I’m slowly beginning to feel some level of confidence in being able to find a good variety of wild food. I’m eating plant leaves and flowers, tree leaves and blossoms, berries and small insects. I’ve recently started eating ants and have finally lost that squeamishness I used to get when eating insects. I’m sure I’d still get it with larger insects, but with the small ones I’m feeling like it’s a very natural thing to do.
Lime leaves (as in Tilia x europaea, not the citrus fruit) are very tender at the moment and have a very mild taste. Here’s a photo of a lime tree and a close up of a leaf:
I am finding these pics of wild food very helpful – thankyou – my ‘dont pick wild’ is so deeply embedded in my nuero programming, that I observe I still play safe with the familiar nettles, goosegrass, etc etc. So thankyou for taking me beyond boundaries. Am amazed at how much indoctrinated resistance still triggers from past.
Thanks.
x ruth.
Wow, I had no idea that lime leaves were edible.
Having read your blog last night I tried some hawthorn leaves from my garden today. I was pleasantly suprised. Looking forward to the blossoms now!
Hi there – I’ve been munching my way through my garden recently, but spent a great weekend in the Devon chomping various forest goodies. The leaves from garlic flowers are particularly my favourites. I’ll keep checking back here to see what other goodies you’ve been trying out!
Thanks for the comments. I find eating wild food so liberating and so much fun!
Rob
The lime leaves I got in China Town were small & hard, very strong flavor.
I am still not clear as to whether lime leaves from a Persian (Tahiti) lime tree are edible. I don’t mean the Keffir leaves, which are called for in some recipes (that I cannot readily get). I was hoping to be able to substitute the Keffir leaves with my Persian lime tree leaves that I have growing in my Florida yard. I would very much appreciate any comments or answers. Thank you, Maggie.
I eat the leaves from a lime tree outside where I live in the UK. I found that to offset the mild flavor I chopped and mixed them with wild garlic leaves, I added a little dressing mixed with cider vinegar, olive oil and ground black pepper and put it as a side salad with a cold meat dish. I like things mildly spicy and the mix had a zesty tang that worked very well. I was also impressed that both the lime and garlic leaves both store well in the fridge for a few days without wilting……. A free salad there for the picking.
Before, I have frozen garlic leaves and just ripped off as much as I wanted to add to a soup or a casserole, they lasted for months.