Since the trees have started to bloom and the sun has stopped tricking me and actually decided to be warm this year, I have been spending most of my time outside. Mainly in the woods, or hills, or plains. Around rivers and climbing mountains. Surrounded by nature’s rebirth everywhere, I couldn’t help but notice the abundance that was everywhere I looked. So much abundance, in fact, that I think I could go several days sustaining myself with what nature offers us in the spring (and coffee of course…. and bread, good bread!).

This is the reason why I am bringing you our monthly witchy post earlier in April. I want you to have more time to go out there and explore the beauty (and deliciousness) of spring.

Pro tip: romanticize the heck out of it. Wear a fairy-like flowy dress, ribbons in your hair, and carry a wicker basket for your loot. And when you bring it home, light some candles and turn on the radio, keep it as old-timey as you’re comfortable with, and get cooking. I promise you this is the recipe for an unforgettable spring day.

Before we get into it, I just want to give you a couple of disclaimers.

When foraging, it is always of utmost importance to be 100% sure you have the right plant. If you’re not sure about it, better leave it. I will try to give you some tips on how you can recognize certain plants, but it’s also important to listen to your intuition (intuition, not anxiety please).

Second, all the information in this post is based on my experience with these plants. Given that I am in Central Europe, there might be a possibility in some cases that the plants I am talking about are not available in your region, but I will do my best to cover that part as well. Furthermore, I am not a doctor or dietitian, so if you have any underlying issues, please consult with a specialist before you consume any of your foraged goodies.

And lastly, be respectful when foraging. Respectful of Mother Nature who is giving you this bounty; always ask if you can take something and give thanks after you do, and don’t get greedy. Even though there’s plenty of it, we are not the only ones who need these plants. There are countless animals and birds that rely on this as their main nourishment source during the first days of spring, so never take more than you need and always make sure to leave some for our critter friends.

Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s jump into it!

1. Wild Garlic or Ramsons (Allium ursinum)

We of course have to start with my favorite spring plant to forage and that is the wild garlic. As a garlic (and onion) girly, I love it in all its shapes and forms, but ramsons is by far my preferred form.

What is wild garlic?

It’s a spring herb with broad and smooth garlicky-smelling leaves and, later in the season, white flowers. With the term “ursinum” from the Latin “ursus” meaning bear, there is a cute little story about wild garlic being the first thing that bears eat when they come out of hibernation; so, don’t forget to leave some for our fluffy friends.

Location 

Wild Garlic is mostly native to the cool, damp forests of Europe as well as some European adjacent parts of West Asia, such as Turkey and the Caucasus. Even though not native to the Americas, you can find a similar wild garlic species in North America, commonly known as ramps (Allium tricoccum).

Where to find wild garlic?

You can usually smell the wild garlic before you see it. You can find it in deciduous woodlands, the important part being moist soil in a shaded area.

When can you forage it?

It is best to forage the wild garlic in early spring, like March and April. Even though you can find it during the entire spring season (March–June), once it starts to bloom its leaves might become bitter, so I’d advise you to try and find it early. You can also wash it, pat it dry, and put it in a ziplock bag in the freezer if you don’t know what to do with it straight away.

What does it look like?

You can recognize the wild garlic by its broad, smooth, deep green leaves and garlic smell. Sometimes people tend to stay away from this plant for fear of confusing it with the very similar-looking Lily of the Valley. However, there are some differences between these two: first of all, usually the Lily of the Valley only has 2 leaves springing from a shoot, while the wild garlic has several. Second, and most importantly, even though it might slow you down, I advise you to smell each leaf you pick up; the garlic smell is a great way to figure out what plant you’re dealing with.

Harvesting

Pick up a couple of leaves from every shoot, making sure you leave some, and definitely don’t try to pry the entire thing out of the ground. First of all, there’s little you can do with the bulb and the roots, and second, by doing this you would ruin the entire patch for the seasons to come.

