Hanging out in the Fields with Jack-by-the-hedge

This week I was delighted to take up my role again as a volunteer nature education officer at Railway Fields, helping children from all over Haringey to learn about the wonderful bio-diversity of this green oasis that we are fortunate enough to have on our doorstep in Harringay.

In a week when 99 generous folk raised £2,285 to buy The Lost Words book for every Haringey primary school, it was great to talk about dandelions, ivy, ferns, bluebells, bumblebees and butterflies with excited 5 and 6 year olds.

There are lots of lovely Spring wildflowers out in Railway Fields at the moment, including primroses, bluebells and cow parsley, but the flower I want to talk about, that is currently putting on a gorgeous display around the nature reserve, is Jack-by-the-Hedge or Garlic Mustard.

Alliaria Petiolata has small, brilliant white flowers and fresh bright green, heart-shaped leaves that are slightly toothed. It is a member of the cabbage family. 

It can sometimes grow over a metre tall and favours shady hedgerows, woodland and waste ground. It appears in Spring and will continue until June. The flowering plants are in the second year of their life, as garlic mustard is a biennial plant. Its leaves, rich in vitamin A & C, smell of garlic when crushed, and foragers use a few young leaves chopped in salads, and in sauces for lamb, replacing mint, or wilted into soups just before serving. Larger or older leaves can be quite bitter. As it is a delicate plant, only one or two leaves should be gathered from each plant. Although a popular potherb in Elizabethan times, it seems to have fallen out of favour in modern times. A few recipes come up via google but it lacks the cachet of wild garlic, which may be why it is also known as poor man's mustard.

In traditional medicine, it has been used as a poultice for countering infection or to relieve itching, and its leaves have been chewed to relieve mouth ulcers. An ointment made by chopping up the roots and heating them in oil was rubbed on the chest to relieve the symptoms of bronchitis. The seeds have been used like snuff to cause sneezing (although I'm not sure why this would be a desirable thing).

Its folk name of Jack-by-the-Hedge has two explanations: one theory has it that Jack is actually Jakes (as in toilet) and the name alludes to the "bad" smell of its leaves. I actually think it has a lovely smell and suspect that this theory comes from a prejudice against garlic. Another theory is that Jack refers to the old English name for the devil, about whom it was said that his breath smelt of garlic. 

But, at Railway Fields, we scan its leaves anxiously for signs of the little orange eggs that show that an orange-tip butterfly has passed by. Garlic mustard is the larval plant food for its caterpillars and also those of the green-veined white.

Here's a hastily snapped shot of a female orange tip (who isn't orange) from last year.

If you want to come and see Jack-by-the-Hedge for yourself, Railway Fields is open Monday to Friday from 9-5 and some weekends.

This weekend, 28th of April, the Friends of Railway Fields will be doing conservation work from 10 which all adults are welcome to join (the work isn't suitable for children) and also putting on some Family Wildlife Arts from 11 - 12.30. Visitors are welcome to stroll around the site at their own pace until 2 pm when the site closes. Keep an eye on the Friends website for details of all weekend openings.

If you are available Mondays. Tuesdays or Wednesdays during school hours and would like to help out on the schools project (you will need to have a DBS done), you can find out more about that on this post.  An enthusiasm for nature and being with kids is the only qualifications you need!

'Above the Quick set blooms "Jack by the hedge" His white flowers shine all down the narrow lane'- John Clare, "Spring"