you can make a free meal
Take a walk and come back with your tea.
With simple knowledge, you can start foraging for food this spring.
Adam Warrington, author and adventurer at outdoor retailer Blacks, says: “Nature has a range of ingredients that are free to walkers.”
CLEAR IT OUT: “Start simple when foraging and only pick or eat something when you are 100 percent sure what it is,” says Adam.
Consult several foraging books to check or, better yet, go out with an expert who knows their stuff.
For more information, read wildfooduk.com/foraging-code and search the plant guide to see what foods are edible.
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DO NOT GET stung: Instead of being stung by food bills, look for edible nettles as they grow in the spring instead.
Cut the tender top leaves from the plant while wearing gloves. Use them instead of spinach, to make herbal tea or as an ingredient in a soup.
WILD FOOD: Garlic will soon be one of the easiest wild foods to spot as the vibrant green plant pops up in shady areas and woodlands this month.
To identify it, crush the leaves between your fingers for an unmistakable scent. Pick the fresh young leaves after they first appear this month, or wait until May to pick the white flowers.
Use the leaves to make a simple soup with onion, potato, stock and cream or a tasty wild garlic pesto. Dandelions are a sure sign of spring and are edible. The green leaves can be used in pasta, salad and risotto dishes.
KNOW THE RULES: Picking wild food is free, but you must ask permission if you are on private property and you may only pick for your own consumption.
Do not remove plants and, for your own health, avoid roadsides and low-to-the-ground areas where dogs are walked, or areas that may have been sprayed with pesticides.
There are more foraging ideas on what to pick next at blacks.co.uk/blog/seasonal-foraging-guide-uk.
- All prices on the page are correct at the time of going to press. Offers and offers subject to availability
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