Wild Foraging in Ireland

Irish Wild Plants for Soups

Wild Garlic, Stinging Nettles (full nettle minus root), Sea spaghetti.

Wild Garlic is easy to spot – just use your nose! They are best found in spring and early summer in wooded or shaded areas. The entire plant is edible, most people go directly for the bulbs, consume in small quantities as they can be hard to digest.

Stinging nettles are found in nearly every field in Ireland. Be careful when collecting – wear gloves to keep from stinging. You’ll need to carefully remove the stingers before pureeing the leaves and stem (not the root).

Sea spaghetti is found along the shores of Ireland. Watch our video to learn how to forage sea spaghetti in Ireland.

Irish Wild Plants for Pestos

Many plants can be made into a pesto. This is certainly the easiest recipe in which to use foraged ingredients. To make a pesto, you’ll need a processor in order to mince all of the ingredients. All pestos require a base of greens or leaves, some kind of nut (pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, whatever you like), and olive oil. Cheese is optional but generally preferred.

Wood Sorrell is a leafy green plant easily found in Ireland, and can be made into an excellent pesto that is superb on fish. Slightly resembling a shamrock, it has 3 heart-shaped leaves per stalk, with a crease down the centre. With a bright, zesty taste, the wood sorrell tastes a bit like lemons.

The versatile and easily accessible Wild Garlic strikes again. Wild garlic, blended with nuts and olive oil makes a superb pesto. Wild garlic pesto is lovely with cheese and crackers, use sparingly as it has a strong taste.

Irish Wild Plants for Tea and Coffee

Wild Mint has narrow pointed leaves and lilac-blue flowers (in season), and grows in damp places. Wild mint, just like mint purchased in shops, has a distinctive smell and taste. As with most teas, wash the leaves and let soak into a tea)

Stinging Nettles: Stinging nettles are a common sight in Ireland, and because of their stings, they are one of the first plants you learn…usually so you can avoid them! As with stinging nettle soup, you’ll first have to collect your leaves (wearing protective gloves). Once you have a handful, first wash your leaves, then soak them and then finally strain them for tea. Infusing the nettles in boiling water will make them unable to sting you (drying or crushing them will do the same thing).

Bramble leaf tea: The bramble, the plant that produces blackberries in late summer/autumn, also has an edible leaf that can be strained for tea. It has a light taste, and is easy to drink. First, collect some – you’ll need at least a large handful for a pot of tea – and then wash the leaves. Because they need to be steeped for a longer time than, say, mint, we recommend steeping them directly in a pot for at least 10-15 mins instead of straining them for individual cups.

Roasted Dandelion Root: Dandelion root can be used to make an all-natural, ersatz coffee-like beverage (minus the caffeine of course). You’ll have to harvest dandelion roots – at least 30 for enough to fill a French press. Then, chopped, roasted and ground up, steep in hot water to use as a coffee alternative. Learn how to forage and prepare dandelion roots with our video below. 

Dandelion Roasted Root Coffee

Irish Seaweed

The Irish coast is also full of edible seaweeds such as Kelp, Carrageen, Dilisk and Sea Spaghetti. Seaweeds are classed as super foods because they are packed with vitamins and minerals.

Irish Sea Spaghetti recipes:

Sea Spaghetti (Himanthalia elongata) is a nice foraged plant to start with as it is very distinguishable and can be used in a diverse range of recipes. Sea Spaghetti is commonly found on lower shore lines around wave exposed coasts. Its appearance is similar to spaghetti and after washing and boiling, it also forms a similar texture.

The best time to forage for Sea Spaghetti is springtime, as this is when it is most tender and tasty! Add it as a pasta alternative or chop it up and put it in a stir-fry, salad or soup. Learn more about how to foraging for and cooking Sea Spaghetti in our video. 

Sea Spaghetti Recipe

Irish Wild Berries

Sweet, wild blackberries which grow on brambles in hedgerows and in fields throughout Ireland. They are ripe from July onwards depending on weather.

Raspberries are also fairly common and easily recognisable berry in Ireland and ripe in the late summer – July and August.

County Wexford is known for its strawberry production but there are also wild strawberries in Ireland – they are smaller and less sweet, but still very nice. They ripen in the early summer, or late spring.

Bilberries are another common berry found in Ireland (though not often in the supermarket) and are safe to eat – they are small, acidic, round and blue-purple, and found on bushes in heathland and low mountainside – resembling but not to be confused with blueberries.   

The dark, blue-black elderberries grow in clusters, and have a tart taste. Avoid eating them raw. Instead, they make very nice jams, chutneys and cordials – or even wine.

Irish Fungi

There are many edible types of mushrooms in Ireland, but there are also many that could be poisonous. Unless you’re an expert, we recommend you avoid mushroom foraging. Instead, if this is something that interests you, we recommend signing up for a mushroom foraging class or workshop. For example, mushroom foraging is just one of several Irish foodie experiences offered on our Foodie Tour of Ireland.

Or, we can build a wild mushroom foraging experience in to other private travel itineraries throughout Ireland.

Foodie Tour of Ireland

Irish Wild Plants for Wines and Cordials

Elderberries, elderflowers, and apples are all readily available wild Irish plants that can be easily made into cordials or fermented to make into wines, without expensive brewing or distilling equipment.

One of our favourites to make is elderflower wine, which is easy to make, and the ingredients are both abundant and free! Elderflowers can be found in hedgerows across Ireland, and resemble white clusters of dainty, tiny flowers, best foraged in midsummer. The recipe that we’ve used can be found here.

Elderflower can be used to make into a cordial, and mixed with sparkling water, or into prosecco or champagne as a sweetener/flavouring.

Elderberry (not to be confused with elderflower) can also be used to make a cordial, mixed with water, sugar and cinnamon. There are many recipes out there, like this one for example.