Yew liqueur, you!
So, we all know (or should know) that every part of the Yew tree is highly toxic to humans. When I say highly toxic, what I mean is that a very small amount can kill you.
Entries by Gavin
Wild Carrots
I was out for a wander in deepest Essex recently and I came across a patch of land where Wild Carrots (Daucus carota) seem to thrive. You can barely take a few steps without tripping over some. Anyway, I wasn’t entirely prepared, but I did a quick video on my phone so I could show them… […]
Himalayan Balsam – Invasive Pest or Tasty Food?
I was out for a walk around the Lee Valley last night, particularly looking out for Elderberries and Yarrow for some home-brewing projects I have planned. I found what I needed, but I could help also noticing the huge amounts of pink flowering Himalayan Balsam along the river’s edge just about everywhere. Whilst it looks […]
A Definition of Foraging
Introduction to a foraging definition I wanted to post something along the lines of a definition of foraging and what it means to me, but I am in no way an absolute authority, hence it’s more of a discussion point rather than a hard and fast definition. This is what it means to me, but […]
Lime or Linden Tree Flowers – Tilia x europea
As something I’ve been aware of for some time, and looking out for Linden tree (Lime) flowers in the local area; I was pleased to find a big, old Linden tree not far from where I live. And it was positively overloaded with flowers. Just for clarification, with these trees the name “Lime tree” and […]
Structure and Parts of a Leaf
No seriously! It’s more complex than you might imagine, and having a common language really helps when talking about the parts of a leaf. For the avoidance of doubt, leaf refers to both the flat type that you imagine, and the needles and scales found on some evergreens. This is not a complete reference, just […]
The Parts of a Flower
I’m finding that as I learn more about plants and trees, it’s becoming increasingly useful to understand some of the botanical words and phrases that are used. Not just the Latin names (which are helpful sometimes), but also the parts of plants. So the long long white things with yellow things on the end, become […]
Edible Desk Pretties (Edible Wild Flowers)
I came across some edible wild flowers on a walk, and they reminded me of my wife, so I brought a few home for her to brighten up her desk. Pretty flowers for my gorgeous wife, Samantha. So hopefully they’ll provide some inspiration whilst she works; and if she gets peckish, she can have a […]
Hedgerow Beauties – Edible Spring Flowers
Given the time of year, we all know that the countryside is full of green and flowers, I was out looking for edibles when I came across these edible hedgerow beauties, so I thought I’d share these spring flowers with you. Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra) spring flowers First up is the Wych Elm. This tree, […]
Forage close to home
Strictly speaking, this post isn’t about foraging as such, more like plant identification. The key point is this: You need to be able to positively identify plants in order to be able to forage for them. However, if you don’t live near the great outdoors, you can practice your plant ID anyway. For example, just […]