Burdock.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Burdock (artincum minus)

Burdock is a brilliant plant to learn as it has lots of edible parts.

Widespread and common throughout Britain,at the edges of woodland, roadsides and waste ground. A stiff bushy plant up to 4ft high,conspicuous early in the year for its floppy heart shaped leaves (often mistaken for rhubarb). Flowers July to September.

The parts to pick are the young leaf stems which sprout around May (after September they are too tough and stringy) cut the stems into 5cm lengths and the hard outer stripped off, this moist veg can be used raw in salads or boiled and served like asparagus (tastes a little like new potatoes)

Burdock roots are used extensively in Japanese cooking. about the size of a good parsnip and really hard to dig up (don't pull on the root it will snap) can be boiled or fried or added to stews and meats as a good source of starch.

(you must get permission from the land owner before digging up any wild plant by the root)

(NEVER PICK ANY WILD PLANT YOU CANNOT 100% ID)

see you out there...

Paul...

Silver birch

Silver birch, (Betula pendula)

Silver birch has to be my most favorite tree it has so many uses besides having the best looking bark!!
I will do the science bit first, then get on to the best bits.

With a wide distribution throughout Europe and Asia minor, Silver birch is recognizable by its distinctive bark. It grows to an average of 30 meters.

The best bits, birch bark is a really useful material one of my favorite uses for it is fire lighting, by peeling its naturally shedding bark as above in the picture (top left)and not peeling more than the tree is naturally giving shredding into thin strips or scraping the bark to a fine mass of fibers and dropping a spark from your ferro rod into it. The bark burns very hot because of the oil content content of the bark which preserves the bark after the tree has died off and the timber has rotted.

Another amazing use for birch bark harvested from dead trees only !!!! is to make containers or matchboxes i glued these containers and gave the matchbox away to a very good friend and fellow bushcrafter as a little quirky gift, the containers are used for collecting wild foods.and are simple and very decorative and make great little gifts to your friends.

When you want to collect birch bark please do not peel the bark any deeper that the tree is naturally giving up as this damages the tree and could cause it to die as a result.

See you out there

Paul

( i will not be showing the tapping of birch as i have come across to many permanently damaged trees by poor tapping techniques)

my favorite wild nibble

My most favorite wild green nibble.

Wood-sorrel,

(oxalis acetosella)

my most favorite of wild greens has to be wood sorrel,

it is widespread and common in British woodland and other shady places. a small creeping plant 5-15cm high,leaves are lime green when young. Flowers April to May, five white petals on a delicate stem.

Wood-sorrel is a plant primarily of ancient deciduous woodland, but it can tolerate the shade and acid soils of evergreen plantations better than many other species. The leaves of wood-sorrel have a sharp, fruity taste much like green apple peel. They were used as a salad ingredient as early as the fourteenth century.

i love this little plant as a salad or just grazing as i walk by its a real burst of flavour.(Never pick any wild food you cannot 100% identify)

See you out there Paul......