There are two schools of thought among foragers on the best way to actually “pick” a mushroom. One asserts that fruit bodies should be cut off where they join the ground (or whatever they are growing from) so as not to damage the delicate mycelium below. The other prefers to twist and pull the mushroom from the […]

Lie, lies, lies!
What does “local” really mean on a menu? And are those “Wild mushrooms” really wild?
A rant on mis-selling and dishonesty in the food sector.

Cow parsley is the predominant roadside plant from March through to June, when its delicate, nodding white flowers adorn nearly every rural roadside in the country – hence the old name of Queen Anne’s Lace.

Elderflowers are one of natures finest edible treasures and for me, the signature wild food of early summer. In autumn elder berries offer quite different, but equally rich delights for hedgerow preservers.

There are two types of foraging. The dictionary definition infers some manner of searching for, or vegetarian stalking of, foodstuffs. The epitomy of this is mushroom picking, which normally requires a silent hunt for an enigmatic quarry. That’s the most exciting and frustrating type. The other kind of foraging is really more like harvesting, whereby […]