A Hedgerow's Greatest Gift

By Lucy Hine

Common Hogweed is a hedgerow’s greatest gift. No doubt about it.

Incredibly fragrant and aromatic, the cardamon-orange scent of the seeds must have played a large role in making the plant a favourite of hogs, cows and other grazers through the years.

In historic records, you can see references to hogweed by different regional names, which suggest both how warmly it was regarded, and also how familiar it was to people. Known as ‘limpenskrimps’ and ‘humpy-scrumples’ in Devon, ‘rumpet-scrumps’ in Somerset and ‘cow-keeks’ here in Fife, today hogweed goes largely unnoticed by the human species and certainly isn’t part of anyone’s everyday lexicon.

This isn’t the case in places like Iran, where the spice that comes from the seeds, known as ‘golpar’, is almost as commonplace as salt. Used widely in Persian savoury dishes, it is normally roasted in a dry pan to release its aroma, in a similar way to cumin and coriander seeds in Indian cooking.

Almost every part of the plant is edible and delicious, if you are armed with enough knowledge to harvest it safely and prepare it well. There is a great guide here by Scottish foraging expert Mark Williams, if you are thinking about looking for some yourself. But you should certainly check the warnings about the similarities between Common Hogweed and its nefarious cousin, Giant Hogweed, before you go out.

Young hogweed shoots are often compared to asparagus and are widely available in spring and early summer. You can fry them in butter until crisp and golden and people in the know swear there is no finer wild food. The unopened flower buds, look a little like brocoli florets, and are a delicious vegetable if peeled and steamed.

Then as the plant starts to die back, you get to harvest the little seed pods, which is what we’re a little obsessed with. Their flavour is extraordinary, both when they first form when they are green, slightly astringent, a bit like tangerine peel, and then when they later dry out and become more mellow, spicy and complex.

We use the seeds in a lot of our drinks making and they are something we come back to time and time again as a way of adding unparalleled levels of musk and aromatic orangey-ness, without having to use imported oranges and a spice rack that that doesn’t grow easily here.

We use both the green seed pods and the dried out papery ones in different ways and this week we are giving hogweed a starring role in our latest release from the brewery.

Here it is:

Organic Saison with Hogweed Seeds, £36/ 12-pack (330ml cans, 3.2% alc./vol.).

Unfiltered, unpasteurised, naturally carbonated. Store chilled.

Suitable for vegans.

Available online here, or in the real-life shop at St Monans. Also to be found on the shelves of some of our favourite independent shops and bars. See the list here.

Simon Difford gave this beer 5/5 on Difford’s Guide ‘A proper, properly delicious Saison.’

Beer Writer Matthew Curtis over on the Hop, Burns & Black blog, called it ‘a highly delicious beverage – its snappy, dry finish will ensure you take very little time over it.’