Wild Food Guide — 'C'

Welcome to the Celtnet guide to wild foods. As this recipe site has grown it has become obvious that to allow people to replicate some of the more ancient recipes on this site (especially from the Ancient, Roman and Medieval periods it is necessary to list modern alternatives but also to produce a guide so that the curious can find the original (often wild) ingredients for themselves. These pages are an attempt at bringing all these potentially useful and often forgotten wild foods together into one place. To use this guide simply click on the first letter of your term above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the terms. You may well find something that surprises you!

This page covers wild foods beginning with the letter 'C' and includes both common and scientific names.

This is the description page for Wild Mint (Mentha arvensis) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the wild foodstuff: Wild Mint.

Wild Mint, Mentha arvensis is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family which is also known as 'Corn Mint'. This perennial plant is a native of Eurasia and North America and in the wild grows to about 15–80cm in height. The leaves are highly aromatic and can be used for flavouring sauces and jams. Wild mint goes well with lamb but also works in hedgerow salads where (along with salt) in can be used to counter the bitter flavour of some vegetables. Chewed raw it also freshens the breath and can be used to stave-off hunger.

There is, however, no need to forage for wild mint as the common pot herb, spearmint makes an essentially identical substitute and is very easy to propagate and grow (I have at least three large pots of mint in my garden). But water mint is the native mint species of Britain. If you can find some, treasure it as the flavour is beyond compare.

Nigerian Spiced Goat Meat Pepper Soup
Violet and Mint Salad
Grey Mullet with Wild Sea Beet