What To Forage In April
- victoria ward
- Apr 13
- 4 min read
Hawthorn Flower Buds
Hawthorn flowers have traditionally opened around 1st May hence being known as 'May Blossom' and having strong associations and ritual significance to the pagan festival Beltane. Predicting the arrival of flowers on any plant is far from an exact science as weather patterns mean seasons will vary. It is highly likely that Hawthorn will flower in April but what you will soon see are the tight clusters of creamy flower buds which are known as 'bread and cheese' and are a pleasant nuttyish addition to salads.
Jack-By-The- Hedge
This prolific plant is everywhere right now, on the brink of flowering here in Leicestershire. The fresh green leaves have a complex flavour, initially quite bitter (indicating gut health benefits) but then developing into a hot, garlicky taste ideal to use in many dishes.
Look for the distinctive shaped and textured leaves which form rosettes and narrow out as they produce flowers at the top, emerging from tight clusters of flower buds. They are nettle-like in appearence and are a lime shade of green as they grow.
I decided to make a Wild Chimichurri which includes Jack-by-the-hedge and Wild Garlic, this kind of dish is a fantastic vehicle for many wild plants, I used mine to accompany a steak
Wild Chimichurri
1 shallot finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic crushed
Handful of flat leaf parsley chopped
Handful Wild Garlic leaves chopped
Small handful of Jack-by-the-hedge chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 red chilli chopped
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
4 tbsps olive oil
salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, pour over red wine vinegar and oil and leave to marinade for at least 15 mins
Red Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum) & White Dead Nettle (Lamium alba)
Both of these Nettle varieties are edible and nutritious like their stinging relative. Add the leaves and flowers to salads, pesto and whatever else you fancy trying- they will give you high levels of vitamins and minerals and prebiotic fibre.
White Dead Nettle can be used in a sitz bath or yoni steam as a uterine tonic to reduce heavy menstrual flow and menstrual pain
Infusions of these nettles are pleasant and cooling to drink, they can help with immunity and may ease allergy symptoms.
Wild Garlic Flowerbuds
If you are lucky enough to have Wild Garlic near you to forage you will notice it beginning to flower. Here it is now in bud and these make delicious capers. Make sure you have the right plant check my previous blog Foraging Wild Garlic and Recipes
Wild Garlic Capers
Pick enough flowerbuds to fill a small jar
Pack into your jar and make up the following -
150 ml vinegar- white wine or apple cider
30 g sugar
50 ml water
2 bay leaves
1 tsp pink peppercorns (use black if necessary)
1 pinch sea salt
1 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
Heat the vinegar, water and sugar until the sugar dissovles
Add the other ingedients and leave to cool
Pour over the capers, shake well and leave for 2 weeks
Use as you would capers
Three-cornered Leek Flowers
These pretty flowers are similar to snowdrops which should not be flowering now but do double-check. They carry the oniony flavour typical of Three-cornered Leek and can be used to give flavour or as a flower garnish.
Coltsfoot Leaves
Please see my previous post Sunshine Flowers Of The Spring Equinox- Coltsfoot and Lesser Celandine to learn all about Coltsfoot and its uses. The leaves have similar actions to the flowers but contain less of the toxic alkaloids that we must be cautious with.
You can see the leaves that give the name 'Coltsfoot' quite clearly, they are also interestingly marked and veined.
Colstfoot is an amazing respiratory remedy but be sure to limit its use as advised in my previous post.
Honesty (Lunaria annua)
Honesty is a lovely plant that you may find in the wild, but very often it is in gardens as an annual plant that likes to spread itself around and very welcome it is too as it has pretty flowers followed by interesting seed heads. The wonderful silvery seeds are like little moons, hence the name Lunaria.
The purple blooms make a pretty flower garnish, the seeds are very rich in essential fatty acids that have some amazing health benefits and are great for skin too- but more on this later in the year!
Honesty Flower Essence
Fill a bowl with spring water and pick enough Honesty petals to cover the surface. Leave to infuse in sunshine for 3-6 hours.
Remove the flowers with care and pour the 'mother' essence into a container, mix 50/50 essence to brandy or vodka which will preserve it.
Take a small amber dropper bottle and fill with another 50/50 water/brandy or vodka mix and add 3 drops of the mother essence to this.
Refill your dropper as needed.
Take 2-4 drops under the tongue 2-4 times daily.
This flower essence is said to bring openess and receptivity.
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
I adore Comfrey and have many different varieties and they are alive with bees who seem to love this plant above all others. This is one of my favourite plants and also happens to be a bit of a thug which will rapidly takeover space. Comfrey has many wildlife benefits and is a potent fertiliser. You will find it in the wild, often the taller one with purple flowers, ideally look for a tall white-flowered variety.
Comfrey is a plant that contains the toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) so many are wary of consuming it as a wild food. The white flowered variety is considered the least toxic.
The cosmetic benefits of comfrey are most interesting, in commerical skincare an extract of the roots is used as it is rich in the soothing compound allantoin
Allantoin is found in the roots and leaves and has the following skin benefots-
Soothing
Skin-softening
Protective
Promotes wond healing
Scar healing
Anti-seborrheic
Stimulates the regeneration of tissue
Rejuvenative
Moisturising
Keratolytic
Anti-irritant
Comfrey can be used in skincare as a glycerite, infusion or powder. Infuse in glycerite, oil or dry the leaves a powder.
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