Spring Foraging on the South Coast: Nettle, Dandelion, Mullein and More

April on the South Coast looks bare from the road, but walk the edge of a field or a damp patch by the woods and it’s already green. Nettles are pushing up, dandelions are leafing out on every lawn, and the first fuzzy mullein rosettes sit in the sandy spots. Spring foraging starts here, with a few common plants you can learn well.

Quick answer: Four good plants to start foraging in spring on the South Coast of Massachusetts are stinging nettle (pick young tops with gloves; cooking removes the sting), dandelion (young leaves, flowers and roots), mullein (large, soft, untoothed first-year leaves; beware toxic foxglove), and invasive garlic mustard (pull it and eat the young leaves). Only eat a plant you’ve identified with certainty, get permission on private land, and avoid roadsides and sprayed lawns.

What are the rules for foraging safely?

Start with these before you pick anything:

1. Be 100% sure. Use a good regional field guide, and if possible learn each plant in person from someone experienced. If you’re not certain, don’t eat it.
2. Get permission. On private land, ask the owner. On state parks, town conservation land and land trust properties, check the rules first; many don’t allow removing plants.
3. Pick clean. Avoid roadsides, railroad edges, and lawns that may have been treated with weed killers, and skip spots dogs frequent.
4. Take a little. Harvest from abundant patches and leave plenty behind. Never harvest rare or protected plants.
5. Start small. Try a small amount of a new plant the first time, in case it doesn’t agree with you.
6. Check for ticks. Spring is peak tick season here. See our post on ticks on the South Coast.

How do you identify and harvest stinging nettle?

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) grows in rich, damp soil along streams, field edges and old farmyards. Look for a square-ish stem, pairs of opposite, heart-shaped to lance-shaped leaves with toothed edges, and fine stinging hairs on the stems and leaves. Those hairs inject irritants, including formic acid and histamine, which is what makes the sting.

How to pick: wear sturdy gloves (the hairs go through thin cotton) and snip the top four to six inches of young plants in spring, before they flower. Cutting the tops encourages new growth and lets you keep harvesting.

How to use: cooking or drying disarms the stinging hairs. Steam or blanch nettles like spinach, blend them into soup or pesto, or dry the leaves for tea. In herbal traditions nettle has long been used as a spring tonic tea; our post on herbal tea and honey has ideas for pairing it.

Look-alikes: wood nettle (also stinging and also edible), false nettle (similar leaves but no stinging hairs) and purple dead nettle (a small mint-family plant with no sting).

How do you forage dandelions?

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are the easiest wild food to recognize: a rosette of toothed leaves, a hollow, leafless stem with a single yellow flower, and milky sap. Every part is edible.

• Leaves: pick young leaves in early spring, before the plant flowers, when they’re least bitter. Use them in salads or sauté them.
• Flowers: pick fully open flowers on a sunny day for fritters, or dry the petals to infuse in honey. Remove the bitter green base.
• Roots: dig in early spring or fall, scrub, and roast for a coffee-like drink.

Only pick from lawns you know haven’t been sprayed. Bees use dandelion flowers too, so leave some; our post on dandelions, clover and bees explains why.

How do you identify mullein, and what’s the look-alike danger?

Common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a two-year plant that loves dry, sandy, disturbed ground, which makes it common on the South Coast. In its first year it forms a low rosette of large, thick, gray-green leaves that feel like soft flannel. In its second summer it sends up a tall stalk, often 4 to 6 feet, with small yellow flowers.

The danger: in the rosette stage, mullein can be confused with foxglove, which is highly poisonous. The difference is in the leaves. Mullein leaves are very thick and evenly felted, with smooth, untoothed edges. Foxglove leaves are thinner, wrinkled, only lightly hairy, and finely toothed along the edge. If you’re not sure, leave it.

How to use: mullein leaf has traditionally been used as a tea for coughs and chest congestion. Its fine hairs can irritate the throat, so strain the tea through a coffee filter or fine cloth. Don’t use the seeds.

Why should you pick garlic mustard?

Because it’s invasive, and eating it helps. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is on the Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List. It crowds out native wildflowers in shady woods and yard edges. In spring, look for kidney-shaped, scalloped leaves on first-year plants and triangular, toothed leaves on taller second-year stalks with small white four-petaled flowers. Crush a leaf: it smells like garlic.

Pull the whole plant, root and all, before it sets seed in June. Bag the plants rather than composting them, since pulled plants can still seed. The young leaves are good in pesto, soups and stir-fries; older leaves turn bitter.

How do herbs and honey go together?

Very well. Honey has been used to preserve and carry herbs for centuries. Try dried nettle or dried dandelion petals steeped in raw honey; dried is safest, because fresh plants add water that can make honey ferment. Our infused honey guide explains how. If you’d like help choosing herbs for your own health questions, Nettie offers herbal consultations.

If you’re pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, talk to your doctor before using wild plants as remedies.

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal to forage in Massachusetts?

It depends on the land. On private property, you need the owner’s permission. State parks, town conservation land and land trust properties each set their own rules, and many prohibit picking or removing plants, so check before you go. Invasive plants like garlic mustard are often welcome to remove, but ask first.

When is the best time to forage nettles in Massachusetts?

April and May, when the plants are young and tender and before they flower. Pick the top few inches with gloves. Cutting the tops encourages new growth, so you can keep harvesting into early summer.

Can you eat dandelions from your yard?

Yes, if the lawn hasn’t been treated with weed killers or fertilizers and isn’t next to a busy road. Young leaves picked before flowering are the least bitter, and the flowers and roots are edible too.

How do you tell mullein from foxglove?

Check the leaf edges and texture. Mullein leaves are thick, soft and evenly fuzzy all over, with smooth edges. Foxglove leaves are thinner, wrinkled, less hairy and finely toothed. Foxglove is poisonous, so if you’re unsure, don’t pick it.

What other wild plants can you forage on the South Coast?

Japanese knotweed shoots in spring, elderflowers in June and elderberries in late summer are all common here. Our guide to foraging elderberries covers the berries and the look-alikes to avoid.

Sources

• Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List (garlic mustard).
• Town of Harvard, Massachusetts, garlic mustard fact sheet.
• Woodland Trust, foxglove identification; University of Nevada, Reno Extension, common mullein fact sheet.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Learn one plant at a time, and spring gets a lot more interesting. By the time the garden is ready, you’ll already have eaten well.