The Thrifty Forager, by Alys Fowler - book review

Adeela Warley

02 November 2011

You cannot buy that pleasure which yields to him who truly plucks it

Henry James Thoreau, naturalist, philosopher, wild fruit enthusiast

Alys begins her book The Thrifty Forager: Living off your local landscape with a confession to her husband: he's been eating a cornucopia of weeds gathered from urban spaces. Not home-grown garden spinach in some of his favourite dishes. Fortunately it's a deception he's devoured with relish.

I immediately warmed to Alys. I too have enjoyed gathering food for free and sharing with family and friends. Sloe gin for a Christmas toddy, slices of giant puff ball mushrooms for a tasty lunch and quinces to make a wonderful golden jelly.

With this book, you can be an armchair forager - thumbing through the beautiful illustrations and photos, and touring innovative and inspiring case studies from around the world. But the book also provides everything you need for practical action: a forager's calendar and identification guide, safety and legal advice and recipes for cooking, preserving and eating.

Did you know you can eat:

• The young shoots and stalks of hostas
  Or cook them to make Hostakopita - a hosta-filled version of the Greek spinach pie. A great way to beat cheat the snails of their favourite garden treat?
• The pods of Himalayan balsam 
  A pretty but invasive non-native weed and curse of the nature conservationists. Or dry the seeds to add to breads or toast?
• The flowers of the bell-like campanula 
  Stuffed with sweet ricotta or sprinkled in salads?

So pull on your wellies, grab your gloves and foraging bag. Visit those neglected places on your doorstep - parks and gardens, river banks and verges - to create some diverse and delicious meals.

There's one thing I might have to give a miss though. Alys's favourite fruit, the medlar, which is eaten when rotting and fermenting, and aptly nicknamed the 'cat's arse fruit'.

Adeela Warley, Head of Communications