Food to Forage in April

Like my honey bees, I am an incurable forager. Spring has so much to offer in terms of forage for human food. Here are five of my favourite spring greens and mushrooms to forage in April, and some inspiration for what to do with them!

Ramsons

Ramsons are a member of the onion family (allium), and is also known as wild garlic and a myriad of other names. It is a mild garlic flavoured spring vegetable, growing wild in woodland and in some gardens. Ramson is a native plant and grows wild in Ireland. Ramson plants flower in March and April, sometimes even into May. Like many other members of the allium family, its flowers are much loved by bees. Ramsons have a spreading habit. Because of this, it can become a nuisance in gardens so may be best enjoyed foraged from the wild.

All parts of the plant are edible. Young leaves are picked from February onwards and the flower buds and stalks are wonderful spring delicacies. They can be used to make Ramson Capers, lightly stir fried with butter and sea salt, in a noodle broth with foraged spring greens, fermented either on their own or added to kimchi, or made into a delicate light green herb-salt. Picked early in the season, the tender young leaves are also a perfect ingredient in a fresh, low-airmile, Seasonal Ramson Pesto or mixed with other green vegetables in a vibrant spring soup.

Stingy Nettles

I’m very good at growing nettles so I don’t have to leave my garden when I go in search of nettles! In fact, I make it a part of my spring cleaning the garden to pick the tips of the nettle before I pull them up if they grow somewhere they should not! I’m delighted that not only are they plentiful, they are also highly nutritious. Nettles have long been a part of our diet and they contain Vitamins (A and C) minerals, Iron, fibres and protein. It is also traditionally taken as a tonic to detox, or cleanse in spring. Spring nettles are very tender and can be used as you would spinach (apart from eating raw unless you’re a bit of a sucker for punishment). Make sure to forage plenty of those in April.

Picking and preparing nettles

Nettles are best picked in spring when they are tender and fresh. Later in the season, the stems get tough, and the plant becomes a haven for all kinds of creatures including butterflies and ladybirds. When picking nettles, it is good to wear gloves to avoid getting stung. Even tender nettles sting! Pinch off the stem just under the top three pairs of leaves. Like spinach, nettles lose a lot of volume when cooked, so always pick a little more than you think you’re going to need.

At home, rinse the nettles well and drain.

To prepare nettles for soup or freezing, boil a large pot of water and put the nettle tips into the boiling water. Boil for a few minutes until tender. Remove and place in cold water to retain the colour of the leaves. I love making Swedish Nettle Soup, and I freeze lots of it for those lazy days when I don’t want to cook but still want to eat something that is really tasty and good for me. Don’t throw away the nettle water! It can be drunk as a detox tea, used as a hair rinse or to water the house plants with.

Sautéed nettles

The nettles can also be blanched, drained and sautéed in butter, either on its own or with other spring greens such as sea spinach and ramsons and a touch of garlic. If you like, you can finish off with a dash of cream. Sprinkle some sea salt and lemon juice over and serve. Delicious with meat or fish, with egg dishes, pasta, or on its own with tomato salad and crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Three-Cornered Leek

The three-cornered leek is another allium, member of the onion family. It is not native to Ireland, but has become naturalised. Although it is a true spring delicacy, it is also consideredand invasive plant so should not be planted in gardens. But it can definitely be eaten! All parts of the plant are edible. From the small, rather sweet bulbs under ground, to the small leek like mild garlic flavoured stems to the flower buds and later the seed pods. Perhaps the best way that we can deal with this rather invasive plant is to eat it! And it is very delicious. So don’t forget to add those to your list of things to forage in April!

The bulbs can be pickled like pickled onion, stuffed inside a roast chicken or baked alongside a roast. The entire leek can be picked (cut jut above ground level before it starts flowering) and sautéed in butter, or made into a delicious quiche. My favourite is to eat the flower heads or buds before the flowers have opened. I pick the stalks close to the ground to leave the juicy stems attached. Melt some butter in a pan and throw in a large bunch of stalks with buds. Place a lid on the pan to keep the moisture in and stir. The stems will cook very quickly. Sprinkle some sea salt and lemon juice on top and serve.

After flowering, the seed pods can also be made in to delicious capers, follow recipe for Ramson capers.

Sea Spinach

Sea spinach, or sea beet, is one of my all time favourite vegetables to forage, especially in winter through to April. It grows in abundance on the verge between land and sea. Sea spinach is best picked from late winter to late spring. Sea spinach is, as the name suggest, related to spinach and beet. Its leaves are thicker and fleshier than spinach, shiny and have a slight salty tang. Choose a nice, clean, uncontaminated spot to pick, and select young, tender leaves. At home, wash and clean the leaves, trim off stalks and either eat fresh or cook as you would spinach.

Sea spinach is a perfect accompaniment to cooked or smoked fish and egg dishes. You seldom need to add salt when cooking as the leaves are a little salty to taste. My favourite way to cook sea spinach is to sauté it in butter with chopped garlic. Squeeze a little lemon juice over after cooking. Serve with warmed hot-smoked trout or salmon, dill and caper sour cream and boiled new potatoes. Simply yum!

Sea spinach can also be added to a nettle soup or spinach soup and served with crusty bread and a poached egg. It can also be added to quiche, or blanched and frozen for use later in the year when not in season.

Jews Ears

Jews ears is a very special kind of mushroom that grows on dead wood. Particularly on dead or dying Elder. It gets its very odd name from they way that younger specimens look very much like human ears. This, combined with the fact that it grows on elder. (Judas Iscariot was said to have hanged himself from a Elder tree…) If you can put the rather eerie name aside, it is a very interesting mushroom to eat, and to forage in April. It retains its crunchiness and firm texture after cooking, however, it does not have a strong flavour. It is ideal to dry and use in soups and stews. I love it in a Spicy noodle soup with spring greens and poached egg.

Jew’s Ears Mushrooms has been used in medicine to treat all sorts of ailments including sore throats and jaundice. It is still used in Chinese medicine. The benefits of taking this mushroom has been well researched. Some evidence has been found to show that it may have properties that can help to slow tumors, control blood sugar levels, prevent blood clots, and lower cholesterol.

I hope you enjoyed my list of things to forage in April. Please do add your seasonal favourites in the comments below!

Hanna Bäckmo

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