I’m behind, as usual. I was meant to start this new site and blog in early 2024 but time wasn’t on my side so here we are four months into 2025 and I’m only getting round to it. The plants are firing ahead and I’m still wondering if it could still be January. Usually, January is quite sufficient in providing time in darkness and quiet for me, but this year I would have enjoyed just a little more. A good sign to probably take things a little easier.
Winter has been a simple time of focusing on things I don’t normally get to do, like reading, cooking for myself, walking for joy, volunteering (planting trees for Belfast Hills!) and recuperating in front of the TV catching up on the things I’ve missed with Ollie the dog. Less stress for this weary mind. Which is how things are going to go over here now I have pretty much left social media. Updates might be a little less regular, but hopefully the gentle sporadic interruptions in your inbox will be welcome. Thanks for staying. I appreciate your patience if you have been waiting to hear from me. This month I’ve already had a few events but more are coming up find them here and I’ve been compiling new recipes too which will appear as I go along through the season. I still have a ton of information and recipes on Instagram too if you’re there and I will transfer those across as I go.
It’s April now and I definitely have no choice but to be gathering, plant talking and recipe making. For this recipe, here is what I found in a few of my local parks in East Belfast. Tommy Patton Park is not the first place a lot of people will think of as a place to forage but in the springtime there is a wealth of fresh greens – just be careful where you pick as this park is quite busy.
Field Maple Leaves – At this young stage, field maple leaves make a fantastic addition to a salad or even to a salsa. Their flavour is neutral and green. This is our only native maple tree and a common one in most parks.
Cow Parsley – Young flower stems are my favourite part of cow parsley. Be sure about what you are picking as it has some nasty cousins.
Ground Elder – This is best right now while young and tender. It has a strong fresh parsley flavour.
Forsythia – This a widespread garden plant that escapes into parks. The tender yellow flowers are only here for a little while and add a pop of colour to any dish.
Common hogweed – A common and underrated vegetable at it’s best before flowering.
Darwins Berberis – A common non-native flowering shrub that has delicious, tangy flowers and fruit in the summer.
Rosebay willowherb – Best known for its leaves for tea but I eat it as a vegetable when it’s very young like this.
With all these plants I made a fantastic red braised potato salad. You can get the details of it here! See you next time. xx
feasting on weeds 
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