Foraging Crackpots!

It wasn't too long ago that people who collected wild foods were considered to be hippyish crackpots but now there is so much interest in foraging, survival, and fresh and local ingredients that those of us who get out there and actually 'do' it are beginning to appear normal!

The interest in wild food foraging is seemingly increasing, going hand in hand with the growing (pardon the pun!) interest in allotments, home-grown vegetables and fruit, and even guerilla gardening, where unused areas of ground (particularly in cities) are taken over and used to produce crops.

There are professional wild-food harvesters too, collecting for free, ingredients throughout the year to supply restaurants, food producers and shops. Chefs can be paying around £25 per pound weight for wood sorrel and £20 for morel mushrooms!

March is reckoned to be the start of Spring, or at least it is in theory, and the longer days and extra sunlight will encourage all manner of goodies to start growing. The flavour of the wild harvest in March is hard to beat.

Alexanders is a common plant found around Pembrokeshire's coastal byeways. Introduced to this country as a green vegetable by the Romans, it's at its best at this time of year. Pick the young stems and steam them gently, coating in butter when they're done, or chop them and add to stock vegetables in a stew and they'll impart a gentle, herby flavour. Use it to flavour seafood dishes, perhaps with locally picked mussels in moules mariniere, or in with a salad to accompany crab.

Wild garlic shouldn't be missed either! It's also common in Pembrokeshire and can be found in profusion in woodlands and damp areas. Try this quick Spring Pesto recipe:- Chop, then use a blender to process 500gms wild garlic leaves, 200mls olive oil and 75gms walnuts. Some strong, hard local cheese can be grated in if wished.