Edible wild plants for January

It's surprising what edible wild plants you can find to eat in the winter months. Here are some plants to look for in January, many can be found even with snow on the ground.

Beech nuts

This year was a mast year for beech and we still have a lot of fresh beech nuts sitting on the ground. There is nothing left on the trees now except the spiky empty husks. Flocks of chaffinches swoop down and forage for the nuts on the driveway. The nuts themselves are surprisingly fresh and clean once the leathery skins have been removed. We've dried a bucketful for future use and left the rest for the wildlife.

Crab apples

 
Crab apples, softened by the winter frosts, are still sitting on the crab apple tree. Apart from eating the odd one or two when passing, we haven't used them this year preferring to leave them for the birds. Large flocks of fieldfare periodically gather on the branches for two or three hours, chattering away to each other, eating their fill, before they fly off to pastures new.

It's been a mild winter so far where we are and we can still find the odd patch of nettles with green leaves attached to the top of the plant. Most of the leaves are, however, going black and are largely inedible. We've taken a few for tea or a green smoothie but generally, they are quite strong tasting and we prefer to wait for the spring growth.

Smooth sow thistle

The best crunchy green and mild-tasting greens in January can be found on the smooth sow thistle plant. Even when the snow is falling, this hardy little chap can be found with fresh edible leaves. Allow plants to self-seed and there will be more where they came from next winter.

Chickweed

Chickweed is still growing in the polytunnel. It comes up as regular as clockwork and can be relied upon for fresh salad greens at any time of the year. Only when the temperature dropped to minus double figures (celsius) did we lose it one year. However, it was back in spring. We let it grow around the base of cabbages, kale, tomatoes and other plants.

It makes good ground cover and will readily self-seed. You can buy seeds if you don't have any of this very useful low growing plant. It has mild-tasting leaves which can be stripped from the stringy stems and used as a lettuce substitute.

Wild cabbage

Wild cabbage is, of course, a perennial hardy plant that can be foraged for, or grown as you would any other cultivated cabbage. We always grow it rather than forage for it as it can't be found in the wild where we live.

Common sorrel leaves will also be available for picking. The tart lemon-flavoured leaves a refreshing addition to salads. A more bitter taste can be found with dandelion leaves but they are usually not as plentiful as during the spring and summer months. Look out for their bright yellow flowers in the spring and add them to salads. Don't forget to leave some for the bees and other pollinating insects.

For hot peppery flavoured leaves lookout for bittercress. It often comes up at the side of paths and driveways and sometimes in the polytunnel where we leave it until it is a good size and then add to salads to give them a kick.

Rosehips

The occasional rosehip can still be found on the rose bushes but most were picked earlier on after the first frosts. They are a good source of vitamin C for the winter. Split the softened red skin and scoop out the seed. Further information on processing this fruit can be found on the dog rose page. Don't eat the little tiny hairs, they are an irritant!