Red Clover - Trifolium pratense
Birds-eye Speedwell -Veronica chamaedrys
Birds-eye Speedwell -Veronica chamaedrys
Red clover is a herbaceous perennial plant, this grows on plains of fields. It is nitrogen rich as a green manure and provides a good nectar source for pollinators. The flowers and leaves are edible which can be used as a garnish in salad.
Birds-eye Speedwell -Veronica chamaedrys
Birds-eye Speedwell -Veronica chamaedrys
Birds-eye Speedwell -Veronica chamaedrys
This plant is a common turf weed that can spread quite easily as ground cover, this has been known to be used in herbal medicine to treat disorders of the nervous system by making tea with it.
Black Medic - Medicago lupulina
Birds-eye Speedwell -Veronica chamaedrys
Field forget-me-not - Myosotis arvensis
You can find this plant growing in dry grasslands often solitary so that not to compete with other plants, This can be used as nitrogen fixing green manure and is a good source of nectar for bees.
Field forget-me-not - Myosotis arvensis
Field forget-me-not - Myosotis arvensis
Field forget-me-not - Myosotis arvensis
Many plants like this one belong to the borage family, the flowers are edible and you can find this on open ground.
Daisy - Bellis perennis
Field forget-me-not - Myosotis arvensis
Herb-robert - Geranium robertianum
Common daisy can be found almost anywhere, it crops up in spring in vast amounts on lawns and grasslands. Young leaves from this plant can be eaten raw along with the buds and petals.
Herb-robert - Geranium robertianum
Field forget-me-not - Myosotis arvensis
Herb-robert - Geranium robertianum
This plant grows prolifically as a common weed getting into gardens and along dirt paths, freshly picked leaves smell like burning tyres which can be used on the body to repel mosquitoes, This plant also has medicinal uses to help improve liver function.
Green Alkanet - Pentaglottis sempervirens
This plant belongs to the Borage family, the blue flowers are edible and can be used in salads. The leaves can be toxic if consumed in large quantities but they do have medicinal properties. You can find this growing on wasteland, and dirt paths where it prefers shady conditions.
Rosemary - Salvia rosmarinus
Rosemary - Salvia rosmarinus
Rosemary - Salvia rosmarinus
Rosemary is a shrub with fragrant needle-like leaves and purple, white, blue, or pink flowers. This herb is known for its fragrance and being an ornamental plant cropping up in gardens, it can also be used in everyday cooking such as herbal tea, roasted with lamb and vegetables.
Mint - Mentha
Rosemary - Salvia rosmarinus
Rosemary - Salvia rosmarinus
Mint is a perennial herb and is very fragrant with either purple, pink, or white flowers. It can adapt to any condition but prefers full sun to part shade.
Mints make good companion plants, they help to repel unwanted insects and attract beneficial ones. The leaves have a fresh, aromatic, cooling flavour and are used in drinks, syrups, sweets and widely used in many other dishes.
Wood Sorrel
Rosemary - Salvia rosmarinus
Wood Sorrel
Wood sorrel is native to European countries but can be found within woodlands, the taste is slightly peppery and acidic and can be used to garnish salads.
Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale
Dandelions can grow anywhere and everywhere as their seeds can spread far with the ability to travel in the wind for over 200 metres. They are known for being a prolific weed growing throughout the UK. All parts of this plant have edible and medicinal uses, the root can be collected in late autumn, roasted, and made into coffee.
Try out this caffeine-free alternative!
There are a range of other plants in the Asteraceae family known as false dandelion although in general these are still considered safe to consume.
The flowers and other parts of this plant are a diuretic when eaten or made into tea, the white sap that excretes from the stem can aid in curing warts and the root as a tea is taken to help with a better appetite.
I've used dandelion flowers that I grow myself to produce a tasty marmalade.
Three-Cornered Leek - Allium triquetrum
Three-Cornered Leek can be found in southwestern coastal areas and has a distinctive onion smell. The stems can reach 60cm in height, which are triangular, and the flowers produce long white petals.
All parts of this plant, from the bulb to the flowers are edible and can also be substituted for cultivated leek in recipes although the taste is much more of an onion.
Bitter Dock - Rumex obtusifolious
Dock grows along hedgerows and can be used to relief the itching feeling you get if you've stung yourself with nettles. These plants are edible, the leaves contain oxalic acid, tannin and hold a lot of vitamins and minerals essential for a healthy diet.
Wild Garlic - Ramson
Wild garlic generally grows in deciduous woodlands although it has been seen growing along roadsides and in hedgerow. This has a distinctive strong smell of garlic hence the name and can be identified by the star like flowers with six petals. All parts of this plant are edible and can be used a replacement to basil in pesto.
Try out the recipe below.
Burdock - Arctium
Runner Bean - Phaseolus coccineus
Camomile - Chamaemelum nobile
Burdock is a large ovate plant with purple spiny flowers that bloom in August that provide essential pollen and nectar for honeybees. Immature flower stalks are hollow and can be harvested in late spring, these can be eaten raw or boiled in salt water.
The seed pod has clinging properties which make it excellent at seed dispersal, you can
Burdock is a large ovate plant with purple spiny flowers that bloom in August that provide essential pollen and nectar for honeybees. Immature flower stalks are hollow and can be harvested in late spring, these can be eaten raw or boiled in salt water.
The seed pod has clinging properties which make it excellent at seed dispersal, you can find this in wasteland, farmers' fields and dotted along pathways. Burdock root is harvested in early autumn and is traditionally used to make dandelion and burdock cordial.
Camomile - Chamaemelum nobile
Runner Bean - Phaseolus coccineus
Camomile - Chamaemelum nobile
Camomile is a garden herb and is mainly used dried as herbal tea but can be used to flavour foods, beverages, soaps, and cosmetics.
This plant has been known to cause uterine contractions that can invoke miscarriage, pregnant women are advised to not consume. Although oral consumption of camomile is generally safe and has potential anti-anxiety properties.
Runner Bean - Phaseolus coccineus
Runner Bean - Phaseolus coccineus
Runner Bean - Phaseolus coccineus
This runner bean scarlet emperor produces red flowers before pollinated to produce beans.
The flowers can be dried and used in an herbal infusion with a mild, sweet, bean like flavour.
Other uses include garnish for salad and soup.