Foraging in October... CHICORY

Blackthorn, blackberries, burdock, bittercress, chestnut, acorn, walnut, rosehip, beechnut, cobnut, hazelnut, dog rose, dulse, hawthorn, mushrooms, chickweed, elderberry, horseradish, meadowsweet...

Yarrow, juniper, nettles, dandelion root, rowan, chicory root…

You can find all these amazing things around you. Some of them grow just on the street in your neighbourhood but some prefer the coastline or the woods. Pick your pick and see what you can use your new find.

CHICORY - alias blue dandelion

I love chicory root - because my love for coffee and bitterness is endless. What about the leaves? They look similar to dandelion leaves - and almost just as bitter, but if you know what to do with them - it’s not just tasty but stupidly healthy too. Packed with niacin, thiamin and zinc. Raw greens help insulin sensitivity (great choice for diabetics) and rich fibres and vitamins (C, A, E, B6, folate, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper etc…). Because it’s a superhero - it just happens to taste a little bitter.

P.S.: this plant is amazing because it’s full of fibres, BUT “chicory root is broken down quickly and completely by bacteria in the large intestine, which can trigger symptoms like gas, belly bloat, abdominal pain, and gut rumbling.”

CHICORY CRUMB WITH BLACK GARLIC AND NIBS

Let me say this out loud: this is not your Sunday tea-time bread and butter pudding for sure. :)

This recipe is as crazy as amazing. But you better open your mind. Only because i put garlic and pudding in the very same sentence.