Cleaning with Cleavers, Wild Dip Recipe, Suggested readings and more...

Hello Fellow Foragers & Nature Lovers,

Until I can find a way to make this into a full-time gig I am going to pack as much as I can into the last Friday of every month to give you enough foraging goodness for at least a few weeks. As we transition from Spring to Summer you will notice the nettles wilting and cleavers getting out of control as they climb the walls. This is a wonderful time to grab fresh greens and enjoy the moisture from the April showers. I have been keeping busy with the day job writing and learning about social impact projects that have sustainable goals. What I can say so far from my take aways is that there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful for a greener future. So what’s included in this months newsletter:

• Finish your Spring Cleaning before Summer - 5 Ways to use the natural tonic, Cleavers!

• Wild Recipe of the Month: Carmelised Onion & Nettle Dip

• Food for thought - What I read this month!

• A poem for all seasons

• Stay Tuned…Summer is coming and we are planning some coastal foraging adventures. In next months newsletter we will give away some secrets of our favourite ways to go for a forage by the sea!

Cleavers aka Sticky Willies aka Goosegrass is a herbal treat growing wild throughout Europe and North America is Spring and Summer.

It is an annual sticky plant that you will find in your parks and woodland walks. They have small star shaped flowers attached to their pointy leaves. If you brush up against it you won’t need to pick it as it will naturally stick to any piece of clothing.

Traditionally used to cleanse the blood and strenghten the liver, cleavers are particularly useful for a spring cleaning tonic. Native Indian tribes used this plant as an anti-inflammatory and to help with gonorrhoea. The cleansing properties can help to get rid of toxins in the body and decrease congestion. It has also been reported to help with Urinary tract infections and swollen lymph nodes. They can help to protect the lining of the bladder from irritation. Cleavers are also rich in silica, used to strengthen hair, nails and teeth. It may be worth adding a little cleaver smoothie to your beauty routine this month.

5 Ways to Use Cleavers aka Sticky Willies

Cleaver infused Water

This is the perfect afternoon refresher on a bright Spring day. Pick the young stems of the plant before they growth tall. Rinse them gently under water and chop finely. Add to a jug or bottle of water and let them infuse over night in the fridge. Add a slice of lemon to your glass and pour over the infused cleaver water.

Cleaver and Nettle Smoothie

Cleavers, nettles and pears are all that you need to make this delicious, healthy Spring smoothie. Packed full of nutrition and made to detox the body, this delicious smoothie is just what the doctor ordered. Blend 1 bunch of cleavers, 1 bunch of boiled nettles and 2 pears together. Add crushed ice, a squeeze of lime juice and a sprig of mint for extra flavour.

Herbal Cleaver Tea

Harvest your cleavers, leave them dry out for a few days, cut them into tiny pieces and use them with a spoonful of honey for a soothing cup of tea.

Cleaver Infused Oil

Dried cleavers and almond oil makes the perfect massage therapy. Put a half a cup of dried cleavers in a jar, fill the jar with almond oil and leave to infuse for two weeks. Enjoy this herbal skin treat.

Cleaver, Nettle and Wild Garlic Soup

‘Tis the season for green, wild soup and there are plenty of delicious plants out there to add to your homemade soup recipes. For this one we use 1 cup of cleavers, 1 cup of boiled nettles, 1/2 cup of chopped wild garlic or three cornered leek and two large potatoes. Boil the potatoes, add all contents to a pot of cold water and boil until bubbling hot. Add salt and pepper. Blend the ingredients together. Serve with some fresh, warm bread.

Note: Cleavers have a high tannin content and it is generally advised that you don’t use it or consume it for long periods of time.

This plant is natures way of telling us that we need to Spring clean our bodies as well as our houses. There are so many ways to use cleavers in your foraging recipes but hopefully the above tips will give you some food for thought.

Wild Recipe: Wild Carmelised Onion & Nettle Dip

For anyone who is a fan of rich, creamy dips on a Friday evening, this one won’t disappoint and there is nothing better than dipping into a homemade dip after a day of searching and picking the wild ingredients. NOTE: My pictures will continue to be blurry and very amateur until some kind stranger sends me a camera or I get a new phone. If you do try to make your own recipes please send me some pics :)

Ingredients

• Wild Onion grass

• 1 handful of dried nettles

• Sour Cream

• 1 large onion

• 1 tablespoon of sugar

• Salt and Pepper

How to Make your Wild Nettle Dip

Put a knob of butter in the pan and heat it on a low heat

Slice the onion finely and add it to the pan

Add your sugar next and leave to fry gently

Combine your chopped up dried nettles and onion grass

Add these to the pan and stir

Remove from the heat, place in a bowl and stir in your sour cream

Add some chopped parsley and a teaspoon of worchestshire sauce

Serve this up with some homemade crackers and cheese.

Food for thought - What I read this month!

Saving the Tiny Empires - Extinction threatens 40 percent of insect species—not just honeybees—putting global ecosystems and food supplies at risk. We can intervene.

Local food is not enough — we need a sustainable transition in the food system

How Blockchain can fund and build a greener Future - Full disclosure - This is one of my own pieces but it will give you a little taste of my other passions.

6 Ways Mushrooms can save the world - Paul Stamets Ted Talk

Over and Out for now!

To close off the April Showers and prepare for the sunshine of May let’s take a moment to rest awhile.