Rivers and ditches conceal edible plants that you rarely notice. So this week, do make sure to search for them on the banks of small waterways or in the forest, or even by the marsh.
Water mint, bulrush and field cress grow where it’s moist. From water mint you can make a delicious tea, bulrush offers young shoots that taste a bit like asparagus and field cress is tangy like rocket.
👀 Water is very important and that’s why we write a lot about it. Read everything about water here!
Here you’ll find them
Water mint can be found in moist and marshy environments, such as on the banks of ditches, streams, rivers, lakes and ponds, and in wet meadows and marshes.
Field cress can be found in open, sunny spots, often on moist to dry sandy soil, such as in (kitchen) gardens, fields, road verges and dike feet. You’ll also regularly find them on banks.
The bulrush is a very common plant and occurs on waterside locations in very nutrient-rich conditions and in acidic, increasingly nutrient-rich fens and pools. On the banks of small and large rivers it occurs very frequently.
Checklist
✅ Search for clean, running water
✅ Pick water mint and dry for tea
✅ Taste field cress in salad
✅ Learn to recognise bulrush
What will you learn this week?
That even marshland provides food – if you dare to look where others don’t pick.
🌱 Food from nature – a tip every week
Every week on The Patriot we discuss what you can find that week in nature. You can find all published tips via this link.
Also be sure to read the basic article, which discusses the do’s and don’ts of wild foraging.