Forage, or borage

We went on an organised forage yesterday. Perhaps 16 of us. Guides Carl Shillingford and Matthew Rooney. They'd chosen an ancient woodland near Sudbury, Suffolk. They'd also chosen a wet, drizzly day. I thought at one point on the way that I'd not prepared us enough, and made sure that we had appropriate clothing. I have along history of this, but whereas in the past I was the one to suffer for my own lack of preparedness, on this occasion, I had guests and felt responsible for them too. I kept my concerns to myself in case the rain stopped and I got lucky.

As it was, the rain was light enough to not be a bother, except for the note keepers among us. The notebooks were brought out for minimal note-making, and laced away again in between scribbles. In retrospect this a good thing because it forced one (me) to engage more with the plants, our companions, and the surroundings - I might not have heard the woodpecker if I had been worrying too much about how to spell borage, for example.

I was a late of course. Indeed, I was later than my three companions somehow, even though we were travelling in convoy, and one of the companions was in the same car as me, I still managed to arrive at the group after the  talk about safety, and respect for the country side, and emergency exits - safety rather than comfort etc.


The Forage

1. Cow parsley
2. Dogs mercury
3. Garlic mustard
4. Nettles
5. Ground ivy
6. Bluebells
7. Goose grass
8. Hop shoots
9. Wood anemone
10. Foxglove
11. Elder
12. Wood sorrel
13. Hemlock tree
14. Hazelnut* (see photo)
15. Primrose*
16. Bitter cress*
17. Rose hip
18. Beech
19. Birch*
20. Ribwort plantain*
21. Hawthorne*
22. Sloe*
23. Clover
24. Wood dock*
25. Dandelion
26. Great willow herb*
27. Chickweed*
28. Borage
29. Common sorrell*
30. Hogweed*
31. King Alfred's cake
32. Water cresss
33. Brooklime (speedwell)
34. Liver fluke
35. Great stitchwort
36. Dead nettle*
37. Aran lilley
38. Alexander*
39. Comfrey
40. Horsetail
41. Wild garlic

Bitter cress:

Hazelnut:

Primrose:

Birch, tap for sap before buds, birch twig tea:

Ribwort plantain, better than dock leaf for stings, makes a good throat linctus:

Hawthorne shoots (May tree - here we gathering nuts in may):

Sloe blossom for salads, almond aftertaste (berries for sloe gin later in year):

Wood dock, seeds can go in e.g. cous cous. Aloe like slime at base:

Willow herb:

Chick weed, row of hairs down one side of stem:

Sorrel, sword shaped leaf:

Dead nettle, white flower, no sting, mint family (square stem, all edible):

Common hogweed, carrot family, lasagna:

Alexander, like lovage to look at, strong celery flavour, good with fish, seeds a pepper substitute.

Food and drink, served by our guides

Sticky willy water

Rabbit stew
Pasta and pesto

Wood ear ravioli
Hogweed lasagna
Foraged salad with  filafel

Birch twig tea