The image, above, shows the wild marjoram plant (Origanumvulgare), left, with flowers. The right-hand image shows a
close-up of the leaves..
| Common Name: Wild Marjoram |
| Scientific Name: Origanum vulgare |
| Other Names: Oregano, Pot Marjoram |
| Family: Lamiaceae |
| Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, to north and west Asia. |
Physical Characteristics
Origanum vulgare is a hardy Perennial plant, growing to 60cm (2 ft) by 0.8m (2 ft 7 in) in size. It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. The plant flowers from July to September and seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by bees and lepidoptera.
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| Edible Parts: Leaves, Flowers |
 Edibility Rating: 4 
|
 Known Hazards: None Known.
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Wild Marjoram along with all the Wild Marjoram containing recipes presented on this site, with 0 recipes in total.
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Wild Marjoram as a major wild food ingredient.
Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare, is actually oregano and is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family. It is a perennial plant that is small and compact in its wild form, rarely growing above 20cm in height. Its name derives from the Greek origanon [ὀρίγανον]: oros [ὄρος] 'mountain' + the verb ganousthai [γανοῦσθαι] 'delight in' which refers to the appearance of the plant spreading across mountainsides.
Wild marjoram is somewhat milder in flavour than the modern cultivar 'oregano' though in aspect it grows almost as tall and bears pale pink flowers at the top of the stem. In terms of flavour it is more similar to dwarf marjoram (compactum) which is easily grown in any garden and is very drought resistant. However, true wild marjoram has a woody stem. It's best gathered just as the flower heads are developing — simply strip the leaves and flower heads off the wild marjoram before use.
I would suggest that instead of going foraging for wild marjoram you grow dwarf marjoram in your garden. This makes an excellent pot herb and also lends colour to a rockery.
As well a being used raw or used as a herb to flavour soups and stews, wild marjoram leaves can also be used as a potherb. Like it's cultivated counterpart, wild marjoram leaves intensify in flavour when dried and many prefer to used the dried leaves rather than the fresh. The flowers are also edible and make an attractive addition to salads. The flowers can also be dried and used as a flavouring. A herb tea can be made from the flowers or from the fresh or dried leaves.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Wild Marjoram as a major wild food ingredient.
Wild Marjoram, Origanum vulgare, is actually oregano and is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family. It is a perennial plant that is small and compact in its wild form, rarely growing above 20cm in height. Its name derives from the Greek origanon [ὀρίγανον]: oros [ὄρος] 'mountain' + the verb ganousthai [γανοῦσθαι] 'delight in' which refers to the appearance of the plant spreading across mountainsides.
Wild marjoram is somewhat milder in flavour than the modern cultivar 'oregano' though in aspect it grows almost as tall and bears pale pink flowers at the top of the stem. In terms of flavour it is more similar to dwarf marjoram (compactum) which is easily grown in any garden and is very drought resistant. However, true wild marjoram has a woody stem. It's best gathered just as the flower heads are developing — simply strip the leaves and flower heads off the wild marjoram before use.
I would suggest that instead of going foraging for wild marjoram you grow dwarf marjoram in your garden. This makes an excellent pot herb and also lends colour to a rockery.
As well a being used raw or used as a herb to flavour soups and stews, wild marjoram leaves can also be used as a potherb. Like it's cultivated counterpart, wild marjoram leaves intensify in flavour when dried and many prefer to used the dried leaves rather than the fresh. The flowers are also edible and make an attractive addition to salads. The flowers can also be dried and used as a flavouring. A herb tea can be made from the flowers or from the fresh or dried leaves.
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
The alphabetical list of all Wild Marjoram recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 0 recipes in total:
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Page 1 of 1