Top 10 Summer Wild Food Finds
10. Wild Strawberry
Wild Strawberry, commonly called Woodland or Alpine Strawberry, grows naturally throughout much of the UK and is found in a range of habitats, including young woodland trails, roadsides, embankments, hillsides, meadows and dry stone walls. The berries of the wild strawberry, although small, are beautifully sweet and are used in much the same way as it's larger garden counterpart.
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9. Red Currant
The Redcurrant, a relative of the Gooseberry and a popular garden fruit, grows wild in the UK, but doesn't produce as many fruits as it's garden counterpart. Through July - September, it produces strings of luscious deep red berries with vertical lines and translucent skin, which are sweet, with a pleasant sharpness. The berries can be used for a range of culinary applications, from syrups and sauces, to pies, pastries and desserts. Or just snaffled on their own.
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8. Puffballs
Puffballs are a great beginner's edible mushroom as they are quite easy to ID due to them being squishy balls of white sponge covered with a tough skin, which sometimes contains tiny spines. Some, like the Giant Puffball, can grow pretty huge, but most are small-medium sized, and can be found growing on both living and dead wood, and in grass. Young Puffballs have a pleasant mushroom smell and mild taste.
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7. Water Mint
Water Mint is a perennial flowering plant in the mint family. It grows in moist places, often partly submerged in slow running water, and is native to much of Europe. It has a beautiful aroma, a mix of menthol and aniseed, and imparts this lovely flavour when crushed and added to dishes, or made into a tea.
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6. Rosebay Willowherb
Rosebay Willowherb is a tall plant, with magenta flowers rising up a central flower spike at it's summit. It has green, lance-like leaves that are arranged in spiral formation up its stem. It's flowers and leaves are edible, with the young shoots being cooked and eaten like asparagus, or added to salads, along with the flower heads. The flowers and leaves are also the main ingredients of the fermented Russian tea, Koporye. A recipe for this refreshing beverage can be found here.
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5. Orange/Saffron Milkcap
Orange (or False Saffron Milkcaps) are very similar in appearance to Saffron Milkcaps (Lactarius deliciosus) with both being found under conifers. They are both very tasty mushrooms, although Saffron Milkcaps are rarer, and considered to be the more tasty of the two! They are very popular in Spain, and pair well with tomato and peppers.
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4. Elderflower
A staple of every forager's yearly harvest, the flowers of the Black Elder Tree, a deciduous shrub growing up to 6 meters tall, are simply magnificent. The flowers have a long culinary tradition being used to create cordial, wine, gin, champagne, fritters, jams and preserves. This versatility, coupled with their abundance and ease of identification means they had to be in this top ten!
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3. Bilberry
Bilberries, sometimes known as European or Swedish Blueberries, Whortleberry, or Blaeberry in Scotland, is a species of low-growing shrub that is native to Europe, bearing edible, dark blue berries in late summer. Bilberries were the first foraged item that Arthur was introduced to and are one of his favourite berries. We use them in lots of recipes, from crumbles and fools, to pies and pastries, and add them to porridge, smoothies, fruit salads, yogurts, and ice cream. We also use them to make syrup or cordial.
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2. Wild Raspberry
The Wild Raspberry is super-common throughout the UK and can be found in open woodland, along woodland trails, and even on roadsides verges. The fruits are often smaller and less 'plump' than garden varieties, but they are still delicious, and very versatile in the kitchen, being used to make syrups, sauces, desserts, pies, fruit salads, smoothies, or just eaten as a they are.
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1. Chanterelle
The Golden Chanterelle, also called the Girole or Pfiferling, is an extremely tasty mushroom that is found in both coniferous and deciduous woodlands. They taste sweet and peppery and are great in a range of recipes such as soups, stews and omelettes, or cooked on their own on toast. These are Arthur's favourite mushroom (and mine!), and are simply delicious. If you come across some, be sure to add them to your foraging basket!
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