Wild spice

The hogweed in the field where I often walk my dog has turned to seed and is just ripening, thanks no doubt to the very untypical spell of hot dry weather we’re having.

I learnt on a Facebook group earlier this year that the ripe seeds can be ground and used as a spice.
Apparently it’s related to Golpar, or Persian Hogweed, a spice widely used in Persian cooking. It has a musky, slightly sweet smell when I crush the seeds, with a hint of citrus. Golpar is sprinkled on fava  beans and pomegranate seeds in Iran and I’d like to try the suggestion I was given of using it in flapjack as well as cakes and desserts.

I collected a few heads, dry roasted them and then ground them in a little attachment that came with my stick blender.

                                        

 

I'll store some ground and some whole as I'm not sure how well it keeps.
During my research I've also read about hogweed shoots so I'll look forward to trying them in the Spring.

In this photo you can see the distinctive leaves, but please remember that these photos are not intended as an identification tool, only to show what I picked. It is similar to Giant Hogweed which  gives severe burns when touched, and some people also react to Common Hogweed especially in hot sunny weather, due to Furanocoumarins in the sap. Here is a good identification guide to the difference between the two. These are also found in many other foods including grapefruit and parsnips (parsnip greens can also cause nasty burns in sunny weather) and if you take medication known to react with grapefruit you may want to take advice before eating hogweed.

Use a reputable plant guide when foraging and never pick anything unless you are absolutely sure you've correctly identified it. This hogweed is growing very near other members of the Apiaceae family incuding Rough Chervil and Hemlock, both of which are highly poisonous.
Forager Robin Harford, as well as giving a recipe for hogweed biscuits recommends a safety tolerance test before consuming any hogweed.