Uses

Now the fun part; these are some of my favorite ways of using wild garlic, besides eating it as a salad with a pinch of salt and olive oil:

• Wild Garlic Butter

  You will need: 

• • 200g butter – softened and at room temperature
  • 60g wild garlic
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Salt to taste

Method: Wash the wild garlic and pat it dry before chopping it into fine ribbons. Mash the softened butter in a bowl. When you get a smooth textured mass, add the chopped wild garlic, the zest, and salt, and mix well until all is combined. Transfer the mixture onto parchment paper, form it into a log, and twist the ends to secure. Put your masterpiece into the fridge until firm and then it’s ready to enjoy. You can store your wild garlic butter in the fridge for up to two weeks, but I am pretty sure that once you taste it, it won’t survive that long.

• Wild Garlic Pesto

  You will need:

• • 100g wild garlic
  • 50g shredded parmesan
  • 50g roasted hazelnuts or pine nuts
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • A squeeze of lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method: Blend everything together until you get a pesto consistency. Taste as you go and if you feel like it needs more lemon juice, salt, or pepper, just add it. We measure with the heart here. Put your pesto into a jar and store it for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

• Wild Garlic Potato Soup

  You will need:

• • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 600g potatoes
  • 1l water
  • 100g wild garlic
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Heavy cream for serving

Method: Sauté the onion in the olive oil with some salt until soft and fragrant, then add the potatoes and the water and let it boil until the potatoes become tender. Add the wild garlic for another couple of minutes until this softens as well, then take the pot off the stove and blend everything together with a stick blender. Add salt and pepper to taste and, when you’re done blending, you can transfer your soup to a bowl and serve it with a drizzle of heavy cream.

2. Violets (Viola odorata)

From all the flowers you can pick, violets belong to my favorite category: edible flowers! Violets, also known as equinox flowers, tend to bless us with their purple hues at the beginning of spring, around the equinox. A joy to spot in the fields, a marvel to see up close, and a delicate floral aroma when brought into the kitchen, violets are, in my opinion, the ultimate spring show-stopper.

What are violets?

A wild spring flower with over 100 species (genus Viola), most of them recognizable by their heart-shaped, dark green leaves and usually 5-petal flowers with colors ranging between blue and purple, and even white in some cases. The most commonly used violet species around European kitchens is the sweet violet (Viola odorata), due to its sweeter, more intense aroma.

Location

Native to Europe and Western Asia, some species can also be found in North America.

Where to find violets?

Violets love moist and shady areas. You can find them on the edge of a forest or in clearings, even in gardens and hedgerows. They often grow in low patches, close to the ground, and like to spread (some people even call them weeds, but we of course highly disagree with that).

When can you forage it?

Early to mid-spring is the best time to forage violets (March–May). You want to pick them up when they are open and fresh, not wilted, best in the morning after the dew has dried, because that’s when they are most fragrant.

What does it look like?

The edible kind of violets we are looking for have 5 petals, usually purple, sometimes blue and rarely even white. Their leaves are deep green and either oval or heart-shaped. They grow in patches and have thin stems.

Harvesting

Depending on how you intend to use your violets, you can either pick them up with a longer stem or just the flowers. As long as you make sure that you are foraging in a clean, pollution- and pesticide-free area, the stem, leaves, and flowers should be edible; however, we usually only use the latter because it’s the most fragrant. Please harvest lightly and respectfully—only a few flowers from each patch, ensuring that they will be able to spread and bloom again in the years to come.

As always, be careful what you are foraging and better stay away or ask someone knowledgeable if in doubt. Some usual plants or violet species that should be avoided are the African violets or the periwinkle, both of which are similar yet bigger and quite distinguishable from violets.

Uses

Violets might be the most whimsical plants that you can use in your kitchen. From the color-changing syrup to what used to be Empress Sisi of Austria’s favorite candy, whenever you use one of the following recipes, I guarantee you will 100% feel like you’re in a fairytale.

