This article was written for the first of Reforesting Scotland’s biannual journal of 2018. Reforesting Scotland is a membership organisation encouraging free and open debate on a wide range of… Read More
The Super Powers of Stinging Nettle Seed
Category: Wild Medicine Info
The Wildbiome™️ Project Results
The Wildbiome™️ Project involved members of the Association of Foragers participating in a citizen science research study. They ate only wild food for either 3 months or 1 month. They… Read More
How to become a Herbalist
If you want to train or study to become a professional medical herbalist, there are a few routes open to you. However, first you need to think about what you… Read More
Metanutrition and Wild Diversity
I’ve recently been reading an excellent article by Colin Tudge about the inclusion of many of what I call the ‘lost nutrients’ – and that Colin calls ‘cryptonutrients’ – in… Read More
Do Dock Leaves Really Work?
The question I’m always asked on my foraging walks when talking about the common broadleaf dock is “Do dock leaves really work?”, “Do dock leaves work on nettle stings? or “Why… Read More
How do dock leaves work?
I’ve already written extensively about the right way to use dock and how powerfully it works. The trick being to use the gel found inside the young, furled leaf sheath… Read More
Nature’s Red Card
I recently received the following letter from Paul Lister, contemplating the lessons that we need to learn from the coronavirus outbreak and our relationship with nature. Paul runs the Alladale… Read More
How to make Nettle Cheese
This is a light cheese made with a nettle rennet and cow’s milk. Using a vegetable rennet rather than calf rennet allows you to make a vegetarian cheese. There are… Read More
Spring Wildflowers
Tis pleasant ‘mid the never-ending strife Of this too busy, mammon-loving age, When Nature’s gentler charms so few engage, To muse at leisure on the quiet life Of earlier days,… Read More
The Birth of a New World
How can I speak of hope when so many have died? The tragedy is that those who have passed are all the beloved of someone who lives to mourn them.… Read More
As Old as the Trees
Today I’m doing housework. A bit of a shock for friends who know me well! A few weeks ago I did a wild food event for Hendricks Gin. A pop-up… Read More
Angel wings fungus. Angel of death?
Here in Scotland the beautiful, fragile, delicate angel wings mushrooms are forming on the rotting stumps of old pine. They’re exquisite to look at especially around sunset when catching the… Read More
Chicken of the Woods
Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) within reach! This particular one was a tad too dry to eat sadly, however it can still be powdered and added to a campfire… Read More
Cooking with seaweed instead of tin foil
I’m on a mission to manage without tin foil when cooking, roasting and baking. Have you every thought about what goes into that shiny roll of foil paper? Firstly, you… Read More
Foragers: Friend or Foe?
This article appeared in the first edition of LOCAVORE MAGAZINE. A wonderful journal packed full of interesting and insightful articles about slow, seasonal and sustainable food. If you hadn’t noticed… Read More
Yellow earth tongue
Spathularia flavida Also known as the yellow fan, this fungus is a member of the club fungi and found in mixed conifer forests in mosses and decaying leaf or needle… Read More
Vegetarian artichoke rennet
Here is a lovely cheese developing from goats milk curdled with immature artichoke seed. For more about wild and vegetarian rennets see my long blog post here. Curds after cutting. … Read More
Cooking with Comfrey
Today I’ve been eating a comfrey ratatouille. This was partly inspired by Ivan Van Rooyen’s comment on my post ‘Is comfrey edible?” He said “My family and I have been… Read More
Forest trips help asthma and allergies
Asthma and atopic dermatitis are common allergic diseases, and their prevalence has increased in urban children. Recently, it is becoming understood that forest environment has favourable health effects in patients… Read More
Escape from the City to the Sea
To discover the peace and tranquility of Lambay and let the wildness of nature restore your body and mind, get away from the… Read More
Hairy bittercress
Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta). It’s the essential seasonal ingredient for winter soups, pestos, salads & garnishes providing a fresh, and tasty source of vitamins and minerals right through the winter. … Read More
Making a wild fungi broth
The season of soups is starting as the first frosty mornings herald the transition of autumn to winter. Samhain is around the corner. Today I made a cauliflower fungus broth… Read More
List of Japanese mushroom names
I’ve always been intrigued by the poetry of Japanese names for mushrooms. beyond the top five edibles I couldn’t find a detailed list in English. Here is my list of… Read More
Thoughts on the Autumn Equinox
The Autumn Equinox marks the first day of autumn. It is end of summer, when the day and the night have become equal lengths and, for the moment, nature is… Read More
New Forest fungi picking ban by the Forestry Commission
Aside from the lurid media “Aliens Ate My Fungi” headlines, the alleged criminal gangs sweeping the forests, the unsubstantiated evils of fungi picking on conservation, the misreported fungi poisoning statistics… Read More
Hedge Woundwort on the Midge Battlefield
Early June and the midges are out. I suddenly noticed this when I walked into a sylvan glade in the woods. It was so beautiful. The brilliant sunshine dapples by the shade of… Read More
The Association of Foragers
The Association of Foragers (www.foragers-association.org #AOF) was founded in 2015. It is an international professional foragers association, promoting sustainability and ecological stewardship through teaching and harvesting wild plants and fungi for… Read More
Pineappleweed Jelly Recipe
Pineappleweed (Matricaria discoidea) is a member of the same family as chamomile and can be used in much the same way both with culinary and medicinal uses. It can be… Read More
Marsh Woundwort in the Field!
Update: Over the past few years I have been using this herb a lot in my Lyme clinic. It is an excellent anti-inflammatory and also antihistamine so I use it… Read More
Monkshood (Wolfsbane) poisoning
Monkshood (Aconitum napellus) also called Wolfsbane, is pictured here growing in a hawthorn bush. This is a very poisonous plant. Aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine and other alkaloids have potent cardiotoxins and… Read More