Walking the dog this glorious autumn morning and seeing the abundance of possible food available got me thinking about foraging. Traditionally autumn is the season that is best known for the gathering and harvesting of food but if you look closer there is an abundance of food that is available to you right on your doorstep all year round. I’m not just talking about the nuts and berries that hang from the trees and bushes, if you search a bit more you will find fungi, nettles, rosehips and elderberries.
You don’t have to venture out into the countryside to find edible plants and flowers to zing up a dish. Take a look in your garden, maybe you inherited a rosemary bush, or have wild thyme and garlic growing. The good thing about the plants that you see is that they are available most of the year and you don’t have to wait until autumn to harvest them. Fresh nettle soup made from the budding tips, dandelion tea or even lightly battered elderflowers can make great tasting food and are also packed with vitamins and nutrients too.
Steve Harvey, author of the revolutionary cookbook Global Grub says, “There is a huge difference in flavour when using fresh herbs and plants in cooking. Using fresh herbs can transform a simple homemade dish into an authentic great tasting meal."
Some basic recipes which use herbs or flowers that can be found in a garden include: Lavender cookies, rosemary lamb with home-made mint sauce, herbal teas, wild flower or wild herb leaf salad or even a herb cocktail.Chopping up some chives and adding them to a sour cream dip can enhance the taste and look of what could otherwise be a rather plain dip. Adding a handful of chopped herbs to a potato salad or using a sprig of rosemary on the barbeque coals can also help to give a dish extra flavour. If you are feeling more adventurous you could try making your own style of garlic herb bread (a rosemary, thyme and oregano pizza type base topped with garlic chive butter).
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The recipe below was adapted from one that I found on the side of a flour packet for a yeast free pizza base Garlic Herb Bread8oz Self Raising Flour 2oz margarine Handful of chopped herbs (Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano) Pinch of sea salt Milk to form dough Mix the flour and salt and rub in the margarine, add the chopped herbs and season to taste. Add enough milk to form a soft dough. Roll out to required size and cook for approximately 10 minutes at gas mark 7. Mix the garlic chives with a spoonful of butter and add to the top of the bread, cook for another 10 mins. |
Flowers of some garden plants are edible and can certainly brighten up a green salad. The bright colours of Nasturtiums provide a peppery taste as well as an eye catching display. Rose petals and sweet violets are great for adding decoration and taste to cakes. Even freezing a flower in an ice cube can give a decorative look to your summer drinks. To harvest your garden plants it is best to pick the flowers in the morning, just after the dew has dried. For optimum flavour the flowers are usually at their best just before they open. Leaves can be harvested at any point and for those herbs that provide both tasty leaves and flowers, such as chives, the leaves are always more flavoursome before the flowers appear. The added advantage of harvesting herbs from your own garden is that you know where and how they have been grown, especially if they have been grown from seed or bought as organically grown plants.
Always ensure you know that the flower or plant you are using is edible, there are plenty of good books that can help with identifying edible plants and herbs. Storing your freshly picked herbs can be tricky, some herbs such as basil and coriander can be frozen and then added to a sauce when needed. Other herbs, such as lavender or chamomile flowers can be dried. Tie your lavender sprigs into a lose bunch and hang them in a dry but airy room, chamomile flowers can be dried by placing them on a muslin rack and placing them in a cool, dark, dry place.
If you don’t have a garden you can still add fresh herbs to your meals by growing a selection on the windowsill, supermarkets offer potted herbs that can be grown on or you can start by buying a packet of fresh herbs and see the difference they make to a meal.
If you are feeling particularly adventurous and would like to try your hand at foraging in the countryside, make sure you know what you are looking at and the best and legal way to harvest it. Foraging courses are available throughout the country.