• Candied Violets

  You will need:

• • A handful of violets (or as many or as little as you want to use)
  • A lightly beaten egg white (or aquafaba for a vegan version)
  • Caster sugar (or any other type of very fine sugar)

Method: The process to get these spectacularly looking and quite tasty nature candies couldn’t be easier. I would advise picking up the flowers with a longer stem so you can handle them more easily. You can either gently rinse and let the flowers dry on a paper towel, or if you foraged from a safe and trusted area, you can skip this step entirely and the flowers will also better hold their form. With a brush, cover the flower’s surface with your egg white (or aquafaba). With a spoon, sprinkle sugar over your flower and then place it on parchment paper to dry. When they’ve dried, cut off the stems and repeat the egg white–sugar process one more time. After this second time, it’s time to let the flowers dry out completely. There are several ways you can do this. You can either leave them somewhere dry and warm in your house for at least 24 hours, use a dehydrator if you have one, or just turn on your oven to 40°C (100°F) and put the flowers in for 6 hours or overnight. Once they are completely dried, store your new favorite candies in an airtight container lined with a paper towel or parchment paper so your masterpieces don’t slide around too much and break. You can store them in the fridge for at least one month and up to several if preserved correctly.

• Violet Syrup

  You will need:

• • 1 cup edible violet flowers
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar

Method: Gently rinse the violet flowers—no stem or the green base if possible—and let them dry out on a paper towel. Put the dried violets in a container and cover them with the boiling water, leaving it to infuse under a lid for at least an hour, until the water gets a bluish color. Transfer your newly violet-infused water into a saucepan, making sure to squeeze all the liquid out of the flowers, and add in the sugar. Simmer the mixture on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture into a glass jar or bottle and, once it’s cooled, you can store it in the fridge for up to one month. You can use the syrup for baking or to make drinks. When you add lemon juice to it, depending on how much, it will change its color to purple, and if you decide to use it in lemonades, you will get a lovely pinkish hue.

• Violet Jam

  You will need:

• • 200g violet flowers
  • 1 kg sugar
  • 500 ml spring water (or mineral water)
  • Juice from one lemon

Method: Gently rinse the flowers, without the stem and calyx if possible, and then let them dry on a paper towel. Spread them in a deep dish and sprinkle them with 1 tbsp of sugar and the lemon juice. Gently massage everything into the flowers, but don’t overdo it; we want them to keep their shape. Next, prepare a sugar syrup by simmering the water and the rest of the sugar on medium heat until it starts to thicken. Add in the flowers and continue to boil until you get a thick consistency, so when you are dripping the mixture from your spoon, it should form drops. Pour the mixture into a sterilized glass container, seal it, and when it’s cooled, store it in the fridge for up to one month.

3. Lilac flowers (Syringa vulgaris)

What is lilac?

A small tree or shrub, with multiple woody stems, that grows around gardens and is very easily recognizable by its purple-hued clusters of spring-smelling flowers. For me, lilac is the literal definition of spring, and whenever I see the first flowers blooming, I need to bring them into my house as a reminder that no matter the hard times, spring always blesses us with her return.

Location

Native to the Balkan region, it has now spread through the entirety of Europe, becoming a hallmark of spring even in North America.

Where to find lilac?

Lilac shrubs enjoy sunny places with moist, well-drained soil. You can usually find them in gardens, courtyards, parks, or along fences. I wouldn’t be surprised if, while reading this post, you realize you had one right under your nose for years and never noticed it until now.

When can you forage it?

Lilacs usually bloom in mid-spring, lasting until late spring (April–May). The flowers should be foraged when open so you can get them when they are most fragrant, but not too late, since they tend to turn brown and lose their floral aroma towards the end of their bloom. I would advise you to gather them at midday, after the morning dew has dried, again, to get that flowery essence at its peak.

What does it look like?

The tree itself has a shrubby look, with several woody stems and big, smooth, heart-shaped leaves that usually grow in pairs. The flower clusters, with colors ranging between purple, pink, and white, are the most recognizable trait of lilac trees; each flower has 4 petals. A common confusion when looking for lilac might be the butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii), but given that this one usually blooms in summer, it should be easy to avoid.

Harvesting

When harvesting lilac, make sure to do so in a clean, unpolluted area and ensure that the plant has not been treated with pesticides or anything else. In order for the flowers to preserve their aroma best, it is good to skip the washing process and just give the flowers a quick shake or rinse to get rid of any insects that might live there. Usually for a recipe, cutting 4 to 5 clusters of flowers should be enough. Then, when they are in your kitchen, you can remove all the green parts, which are usually bitter, until you are left only with the flowers. The lookalikes of lilac are not necessarily dangerous, but as with the other plants on this list, when in doubt, just use your nose. There are some decorative lilac species, but they more often than not have no smell.

