Burdock is a brilliant plant to learn as it has lots of edible parts.
Widespread and common throughout Britain,at the edges of woodland, roadsides and waste ground. A stiff bushy plant up to 4ft high,conspicuous early in the year for its floppy heart shaped leaves (often mistaken for rhubarb). Flowers July to September.
The parts to pick are the young leaf stems which sprout around May (after September they are too tough and stringy) cut the stems into 5cm lengths and the hard outer stripped off, this moist veg can be used raw in salads or boiled and served like asparagus (tastes a little like new potatoes)
Burdock roots are used extensively in Japanese cooking. about the size of a good parsnip and really hard to dig up (don't pull on the root it will snap) can be boiled or fried or added to stews and meats as a good source of starch.
(you must get permission from the land owner before digging up any wild plant by the root)
(NEVER PICK ANY WILD PLANT YOU CANNOT 100% ID)
see you out there...
Paul...
here is a couple of piccys to help up find this brilliant plant
