IT’S a cold and windy morning as I set off for my final forage of the year. I was surprised when wild foraging expert Rob Caton told me that there was actually something we could forage for in December. I thought the autumn months would see the last of the wild edible delicacies on offer in our region.
I should have known better having spent the year forging with Rob, who runs Byrness-based outdoor adventure provider, Wild Harmony. Being a survival expert, he says that with the right knowledge you could survive in the wild all year round and find plenty to eat!
Let’s put him to the test…
We’re off to Cragside in Northumberland in search of reedmace, which was not a plant I was familiar with – at least I thought I wasn’t – but when described I pin it down to what I thought was bulrush. That’s a common mistake I am told.
Reedmace, otherwise known as cat-tail, are the tall plants that grow around the edges of large ponds and lakes, with long thin strap-like leaves that spike at the end. The thin narrow spike on top is the male part of the plant and the distinctive brown cigar shaped cat-tail below is the female part of the plant.
As we walk around Tumbleton Lake we see plenty of reedmace but not much of it seems to be catching Rob’s eye.
Every now and then, he darts off down to the waterside and digs down into the soggy ground to pull one out by its roots. After a short inspection though, we move on. The roots are what we’re looking for as in the winter months they contain a high concentration of starch – much more than potatoes. These roots, however, are a little small for Rob’s liking.
While I have been really keen to get hands on with foraging this year, I am secretly happy to stand back this time and watch Rob find what we are looking for.
I am sure if I go anywhere near the lake a strong gale would blow me in. I confess to Rob that I feel like a bit of a wimp but he assures me I am right to be cautious.
As we turn the corner of the lake we come across a patch of reedmace that looks promising. And it’s growing in ground that’s a bit further back from the water’s edge so I get brave and head over with Rob to check it out. As the ground is a bit more solid we need to dig the roots out, and quickly set about shaping a stick to use as a digging implement with an axe that Rob pulls from his backpack. It’s like a male survival version of a Mary Poppins bag!
Digging out the root is hard work, at least for me it is, but eventually we find what we’re looking for – reedmace roots that are big enough to make them worth cooking.
The roots grow horizontally and most of them are no deeper than six inches beneath the mud. At first it just looks like a big clump of mud but after a wash I can see more clearly what we plan to eat. There are a few new buds that can be eaten raw to keep us going while we work. They look similar to a spring onion. And the roots – which look like small, narrow sweet potatoes with stringy strands growing out of them – are the real gold!
The roots can be boiled but we roast them on an open fire, a bit like jacket potatoes. Once cooked you get rid of all the stringy bits on the outside and squeeze the goodness from fibres to get the starch. The texture is not what I was expecting, it’s a little slimy, but it tastes quite nice.
That’s it for my foraging adventures for 2011. It’s been a fantastic year and I have learned so much with Rob’s help. I’ll be back in Taste once more before Christmas with an interview with our farm shop manager at Wallington – Andrea Wealleans.
For more information on the National Trust or Wild Harmony visit:
Visit www.journallive.co.uk/taste for more wild food foraging with care
Reedmace
It seems there is no time of year, unless the ground is frozen solid and covered in snow, that you can’t eat part of a reedmace plant.
Here’s the lowdown on what you can eat and when:
Roots – these are best in late autumn or early spring as that’s when they’re richest in starch. They are best eaten boiled or roasted. You can dry them out and grind them into a powder which you mix with wheat flour to make bread. One hectare of this plant can produce 8 tonnes of flour.
Young shoots – these can be used until they are up to 50cm long and are best in spring. They can be used as an asparagus substitute either raw or cooked and they taste a little like cucumber, so why not try them chopped up in a salad.
Base of the mature stem – again, this can be eaten raw or cooked. They are best in spring and summer. It’s best to remove the outer stem but the inner can be used in salads or as a vegetable.
Immature flowering spike – again, this is fine to eat raw or cooked but is best in a soup and tastes a little like sweetcorn.
Seeds – these are small and quite fiddly to utilise but have a pleasant, nutty taste when roasted. The seed can also be ground into flour to make cakes.
Pollen – the pollen collected from the flowers can be used as a protein-rich additive to flour when making bread and porridge.
You can harvest the pollen by placing a flowering stem over a wide but shallow container and gently tapping the stem and brushing the pollen off with a fine brush.
In addition to its nutritional benefits, reedmace has a number of medicinal uses. A fine plant all round!