Wild Food - Foraging!

Forgaing for food is becoming increasingly popular once more. We quite often walk down our track in the country and come back laden with bits we have found growing by the side of a field or Almonds that are just there for the taking on the trees.

Everything from Wild Garlic, mushrooms, nuts, oranges, blackberries, raspberries, edible weeds - there are tons of free food out there if you just get out of the house and go look :)

Autumn is the traditional time for harvest, when the efforts of months of hard graft finally pay off! In Spain you see the farmers out there in he field during the months of Autumn picking their food either for sale of for their families - home grown food is so much better than supermarket bought food.

However, these days we tend to rely on our food being cultivated in greenhouses whatever the season. In Spain we still only get fruit and vegetables that are in season, it is getting more common these days to see out of season fruit and vegetables - look at what the market is demanding!

Reconnecting with the old ways of hunter gathering, foraging is taking off once more. In Britain's and Spain's woods and fields, there's a bountiful harvest of vegetables and fruits to be had - all growing naturally without intervention from human hand or industrial fertiliser.

From wild garlic to berries and nuts, there are plenty of mouth watering ingredients to be had, whether you live in town or country you will be amazed at what you can find, all for free - well that is until the government catch on to this and ecide to tax it LOL!

You can also help the environment by forgaring, there's nothing shorter on food miles or more sustainable than fresh produce that's already growing indigenously in your neighbourhood. What's more, sourcing food from a country walk or perhaps beside your local canal is a lot more exciting that a trip to your local supermarket, healthier for the family and fun too.

Apart from all that you will start to notice seasons more as you watch your local areas transform from Winter/Autumn to Spring/Summer.

You can even try your hand at making chutneys and jams from the fruit you find and learn something new while you are at it :)

Wild mushrooms - puffballs friend in garlic butter with a bit of black better are divine! Wild garlic, nettles and elderflowers are common in the wild, you can make ice creams or codials with these ingredients.

Miles Irving has been foraging for years and now makes a living finding wild herbs and plants for top chefs keen to source unique ingredients that are fresh and local
from root to tip. Jamie Oliver is a former customer of his company - check him out online. Miles Irving Foraging

During times when families are on the look out to save money and do activities that do not break the bank, an afternoon of foraging is fun and educational for all the family. Teach your kids where REAL food comes from - not fast food joints like McDonalds or Burger King.

However, before you can go off foraging, it would be good to know what you are looking for, you don´t want to go out picking mushrooms if you don´t know what you are looking for as this could be potentially dangerous for all concerned - below I have listed some good books to buy. You just need to check that what you are picking is safe.

Miles Irving has a new gook out called "The Forager Handbook", a guide to Britain's edible plants, or Food for Free.

About The Forager Handbook

At any time, in any place, food is there for the taking - if only we knew how and where to look. Miles Irving makes his living out of foraging - in this unique, authentic guide, he reveals the how, why, what and where of this lost art, a way of life that is becoming increasingly popular as more and more of us pursue an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle. This ground-breaking handbook tells you how to recognize the rich possibilities that surround us, whether in the city or countryside. From waste ground to woodland, from cliff top to coast land, plants flourish year in, year out. Spring is when wild garlic flourishes in shady woodlands; summer is the time for marsh samphire in the salt-marshes; autumn heralds an abundance of fruits and nuts; . Many of these plants - nettles, dandelions, fat hen, sorrel - grow so profusely they are considered a nuisance. Yet they offer fantastic food possibilities and are rich in nutrients. Assiduously researched, packed with information and enlivened with anecdotes and more than 330 photographs, "The Forager Handbook" is a milestone publication marking the way forward for the future of British food. And for each plant family, Miles gives ideas for using foraged ingredients in the kitchen. With recipes from some of the most exciting chefs working in Britain today, including Sam and Sam Clark, Mark Hix and Richard Corrigan, and coverage of techniques like drying, pickling and making cordials, this book will take readers on a voyage of discovery. Foraging was something our ancestors did instinctively - this book truly connects us with our past and our future. Discover a secret world of edible possibilities - all freely available.

A classic foraging book by Richard Mabey titled "Food for Free" which is still in print some 30 years after it was first published.

About Food for Free

Fans of Food for Free will be delighted at this new format -- ideal for carrying in a rucksack. Over 100 edible plants are featured together with recipes and other interesting culinary information. With details on how to pick, when to pick and regulations on picking. This new format of a best-selling title provides a portable guide for all those who enjoy what the countryside has to offer. Over 100 plants are listed, fully illustrated and described, together with recipes and other fascinating information about their use throughout the ages. The recipes are listed so that you can plan your foray with a feast in mind. This is the ideal book for both nature-lovers and cooks. Particularly with today's emphasis on the freshest and most natural of foods. There is also practical advice on how to pick plus the countryside laws and regulations on picking wild plants.

If you are looking for a more hands on experience then you can have an unforgettable day out with the Forage Rangers, Xa Milne and Fiona Houston. Their mission is to help people have fun outdoors hunting for wild foods anywhere plants can grow, from city parks, to country waysides and the seashore, and, as importantly, show you how to turn this wild food into delicious dishes and drinks.

They are the authors of the highly acclaimed Seaweed and Eat It - this is a family foraging journal and cooking adventure for all the family.

About Seaweed And Eat It

This is the foodie's answer to "The Dangerous Book for Boys", and a nostalgic journey of rediscovery for the whole family. Part cookbook, part natural history guide, with tasty recipes, fascinating folklore and inspiring ideas for seasonal feasts, "Seaweed" leads the reader through the process of identifying, learning about and cooking unusual and wild native foods. From discovering edible wild plants and flowers, to creating delicious seasonal feasts, "Seaweed" puts the fun into foraging and injects a sense of adventure into preparing dinner. For anyone interested in the origins of their food - or who's shocked by the price of elderflower cordial - this inspirational cookbook will ensure mealtimes are never dull.

Protocol for Foraging
Do not overpick, pick small amounts to preserve the plant
Pick locally from common land
Do not pick from same areas all the time, to lessen your impact
Do not pick from protected areas such as wildlife reserves, sites of SSSI
Private land would require permission
Do not eat or pick it if you cannot clearly identify the food source
Take seeds and try growing in your own garden
Choose a foraging area and familiarise yourself with as much as you can
No Trespassing!
Do not pick endangered or protected species (local library can provide regulations)

Getting Started with Foraging
Start by picking the easy stuff like dandelions and nettles. Collect some rosehips and make syrup which can be used to put in ice cream