10 top tips for safe wild food foraging

1. Wear sensible clothing – don’t wear shorts to wade through nettle patches!

2. Essential tools – drinking water, small scissors to cut plants, a good pocket ID book, a gathering bag, gloves and a small first aid kit.

3. Make sure you positively identify your harvest - only eat things if you are 100% sure it is what you think it is, If you’re not sure, don’t eat it.

4. Don’t eat things that grow by a busy roadside or on industrial estates where the ground is contaminated.

5. Only take what you need – don’t strip the land bare of all that you find, simply take what you need for each meal and leave enough of the plant to reproduce.

6. Intolerances – always do a tolerance test first before eating lots of one crop – you may be allergic. Test by taking a small bite and look for allergic reactions around the lips and gums. Always leave a number of hours between the tolerance test and eating more of a crop.

7. Keep a small amount of your harvest so that it can be identified in the event of an upset stomach.

8. Check out the law – it is illegal to uproot any wild plant without the land owner’s permission. It is also illegal to disturb or collect any protected plant.

9. Be considerate of the natural environment, in particular animals in their breeding season and rare flowers / plants.

10. Look for further tips and advice - there any many websites such as www.countrylovers.co.uk/wfs which give other good wild food foraging tips.