The Lake District is a beautiful area, full of breathtaking scenery and outdoor activities. Winter is a magical time to explore the Lake District, and there’s an added bonus of being able to forage for wild foods. There is a wealth of edible plants, mushrooms, berries, and other wild foods that can be found during this time of year.
Foraging in the Lake District during winter has many benefits. You can find still a variety of edible wild food even in the depths of winter - and it's free! It also gives you an opportunity to appreciate nature in a different season and discover new plants and foliage. Plus, it’s a great way to get outdoors and explore the area in a different way. Nothing is more fulfilling than wandering around, picking a bit here and there. Then return home and prepare scrumptious food for loved ones and friends.
Jon and I recently took part in a Winter Foraging Course, and we came away with a lot of new knowledge about what's still growing at this time of year that's tasty and safe to eat.
What can you find in the hedgerows and woods in winter?
There are many types of edible wild food available in the winter in the Lake District. On our course, we identified leafy plants such as wild garlic, yarrow, ground elder, stinging nettles or garlic mustard, as well as mushrooms, such as the scarlet elf cup - an unlikely looking candidate, but very delicious and despite its 'dangerous' colouring, entirely harmless.
Garlic mustard
Garlic mustard has straight stems with large glossy green and toothy leaves, sometimes described as heart-shaped or kidney shaped.The release of a garlic smell and taste when the leaves are crushed led to the use of garlic mustard as an alternative to true garlic. Thus it can be said to have the same uses as garlic in food preparation and cooking. The wild herb also makes an excellent savoury salad green, sauce and potherb.
Yarrow
Yarrow is the herb of a million flowers, thanks to its prolific foliage.
This wild edible has been used in food and medicine since ancient times, and it is still a commonly used herb today. The leaves can be used in almost any dish as a vegetable, added to soups and sauces, or simply boiled and simmered in butter as a side dish. Its peppery foliage and bitter leaves and flowers also bring an aromatic flavour to salads.
Stinging Nettle
Stinging Nettle is a surprisingly helpful plant in food and medicine despite its stinging hairs. The shoots and leaves were traditionally picked as a spring tonic. Nettle ‘pudding’ or ‘porridge’ was eaten in parts of Britain as a ‘pick-me-up' after the winter. Modern research has revealed that nettle contains vitamin C and iron (see nutritional profile below), which explains its use as a spring vegetable.
Cooking the plant, even briefly, destroys the stinging hairs and makes nettle safe to eat. Nettle soup is delicious, as are smoothies made from frozen nettle leaves (the freeze action destroys the hairs too). You will need quite an amount as the leaves will wilt away like spinach when cooking.
Ground Elder
Ground Elder forms a creeping, pale green carpet across the ground. The oval-shaped leaves are long, hairless and toothed, and arranged in groups of three at the end of leaf stems. According to history, ground elder was introduced to Britain by the Romans, to use as a kitchen herb. In Anglo-Saxon Britain, ground elder was used to clarify beer. The young leaves and stems contain high amounts of vitamin C and are best picked in spring for use in salads and soups. They taste like a cross between Parsley and Celery and can be used as such in soups and stews.
Wild Garlic
Wild garlic is a plant of shady, damp woodlands, fields and hedgerows. Its tiny white flowers and bright green leaves in some places form a canopy beneath the trees and in other areas, it’s quite scarce. It is commonplace in ancient woods where it creates a flowering carpet of star-like blossoms instead of the blue flooring of bluebells (do not confuse them with bluebells which can grow in the same area - they are toxic).
The leaves of wild garlic harvested before flowering have a delicious, sweet and pungent taste. Excellent raw in salads and as wild pesto, for which you mix together wild garlic leaves with olive oil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice - perfect for serving over pasta. Cooked leaves are a good vegetable. All parts of the plant make good lactic acid ferments.
Scarlet Elf Cup
Scarlet Elf cup fungus favours areas with high rainfall and can be seen on decaying sticks and branches – especially in damp areas of the woodland floor – and on ditch sides and stream banks. Their bright pops of colour brighten up even the darkest winter day.
In European folklore, it was said that wood elves drank morning dew from the cups.
Scarlet elf cups have a subtle, earthy flavour – fungal, with perhaps a hint of beetroot. These mushrooms cook well – either frying or in stews seems best. We tried it raw and it has a typical mushroom texture and flavour.
Foraging Tips and Safety
Here are some tips for foraging during winter:
Please forage ethically - take only as much as you need and do not disturb or destroy the environment. Don't leave any litter behind and leave the area as you have found it.
Check the ground carefully - the more you look, the more you will see the plants you are searching for.
Wear waterproof clothing and footwear
Bring a basket or bag to collect what you find.
Make sure you know what you’re picking - some plants can be highly poisonous so make sure you familiarise yourself with their shape or colour before harvesting.
It’s important to remember that some plants can be poisonous if consumed so it’s best to do your research before harvesting anything from the wild. Make sure you know what you’re picking by looking at photos or descriptions online or checking with an expert if possible. Also, avoid eating anything if you have any doubts about its safety. Finally, always make sure you wash any wild food thoroughly in potable water before consuming it.
Take a course
There are a number of providers who offer foraging courses throughout the seasons. Jim the Forager, for instance, runs courses at nearby Bassenthwaite Lake Station, and is a font of knowledge and amusing tales as he takes a group of intrepids through the meadows, along water courses and into the woods.
If you’d like to learn more about foraging in the Lake District there are plenty of resources available online from local nature groups and charities offering advice and guidance on safely enjoying this activity.
Further resources are available here:
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