Open Land Field Drains

In spring and early summer field drains along roads and paths offer a wealth of edible herbs, flowers, and berries in their own right, and often border woodlands, which are a natural place to continue foraging. Forego field drains along very busy roads, as cars can kick up asphalt dust that settles in an unhealthy film on the plants’ surface.

Field drains drain water from roads, paths, and woods. Usually they are dry, but after heavy rains, they collect water that can swell into small streams along the road. When you forage on the roadside, pay attention to both the surrounding landscapes and the composition of the field drain, as these indicators will help you find the plants you're looking for.

Field Drain composition

Along the road you'll find a narrow, dry strip of gravel where only tenacious plants such as shepherd's purse or plantain can grow. But on the other side of the gravel strip the soil is moister and rich in nutrients. There—at the top of the field drain—you'll find grasses and flowering herbs such as sweet cicely, orpine, and sand leek, all of which have adapted to the rich humus and plentiful water supply. Along the sides of the field drain, Japanese knotweed and water mint grow, and where water collects at the bottom, you can pick cattails. On the far side of the field drain, the landscape merges into hedges, woods, and the forest edge.

Field Drain surroundings

Depending on the kinds of areas they border, field drains can hold a tremendous quantity of plant life. If there's a field nearby, runoff fertilizer from the farm will nourish the field drain’s soil, allowing voracious plants like stinging nettles and ground elder to crowd out most other vegetation, especially on the neighboring slope. If, on the other hand, the field drain borders natural or non-fertilized areas, it will offer a much greater diversity of plants.

You can find edible plants in wayside field drains year round, but since they mostly offer herbs, the best time to forage there is spring and early summer.

Spring

In early spring the first tender herbs will start popping up along the roads, including garden sorrel and great quantities of ground elder. Where the grass has been cut short, you can also pick violets. At the beginning of April, the succulent tops of Japanese knotweed make their appearance, but it is later in the that month and into the next that things get really interesting, as the entire field drain swells with plant life, including cattails in wet areas. Large, dense patches of stinging nettle dominate nutrient-rich areas, and push out most other vegetation. You’ll be able to pick nettles until you tire of picking.

Summer

By June, many herbs will have acquired too bitter a flavor and tough a texture to make for good eating. Sweet cicely and water mint are a notable exception; they are available all summer long. In high season, wild thyme flourishes on dry roadsides, and edible flowers such as chamomile, yellow bedstraw, and chicory begin to bloom at the top of field drains. You'll also find wild strawberries in sunny spots with low grass. Some nutrient-rich waysides with many nettles or ground elder are mowed regularly, and here you can find young shoots well into fall.

Late summer, fall, and winter

Look for blackberries in late summer and early fall, and dewberries a bit later. Once autumn is in full swing, however, field drains no longer offer many seasonal herbs worth bringing back to the kitchen. Stick to annual plants such as garlic mustard and chickweed, as well as hairy bittercress, which is available from November until the following spring.