The samphire and purslane flourish in a former organically certified dairy field, that was flooded some years ago when a 200-year-old sea wall broke down in a gale. Natural England decided to let the land revert to a salt marsh. It has since become a haven for all sorts of salt-loving species – allowing us the rare treat of wild harvested yet organic sea veg.
“It’s really beautiful on the Erme’s estuary,” says Donald. “The scenery is very different depending on the tides; on a spring high, all the marsh is covered, with only the dead trees and sea purslane bushes rising above the water level. The marsh is inaccessible on these tides. At low tide, the huge marsh is revealed – birds, crabs, and other creatures roam the wetland, and you can see the samphire growing in abundance.”
It's hard work – wading through the mud, and dextrously snipping samphire with garden shears. After a few failed attempts to mechanise the task, they returned to picking painstakingly by hand. On a good day, they manage around 15kg each in the six to eight hours between tides when the beds are accessible. The season only lasts for a few short weeks every year.
“Working around the tides is challenging at times. Our hours are constantly changing throughout the week, pushing back or bringing forward out start and finish time… but it’s a sustainable way to harvest, and it’s a fun way to spend a month working!”
Sustainability is key to Donald and his team being granted the right to forage on the marsh by Natural England.
“I’d estimate we harvest 10% of what’s there. Unlike usual harvesting where you’re working up and down rows picking everything eventually, we’re spread out over a wide plain, picking bits here and there, and constantly moving about. This is my seventh year picking samphire and purslane, and we’ve seen no effect from us being there. In fact, this season has probably been the best and most abundant we’ve seen it.”
To make sure our wild garlic is also harvested responsibly, Donald and the team work to a Wild Harvesting Management Plan approved by the Soil Association. The wild garlic is harvested from areas that we then leave untouched for the next two seasons to regenerate. Any cookery tips for these unusual wild treats? “My brother Caleb made an incredible watermelon, black olive, and samphire salad recently, which is the best way I’ve eaten samphire,” says Donald. “Pastas and risottos work nicely too. He also used the sea purslane in a chimichurri sauce. Both samphire and purslane pair really well with fish.”
