Seasonal Wild Foods - April

If you’re counting the days until you can enjoy vegetables fresh from your garden, I have good news: many of PEI’s wild greens and root vegetables are in season right now!

Photo 1: Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) are delicious, nutritious early spring greens.

Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica, Photo 1) are among the first plants I forage in spring. They started appearing in my usual spot on April 12 this year and I was able to collect enough for my first feed by Easter weekend.

Nettles are covered in tiny, hollow hairs, each filled with a chemical cocktail including formic acid (the same compound that makes ant bites so painful). Their sting can be removed by cooking, drying, or pressing and it’s worth the effort: young plants are not only delicious but also high in Vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, iron, and protein. A quick blanch in boiling water gives you tasty greens that can be used anywhere you would spinach (think soups, casseroles, omelets, frittatas, pizzas, smoothies), substituted for basil in pesto, or sauteed with oil and garlic. Dry the leaves for tea or use a rolling pin to press them between two towels to use fresh. Look for Stinging Nettle along trails near streams.

Photo 2: Watercress (Nasturtium microphyllum) has a lovely, peppery crunch.

While you’re near those slow-flowing streams or springs, keep an eye out for Watercress (Nasturtium microphyllum, Photo 2). This member of the Mustard Family (Brassicaceae) can be harvested year-round, but I prefer the new leaves that are out now (like Nettles, they were also abundant starting in mid-April this year). Watercress has a pleasing crunch and peppery flavour a bit like home-grown radish (another member of the Mustard Family).  It’s also packed with Vitamins A, C, K, folic acid, iron, calcium, potassium, and carotenoids.

Streams and springs can harbour harmful bacteria, and so I take extra care to clean Watercress, including soaking the leaves in a bowl of freshwater in which a water purification tablet has been dissolved. I then rinse the leaves and enjoy them in sandwiches, salads, and on their own as a snack!

Photo 3: This is the stage when Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) greens are tastiest!

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale, Photo 3) may be the poster child for wild spring greens but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Leaves get bitter as they age, so be sure to collect Dandelion as soon as it appears in April. If you find even those young leaves too bitter for your palate, boil them for about 10 minutes – the bitter compounds are water soluble and will be greatly reduced. You can use fresh or cooked Dandelion greens as you would spinach, and I particularly like them tossed with bacon and served as a side dish or over scrambled eggs. 

Photo 4: Curled Dock (Rumex crispus), also known as Sour Dock and Yellow Dock.

If Dandelion leaves don’t suit your taste, you may enjoy the milder flavour of Curled Dock (Rumex crispus, Photo 4). Also known as Sour Dock and Yellow Dock, this early spring green is related to Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) and has a bit of that same pleasantly sour taste.

Dock leaves are high in Vitamin C, iron, and beta-carotine. They’re also high in oxalic acid, and so raw leaves should be avoided by children and anyone with kidney issues (oxalic acid affects calcium uptake and can contribute to kidney stones). For most of us, oxalic acid is not a concern (commonly-eaten foods such as spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens and rhubarb have levels of oxalic acid comparable to or higher than Dock), but you can reduce levels by boiling the leaves if you prefer. Look for Dock along roadsides, trails, streams, and even in your own backyard. 

Photo 5: New leaves over older ones point to second-year Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) and a delicious root underneath.

Not all our early spring wild foods are greens: this is a great time of year to forage Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) roots. Evening Primrose is a biennial, and you want second-year plants – look for fresh growth on top of older leaves (Photo 5, with my finger pointing to last year’s leaves).  Evening Primrose can be differentiated from other plants appearing this time of year by leaves that are smooth (not hairy), have a lighter-coloured vein down the middle, and (often, though not always) red tips.

Dig up the root and cook it like you would a parsnip or carrot. Some people find it tastes peppery (nibble a bit raw to see if you are in this group), but most of us find its flavour is like an amalgamation of potato, parsnip, and turnip. Like those roots, it makes a nice side dish when boiled and mashed, served with butter, salt, and pepper.

These are just a few of my favourite wild foods that are in season right now. A whole different menu comes on stream in a few weeks, and I’ll feature some of those in May. My new book, Wild Foods of Prince Edward Island, will be available later this spring to help you find and use these parts of PEI Untamed!