Foraging For Food

crazybill · Nov 14, 2012

I don't forage for food exactly. But I really try to get to know the plants around me whenever I am in one place for a while. ("Hi, I'm Bill, what's your name? Yucca? Glad to meetcha")  A little research reveals uses and I'm surprised at how many plants are listed as edible. Usually only one part is edible, but interesting enough to keep my curiosity up. -Bill- 9

joey · Nov 14, 2012

Getting back to the Topic:yucca is a very good example. you can mash the roots to make soap suds that native americans used,like we do shampoo. you can also eat the flower petals,and use the leaves to make string or rope. now that's green living and sustainable too. total usage pf the plant.

josephusminimus · Nov 26, 2012

Joey:  Cool stuff, yucca.  You can reach down through the nest of protection the plant provides itself and grab a handfull to pull out without damaging the rest of the plant.  It's usually so prolific where it grows that a person can get a bushel basketfull without any particular plant being any worse for the wear. The folks who used to live both sides of, and probably underneath what's now the McCarty Flow south of Grants, NM, built a trail across that lava shortly after it cooled, them wearing yucca woven moccasins.  I've hiked and torn up a number of pairs of modern and expensive hiking boots following that trail across the seven narrowest miles across that flow.  They left cairns all the way across so's they wouldn't get lost or paint themselves into a corner they couldn't find their way out of because of the fractures in the lava. It can also be woven into a middling good rope, as you've pointed out. But that's a digression from the foraging for food. Soooo, there's pinon nuts.... nobody's going to poison himself eating something looks similar to pinon nuts.  And prickly pear.  The pads can't be mistaken for anything poisonous, the tunas, either.  Just scorching off the prickles leaves both potentially a good meal, though the pads lack flavor.  They're healthy, full of fiber, and in Mexico they swear by them used a lot of different ways for healing various human miseries.

joey · Nov 26, 2012

  Hey Joseph, check this out...  http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cut_and_prepare_prickly_pears/

joey · Nov 26, 2012

And this... http://www.desertusa.com/magoct97/oct_pear.html

josephusminimus · Nov 27, 2012

Nice links Joey.  I'd never looked for recipe sites for the stuff, but I experimented with it in a lot of ways when I was trying to find ways to prepare it so's to feed it to my chickens to cut down feed costs.  I didn't want to feed it to them if I wasn't willing to eat it myself, wanted to make certain I was getting rid of the small burrs completely. I found that once the burrs are removed entirely, running it through a juicer or blender gets it so's it's palatable and can be prepared in a lot of ways chickens are enthusiastic about and humans wouldn't find half-bad.

Sheryl · Dec 26, 2012

I spent the past 5 years or so making our own organic wine and jam from scratch - all from what I grew myself or foraged from the adjacent forest/fields. We love it, although I don't make it much now without the equipment and we don't drink much in our new lifestyle. It is a very healthy way to preserve the pure juice of nature's bounty. I made: wild grape, raspberry, rhubarb, strawberry, blackberry, chocolate mint, dandelion, crab apple, apple, ground cherry, rose petal, lilac, hibiscus, pea pod (sugar snap). I had plans and recipes worked out to make many others too, just never got to it. Some of them I made in one gallon batches and some in 5 gallon batches. I sold everything I had to make it before we left our house. Before we moved into our camper, we were living in an old farmhouse in the country. I had installed many large garden areas and we were surrounded by wild fields and forest. I foraged all the time. The house and out buildings have all been torn down now and it's just an empty lot but I hope people will forage there. I left so much growing: a large strawberry bed gone wild, large domestic raspberries, apples, large blackberries, wild grapes, and many, many herbs, including choc mint. You can see some of the wines I made here: <a href="http://providence-acres.blogspot.ca/2012/06/finishing-wines.html" rel="nofollow">"Finishing the Wines"</a> I wrote a book on the subject of making your own organic wine at home. (Another free e-book). I also wrote a small book on foraging but it is geared to what grows in southern Ontario, although will probably apply across the mid north eastern US as well. There are a few other books there, as well. One on making your own soap. You can get them here, if interested:  <a href="http://providence-acres.blogspot.ca/p/free-books-for-download.html" rel="nofollow">Free E-Books</a> I love to forage! Since we have been up here I have picked and used wild strawberries and wild low bush highland blueberries. Very good! I am always on the lookout for things to forage, medicinal herbs included. Many good medicinal herbs grow by the roadside! You can get a lot of info from Google and books. I am not an herbalist and do not give out information about what to do with them.  I have been told that the wild <a href="http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/medicinal/bkq00s05.html" rel="nofollow">fireweed</a> that grows everywhere here is edible and I know campers that have made jam from it. If we are still up here next summer, I might give that a try! (after doing my own research on it, of course.) I also want to make dandelion syrup.

