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

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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. Hazelnuts, when fully ripe, drop from their husks, although they’re also edible when they’re fresh and green. You can also pick young birch leaves, too, whose serrated, nutrient-rich leaves make restorative tea. 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. Sweet chestnuts are synonymous with this time of year, too, and are usually roasted before eating to bring out their distinctive sweet taste.

Blackthorn berriesare usually ripe enough by the end of the month (it’s these that are used for sloe gin).not] just a delightful one-off read, but an invaluable work of reference that will remain on my bookshelves for good. 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. 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.

I’ve had it on my shelves since last January and it has been one I’ve picked up often throughout the year and dipped in and out of it as the months come and go.

Sorrel also begins to appear; its medicinal properties and citrusy flavour have made it a favourite for foragers since antiquity. Niki Segnit author of * The Flavour Thesaurus * John Wright is an authoritative and often funny guide . 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.

There are few better ways to immerse yourself in the great outdoors than to forage, which, when done responsibly, offers a unique chance to connect with nature. 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. From blackberries and beech nuts towild garlic andwild strawberries, here’s a taste of what to expect and when to find it.There is also tonnes of practical advice to get you started or as handy reminders, from chapters on the law around foraging, what kit you’ll need and safety; as well as fungi, seaweeds and preserving – to name a few. 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. He is a fanatical forager himself, yet somehow the more he describes its benefits the less convincing they seem. Christopher Hart * The Sunday Times * Under his expert guidance foraging just sounds like a gas, a kind of foody treasure hunt with a bracing hint of Russian roulette. Violets also start to bloom towards the end of the month; the flowers make pretty additions to salads and desserts.

Popularised by a number of top chefs, it’s a practice that’s seen a huge surge in interest in recent years, in line with a greater focus on both what we eat and where it comes from. In The Forager’s Calendar he lists well over 100 edible plants that flourish in the British countryside, grouping them according to the month when they are at their best and providing a detailed description and a colour photograph with each entry. 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. Sweet honeysuckle is common in woodlands (although the berries are toxic) and bright purple mallow flowers also begin to bloom; their taste is mild, but they add a pop of colour to the plate.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.