At this time of year, summer (loose term to use for this year!) is merging into autumn and in foraging terms a lot of the tender young shoots are not so available, neither are the abundance of fruits and fungi that autumn brings either. But in the wheel of life there are always things to root out and searching for ‘edibles’ makes any walk a bit more exciting.
Yesterday during our Nature Walk for Wellbeing in Inverness we had our usual scout about and pondered nature in many ways. In addition to the usual cuppa boiled up ‘al fresco’ with our storm kettle we also added a wee pan with butter and sautéed some Orache, one of the goosefoot family. Immediate cry was ‘this tastes like mince’… that was not a negative statement but in fact related the very meaty taste we experienced at the time. We were on the beach to the side of the Caledonian Canal and there was a lot of butter - maybe this all influenced the palate. Goosefoots (orache, good king henry, fat hen) are quite well known vegetables - pot herbs (stews etc.) as well as salad leaves. They were used just as we would use spinach today. Some books will relate low levels of toxicity (nitrates and saponins but more to do with seeds than leaves) but the same goes for spinach - the plant will pick up stuff from where it grows, the key therefore is to gather it from somewhere that you are confident about in terms of soil. These goosefoots are succulent and can have a salty taste of the sea (at least the Orache picked from the splash zone of Merkinch beach did) as well as being packed full of protein, vitamin A, calcium, potassium and phosphorous. In a complex mixed diet a few additions of the goosefoot family here and there can only be a good thing surely?!
I took some home and garnished the family chilli con carne with them - went down a treat. Keep your eyes open for the easily identified goosefoots and give a fresh leaf a nibble. Read up on what’s coming into season and keep your eyes open during your walks - it adds a new dimension to the walk and mealtime. Kids love it!
‘Walks on the Wild side’ are going out regularly during August in Inverness - come along and check out what’s fresh with us!
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