Lifestyle

Liz’s top tips for foraging this spring

There’s no better time than spring to get outside with family or friends in search of nature’s free bounty. Here Liz shares her top tips for foraging to help you reconnect with the great outdoors and enjoy some seasonal wellbeing treats too.

Liz’s top tips for foraging this spring

Go explore

Besides seeking out wild garlic in the hedgerows, heading for woodland, streams and fields can prove fruitful in the hunt for nettles, dandelions and wild herbs.

Get your hands dirty

Vitamin-packed greens are great for our health, and tracking them down helps us connect with the outdoors. Research published in scientific journal Neuroscience even shows that there are friendly bacteria (Mycobacterium vaccae) in soil that can help lift our mood, and with recent speculation that our obsession with hygiene is having a negative affect on our immune systems, getting our hands dirty may not be such a bad thing – especially as we are thought to breathe in this serotonin-boosting bacteria when out in nature.

Respect the countryside

It’s critical when foraging to follow the Countryside Code at all times: respecting, protecting and enjoying the outdoors; leaving it how we expect to find it and without causing any harm to plants, animals or trees; always ensuring we’re on land with public access and, if not, asking the landowner’s permission to forage.

Know your plants

For your own safety, take a guide book with you and, if possible, an experienced forager. That way you’ll learn to identify what’s edible – it’s also helpful to know exactly what you’re looking for before you head out. There are many highly poisonous plants, such as hemlock, which are easily mistaken for edible plants. Good guide books have photographs or detailed illustrations to help identify what’s edible.

Wash away any baddies

When you get home with your bounty, make sure to thoroughly wash everything you find before you cook it so that no pesticides or other baddies make it onto your plate. Finally, be sure to leave lots for others, and only forage from plentiful supplies.