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blowin

www.the-tree.org.uk/EnchantedForest/WoodlandFlowers/pignut.htm

I have just responded to a thread over on the GWBT forum . I was going to start one here a bit later in the year but there is no harm in being on the lookout from now on so here is a copy of what I put there .

Please take " I am not an expert ..... etc " as read .
Take care because they are closely related to a whole group of umbellifers which includes eg wild celery and carrot ( I think ) together with some very poisonous stuff such as Mandrake ( certain ) .
The Pig Nut is the only one which has a clearly identifiable "nut" below ground ( I am certain but pls check for yourself ).
As prev described , as the main stem enters the ground it quickly changes to a thin string-like thread which often takes off at a most unlikely angle . It is brittle so will snap unless you are very gentle .
The nut is at the end of this , between 1" and maybe 6" away .
When washed / rubbed clean it looks like a smallish , unevenly shaped hazel nut ( but it does not have a shell ) .
When dirty / in the ground they are frustratingly difficult to spot .
Texture is not unlike hazel itself -- nice crunch , slightly moist , a bit cardboardy after chewing for a while .
Flavour slightly nutty . To me it had a slightly peppery aftertaste .
Well worth picking but time-consuming to get more than a handfull . Still , they are quite filling so you don't need many if the foraging is mainly for fun .
Took me 2 years to find the first one , then I realsed I had been trampling them underfoot all the time ! They are everywhere . The plant is generally much smaller than I had expected -- possibly a local trait .
I will try growing a few in the polyT or veg bed -- just to make the digging up & picking out a bit easier .
If ever I can find the time to find the rootstock in the first place Laughing

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Good luck

admin · Site Admin Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 227

Their leaves are appearing now . They look like young / fragile carrot . They are quite easy to spot at this stage , before the scutch & everything gets out of hand . It might also help if you clear the worst of any twigs & leaf-litter from the area .
I cannot be certain of the i/d at this size ( due to the number of look-alikes ) but it is worth noting where to check a bit later in the year .
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wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

Are these annuals?
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blowin · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:28 pm Post subject:

Perenial , I am pretty sure , but they seem to multiply by seed rather than from the tuber ( the nut ) . The nut gets bigger each year until thumbnail size but still throws only the one stem . I think ! -- Just my observation -- I haven't researched much beyond what is req'd for positive i/d before eating ! Quite important in this case -- imagine being screamed at by a plant before it went on to make you very ill indeed ( Mandrake Shocked

) .
Makes fish and chips seem a bit tame , doesn't it Laughing

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

Cool. So given the other family members I/D is most important. Are these the only plant of this group that grows a tuber? If they are then no probs Wink

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bref · Joined: 16 Dec 2006 Posts: 136 Location: South Dublin

Whats the GWBT forum?

blowin · Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:38 am Post subject:

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

How about a piccy Blowin Very Happy

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admin · Site Admin Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 227

The season will be over before I can get a pic up to photobucket via eircom landline but the plants are coming into flower around here so now is a good time to look . The umbellifer (?) -- kind of flat hat or umbrella of mini flowers -- on these is very delicate . In fact the stem and leaves are too , by comparison with others of this family .
I am sure that this is the only one of the above general description which has a very distinctive "nut" , looking like a hazel nut out of its shell , at the end of a very thin string-like root between 1 and 6" long .
The root itself commonly corkscrews off to the side of the stem at a most unlikely angle so it is difficult to predict where the nut will actually be .
I would say that these are one of the more interesting of the wild foods --- worth a try for a bit of fun Wink

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blowin · Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:43 pm Post subject:

Bringing this back to the top because the young leaves are now quite easy to spot ----- and I still can't post up a pic Evil or Very Mad