Food from the Wild
Stems
Hop Humulus lupulus
The young shoots of the hop are picked when they appear in spring, tied in
bundles, as with asparagus, and boiled for about 20 minutes. They make an
excellent spring vegetable. Once appreciated by the Romans, Pliny mentions
their cultivation for this purpose. Hop shoots were also sold in English markets.
They are found climbing through hedges in many parts of Britain.
Elder Sambucus nigra
In mid-April the young shoots of new growth on elder trees should have attained
optimum size for eating. Peel the pith off, then tie in bundles and boil for
about 20 minutes. Another way of using them is to pickle them. Use the recipe
for ash keys on page 24. The elder is a common hedgerow tree with many other
uses (see Berries, and Flowers).
Lovage Ligusticum scoticum
If earthed up and blanched, the stalks of lovage resemble celery, but are inferior
in flavour. As its Latin name suggests, lovage is a Scottish speciality; it
doesn't grow south of Northumberland and prefers a coastal habitat. A tall
plant growing to 1 m (3ft), it has large, glossy leaves, red stalks and greenish-coloured
flowers which bloom in June and July.
Samphire Crithmum maritimum
At one time samphire was popular enough for it to be sold in London markets
under the cry of 'Crest Marine'. But by the middle of the seventeenth century,
Culpeper was bewailing its lack of popularity and the foolishness of the people
who no longer ate this plant valuable for all 'ill digestion and obstructions'
that 'are the cause of most of the diseases which the frail nature of man
is subject to'.
However, the habit of eating it never quite died out in Norfolk
and other coastal areas with shingly shores. This is where samphire proliferates
from June to September; it is considered to be in its prime during the first
two weeks of July. The stem, although inclined to be stringy, is full of
spicy juice and the leaves are thick and succulent. They can be eaten raw
as salad, or boiled and served, hot with butter, or cold with bread and butter
for a Yorkshire speciality.
This recipe, given by John Evelyn in his Acetaria of 1699, makes
what Gerard considered 'the pleasantest sauce':
'Let it be gathered about Michaelmas or in the spring
and put two or three hours into a brine of water and salt, then into a
clean tinned brass pot with three parts of strong white vinegar and one
part of water and salt or as much as will cover the sampier, keeping the
vapour from issuing out by pushing down the pot lid, and so hang it over
the fire for half an hour only. Being taken off let it remain cover'd till
it be cold and then put it up into small barre:s or jars with the liquor
and some fresh vinegar, water and salt, and thus it will keep very green.
If you be near the sea that water will supply the place of brine. This
is a Dover Receit.'
Sea-kale Crambe maritima
Miller in his Gardener's Dictionary of 1731 says that 'the inhabitants
(of Sussex) gather it in the spring to eat, preferring it to any of the Cabbage
kind.' Previously it was common to blanch the stems by piling up pebbles from
the beach around the growing plants. Then bunches were picked and taken to local
markets for sale. The stems were separated from the tough leaves and eaten either
chopped and raw in salads or cooked, preferably by steaming, and served with
butter or in a cheese sauce. The leaves should be cooked like spinach.
Thistle Cirsium eriophorum; Onopordum acanthium
The young stems, when stripped of their rind, can be boiled and eaten while
the bracts of the flowers were eaten in former times in the same way as artichokes.
Although most thistles can be treated and eaten in this way, obviously it
is more profitable to concentrate on the larger varieties, particularly the
woolly thistle (Cirsium eriophorum) and the Scotch thistle (Onopordum
acanthium). Getting past the fearsome spines is made easier if the stalk
is put in boiling water for 1 minute before attempting to peel it.
