Identify Water-Pepper (Persicaria hydropiper) | Wild Edibles UK

[@skeetskeet4123]

HOAWT! 🥵 😵‍💫 Love for the highly informative and aesthetic content as always mate 😁

[@Fieldstudy_]

Thanks 🙏

[@delve_]

We actually have at least two other spicy species of _Persicaria_ in the US in addition to _P. hydropiper._ There's _P. punctata_ which grows all over the eastern US and on the west coast, and there's _P. robustior_ which is mostly found in the northeast. I've personally only had the privilege of eating _P. punctata,_ so I can't say how it compares to the others, but I can say that _P. punctata_ is delicious! And I would love to try and compare it to the others one day.

[@andreagentile3408]

I live in NYS (US) and just found a bunch growing under our front hedges. It's been a very wet year. Had a nibble and was startled by the heat and not unpleasant after effects. Spotted Lady’s Thumb in the front past where my old flower garden was years ago.

[@JoolieEm]

I'm surprised to see the red squirrel. When I lived in England, I only saw the grey ones in the countryside. Here, in Poland, we only have the red ones. Lovely video, btw. As always, I laughed :D

[@Fieldstudy_]

Sadly most of the population of our native red squirrel has been wiped out since the arrival of the grey squirrel from America as they carry a disease 🐿️ I live on an island off of the south coast that the grey squirrel hasn’t been able to reach so we have one of the last remaining populations of red squirrel in the UK - aren’t they cute!

[@rad_lad_2715]

I remember reading on galloway wild foods' website that the leaves dont retain their heat for very long after being picked and how drying removes basically all of it. I wonder of the seeds maintain heat

[@simonkoeman3310]

I've seen multiple places say that the dead brown plant is still spicy and the seeds are spicy

[@rad_lad_2715]

@@simonkoeman3310 oh that's rad, I wonder why it isn't a common spice in Europe

[@lindaenzor543]

There is a field of this stuff in a field behind my house. I want to try to taste it. Are there any look alikes that are poisonous? The field is dry and sunny.

[@Fieldstudy_]

If the plant you are looking at is growing in a dry and sunny field then it won’t be Water Pepper. Water Pepper loves to grow in wet woodland clearings and along the edge of shady paths. Good luck!

[@rawforaging-w9n]

I had a similar experience with a peppery russula recently, instant nope haha

[@skeetskeet4123]

Hope that was just a nibble spit test!