All this weather is great for plant growth, so why not get out and do some foraging? Staples of the moment that everyone can collect easily and safely, are STINGING NETTLES, Jack-by-the-Hedge, and fresh HAWTHORNE leaves. All of these are easy and very edible, in fact tasty…..

On the 1st ever USP (Ultimate Self Protection) Trainers camp, I was asked to do a bit on outdoor living so I decided it would be fun to combine a firelighting lesson with a bit of foraging, to demonstrate just how easy some of this stuff is. There was a large group of martial artists on this course and they had been working pretty hard - what better way to restore the old energy levels than a nice warming fire, and a couple of handfuls of WILTED nettles. Some weren’t so keen on the idea but afterwards everyone agreed they were just as good as any other vegetable. Me I love spinach and other veggies, so I’m pretty keen.

If you want to know how to wilt your nettles, the best way is this:

Cut the nettles (wear gloves) a handsbreadth longer than the newer shoots at the top of the plant- so about 8inches, and you’ll eat about 4/5 inches worth of leaves. Then you just need to gently pass the nettles through the flames until all of the stinging hairs have been burned off (a good indicator is when the edges of the leaves start to go black and charred). Now simply strip off the charred leaves and eat them - should taste sort of nutty. Throw the stalks away, or use them to make a Ray Mears style rope bridge, as you prefer
Also springing up everywhere is COW PARSLEY, although really for use as a herb rather than a vegetable or salad leaf, you might question whether its worth the risk of confusing it with HEMLOCK (which will kill you). 

Dandelions are another tasty salad and you should ensure you find ones that haven’t been contaminated by dogs.
On the funghi front, St Georges Mushroom (Galocybe gambosa) and MORELS (Morchella esculenta) both fruit at this time of year (April, May) which is really unusual - If you’re lucky enough to find one good luck to you but remember CAUTION REQUIRED cannot be overstated with mushrooms. Garlic butter always goes well with fresh mushrooms (sauteed/fried in it) so I wonder what Jack-by-hedge leaves (mildly garlicky) infused in a little Virgin olive Oil would be like instead. If you try it let me know! 

If you want to give it a go, these suggestions are a great and safe way to start but  REMEMBER, peanuts are edible but to some people cause highly allergic reactions, so with every new food, just try a little bit 1st time, ie 1 or 2 leaves only and DO NOT FEED TO KIDS.

Good luck and have fun with it

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