Forage Food for Free

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by

James Walters
in
Forage Food for Free to help our health and climate change

Here we look at; The Foraging Code and Learning What Food to Forage (from the experts). This is one of over 40 ideas in our Sustainability Roadmap with Solutions to Climate Change, and part of our series on Eating Sustainably.

If you already know that you can save money and create great memories by foraging food, here are the options to learn how to identify wild food:

  1. River Cottage – Hedgerow handbook by John Wright*
  2. Eat Weeds website
  3. Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland*

If you want some more facts before making any decisions, let’s get into the details:

Well, I don’t have any specific facts for you. I just wanted to share my experience of foraging, which is the next step after buying organic food.

I’ve been very lucky to have lived most of my life in or with easy access to the countryside. First, when I was young and living with my parents, and now, in my settled down life with my wife and son.

I have lovely memories of being out in the countryside with my parents and sisters: Foraging for blackberries and sloes; long walks up an old disused railway track, near where my grandma lived; through the fields and hedgerows around the house that used to be our family home.

In my adult life I took a bit of a detour and lived in the city, but eventually I made my way back to a small town surrounded by countryside.

Now I’m able to create my own memories, foraging in the countryside with my wife and son; out on a Sunday morning, picking (and eating) blackberries, wandering home and using some of the blackberries to make a homemade crumble. It’s also very liberating, and super low cost, to use fruit that I’ve foraged to make home brewed wine.

The Forage Code

Now, I’m not sure if there is a formal foraging code, but I stick to these rules:

Leave no trace: Never damage or destroy the places that you forage. If possible, leave places in a better condition than you find them (i.e. pick up rubbish etc.).

Always leave some for others: Don’t take everything. By ‘others’ I mean other people, other animals, enough to help the plants reseed and regrow.

Only take what you can pick, no digging: This one is associated with a law that says you cannot dig unless you have full permission from the landowner.

Only take what you can easily reach: Sure, you might want a walking stick to help get to some branches that are just out of reach, but if it’s difficult to reach then leave it to nature.

Only forage on public land (or where you already have permission from the landowner): There are lots of hedgerows that line footpaths all over the UK. You’ll also find opportunities to forage in public parks.

Learning What Food to Forage

As I got back into spending more time in nature, I needed to relearn how to forage, and what foods are safe to eat. Most of us can identify a blackberry, however, I wanted to be able to find as much food as possible.

I also wanted to get back into foraging because it’s the ultimate way to eat local food that’s organic and sustainable.

By doing my researching and looking to those that have the knowledge and experience, I’m good at identifying and foraging for:

  1. Blackberry
  2. Cherry plum (for the first time in 2021)
  3. Crab apple
  4. Dandelion
  5. Elderberry
  6. Elderflower
  7. Garlic
  8. Hawthorn
  9. Hazelnut (for the first time in 2021)
  10. Mallow
  11. Plum
  12. Poppy
  13. Rose
  14. Raspberry
  15. Silverweed
  16. Sloes
  17. Stinging nettle
  18. Sweet chestnut
  19. Yarrow

My copy of River Cottage – Hedgerow handbook by John Wright* is fairly tatty because I’ve read it so many times!

Learn to Forage from Those with Experience

There are some amazing people with a LOT of experience at foraging.

It’s important to learn from the right people because there are plenty of wild plants in the UK that are very very poisonous.

John Wright

John Wright’s River Cottage Handbook is the book that I’ve studied the most. I always take this book out with me whenever I forage.

This book covers:

  1. Starting out
  2. Conservation and the law
  3. Edible species
  4. Poisonous species
  5. Recipes
  6. Useful things

This book is handy because it includes pictures and details to help you identify the main wild plants that can be found in the UK.

Find the River Cottage Hedgerow Handbook Here on Amazon*

Robin Harford

Robin published the very detailed book Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland* and runs the Eat Weeds website.

Find the Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland Here on Amazon*

In the book you’ll find:

  1. Details of 48 wild foods
  2. No pictures but there is a link to a free photo identification guide

On the website:

  1. There’s a lot of information about wild foods
  2. You can sign-up to a free email newsletter

Others

You can also use Ecosia to search for “Foraging classes near me” to learn from people that have experience of the wild foods that grow in your area.

Here Is What You Can Do

Want to Continue Your Journey?

Where Next?

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Sources Used to Create This

  1. River Cottage – Hedgerow handbook by John Wright*
  2. Eat Weeds website
  3. Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland*
  4. “Foraging classes near me”

Production Notes

This was produced by me, James Walters, as a personal project to help stop climate change by inspiring others to grow, eat, and live sustainably.

Any advice given is the opinion of those involved and does not constitute medical, financial, or legal advice.

* We include links we think you will find useful. If you buy through those links, we may earn a small commission. It’s one way to support our work and to inspire as many people as possible.