Nurturing a wild taste at Glendurgan gardens, Cornwall

Is there something as free food, really? Brings back fond memories of my early catering college days, when living on frugal means meant hopping from one religious establishment to another foraging for free food. In a world of escalating food prices and scientific human interference in flavour and nutritive food produce, nothing beats wild foods, that are seasonal, grown by nature in abundance, and provides a gamut of essential nutrition. Here in Cornwall, foraged foods are majestically touched by the sea.The subtly saline waters add a special dimension to the free range and diverse nature of food produce, ranging from coastal rock samphire to more inland wild garlic leaves.

Eating Wild Plants

There are a number of reasons you might want to use wild plants as food. Wild plants have some unique flavors that can be among your enjoyed favorites. Watercress with something sweet such as pancake syrup in a peanut butter sandwich is one I particularly enjoy. Dandelion greens pesto mixed with spaghetti sauce is another. Since the taste of many wild edible plants is so different from the usual cultivated vegetables, you likely will at first not accept some of them as a delicious flavorful food. Just about any food flavor other than sweet, salty, starchy, and fat are, I suppose, acquired tastes. It takes time for your mind to recognize an unfamiliar flavor as a tried and true favorite. Introduce a wild food into your diet by eating a small amount when you are most hungry. Repeatedly doing so can make the new food one that you especially enjoy. The amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in wild food, according to many sources, is on the average, greater in wild foods. Domesticated vegetables have been selectively bred for looks, production quantity, taste, length of storage and other qualities other than nutrition. The fruits and vegetables sold in the supermarket have been chemically fertilized; exposed to herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and a variety of other chemicals; and they may have been genetically modified and/or irradiated. The safety of eating such produce is of concern to many people. Wild foods for the most part, avoid those concerns. If you do gather wild foods avoid taking them from along roadsides, lawns that have been treated with chemicals or any other areas that may have been treated.

There is the possibility that supermarket food can be contaminated with pathogens. Dozens of diseases can be spread by an infected person handling food anywhere from the time it is harvested until it is put into your grocery bag. Plants growing in the wild are untouched by human hands. Wild plants can be prepared in many ways. Greens can be put through a food processor or blender to make pesto. Add just enough oil and/or water to let the mixture process well. The pesto can then be easily mixed with other ingredients such as peanut butter, tomato sauce, or syrup for flavoring. Some greens such as lambsquarters, chickweed and purslane can be used anyway spinach is prepared. Strong or bitter tasting greens can be boiled changing the water once or twice to reduce bitterness. This is sometimes done with dandelion leaves. Then other ingredients can be added for flavoring and texture. Wild fruit can simply be mixed with nuts or seeds such as sunflower seeds or almonds. Some plants such as cattail tuber shoots and burdock root can be boiled to increase tenderness or to reduce strong flavors and then simply eaten as is. Be sure of what it is that you are going to eat and be sure that it is edible. Consult a good reference book. If possible have someone who is familiar with a particular plant point it out to you. Most photographs are not of high enough quality to be relied upon to positively identify a wild plant. Some edible plants have poisonous look-alikes. Some plants have edible parts and have poisonous parts. Some plant parts are edible only after being prepared in a particular way. It is common that a small quantity of a plant can be eaten without problems but if you eat too much your digestive system will protest forcefully. Theres about 6 or 8 disaster scenarios that I can think of that seem likely to happen at some time. Most of them seem unlikely to happen in my lifetime. But you never know. Isnt it prudent to be prepared, at least to some extent, in the event the normal food supply is interrupted. Examples of disasters that seem likely to happen are an asteroid hitting the earth, a massive nuclear war, a global epidemic, and the failure of one or two major crops such as corn and wheat due to a widespread disease or climate change. The gathering of wild foods is interesting and enjoyable. Foraging for a favorite or new addition to your menu may take you through woods, through open fields and meadows and other places of beauty. It is a great way to get out into the natural world and enjoy its complexity and majesty. It adds to the perception that the world is a good place that is to be enjoyed. It is emotionally pleasing to find something that seems free and of exceptional value. Making use of natural foods gives you greater awareness of the inter-relatedness of living things to each other and to the environment. That greater awareness helps us more appreciate the weather and climate, the abundance of nature, agriculture and the food supply, and the importance of protecting those things

Cornish nettle Dal (Soup)

Serves : 4 hungry baby Cornish soldiers Ingredients: cup Tur dal (Lentil) 1/3 cup Moong dal 1 bunch freshly foraged nettle leaves 1 tbsp- garlic finely chopped 1 small onion-finely chopped 1 medium sized tomato-finely chopped tsp ginger finely chopped 1 green chilli finely chopped tbsp cumin seeds tsp turmeric 1 tsp red chilli powder 1 tbsp clarified butter Method: 1. Boil the lentils till soft with half the green chillies and turmeric. 2. In a pan, heat clarified butter, add the cumin seeds, once they start popping, add garlic, ginger, remaining green chillies and onions. Fry till onions turn golden brown. Add tomato, nettle leaves, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt. Saut the above mixture till it turns soft and golden. 3. Add the boiled dal mix to the above. Mix well, remove from flame. 4.Serve with a lot of whole meal bread to mop the sauces.

Sanjay Says: This Recipe can work equally well, with Wild Garlic leaves.

Wild garlic Frittata

Serves 2 Ingredients

4 eggs beaten 2 large handfuls of Wild garlic leaves 4 left over roast potatoes Grated

Suggested Instructions 1. Soften the wild garlic leaves and add diced roasted potatoes and heat through. 2. Pour beaten eggs into the pan, and add grated cheese. 3. Cook until done which depends on whether you like your eggs slightly gooey or rock solid. Locally foraged smoked mussels, dandelion & Papaya boats

A great way to enjoy the outdoors

Serves: 4 Ingredients

2 ripe Papayas 2 large handfuls of locally smoked mussels 2 large handfuls of Dandelion greens washed Olive oil Balsamic vinegar

Suggested Instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Divide the papaya into half, and scoop out the seeds. Slice the base off to create a stable boat out of the papaya Snip the dandelion greens and sprinkle the smoked mussels Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and a glug of olive oil. Toss and top the papaya boats with the mix. Enjoy the best of sun and sea..

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