Category Urban Foraging

Native to Asia and Europe, this lemony edible plant has naturalised widely in Australia and is commonly found in backyards.

What Is Sheep Sorrel?

Sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella) is a species of flowering perennial weed in the Polygonaceae family. The name sorrel is derived from the Germanic word ‘sur’ and the old French word ‘surele’ meaning sour.

Sometimes referred to as field sorrel, garden sorrel, sour weed or sour dock, it favours acidic soils and sunny positions. With a high concentration of vitamin C, sheep sorrel has been consumed as a tea for a very long time, as well as being added to a variety of foods.

Neptune’s Necklace (Hormosira bansi), also known as sea grapes or bubbleweed, is made up of fronds of water-filled beads attached to the substrate by a thin disc (holdfast). When foraged responsibly, it makes a healthy addition to your diet and your soil.

Neptune’s Necklace is found in the rocky intertidal zone from Albany in Western Australia through to northern New South Wales, and around Tasmania and New Zealand. It can also be often found free-floating among mangroves.

It can be harvested all year round but is at its most prolific in the cooler months. Like all seaweeds, Neptune’s Necklace provides important protective habitat for lots of species, offering both moisture at low tide and shade. Reducing its canopy by as little as as 25 percent can dramatically impact the animals residing within it.

Native to Europe, Asia and northern parts of Africa, wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis), also known as field mustard or charlock, is one of the tastiest and most versatile weeds in the brassica family.

The whole plant of wild mustard is edible and its botanical name, Sinapis, comes from the Greek word ‘sinapi’ meaning mustard. As well as making it easy to spot, its bright-yellow flowers make it a great pollen crop for bees and other important pollinator insects.

How To Identify It

Wild mustard is found right throughout the year, but is at its most abundant in spring and summer when its vivid yellow flowers are tall and on show.

This prolific weed has an instantly distinguishable aroma, outing it as a versatile substitute for leeks, onions and even garlic.

Onion weed (Allium triquetrum) is pretty edible which has many uses in the kitchen. All parts of the plant are edible; from the flower right down to the bulb and they make an excellent alternative to young leeks, or while you’re waiting to harvest the first of your garlic.

Onion weed thrives in wet and shady areas and is often found along creek edges, roadside drains and backyards. Onion weed reproduces two ways, which is why it’s so prolific in some areas. It spreads by seeds which form after flowering and also vegetatively, by the production of numerous underground bulblets.