This common “weed” is actually a delight to eat. It has a mild, fresh, “grassy” flavour with no bitterness, making it an excellent bulker in wild salads – where mild flavours are needed to balance more pungent flavours. It cooks down well – like spinach, but try to harvest only the lush, leafy tops or it can tend towards stringyness…
The pungency of garlic mustard isn’t to all tastes. It took me a couple of seasons of uncertain nibbling to come round to its charms. Now i’m hooked and no spring walk seems complete without its rich and vibrants flavour.
Japanese knotweed is a tasty, healthy food that can be harvested in large amounts for use as a vegetable and in drinks, desserts and savoury dishes. There are however some serious things to consider if you intend to harvest it…
This is one of the safest of the carrot family to identify, and certainly the most common. Its serrated leaves are oval with a point and mostly grow in 3 groups of 3 from a grooved stalk, close to the ground. Umbels of small white flowers appear in late May or June…
These delicate and beautiful little “weeds” (gardeners loathe them) are a very tasty addition to any salad, though they lose their charm when cooked. They have overtones of rocket and watercress and come in lovely little garnish sized rosettes…