 SWEET CICELY
Quite common on waysides and stream banks in the north of England and Scotland.
Grows 4-5 feet (120 to 150cm) tall, with elegant, feathery, aniseed-scented
foliage. Flowers in May to July with large umbels of white flowers,
setting long seeds which are ripe when shiny black. Every part of
this plant can be
eaten; the thick root boiled like parsnip, the stems boiled or roasted
as for celery. The leaves have distinctly sugary overtones to their mild
aniseed flavour and are ideal for flavouring stewed fruits such as rhubarb,
gooseberries and plums in place of sugar. In France, the young leaf sprays
are dipped in batter and fried as an hors d’oeuvres. And the seeds
are excellent for imparting an aniseed flavour to salads and cooked vegetable
dishes. In early spring, when the leaves are emerging, the smell of aniseed
will greet you before you reach the plant, making it very easy to identify.
 WILD ROSEHIPS
The wild rose, or ‘dog rose’, is a common shrub throughout
the British Isles. It can be found in woods, hedges and scrub land. Flowering
from June to July the tiny fruits appear from late August to November.
The fruits should not be picked until they have been softened by the first
frost, but do not leave them past October. The seeds are covered with tiny
hairs (children split open the rosehips and put them straight down other
children’s
backs – or grind them up into itching powder!) and care should be
taken to strain the cooked hips through fine muslin, as rosehip hairs are
dangerous to consume. Rosehips are reputed to contain four times as much
vitamin C as blackcurrant juice and twenty times as much as oranges!
WILD GARLIC, OR RAMSONS
A native bulb, common through the British Isles in damp woods and lanes.
The fresh young leaves can be used in salads, added to soups and stews
as a flavouring, used instead of cabbage in ‘bubble and squeak’ or,
as in our recipe, in place of vine leaves in dolmades. Very easy to identify,
just follow your nose to locate them and if you are still unsure, pick
and tear one of the leaves – ahhh – garlic!
DANDELION LEAVES AND FLOWERS
A perennial herb, abundant through the British Isles. Can be found in pastures,
meadows, lawns and waysides. The dandelion flowers profusely in April but
the leaves can be found at any time of the year. The young leaves can be
eaten as a
salad, but avoid the full grown leaves as they are too bitter and unpalatable.
Serve
as a vegetable, cooked as spinach or in a soup. The root of an established
dandelion is roasted and used to make coffee which can be bought in health
food shops. The flowers are edible too and can be bought in French markets
under the name pissenlit.
WILD CHERVIL (‘Cow Parsley’)
Widespread and abundant on footpaths,
roadsides, banks etc. Umbels of tiny white flowers April to June. The plant
is 2 – 4
feet (60 – 120cm) high, with hollow green, furrowed stems, hairy
near the bottom of the plant but smooth above. The leaves are grassgreen,
slightly downy and much divided, looking very like wedge-shaped ferns.
No plant shapes our roadside landscape more than wild chervil - a little
coarser than the garden variety, but sharing
the same fresh, spicy flavour. Caution: There are a number of related species
which resemble wild chervil, which can cause serious poisoning, the most
dangerous of all are fool’s parsley and hemlock, so beware.
MARSH SAMPHIRE (Poor Man’s Asparagus or Glasswort)
Found locally on
the southeast and west coasts of England, also in coastal areas of Wales,
the west coasts of Scotland and the coasts of Ireland. Available during
July and August at low tide, but it is often picked and sold in local markets.
Roast as you would asparagus, in a little olive oil with a sprinkling of
salt.
Helpful hint: eat marsh samphire with your fingers, using your teeth to
pull the flesh
off the long, thin ‘thread-like’ core.
SORREL
Smaller than the cultivated French sorrel, and generally available throughout
the British Isles. Good for soups and sauces and salads. Also reputed to
be used by Laplanders as a substitute for rennet in the cheese-making process!
SALAD BURNET
Widespread and common, flowering from May-August. Leaves can be added to
salads but use sparingly as they have a strong bitter flavour.
WATERCRESS
This is a lowland plant found throughout Britain. Found in moving freshwater
streams and ditches. Pick the older, sturdier plants which are tangier
than the young leaves. To be on the safe side, always cook wild watercress – this
kills
the larvae of the liver fluke which is common in uncultivated watercress.
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