Foraging now for winter nutrition

I always eat more healthily in Spring, summer and Autumn compared to winter. At the beginning of June my garden is already providing me with food full of vitamins, minerals, and protein. Wild food is also abundant and so I take advantage of this and forage  to store for winter nutrition. I usually preserve by dehydrating.

The connection between wild food and medicine has been lost in our generation. Big pharma has taken over. However all of these plants that I use fresh at this time of year, but dehydrate for winter, also have medicinal uses that help with my general health. These include helping me to control my blood sugar levels, my heart health, help my liver health, my blood pressure, and help my digestive system. A lot of them have anti cancer properties in them as well. Here are some of the things that I am collecting now.

Nettles. The seeds are a great addition to breads. These need to be picked from the female plant (Nettle seeds) The leaves are saved for teas, or ground into a green powder to add nutrition to stews, wraps, pasta, or bread during the cold season.  I only pick the tops off nettles that haven’t got any seeds. Luckily there are still plenty of them in some dark woods nearby. Nettles are full of A,B, C, and K vitamins, and magnesium, iron (more than spinach), and phosphorus. They also contain protein. We also make a fertiliser out of them that feeds my plants through out the season as well.

Dandelions. The flowers are dehydrated to add to teas and the leaves are ground and added to the green powder. I usually use the ones growing in my garden so that I know that they have not been sprayed. We used to make dandelion honey but I am trying to cut down on the amount of sugar that I consume now. The roots can also be made into coffee when roasted and ground. Dandelions contain vitamins A, B, C, potasium, magnesium and iron.

Purple dead nettle

I dry this for tea (it can be eaten fresh in salads or stir fry). It is full of vitamin C, fibre, and iron.

Hawthorn leaves and flowers

These are dried to add to teas. They are rich in iron, phosporus, calcium and potassium. Later on in the year I will dry the berries. The leaves and berries also contain pectin for making jam. Boil in the jam in a bit of muslin.

Elderflowers. I make and freeze cordial with these, and dry the flowers for tea. They contain vitamin C and some protein. They are great to reduce inflammation.

Cleavers. I dry these to add to my tea mixes. Apparently a coffee can also be made from the seeds once roasted but I have not tried this. They are rich in Vitamin C and cleanse the lymphatic system when soaked in water, and the liquid drunk.

Garlic mustard It’s seeds are used like mustard, and the leaves I dehydrate, powder, and add to flavour stews, soups, wraps, sauces, scones, and bread. Apparently the roots can be used in a similar way to horse radish but I have not tried it. Garlic mustard is full of vitamins A, C, and K. It also a source of protein, iron, magnesium, selenium, and manganese.

There are so many other sources of free food out there, including mushrooms and berries. I don’t collect them all, but forage a few different ones each month. They stretch my food, add nutrition and flavour during the hunger gap, and provide me with free medicine to keep me healthy. Do you improve your larder by foraging? Which are your favourites to collect and preserve at this time of year?