Over the last five years, Scottish gin has grown in both profile and popularity. Indeed over 70% of the UK’s gin is produced here. Many producers use locally foraged botanicals to make their spirit stand out from others. One of the most unusual we’ve discovered is sugar kelp, which is used, along with other botanicals, to flavour Harris Gin . This hand-dived seaweed, gives the spirit a distinct and delicious taste that’s the very essence of the island it comes from. Williams' Bros. Brewing Co

Before going foraging I recommend you thoroughly read the River Cottage Handbook No.7, Hedgerow by John Wright. That book comes with the most popular wild food including pictures. Once you’ve read that book, take it out with you when you go foraging and use the details and pictures to help you become familiar with edible wild foods. Woodlands, forests and the countryside are a good place to start your foray into foraging, but you may also find wild foods in surprisingly urban places too, such as a local park or even your garden. For many people, fragrant elderflowers are synonymous with summer and they’re at their best from late May to June depending on where you live. The flowers and berries are the only edible part of the elder tree and require cooking to remove the small amounts of toxic chemicals.Summer is now in full swing, and the countryside is brimming with edible plants. It’s now you can find an array of wild fruit, including cherries, raspberries and damsons. Cepsare highly prized in the culinary world and can be found growing in forests from late summer. Tart crab apples begin to ripen, and their high pectin content makes them ideal for preserves. The similarly bitter rowan berries are also brilliant for jellies and liqueurs; they grow in bright red clumps in their namesake tree. September

USDA bulletin #8: dandelion greens rank among the top 4 green vegetables in nutrition. beta-carotene, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, B, micronutrients.There is so much inspiring information to give you ideas of how to help climate change by growing, eating, and living sustainably, you can: Where a wild food has different parts that are edible I have noted those in the relevant months, such as roots or leaves.

Wild ramps boast a variety of nutrients and beneficial compounds that may improve your digestion, promote weight loss, reduce inflammation, and fight heart disease. These tiny, delicious red berries will ripen first in sunny locations and the further North you live they will fruit closer to mid-June.June is a great season for greens. Stinging Nettle is a great find for beginning to mid-June. Stinging nettle will lose its sting upon boiling or steaming. Stinging nettle is highly nutritious. It was used to treat arthritis and ancient Romans rubbed it on their skin to stay warm. The very beginning of June is a favorite for many, Wild strawberries. These little berries are a smaller version than what you find in the grocery store. The strawberries are sweet, tart, and oh so juicy!

They are found alongside Mayapples and Morels. Ramps have a flat green leaf with a hint of red color as you get towards the bright white bulb. It’s important once you find your ramp to crush it and make sure the ramp has a strong onion garlic-like smell. If it doesn’t have that smell, toss that plant because it’s a lily of the valley and it’s deadly. Elderflower (Sambucus nigra) I have colour coded the months as a reminder of the seasons, although they should only be taken as a heads up because global warming does mess with seasonality. Also, when plants grow is hugely influenced by the location so there will be differences all over the UK.

Love foraging?

As a next step you could progress to Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland by Robin Harford. This book gives further detail of edible wild food and comes with a free online photo identification guide. Vitamins A, D, B complex, C, iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, sodium, copper, silica