Herbalism recipes: Easy foraged meals for beginners
This post features 7 simple, family-friendly herbalism recipes, each with a key foraged herb.
With each dish, we learn how these wild plants support long-term health.
Embrace the “food is medicine” philosophy with these wild, seasonal delights.
And don’t worry, each foraged ingredient is super easy to ID 😊
Ready to explore?
1. Wild Garlic Pesto
Wild garlic (Allium ursinum) is a favourite springtime food found carpeting damp woodlands.
Its broad green leaves and starry white flowers are easy to spot – and its garlicky scent is unmistakable.
Check this post about wild garlic to learn about lookalikes before foraging for the first time.
Why it’s good for you:
Wild garlic has the same amazing medicinal properties as bulb garlic1.
It improves circulation and supports heart health. It can help lower blood pressure, and is rich in antioxidants.
It’s often mellower than bulb garlic, making it easier on the stomach for regular use.
Recipe idea:
Blend 75g of wild garlic leaves with 50g walnuts, 35g grated cheese, lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil to make a vibrant pesto.
Feel free to modify the recipe with any ingredients you have on hand – mixed nuts work well.
Try experimenting with the ratios of ingredients until you reach a consistency that works for you.
If you love chunky pesto, it’s fun to chop up the wild garlic and then use a pestle and mortar.
You could even try making this recipe outside in the fresh air ⛺
Try it on pasta, slices of fresh bread, in a salad or as a dip.
2. Nettle Soup
Nettle soup is a real classic – every forager needs to try making it at least once!
Once cooked, nettles (Urtica dioica) lose their sting and become a delicious, spinach-like green.
Look for young nettle tops in spring or autumn, away from roadsides.
Why it’s good for you:
Nettles are lovingly known as “nature’s multivitamin and multimineral” – rich in iron, calcium, vitamins A and C and more2.
They’re traditionally used to support joint health, reduce inflammation, and correct nutritional deficiencies.
Recipe idea:
For a classic nettle soup, sauté onions and garlic in butter, add diced potatoes, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Stir in washed nettle leaves, and add water.
Simmer until tender without allowing to boil, then blend into a creamy, green soup.
Why not serve with a swirl of cream, a poached egg, and generous slices of freshly buttered bread?
3. Dandelion Leaf Salad
Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are more than just garden weeds—they’re edible from root to flower.
The young leaves are best in early spring before they become more bitter.
Why it’s good for you:
Dandelion leaves support liver health, aid digestion, and act as a gentle diuretic3.
Dandelion tap roots reach deep into the soil to pull up minerals, which they transfer to the leaves.
They’re packed full of potassium and antioxidants.
Recipe idea:
Toss young dandelion leaves with olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
Add toasted seeds, ribbons of carrot and cucumber, sliced boiled eggs or crumbled feta for a refreshing salad.
4. Chickweed frittata
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a delicate, sprawling green that loves to grow in garden beds and disturbed soil.
Its tiny star-shaped flowers and stretchy, juicy stems are key ID features.
It has a mild, slightly sweet taste and makes a wonderful wild salad green or cooked veggie.
Why it’s good for you:
Chickweed is cooling and moistening – great for dry skin, heat, or irritation.
It’s full of minerals like calcium and magnesium, and is traditionally used to support digestion and soothe inflammation.
It’s gentle and safe for regular use.
Recipe idea:
Dice a potato and an onion and heat in a frying pan with a little oil or butter for 10 minutes.
Add a couple of large handfuls of freshly chopped chickweed and any other wild green or veggie you want to add.
Whisk 4 to 5 eggs with salt, pepper, and a splash of milk or plant milk.
Add the whisked eggs to the pan and cook gently until the bottom is set. Finish under the grill to set the top.
This makes a quick, hearty lunch and also works well cold in lunchboxes or wraps.
5. Garlic sautéed sea beet
Sea beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima) is the wild ancestor of chard and beetroot.
You’ll find it on coastlines and salt-tolerant patches, with thick, glossy, dark green leaves.
It tastes a lot like spinach – but stronger and more savoury.
Why it’s good for you:
Sea beet is rich in iron, magnesium, and antioxidants.
It supports healthy blood, energy levels, and the nervous system.
As a dark leafy green, it’s one of the most nourishing wild foods around.
Recipe idea:
Wash a big handful of sea beet leaves and chop roughly.
Sauté a chopped garlic clove in olive oil until fragrant, then add the greens and a pinch of salt.
Let them wilt down for a few minutes, stirring often.
Finish with a squeeze of lemon and a crack of black pepper.
Serve as a side dish, stirred into grains, or on toast with a poached egg.
6. Fat hen egg-fried rice
Fat hen (Chenopodium album) grows in sunny, disturbed soil and allotments.
Its vibrant green leaves have a soft, slightly succulent texture, and it can reach impressive heights during summer.
The young leaves are the best to eat – tender and full of flavour.
Why it’s good for you:
Fat hen is rich in calcium, protein, and vitamins A and C.
It supports strong bones, eye health, and immunity.
Recipe idea:
Blanch or steam a couple of handfuls of young fat hen leaves, then chop them roughly once they’ve cooled down a bit.
In a large frying pan, heat oil and toss in 1–2 cups of cooked rice (leftover rice works best). Stir until heated through.
Push to one side and crack in two eggs. Scramble briefly, then mix everything together.
Add the chopped greens, soy sauce or tamari, and a dash of sesame oil or vinegar.
Simple, fast, and full of wild flavour – try adding fried mushrooms or spring onions.
7. Sorrel omelette
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) is an easy-to-spot wild green with long, lance-shaped leaves and a zesty, lemony flavour.
You’ll find it in meadows, hedgerows, and gardens from early spring.
Why it’s good for you:
Sorrel is high in vitamin C and iron.
Its sour taste comes from oxalic acid, which helps stimulate digestion.
It’s often used to wake up sluggish appetites and adds brightness to heavier dishes.
Recipe idea:
Wash and finely slice a small handful of fresh sorrel leaves.
Whisk 2–3 eggs with a little milk, salt, and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into a heated pan and cook gently.
Just before the omelette is fully set, fold in the sorrel leaves and let them wilt into the eggs.
Fold the omelette over and serve with a simple salad and toast.
This is a perfect light breakfast or lunch when you want something cleansing and energising.
90-Day Family Herbalist
Just One More Page…
Can’t stop learning about herbalism?
References
- Wild Garlic by The Doctor’s Kitchen ↩︎
- 6 Evidence-Based Benefits of Stinging Nettle by healthline ↩︎
- Dandelion by Mount Sinai ↩︎
Share your recipes
Feeling inspired by these easy herbalism recipes?
Do you have any recipe ideas you’d like to share?
And most importantly, what’s for tea tonight? 😁😂
