March: Getting Back to Foraging!

March is here and so then is spring! 

This is my favourite season, a time of new growth and beginnings and of course all the wild garlic and wild greens which are popping up to nourish us, after the long winter! 

So this month we are going wild for wild food, the food of our ancestors, the food we evolved to eat! We actually have receptors for compounds only found in wild plants, we are meant to eat them in our quest for good health!

There are many reasons to eat wild food, the diversity and nutritional value is second to none, they are not sprayed with chemicals or forced to grow outwith their season, they are mostly delicious and are completely free! 

Take the humble nettles, they are one of the most mineral rich and most prolific plants on the planet, packed with polyphenols, fibre & protein! Nettle crisps, pesto, cake, soup, tea are all delicious ways to benefit from these well known plants. Dandelions are among the first spring plants to appear, and every part of a dandelion is edible, from the roots and leaves to the flowers. The root makes a powerful tonic with an affinity for the liver, kidneys and gallbladder, this is a great detoxifier and perfect spring cleanse for the body. 

Wild garlic is popping up everywhere with its intoxicating garlic aroma and lovely pointed green leaves- it just tastes like spring!

I am a member of the Foraging Association and one of the first rules of foraging is to be 100% sure of identification, so my guest this month is my dear friend and expert forager Vicky Manning @thelittleforagers kitchen. Vicky will be sharing her own story and love for wild plants and sharing some of her favourite plants and recipes and also chatting about her upcoming retreats. So do come and join us on Wednesday 5th at 1pm over on the FB group. 

I will of course be popping up over on the FB group with my foraged finds and some wee videos for correct identification! So get yourself out to the woods and follow your nose to the wonderful wild garlic! 

I will be wearing my Walk on the Wild Side top this month, there’s free shipping this weekend so check out our t shirts and come over to the wild side!! 

In good health

Janice

xx