Wild Food Foraging Walks (Avon Gorge, Bristol; Hampstead Heath, London)

A guided walk exploring, identifying and foraging edible plants, trees & fungi.

Led by forager and organic vegetable grower Heath Bunting.

Will also touch upon bush-craft, cultivation, medicinal plants, wild soaps,
poisonous plants, food processing, preservation and prepping.

Wild Food Foraging Walks: Led by forager and organic vegetable grower Heath Bunting. Will also touch upon bush-craft, cultivation, medicinal plants, wild soaps, poisonous plants, food processing, preservation and prepping. Elder Berries: Excellent edible, medicinal and other uses. The flavour of the raw fruit is not acceptable to all tastes, though when cooked it makes delicious jams, preserves, pies etc. It can be used fresh or dried, the dried fruit being less bitter. The fruit is used to add flavour and colour to preserves, jams, pies, sauces, chutneys etc., and is used to make wine. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter and is borne in large clusters in late summer to early autumn. Cherry Plum: Raw or cooked in pies, tarts, jams etc. The size of a small plum with a thin skin and a nice sweet flavour. The flesh is somewhat mealy but is also juicy. The fruit can hang on the tree until October. The fruit is about 30mm in diameter and contains one large seed.
Alexanders Flowers: Leaves and young shoots - raw in salads or cooked in soups, stews etc. The plant comes into growth in the autumn and the leaves are often available throughout the winter. They have a rather strong celery-like flavour and are often blanched (by excluding light from the growing plant) before use. Leafy seedlings can be used as a parsley substitute. Stem - raw or cooked. It tastes somewhat like celery, but is more pungent. The stem is often blanched (by excluding light from the growing plant) before use. Flower buds - raw. Added to salads, they have a celery-like flavour. The spicy seeds are used as a pepper substitute. Root - cooked. Boiled and used in soups, its flavour is somewhat like celery. The root is said to be more tender if it has been kept in a cool place all winter. Fly Agaric: Fly agaric is poisonous and infamous for its psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties. But, reports of human deaths are extremely rare. It was traditionally used as an insecticide. The cap was broken up and sprinkled into saucers of milk. It's known to contain ibotenic acid, which both attracts and kills flies – which gave it its name. Edible if frozen below -20c. Hazel Nut: Seed - raw or roasted and used in breads, cakes, biscuits, sweets etc. An excellent nut for raw eating. They can also be liquidized and used as a plant milk. Rich in oil. The seed ripens in mid to late autumn and will probably need to be protected from squirrels. When kept in a cool place, and not shelled, the seed should store for at least 12 months. A clear yellow edible oil is obtained from the seed. It is used in salad dressings, baking etc.
Rosehip: Pennywort. Sloe Berries.
Wild Strawberries. Wood Ear Fungus. Wild Garlic.
Black Berries. Ladies Smock. Heath Bunting Guide.