The Forager's Calendar: A Seasonal Guide to Nature’s Wild Harvests

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Wild garlic (also known as ramsons or bear garlic) is another popular pick, springing up in moist soils in woodland, hedgerows and alongside rivers and streams for a few weeks. He is a fanatical forager himself, yet somehow the more he describes its benefits the less convincing they seem. It’s easily identifiable by that intense garlicky scent and it makes a tasty alternative to spinach, so try it in pasta, salads and pesto.

Early spring is peak nettle season — harvest them sooner rather than later (with good gloves), picking only the top few leaves. While summer bears fruit and berries, it’s the autumn when you’ll be able to enjoy the rich variety of nuts growing in our woodlands. It has a handy, detailed guide for every month of the year with lists of what you can expect to find when, with lots of insightful knowledge and clear, colour photographs from a seasoned forager. Violets also start to bloom towards the end of the month; the flowers make pretty additions to salads and desserts. Rose hips should be ready for picking — they’re full of vitamins and can be used for everything from syrups and tea to jam and brandy.Fully illustrated throughout, with tips on kit, conservation advice and what to avoid, The Forager’s Calendar is an indispensable guide for everyone interested in wild food, whether you want to explore the great outdoors, or are happiest foraging from your armchair. The similarly bitter rowan berries are also brilliant for jellies and liqueurs; they grow in bright red clumps in their namesake tree. Plenty of fungi, including oyster mushrooms and winter chanterelles, will be appearing in woodlands, although it’s always safest to head out with a mushroom expert if you’re not sure. Niki Segnit author of * The Flavour Thesaurus * John Wright is an authoritative and often funny guide .

John Carey * The Sunday Times * Praise for A Natural History of the Hedgerow: A beautifully presented field guide. The sweet scent taste of yarrow leaves makes them a popular choice for desserts and drinks, while borage, with its blue, star-shaped flowers, is everywhereand makes a nice — and, in fact, traditional — addition to a pitcher of Pimm’s.Blackthorn berriesare usually ripe enough by the end of the month (it’s these that are used for sloe gin). Sorrel also begins to appear; its medicinal properties and citrusy flavour have made it a favourite for foragers since antiquity. Don’t overlook dandelionseitheras their season peaks — full of nutritional value, you can eat the whole flower from the yellow petals right down to the root. The latter has upward-pointing sprays of creamy white flowers and tends to bloom towards the end of the month.

You’ll learn the stories behind the Latin names, the best way to tap a Birch tree, and how to fry an ant, make rosehip syrup and cook a hop omelette. Travel A year-round foraging calendar: what to pick and where in the UK The UK is a nutrient-packed treasure trove of wild food, from fruits and flowers to greens and mushrooms.Woodlands Awards This colourful guide provides a comprehensive introduction to the UK's wild food, from the meaty-tasting hen of the woods mushroom to salty marsh samphire.

Hairy bittercress grows all year and it’s now you’ll also find chickweed growing very close to the ground in rich soils, including garden lawns. Sweet chestnuts are synonymous with this time of year, too, and are usually roasted before eating to bring out their distinctive sweet taste. Burdock root is best dug at this time of year and is known for its medicinal qualities, while earthy morel mushrooms will start to come into season. Rose petals, including those from dog roses — which grow profusely in hedgerows — have myriad uses, too. John Wright is the country’s foremost expert in foraging and brings decades of experience, including as forager at the River Cottage, to this seasonal guide.not] just a delightful one-off read, but an invaluable work of reference that will remain on my bookshelves for good. Hazelnuts, when fully ripe, drop from their husks, although they’re also edible when they’re fresh and green. Look out of your window, walk down a country path or go to the beach in Great Britain, and you are sure to see many wild species that you can take home and eat. Foraging for food in the wild is quite an arduous hobby, and if you are looking for an excuse for hanging up your boots, John Wright’s book might be the answer. Thanks to our variable climate and rich variety of ecosystems, the UK offers ample opportunity to source your own food in the wild throughout the year.