The quiet larder of the heath

Heathland is not a place of obvious abundance. There are no orchards, no neat rows, no fat cultivated fruits. What there is, instead, is a sparse, ancient landscape of heather, gorse, acid grasses and creeping shrubs, and within it a modest but rewarding wild harvest. British heathlands are among the rarest habitats in the world, and the plants that grow there are adapted to poor soils, wind and grazing. For the forager, that means small quantities, intense flavours and a serious responsibility. This is not a place to fill a basket; it is a place to pick a handful, learn a plant, and leave the heath as you found it.

Know your site and your rights

Before you pick anything, understand where you are. Much of our heathland is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation or Special Protection Area. Local bylaws may prohibit foraging altogether on nature reserves, common land or military land. In England, Wales and Scotland, picking fruit, leaves and flowers for personal use is generally allowed if you do not uproot plants, but this is not a free-for-all. Check with the landowner, look for notices, and never assume access means permission to harvest. Commercial foraging is never acceptable without explicit consent. Carry two reliable field guides, and treat identification as a skill to be learned slowly, not a gamble.

Late summer: bilberries, crowberries and blackberries

From late July to September, the low shrubs of the heath begin to fruit. These are small, tart berries, best eaten by the handful on the spot or taken home for pies, jams and liqueurs.

• Bilberry grows as a low, wiry shrub with bright green, oval leaves and angular stems. Its berries are dark blue-black with a dusty bloom, usually solitary or in pairs at the leaf axils. They stain fingers and tongue purple. Pick only fully ripe fruit, and avoid confusing bilberry with cowberry, which has red berries and evergreen leaves with dark spots beneath.
• Cowberry is a low, evergreen shrub with leathery leaves and dark red berries. The berries are edible but sharp; they are best cooked with sugar. They are uncommon in southern heaths, so take only a few if you find them.
• Crowberry is a creeping, needle-leaved shrub of higher moors. Its black berries are juicy but seedy, with a resinous taste. They are edible raw or cooked, but rare in southern heaths.
• Blackberry is the familiar edge species, arching over paths and fences. Pick only fully black, easily detached fruit. Avoid bushes beside busy roads, where exhaust and spray contaminate the crop. Red or purple-black berries are unripe and sour.

Never strip a bush. Leave at least two-thirds of the fruit for birds, small mammals and insects, and step carefully: heather and lichen are slow to recover from trampling.

Autumn: hips, haws and the edges

As summer fades, the heath edge comes into its own. Hedgerows, scrub and woodland margins around heathland offer a second harvest, often more generous than the open heath itself.

• Rosehips from dog rose and sweet briar are bright red or orange. They are rich in vitamin C and make excellent syrup, jelly or tea. Split them and remove the hairy seeds, which irritate the throat, or use them whole for straining.
• Hawthorn haws are deep red, each with a single stone. They are bland raw but cook into a pleasant fruit leather or ketchup. Pick from bushes away from roads and spray drift.
• Rowan berries are orange-red and hang in heavy clusters. They must be cooked to destroy parasorbic acid, which can cause stomach upset. They make a sharp jelly for game.
• Sloes from blackthorn are blue-black with a heavy bloom. They are intensely astringent until after the first frost, or after a spell in the freezer. Most foragers steep them in gin. Mind the long thorns.

Aromatic leaves and flowers

Not everything worth picking is a berry. Several heathland plants offer leaves and flowers for teas, syrups and infusions.

• Bog myrtle has grey-green, aromatic leaves and catkins. A few leaves make a fragrant tea or can be used to flavour stews. Use sparingly, and avoid it during pregnancy.
• Gorse flowers are bright yellow and smell of coconut. Pick them carefully from the spiky bushes in spring or winter for syrups, wines or salads. Do not confuse with broom, which has larger, pea-like flowers.
• Sheep's sorrel has small, arrow-shaped leaves with a sharp, lemony taste. Add a few to salads, but keep quantities small because of their oxalic acid content.
• Heather flowers from ling and bell heather can be infused for a delicate, floral tea or used to make heather honey-style syrup. Pick only a few flower spikes from abundant plants, and never uproot the shrub.

Forage with care and identify safely

Safety and sustainability go together. Never eat a wild plant unless you are one hundred per cent certain of its identity. Use two guides with clear photographs and descriptions, and learn from someone experienced before you pick for the pot. Avoid contaminated sites: busy roadsides, industrial land, sprayed fields and places popular with dog walkers. Wash your harvest, and cook anything that needs cooking. Check for ticks after a day on the heath, and give adders plenty of space.

Take only what you need. A good rule is to pick no more than ten per cent of any patch, and to leave rare species alone. Stay on paths where possible, keep dogs on leads during the bird nesting season, and never light fires. Heathland is a fragile, internationally important habitat. Forage with humility, and the heath will reward you again next year.