10 leaves to forage for a healthy salad

IT is that foraging time of the year once more, as the hedgerows begin to green up, meadows spring to life, and soil and air temperatures start to rise to accommodate plant growth.

Spring is the best time to consider harvesting a salad bowl from nature, and here are some of the finest and tastiest plants to look for.

As always, foraging should be taken seriously and undertaken with an experienced person who knows their plants. Many wild foraged plants do have not-so-savoury lookalikes with only subtle differences that only an experienced forager can identify, so if you are a beginner, maybe consider doing a one day course to start.

One of the most important considerations before harvesting is choosing an area which is not contaminated by spraying of pesticides or herbicides and also animal fouling. Stay away from roadside verges and head for areas less likely to be tainted by air pollution.

Woodland edges can be good habitats, with a wide range of herbaceous plants at ground level. Older established grassland and meadows will have a broader palate of species growing, particularly if it is not intensively managed for agriculture.

Here are 10 spring leaves for creating a tasty spring salad - most of them are commonly found in Ireland in spring and early summer.

1. Sorrel, Rumex acetosa: Also known as the narrow leafed dock. It can commonly be found in grassland and meadows and adds a particular sharp citrus taste to a salad.

The flavour is best earlier in the year as it can get quite bitter. This plant has diuretic properties and was a common addition to the diet for scurvy in times past.

2. Whitethorn, Crataegus monogyna: One of our most well-known hedgerow trees, and the fresh new foliage which is emerging now adds a nutty flavour to salads.

Again, the earliest new leaves provide the best flavour. All parts of the hawthorn are known to be good for regulating blood pressure, particularly the leaves.

3. Pennywort, Umbelicus rupestris: Also known as navel wort as it has a depression at the centre of its round leaf that gives the leaf a similar appearance to a navel.

Its leaves grow in a rosette arrangement and they are quite thick and fleshy with a waxy outer layer. They add a different texture to salads, providing a bit of a crunch. The flavour is mild, a bit like a pea.

4. Chickweed, Stellaria media: A commonly encountered garden weed which has a stringy stem and small white flowers, it often continues growing right through the winter months in a protected environments like glasshouses and polytunnels.

Its taste could be compared to lettuce - perfect in our spring salad mix!

5. Wild Garlic, Allium ursinum: This has broad green leaves which emerge in February. You will probably smell this plant before you see it and it is found commonly growing in damper woodland areas - a bulbous plant that emerges and flowers before the tree canopy closes in.

All parts are edible, with the young leaves and fresh flowers being the tastiest additions to a salad. Blood pressure and cholesterol reduction are attributed to consuming this plant.

6. Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale: One of our most common weeds, popping up everywhere from lawns to patios and gravel and garden beds and borders.

The leaves have distinctive toothed edges and a milky sap. They have a bitter taste but consumption is attributed to improved liver and kidney function and a good detox for the blood.

Best to consume only the youngest leaves as the taste is quite acrid as they mature. The roots too can be eaten when roasted.

7. Three Cornered Leek, Allium triquetrum: This has narrow, strappy leaves and a white bluebell like flower. They are found commonly growing in hedgerows and woodland edges, and again the smell is likely the first indicator of their presence.

They add a taste similar to spring onion or chives to a salad. The flowers create a pretty garnish and are also edible. Health benefits to consumption include lowering blood pressure.

8. Alexanders, Smyrnium olusatrum: They are commonly found growing on roadside verges, woodland edges and coastal locations. They have glossy dark green leaves and large umbel flowers.

The young leaves add a celery-like taste to salads, and again it’s best to use young leaves as the taste can get quite strong as the season progresses.

9. Bramble, Rubus fruticosus: One of the most common wild plants growing in hedgerows and colonising grassland and meadows where it is left uncut. It is an unlikely addition to a salad, I hear you say! Well have you ever tasted the growing tip of a bramble?

It tastes a bit like coconut, a very unexpected tropical addition to our spring salad!

10. Sea spinach or sea beet, Beta vulgaris maritima: As the name suggests, they are commonly found growing in coastal areas but are also found in hedgerows occasionally.

They have thick dark green oval shaped leaves that are quite fleshy. They add a taste similar to spinach, and again only harvest the youngest leaves as these will taste the best.

Many of the plants mentioned above may be very familiar and some not so much. Books and the internet are great resources, but there is no substitute for identifying plants in nature with a real life person!

Ballymaloe Cookery School often run very useful and interesting one day courses on hedgerow and shoreline foraging, check out www.ballymaloecookeryschool.eu for more details.

Happy spring foraging!