Easter Foraging in Cornwall

​Spring is finally springing into action! Wild garlic in Cornwall has just started flowering, Magnolia trees are covered in their aromatic flowers and hogweed shoots are out in force. So whether you are a local well versed in our vagarities or a visitor to this little slice of heaven, please read on to discover what you can forage for free RIGHT NOW! (Or scroll to the bottom for a comprehensive list.)

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​Whilst spring is not your typical mushroom season, for the dedicated fungi forager there are still some to be found. Jelly ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) and oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus) can be found pretty much all year round. Popping up right now are St. George's mushroom (Calocybe gambosa), scarlet elf cups (Sarcosypha austriaca) and the much desired, but almost impossible to discover, Morels (Morchella vulgaris). If anyone does find some Morels, I’ve heard they are awful so let me know where they are and I can come dispose of them for you!

​​Within almost every hedgerow or border lurks an alien to our county, three-cornered leek Allium triquetrum. This garden escapee is taking over our hedgerows and verges so please, I implore you, eat this weed! It makes a delicious alternative to leeks or onions in any dish, and as much as Matt loves to promote sustainable foraging, this little rascal is exempt. Take as much as you wish, eat those bulbs, demolish this delicious delicacy.

​Smurnium olastrum commonly known as Alexanders loves the edges and the sea breeze. Hedgerows and roadside verges in Cornwall are covered with this aromatic plant. Currently this plant is in flower, but if you can find unopened flower heads they can make an excellent substitute for broccoli. But our favorite use of Alexanders is in the autumn, once the flowers have turned into seeds. These can be dried out and used in cooking as an aromatic peppercorn.

Allium ursinum, wild garlic, needs very little introduction. Grab the leaves now, as the flower heads are beginning to bud. These dainty white stars are beginning to shine amongst their green foliage. As the plant goes into flower the leaves gradually loose some of their potency, so now is the time to make use of this excellent wild alternative to garlic. If, like Jade, you have to follow a strict FODMAP diet, wild garlic is one of your saviours. Made into butters, pesto’s, salt or dried and stored as a powder, those who can no longer eat garlic can get their garlic fix here. Remember that in Cornwall wild garlic is sadly not as common as “up country” as Cornwall is ​lacking in ancient woodlands where wild garlic 

​​thrives. This is partly because of our coastal geography and partly because of our mining heritage. So please, whilst I encourage you to make the most of this plant, be mindful of foraging sustainably.

​The foragers’ favourite, Heracleum spondylium, common hogweed, is currently at it’s most delicious phase in Cornwall. The young shoots make a wonderful addition to any dish containing greens. Matt likes to describe this as “asparagus on steroids”. I however disagree, I don’t like asparagus but like most foragers I love hogweed shoots. Tempura is absolutely the best way to enjoy this hedgerow delicacy.

​​The brambles (Rubus fruticosus) that invade every garden and hedge are starting to produce leaf buds. We like to have little nibble on these whilst out foraging, the buds have a nutty almost buttery flavour but this can vary from bush to bush as there are over 400 subspecies of bramble in the U.K.! Keep a drink on hand though as they can make your mouth feel pretty dry.

​​Crithmum maritimum, rock samphire, is a marmite plant, people either rave over it’s unusual taste whereas for others the heavily perfumed taste is too much. It clings to rock walls on beaches, favouring an above tide rocky niche. Strongly aromatic, Matt likes to pickle this which makes it much more palatable and served with cheese and biscuits.

​As much as I would love to go into detail about the various offerings available right now, I think a casual reader would get bored. I’ve included below a few seaweeds you might want to forage because whilst most seaweed is edible, not all seaweed is palatable! We are currently in peak seaweed season, towards the end of spring/early summer the seaweed starts to spawn becoming slimy and tough. Also during the summer months some seaweed completely dies back, which is why Matt doesn’t like to go foraging for seaweed after late spring.
 
Please find below a comprehensive list of what can be foraged and eaten in Cornwall’s fields, hedges, beaches and estuaries during these Easter holidays.

Hedgerow and Grassland Foraging:

Allium Ampeloprasum var. Babingtonii Babington’s leek
Allium triquetrum Three-cornered leek
Allium usinum Wild garlic
Allium vineale Crow garlic
Brassica nigra Black mustard
Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd's purse
Cardamine hirsuta Hairy bittercress
Galium aparine Cleevers
Glechoma hederacea Ground ivy
Heracleum sphondylium Common Hogweed
Magnolia grandiflora Magnolia flowers
Mentha aquatica Water mint
Oxalis acetosella Wood sorrel
Plantago coronopus Stagshorn plantain
Plantago lanceolata Ribwort plantain
Plantago major Broadleaf plantain
Rubus fruticosus Bramble buds
Rumex acetosa Common sorrel
Smurnium olastrum Alexanders
Taraxacum officinale Dandelion
Urtica dioica Nettles
Viola odorata Sweet violets
Stellaria media Chickweed

Fungi Foraging:

Auricularia auricula-judae Jelly ear fungi
Calocybe gambosa St. George's mushroom
Morchella vulgaris Morels
Pleurotus ostreatus Oyster mushroom
Sarcosypha austriaca Scarlet elf cups

Estuary Foraging:

Apium graveolens Wild celery (this is incredibly rare, if you think you’ve found wild celery the chances are that it is actually it’s cousin, hemlock water dropwort Oenanthe crocata which is HIGHLY POISONOUS. This is not a plant for a novice forager.)
Halimione portulacoides Sea purslane
Triglochin maritima Sea arrowgrass

Coastal Foraging:

Beta vulgaris subsp. Maritima Sea beet
Cochlearia officinalis Scurvy grass
Crithmum maritimum Rock samphire
Daucus carota Wild carrot
Raphanus maritimus Sea radish

Seaweed Foraging:

Chondrus crispus Carrageen (used not so much for eating but as a thickening agent)
Duymontia contorta Dumont’s tubular weed 
Fucus serratus Serrated wrack tips
Himanthalia elongata Sea spaghetti
Osmundea pinnatifida Pepper dulce
Palmaria palmata Red dulce
Polysiphonia lanosa Sea truffle
Porphyra umbilicalis Laver / nori
Sargassum muticum Japanese wireweed
Ulva lactuca Sea lettuce