Greeniversity Goes Foraging - News - Greeniversity

Greeniversity Goes Foraging

Greeniversity goes foraging 29.04.2010  I was lucky enough to join Andrew Shaw from Fragile Earth at his Greeniversity foraging class. Even though it was really early in the year it was amazing the amount of edible (or almost edible) and medicinal plants we discovered. We also leaned that sparrows and starlings are now protected species and that canada geese are now so high in numbers that they are officially designated as pests! We all got to eat the leaves of a silver birch tree, the young leaves are particularly good for cleansing the body of impurities, and the sap from larger trees can be drained and taken as a tonic. Andrew talking about the birch tree We learn that briony was very posionous and that Mahonia, as pictured below makes a lovely cordial with its flowers and its berries.    Andrew explaining about the uses of Mahonia    I was facinated by Andrew's staory about nettles, apparently the dead nettles with the white flowers being native to the Uk and the stinging nettle being a Roman import. They were imported by the Roman's and grown as a vegetable crop which was used rather like spinich and also for soups and tea. The Romans also used nettles to sting their fingers to help keepthem warm!!! A bit extreme I think I'll stick to wearing gloves! All in all it was a fabulous day and in true Greeniversity spirit we all made new friends and had really good fun

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