Oli showing his homemade device to strip brambles of thorns

In deepest darkest January some intrepid transitioners set out to find out just what we could find and use in the local hedgerows.  Setting out from Turners’ Allotments the group walked all through the flood plain to Norton Fitzwarren checking out the hedges for any material that could be used.  At this time of year the farmers are usually out hedging.  This provides a great opportunity to pick up any spare hedge material like hazel, dogwood etc.  You can even use brambles (see photo above for Oli’s homemade device – a tin can with different shape holes drill/punched in the bottom – which can strip the brambles of their thorns). And what can you make from the hedge material – why headgerow baskets of course.

Oli’s hedgerow baskets

So what else might you be able to find in the winter hedgerows; edibles like goosegrass, chickweed and Alexanders which are just poking their young shoots through.  Also just sprouting is dead nettle shoots which often grow alongside the stinging nettles.  Please bear in mind that you have to be extremely careful about picking food from the wild.  Be sure that you can actually identify species.  One good resource for checking plants  is the ecological database of the british isles http://www.ecoflora.co.uk/index.php . Also for identifying trees and shrubs Roger’s site http://www.rogerstreesandshrubs.com/ and the sister site for mushrooms http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/ . These are linked via Fergus Drennan’s site http://www.wildmanwildfood.co.uk/pages/plants.htm