REPORT FROM APRIL MEETING
AGM
Andy thanked Karen on behalf of everyone for her stewardship of NOGs for the past 7 years including seeing us through the pandemic, managing Zoom, Potato days orders and home deliveries and presented her with a gift as a token of that thanks. The committee were voted in and the AGM closed at 20.00. Possibly something of a record for an AGM!?
There followed a talk by Lucy Buckle
‘The Nottingham Forager’
Lucy introduced the 3 basics of foraging
1. Safety - Foraging must be 100% sure 100% of the time – mistakes can be fatal
2. Sustainable – When foraging leave at least 75% of what’s there
3. Legal – Don’t trespass; public spaces or permitted access are fine foraging places , public pathways through private land – you can forage what you can reach otherwise you must get permission.
Foraging is a 365 day activity and this time of year is a great time for it. Urban foraging is especially good in Nottingham because we have old parks and many garden escapees.
The only ‘equipment’ you need is a basket, a small pair of scissors, and the ability to google ‘plant name’ identification to enable you to check the specific plant e.g. miner’s lettuce plant identification should show a green circular leaf with a flower in its centre.
Lucy invited those present to sample nettle cake and mushroom bites made by her mum in her bakery ‘Baked by Buckles’ before introducing her recently foraged plants.
Nettles – grasp firmly use tender tips good in tea and soups
Red Dead Nettle edible superfood with vitamins and iron. Use flowers in salads, cakes, ice cube trays. Leaves can be used in teas and soups. Snip leaves off the stems.
Dandelion its roots are used as a coffee substitute, flowers in salads, syrups and in ‘marmelion’ (dandelion marmalade)
Cleavers or Sticky Weed pick the tops and rub vigorously between the hands to remove the stickiness – tastes like fresh peas. Member of the coffee family, can act as a diuretic.
Miner’s Lettuce found in Spring, identifiable by its circular leaf with flower in the centre, easy to harvest by running your fingers through it. Mild taste, use in salads.
Magnolia all are edible and make great pickles use in salads and herbal teas – don’t eat its ‘pineapple’ i.e. centre of flower unless its pickled.
Flowering Currant flowers - delightful in cakes, leaves very bitter
Primrose – all edible – use flowers in cakes
3 cornered leek – named for the shape of the leaf in cross section classified as a Schedule 9 Invasive so you can take as much as you wish - treat as chives
Wild Garlic identify by the smell – use in many recipes e.g. pesto
St George’s Mushroom found around St George’s Day
Mushroom identification should not be undertaken lightly you need to check time of year, location/habitat, cap, gills base, and stem – this one has a white cap crowded gills and a chunky stem.
References: Wildfood UK, Foragers Calendar, Shroomify
General advice – don’t munch on a hunch and don’t nibble if there’s a quibble.
