Sheep's Sorrel
Today my family walked to Marloes Sands Pembrikeshire. One of my favourite beaches in the UK, due to its enormous golden sand beach, which is broken up by standing rocks. The contrast with the cliffs and the red and green coloured islands in the back drop makes it such a stunning place.
On the way I had a look for edidble plants. I found much of the usual stuff, like hog weed and wild carrot. On top of this we found a few interesting things like wild wood sage, sea beet and rock samphire.
During the rest of the week we visited several of Pembrokeshire's beaches. It is a truly stunning place and a mecca for finding potentially edible plants.
See my foraging for Spring Edible Plants post for some of the UK most common edible pkants.
Sheep's Sorrel, an altogether smaller plant than Common Sorrel. The leaves have ears making them look like Sheep's heads or fish. It has the same lemony taste as Common Sorrel.
Sea Beet or Wild Spinach had a great slightly salty taste.
Sea Beet or Wild Spinach Pembrokeshire.
Rock Samphire - has a moderately salty taste and a slightly floral overtone.
Rock Samphire - Pembrokeshire
Rock Samphire on the cliffs - Pembrokeshire
Wood Sage - an interesting coastal find
We found lots of wild sage on the way to the beach today - Pembrokeshire
Wild Mint / Peppermint
Camomile - Lots of this beautiful daisy lining the path as it joined the beach.
Mussels, Dog Whelks, Limpets and Winkles.
Lave Seaweed
Lava & Gutweed.
Marloes Sands - one of my favourite beaches in the UK - Pembrokeshire.
Wild Carrot - Note the small purple dot in the centre of the white flower. I've been told it's purpose is to attract insects. It's small whitish carrot like root, smells just like the carrot we all know.
Wild Carrot. This wild carrot was growing out of a car park.
Meadow Sweet
Wild Thyme - Barafundle Beach
Wild Thyme
Curly Dock
Wild Strawberries in the Dunes
Orchids - not for eating. Just a beautiful flower that grows around our coasts.
Barafundle Beach - Pembrikeshire
Laminaria digitata
Beds of Mussels
Sliver Weed growing between the rocks at Little Haven.
Black Mustard growing out of the beach.
Alexander's - has a mightily powerful flavour. I am not sure if I like it. It's very difficult to describe, but it has a kind of perfume flavour.
Fat Hen growing out of the beach where a small land slide had occurred. In the Neolithic age, people used the seeds to make flower. The leaves and shoots can be eaten like spinach.
Oraches - cooked and eaten like spinach
Valerian - a myriad of different colours seem to grow everywhere around out coastline.
Mallow - is very common on the coasts of Pembrokeshire.
Sea Holly Pembrokeshire - is a stunning plant and has an edible roots. It can be locally common, but it's not a common plant. You can't dig them up on sites of SSSI. Please think about how common the Sea Holly is locally when you find it and whether it's ethical to dig it up, even in unprotected sites.
Sea Holly
Sea Holly
Sea Holly is locally common at this protected site.
Sea Holly Root - be very mindful before digging up Sea Holly. Many areas that it lives are protected. Also think long and hard as to wether it is locally rare and therefore should you ethically uproot it. I scoured the coast for days. I found a dune that had fallen onto the beach and a small dead Sea Holly shoot, hence the photo.
The wonderful Sea Holly Plant
Much of the Pembrokeshire coastline is lined with Wild Carrots
Wild Carrot - the roots aren't big enough to eat on the uncultivated wild carrot and are therefore not really worth digging up for culinary purposes. If you scratch the root it smells just like the carrot that we all know. Again you can't dig up wild plants on protected sites or without the land owners permission.
Wild Carrots. Again note the purple dot in the centre of the flower, which is the key identification feature of the wild carrot.
I wasn't sure about this one? Sea Kale
Lots of different kinds of Sea Kale about in Pembrokeshire
Sea Kale
Another Sea Kale Species
The Oraches are common along the coastline.
Orache
Sea Rocket - has a powerful peppery taste.
Sea Rocket & Rock Samphire growing together.
Sea Rocket
Meadow Sweet - a common coastal plant. It's flowers can be used as a substitute for Elderflower.
Hogweed one of the most common edible plants.
Oraches & Sea Kale growing together on the beach.
Curly Dock
Thistle. The stems are edible, when stripped. They are surprising good and have a similar texture to celery when cooked. I've added the stems to wild soup, to add sustenance to it.
Bittersweet. Is Poisonous and very common around our coastlines. This is obviously one to take care to avoid.
Yarrow
Lava Bread, with cockles & mussels cooked by the Swan Inn - Little Haven.
Angelica & Feverfew at the Iron Age Fort - Castell Henllys
Sea Purslane
Sea Purslane - salty, small amounts can be an interesting addition to salads. Boil for 10+ minutes will reduce the saltiness. Sea Purslane will not purée and therefore can be used in dishes like risottos. I found this whilst waiting for the ferry at Fishbourne - Isle of Wight, yesterday. Also in the port I found Oraches, Sea Beat & Sea Kale.
Samphire - Severn Beach Near Bristol
Samphire - Severn Beach - Bristol. Samphire used to be much more common at this location. But we've seen people uproot whole plants and take away carrier bags full. There is absolutely no need to do this. To make it sustainable for everyone to enjoy, please only pick a few stems off of each plant. As has happened here, uprooting it destroys the plant and you see a significant reduction in the amount of Samphire.
Angelica - now in August, this plant is very common around the Pembrokeshire coastline. Like Alexander's this plant won't be to everyone's tastes.
Sea Radish - Sadly this isn't my picture. Mine were out of focus. Sea Radish is abundant on the path down to the beach at Manorbier.
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