Uses

• Lilac Flower Honey

The lilac flower aroma is notoriously fleeting and over the years I have noticed that one of the best methods to preserve it is through lilac-infused honey.

  You will need:

• • 5 clusters of flowers
  • 2 cups of honey

Method: Pick the flowers out of the clusters, leaving the green parts aside as much as possible, and put them in a mason jar. Pour your honey over the flowers, let it settle for a couple of minutes, and then supplement if needed until your jar is full. Depending on the size of your container, you might not use all the honey or might need more. Don’t worry if the flowers keep floating to the surface; it’s part of the process. Put the lid on your jar and leave it in your pantry for a couple of days—preferably weeks—before using it, and stir it every other day or whenever you remember. When your lilac-infused honey is ready, you can scoop the flowers out, or not, since they are edible. The honey should hold well for at least a couple of months.

• Lilac Flower Jam

Similar to the violet jam, but with a spicy twist, so you can also have a more complex flower jam recipe in your arsenal.

  You will need:

• • 300g lilac flowers
  • 5g citric acid
  • 5g granulated sugar
  • 800g sugar
  • 500ml spring water (or mineral water)
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 1 small lemon
  • 1 vanilla bean

Method: Give the freshly picked lilac flowers a good rinse with cold water and then lay them on a paper towel to dry. When picking the flowers, make sure to get rid of as much of the green part as possible. Prepare a simple sugar syrup by boiling the 800g sugar and water together with the cinnamon stick, the sliced lemon, and the seeds from the vanilla bean for 20 minutes. Rub the lilac flowers with the citric acid and the 5g of granulated sugar, then add them to the syrup. If this foams during the boiling, scoop the foam with a spoon and throw it away. Simmer everything on low heat until it ties together and thickens. After that, you can take it off the heat, take the lemon slices and the cinnamon out, and cover it with a towel. When it’s cooled, transfer the mixture into sanitized glass jars, put the lids on them, and store in a cool and dark place for up to several months.

• Lilac Shortbread Cookies

Lilac sugar is such a whimsical addition to your kitchen, but such an easy recipe that I felt like I needed to give you a bit more, so by combining two basic recipes I give you these lilac shortbread cookies.

  You will need:

• • 145g unsalted soft butter at room temperature
  • 100g lilac sugar (sugar and lilac flowers in a ratio of 3:1)
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 180g flour
  • Pinch of salt

Method: The main ingredient for these shortbread cookies is, of course, the lilac sugar, so we will start with that. It is very simple: take a jar and start layering sugar and lilac flowers (a couple of tbsp of sugar, then a heaping tbsp of flowers) until your jar is full. I use a 3:1 sugar-to-flowers ratio, meaning that for a cup of sugar, you will take 1/3 cup of flowers. Make sure to pick the flowers from a clean area so that you are confident using them without washing them and, as usual, only add the flowers and take any green parts you see out. Put the lid on your jar and give it a good shake. After that, leave it in a cool dark place and shake it every day for a week. After a week, your sugar is ready to use; you can either take the flowers out or leave them in, you decide.

When you have your lilac sugar ready, you can bake your cookies. Beat the butter and the vanilla extract until creamy, and then add your lilac sugar to the mixture and a pinch of salt. Mix everything together until well combined. Add the flour and keep mixing until everything is combined. You might need to scrape your bowl down a couple of times during this process. Shape the dough into a log or a rectangular prism—the shape is entirely up to you—wrap it, and chill it in the fridge for at least an hour. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Cut the dough into 1cm thick slices and place them spaced on a tray lined with parchment paper. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes and then let them cool before enjoying them. If you want to be “extra,” you can even add some lilac sugar or jam on them before enjoying them or use your violet syrup to make a frosting and enjoy a symphony of spring flowers with your afternoon tea.

We are now approaching the end of the post, and it has become very clear to me that now that I have started, I will never stop sharing whimsical foraging tips and recipes with you.

This process just unlocked a core memory for me from my childhood summers that I used to spend with my grandmother in the kitchen, absorbing all that kitchen witchery wisdom dressed as countryside living tips and tricks. And there’s a lot more where this came from, so stay tuned as I turn into my grandma and make sure that the old kitchen ways will not be forgotten.