MAY 2006, Northumberland Now columnist Richard Sim talks to a fellow chef who is passionate ahout nettles and wild food.
The Humble yet dynamic nettle was celebrated in Alnwick on Sunday with its nettle festival.
This fiesty plant can be eaten, made into cordials and beers, you can even make cloth with its flax as the German army was forced to do in World War II.
N
ettles grow easily in a variety of habitats and, best of all, are 'food for free'.
There are many obvious advantages to using wild foods beside the fact it costs nothing. Because the food is freshly picked it retains more of those vital vitamins, and there is a huge variety of produce available from nettles and herbs to wild garlic, berries and fruits, each with their own distinctive health properties. And they are likely to be organic because of their natural habitat.
Collecting food for free can be a fun weekend activity which the whole family can participate in. It's a learning experience without a schoolroom.
Think of your childhood and the days spent blackberry picking, the fun and scratches! Without even realising it, we learnt that blackberries are seasonal, that they taste awful when not ripe, that it's a good idea to soak them rather than just eat them if we don't want the extra protein supplied by bugs. And that even the good things in life should be cansumed with moderation!
The health benefits of seeking out wild food are obvious. The exercise will help you stay healthy. You'll get to enjoy the countryside rather than clash trolleys in the supermarket and these foods are really easy to find along the many walks and woodlands of the UK.
A great example of food for free, found in even the most urban of settings is the nettle, a plant still commonly used in many European countries which deserves a resurgence in the UK. If you don't believe me, try using nettles in the place of spinach in your spinach and ricotta tortellini or my recipe for nettle soup and see for yourself.
How how does a newcomer to the world of wild foods start? We caught up with Martin Charlton, a lecturer at Tyne Metropolitan College with over 20 years' experience as a chef gained in hotels and restaurants across Europe, for his tips.
Martin's top tips for finding food for free:
- Invest in a good food picking guide book-there are loads to choose from.
- Start with the obvious until your confidence grows-wild garlic and nettles are easily identified. Muchrooms less so.
- Make sure you know what you are picking. When in doubt-don't
.
- If your unsure of a plant take a photo, make a note of where you saw it and research it when you get home. The internet is a great resource.
- You may wish to make a database of where you found great produce so that you can return next season.
- Pick away from the path-remember that dogs are often walked in the same woodland you're using as a resource!
- Nettle picking? Take your gloves.
- There are plenty of walks and woodland where produce can be found. Don't be tampted to trespass.
