The woods and hedgerows are springing to life and you can enjoy the bounty with foraged St George’s Mushrooms and wild garlic. You can also enjoy nettle tips (very healthy and surprisingly tasty stir fried with garlic, chilli and pine nuts!). We will have a small amount of wild garlic and St George’s mushrooms available for sale in the shop this weekend – give me a shout if you would like any put aside….
Wild Garlic is abundant at the moment, and as long as you take a small amount of leaves and flowers from different spots in the woods, you won’t do any harm. You are not allowed to dig up wild garlic bulbs without the landowners permission and the bulbs are small and not worth the effort anyway. Both the leaves and flowers are edible, with the flowers making a lovely garnish combined with a garlic hit to salads and soups. The garlic smell of the crushed leaves helps you to identify them, but make sure you only pick the wild garlic leaves and no other greenery.
The St George’s Mushrooms are a week late this year, due to the cold spring, but they usually appear around St George’s day in small circles or lines. There are not many mushrooms at this time of year, which makes identification easier, but please make sure you have an expert with you to make sure you know exactly what you are picking. They are one of the most mushroomy tasting mushrooms – and a little can go a long way. I prefer them as an ingredient in a dish such as an omelette, or risotto.
You can combine the two foraged food to make a St George’s and wild garlic risotto.