Virtual Herb Walk // Late March
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In these unprecedented times during the Coronavirus pandemic, it is paramount that we all follow government advice on safe distancing and when necessary, self-isolation, but although we can’t all physically get together to go explore herbs, we would like to invite you to come on a virtual herb walk with us.
I was out at my local park last weekend, enjoying and gathering some of the many wonderful wild herbs growing aplenty at the moment, and will share a little about some of them here. I’ve chosen 5 plants that are abundant this time of the year, and can be easily found all across London.
Next time you’re out for a walk or run, we invite you to keep an eye out for these plants and see how many you can find. Spend some time with them, get to know them, observe, touch! If you’re confident that you know what they are, taste them, add some to your food and drinks, enjoy their company and the food and medicine they provide!
Please follow social distancing guidelines (at least two metres) and do not go out if you have a fever, cough, are showing any other symptoms or think you have come into contact with someone who is ill. For up to date advice please refer to the government advice.
DANDELION ( Taraxacum officinale )
Often considered an undesired weed, Dandelion is a wonderful herb from which all parts can be used - roots, leaves, buds and flowers!
The leaves are bitter, but when young, they make a great addition to salads. My favourite way to use them is to turn them into pesto, either on their own, or combined with other wild greens.
Most plants will be in flower at the moment, by which stage the leaves turn tougher and more bitter, but the flowers are just as great a way to bring wild goodness into your kitchen. The petals make a great job of brightening up a salad, or the whole flower can be battered and fried to make delicious dandelion flower fritters. Ymm!
Medicinally, dandelions support good liver, gallbladder, urinary and digestive health.
CLEAVERS ( Galium aparine)
Also known as Sticky-Willy and Goose grass, this is one of the first plants to sprout in mid to late winter, and by this time of the year, it’s absolutely everywhere.
It’s a wonderful Spring tonic and a great lymphatic cleanser, helping our bodies flush out toxins built up over winter. Like Dandelions, it promotes the flow of urine and is very helpful in treating urinary infections and irritation.
A very easy way to use it is to add the fresh herb to your water bottle, but it can also be added to added to juices, chopped into salads (when young), or infused into apple cider vinegar for a great spring tonic.
SOW THISTLE ( Sonchus spp.)
Sow thistles, especially when young, are commonly mistaken for Dandelions. They are indeed related, but although sowthistles start out as a rosette (a cluster of leaves growing in a circular pattern) just like dandelions, as they develop, they grow into much taller plants, and unlike dandelions, where the flower stems contain a single flower and no leaves, sowthistles have multiple flowers and leaves growing out of the stems.
I actually find the leaves tastier than dandelion leaves - they are really delicious chopped and braised with a little olive oil and garlic; and the flowers can be used in the same way as dandelion flowers.
Like a lot of these wild herbs, sowthistles are actually more nutritious than cultivated green vegetables such as cabbage and spinach.
STINGING NETTLE ( Urtica dioica )
Oh, nettles! Where do I even start? The young leaves are incredibly nutritious and pretty delicious; and medicinally the whole plant is used to treat a number of conditions including seasonal allergies, anaemia, arthritis, urinary problems and kidney stones and urinary problems just to name a few.
Once infused in hot water or cooked, the sting goes away completely and the leaves can be consumed in a number of ways - either fresh or dried for teas and nourishing infusions or cooked in the same way and in pretty much any dish you’d use spinach and other greens.
If you take your time and are careful, you’ll see it’s not difficult to harvest nettles without getting stung, but if you’d feel more comfortable with a bit of extra protection, rubber cloves (normally used to wash the dishes) are perfect for the job.
PURPLE DEADNETTLE ( Lamium purpureum )
There are many different plants commonly known as ‘Dead nettles’. The name comes from the fact they resemble nettles in appearance, but they lack the sting. One of the most common ones, is this little guy here, the Purple, or Red Deadnettle.
Although not as renowned for its medicinal properties as the other herbs listed here, it’s very plentiful at the moment, easy to recognise, and a perfectly edible plant, that can be combined with other wild greens to bulk up soups, stews and even salads.
