By Tony Orman

The right plants to pick and pluck

There’s lots of unexpected edibles out there in the countryside. Go looking for them and you’re into foraging. But you need knowledge of which plants to pluck and especially of those to avoid. This book Foraging New Zealand by Peter Langlands should prove an indispensable guide to it. 

Cantabrian Peter Langlands has had a lifelong interest in the outdoors; plus he has a Canterbury University Natural Sciences degree, So he is well qualified to tackle the subject which is surprising extensive since there is over 7,500 edible species to consider. 

 For practical reasons in writing a book on the subject, Peter’s chosen 250 main species, “selected for their flavour, generally recognised as safe to eat and for being readily available.”

Analysing the chosen 250

The book is full of information on each of the 250 species:

  • detailing yet concisely describing the scientific name, 
  • other names the plant is known by, description
  • distribution, habitat, seasonality
  •  foraging tips,
  • cautionary notes 
  • similar species and edibility uses. 

There are striking colour photos opposite each text.

In many areas, Kapiti Coast being one of them, mint grows in profusion along the banks of some trout streams. When taking a fish home for the dinner table, I would gut out the trout and cram the innards cavity with mint. Thanks to Peter Langlands’ book,

Finding the forage

I now know that mint was “Wild Spearmint”. The term mint applies to several species which go under the umbrella of “Lamiaceae”. The Lamiaceae family “brims with nutritious and delicious culinary herbs, including basil, oregano and sages.” For instance ground-ivy’s leaves can be eaten raw in salads. Apple mint often spreading along watercourses is good as garnish or used to make mint sauce.  “Dried the leaves make mint tea; fresh they can also be fried until crisp and used to garnish fish dishes.”

Most of us, know of field mushrooms and the likes of blackberries but as the author relates, there’s so much more unsuspected food/drink sources out there in the mountains, river banks, roadsides and other outdoors environments. 

Gorse flowers, red clover, kawakawa, horopito and more

Enhance your campsite meals with treats for garnishing salads or cooked vegetables. Did you know the bright yellow flowers of gorse can be used to add colour to a salad? They add taste with an “aromatic coconut flavour” says the author. 

Similarly fresh red clover flowers can be added to salads and “the dried flowers make good herbal teas” while the “fresh spring growth can be eaten raw in salad, the older foliage steamed and eaten as a vegetable.”

I remember a place I hunted years ago in the Southern Ruahine Ranges where kawakawa grew in profusion. Well Peter Langland’s relates that researchers have confirmed that kawakawa contains over 60 biologically active compounds. “The leaves have a refreshing peppery and slightly numbing sensation on the palate. They can be eaten raw but have a strong flavour so are best steamed or pickled or used in tea.”

In another Ruahine Range hunting nook I knew well, there were horopito shrubs. This indigenous pepper is ideal to flavour savoury (e.g campfire venison stew) and sweet dishes. “The wood and dried leaves can be used to smoke different foods and when mixed with manuka, make a dynamic smoke flavour.”

Using other natives

Or how about manuka? “The wood has a high burning point and produces an aromatic smoke that can be used to cold and hot smoke a wide variety of foods. A refreshing herbal tea can be made from sprigs of fresh green growth and the flowers, through simply steeping the branches in hot water, will also create a refreshing drink.”

Other native plants feature such as pohutukawa, lemonwood, rimu, kahikatea, totara, miro and others.

Safety is paramount in foraging from the wild and the book stresses the need for caution. Readers are urged to “be vigilant about potential toxins, environmental contaminants and proper food preparation techniques to minimise risks.”

Highly recmmended

Peter Langlands and Penguin Random House NZ with their stylish book design, have produced an intriguing, informative and handsome volume. 

Extremely well indexed, Foraging New Zealand contains a wealth of valuable information about the individual plants — both native and introduced. No surprises then, that it’s strongly recommended.

Foraging New Zealand by Peter Langlands is published by Penguin Random House NZ, reccomended retail price $50