I indeed went to the pub last night and enjoyed sampling 2 beers. One was the tried, tested and trusted Jerusalem from the wonderful MD and Head Brewer at Brampton Brewery – Chris. The other was something a little out of the ordinary and was Portland Black from the Welbeck brewery. An excellent beer and definitely gives the Brampton Bock a run for its money !
So enough of beer, and back to the list of yesterdays finds.
Chickweed – great drifts growing well and at this time of year a treat to steam.
Garlic Mustard – Tiny leaves poking through here and there, still quite bitter at first taste but packing the mustard punch.
Ransoms – The first leaves just showing maybe 4 inches long. A real treat, too early to pick in bulk but what a sweet garlic treat to nibble in bimble.
Blackberry – told you there would be a surprise ! No fruit but the stems are starting to colour up which means we will be into bramble growing season shortly. This means two things – this is your last chance to get rid of brambles in unwanted places and to look forward to bramble tips in a few weeks.
Shepherds purse – mostly found in the dog pee zone so avoided but a good mix with chickweed when clean.
Hawthorn – just coming into bud so only a few weeks til the young leaves are bursting, another wonderful nibble in bimble.
Elder – similarly, just coming into bud so kep a sharp look out for elder buds and shoots for a really unusual pickle.
On the subject of Elder don’t forget the Jelly (Jews) ear fungus. Last week in Graves park (Sheffield) I found a felled tree which clearly was not Elder and had about 2 kilos of useable Jelly ear and a hand full of Velvet Shank growing on it. Cue an interesting evening meal !
This morning out for a swift walk and the first Cumfrey shoots are through – debatable as to edibility but a gift of a plant otherwise.
If you read this far I would be interested to know if Latin plant names would be a help or a hindrance. ?
Wild Food Forager's Blog 
I’ve only just started seeing green tips emerging from the ground up in County Durham. I’ll start looking in earnest if you’re seeing green stuff in Sheffield.
I didn’t know you can eat bramble tips – what do you do with them?
Just eat them as you go along! Or make into tea (like EVERYTHING else!) or just a few chopped into an early salad. Pick they very earlist tips before they get even slightly prickly.
As usual WFF gets in quick and accurate but I believe I am allowed to add a little more…… don’t forget there are over 200 subspecies of Blackberry which means a wide variety not only in fruit (taste and size) but also in quality of vegetation. Some types of bramble tip can be harvested up to a length of 10 inches. Choose those that are nice and fat and snap like a pea pod – crisp and juicy. The thorns need to be formed but still soft and with a little practice can be flicked off with the thumb nail. Steamed is a good way to serve but they are also good for adding bulk to other dishes, this year I intend to try them in a stir fry ! WFW
On scientific names – while I am a huge fan of them, I do also love that common names in English are so often the common names of England and don’t need much more specificity there. Except when you have been invaded… so on crayfish or oak (acorns), perhaps yes…
Thanks again for you blog – just discovered it.
Oliver