How is everyone’s walk going?
Here in the UK, we have had a fabulous spell of great weather, loads of sunshine, reasonably warm weather but cool enough for long walks.
I have managed to get out there for quite a few walks (and runs) during this good weather spell, and we also started to get our vegetable containers in our courtyard ready for the growing season.
So this challenge comes at a great time!
I also managed to catch up with the prior months’ challenges. On various recent walks, I finally harvested a few nettle tops, as well as chickweed, and added both to a soup (not much, but for me enough to tick that scary challenge off my list! For the January Challenge, see healthunlocked.com/active10... and Feb Challenge healthunlocked.com/active10... ). The March Challenge ( at healthunlocked.com/active10... ) was harder to find in the wild but easier from the garden, where I had plenty of different sorrels to choose from.
And for this month's challenge, I’m way ahead, having already gone out, found and picked some of this month's foraging choice on a recent sunny walk!
So here is our Monthly Active10 #Walk2Forage Walking Challenge for April:
And if you haven’t read our introduction to this monthly challenge, first head back to healthunlocked.com/active10...
We will wait here until you return ….
…. Right! All caught up?
April, our fourth #Walk2Forage, is about my favourite foraging plant but it is so seasonal that one has to be quick! The good old WILD GARLIC, found on river banks, under tree lines, on moist forest edges.
I remember we used to live in Scotland near a patch of ransoms that had invaded a whole stretch of woods, and just driving past with windows open meant you smelled the mouthwatering, garlicky scent that just beckoned you to stop and pick a few. My garden here in England has a slow-growing patch of these plants originating from just four bulbs brought down from that patch. I’m hoping it will become a bit more invasive than it presently is, but it is slowly spreading.
But we have patches of ransoms on our nearest walks, so we cannot complain. And far away from traffic, beside my C25k trail, edging a woods and a sparkling stream, they are not only a beautiful sight but have allowed me to pick at least a few leaves every year during my walks or runs, stuffing them into my pockets to be a chosen addition to potato salads or egg dishes.
I love the taste, raw or gently cooked with scrambled eggs, or added to salads.
In Richard Mabey’s book, he even highlights the possibility of adding them to peanut butter sandwiches! That would be a new one for me, so that will be my challenge.
So, here is the info I gleaned from the two referenced books:
🌱 WILD GARLIC: find in grassland and heathy places.
🌱 FLAVOUR: like onion, garlic, or chives
🌱 HOW TO PICK: leaves, stems, flowers, seeds
🌱 NUTRIENTS: vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and copper
🌱 HOW TO USE: treat leaves as baby spinach. Add to quiches. Ferment into kimchi. Seeds make good caper substitute. Flowers into salads. And, as mentioned above, try adding leaves to peanut butter sandwiches (and let us know how you like this one!)
🥾🌱🥾🌱🥾🌱🥾🌱🥾🌱🥾🌱🥾
So happy walking and exploring those nature wonders! And don’t forget to take a picture and report back here!
For any walks, we can obviously also use our own Active10 app, or use any Steps app, or none at all. Steps are steps.
I have added the link to our key app below, but there are many more that can be used:
Active10 on iOS apps.apple.com/gb/app/nhs-a...
Active10 on Android play.google.com/store/apps/...
.
★ SOURCES:
FORAGED FOODS, in: Huw Richards, Sam Cooper, The Self-Sufficiency Garden. Feed your family and save money. 2024. Dorling Kindersley. P195
Richard Mabey, Food for Free. Collins Gem.
