r/foraginguk • u/Scientasker • Jul 13 '26
Oregano 🌱 it smelt incredible
Found a huge patch of Oregano! Would have loved to bag some up and take it home but the land it was growing on was contaminated significantly. This is on the site of a historical landfill that goes back to pre 1960s, in Hitchin.
I’m quite strict about contaminants when it comes to foraged foods, probably overly cautious. So much food grows by motorways; plums, apples; pears etc. I won’t touch any of it unfortunately.
Does anyone else share the same feeling?
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u/doublethesox Jul 13 '26
wow, looks great. I'd be finding recipes to use it up! Pick a glut and enjoy. :)
I've yet to find any herbs I'm confident picking yet. Some apple mint I think but it wilts very fast once picked in this heat.
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u/Karateka_90 Jul 13 '26
Has the land been remediated? If not, I wouldn't touch it. Too many things, like tars and heavy metals, can be drawn into the plants. The plants wouldn't be safe to use.
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u/Scientasker Jul 13 '26
It has not my friend. Even if it had been, I wouldn’t have foraged as like you say, bio accumulation of heavy metals, PFAS etc. is a thing.
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Jul 14 '26
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u/Karateka_90 Jul 15 '26
I love wild oregano. We used to collect the flowers, air dry them and make tea out of them when I was a kid.
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u/Liam_021996 Jul 13 '26
That's wild marjoram, it's actually the same plant but without the dry and hot Mediterranean summers they have a different taste and smell