Learning to Forage with Galloway Wild Foods
We joined Mark at Galloway Wild Foods for a forage along the River Clyde at Erskine to see what was under our feet, along the hedges and at the seaside that could be eaten.
We started off with a quick slug of homemade Elderflower Champagne – delicious and so easy to make & moreish – we will be trying to make some of this ourselves! Then it was onward to wander along the path and seek out some edible plants.
Meadowsweet
With Mark’s knowledge and tasting (we watched him closely to see if he would drop down dead!) we were shown how to identify plants and discussed how these could be used, other than simply eating raw, some could be used to make tea, some even a coffee substitute, while others worked better in soup or even cake! My favourite was Meadowsweet, with an almost almond taste and lovely bloom too.
Japanese Knotweed
One to avoid here, and as you can see it has been treated with pesticide. Mark shows us what to look for to identify the baddies too – such as Giant Hogweed.
the man at work
Sea Arrowgrass
This was Mr Foodie’s fave, coriander-like in taste (quite a few of the plants we found on the day actually had coriander-ish flavours). We all wondered if we could make a Scottish curry with such foraged spices!
Mark of Galloway Wild Foods
After a good walk around the area, a good few hours, it was time to head to base and see what we could make with our foraging. Unfortunately the rain came on, so it was a quick soupy stew for lunch. Tatties & chick peas with some foraged items, it might not look the most appetising but it was healthy and actually tasted delicious. With the addition of Mark’s homemade foraged kimchi, we were a happy bunch.
lunch
The day was a great success, with a good bunch of people, some newbies and some who are foraging geeks. We’d recommend going along to one of Mark’s events as he was friendly & completely approachable – no question was too silly to answer. We came away with a book full of notes & sketches and if not complete confidence in our foraging abilities, at least the push to look more closely beyond our urban areas to see what foodie delights are growing for free.
Check out Mark’s events here and on Facebook.
Coming up are some smashers – Wild Food Demo at the pipe band championships and Glasgow Botanical Booze Foray & Wild Cocktail Masterclass, which sounds amazing.