Sheryl · Dec 26, 2012

Something else that I forage everywhere I find it is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea" rel="nofollow">purslane</a>! Its easy to identify and most people just consider it a weed. It will grow just about anywhere in any empty soil and along road sides. I'm sure most people have seen it and pulled it out of their gardens. Its a lovely lemony crisp veggie that extremely good for you, less bitter picked in the afternoon and very good in salads. It's fabulous for taking away mosquito bites. We have kept large patches of it for years in the gardens. Its a good ground cover for a flowerbed or veggie garden. Doesn't need much water, doesn't get tall and always looks good. Just pick a leaf while gardening, crush it and rub on mosquito bite. After a few minutes it will never bother you again. Works on some other types of bites and stings too. it's one of my favourite weeds!  I have some seeds with me and will plant them in pots this spring, early. I think it grows just about everywhere in the US and the southern half of Canada. It becomes hard to find when you start to go north. Wild violet leaves are good in salad too and have a lot of vit A. and are easy to identify. The flowers are also edible and make a nice, light purple jelly.<a href="http://providence-acres.blogspot.ca/2010/07/making-flower-jellies.html" rel="nofollow"> "How to Make Flower Jellies"</a>

Sunny1 · Dec 28, 2012

I just had a huge post with pictures and accidentally deleted it.... will try again in a little while.

Sunny1 · Dec 28, 2012

I took these photos outside in and around my North Georgia yard today.  Hope you enjoy them! <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/field-garlic-and-henbit-sm.jpg" class="bbc_img"> Field garlic and henbit <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/chickweed-sm.jpg" class="bbc_img"> Tasty, tender chickweed <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/wild-strawberry-leaves-sm.jpg" class="bbc_img"> Wild strawberry leaves.  Makes a vitamin packed tea. <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/suillus-sm.jpg" class="bbc_img"> Short stalked suillus.  Peel off the cap's slime layer to reveal the white mushroom beneath it.  Suilli are boletes.  They have pores instead of gills.  They are the safest kinds of mushrooms to learn on.  Below is a picture of the bottom of the cap. <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/suillus-pores-sm.jpg" class="bbc_img"> Pores on the bottom of the suillus. Also the following picture is not an edible right now, but it will show you where to look in spring. <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/bracken-sm.jpg" class="bbc_img"> Dead bracken fern leaves.  The fiddleheads are very hard to spot.  If you locate the dead leaves now, you will have a much better chance of finding the fiddleheads when spring comes. Finally, here is a picture of the fiddleheads that I have in my files from previous foraging.  <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/bracken-fiddleheads.jpg" class="bbc_img"> When these are cooked, they turn a beautiful dark burgandy color.  They taste like asparagus.  Cook them for 20 minutes. Usually when I post things about bracken fiddleheads, I get a bunch of people telling me they are so carcinogenic that they will kill you.  <a href="http://foragersharvest.com/" rel="nofollow">Samuel Thayer</a> (link embedded) has spent his life researching and debunking wild edible food myths and misconceptions.  This is what he says about them:

Bracken fern contains a chemical, ptaquiloside, that is known to be carcinogenic to mammals in high doses. The International Agency for Research on Cancer places it in the same risk category as coffee and sassafras. This doesnÃ¢Â€Â™t mean that if you eat bracken youÃ¢Â€Â™ll die of cancer; many things that we commonly eat contain carcinogenic chemicals, such as char-broiled meat, potato chips, and all smoked foods. I still occasionally eat bracken fiddleheads. Ã¢Â€Â” Samuel Thayer

Thoreau · Dec 28, 2012

Sunny, thanks for posting those pictures. There's nothing quite like a big color photo to learn from. By the way, this past spring I tried henbit for the first time, and found it tasty with a nutty/greens flavor. Just a couple of weeks ago I chewed on some ripe hips of a wild rose bush. Pretty tasty, though gritty because most of it was pit/seed. Mushrooms I haven't yet tried; I know they can be riskier. But I hope to get around to learning some of the easier ones to identify.

Sunny1 · Dec 29, 2012

Thoreau, so glad the pictures were helpful.  Since I know there is some interest, I will post others as I run across them. I personally am not crazy about henbit by itself.  A little in a salad, soup or mixed greens is decent and helps get in vitamins and minerals.  I'm glad you tried it and found you like it.  <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="bbc_img"> I usually make tea out of rose hips.  But I do nibble on them occasionally, especially when they are big and fresh. If you are interested in mushrooms, I'd like to recommend my favorite book for beginners.  It introduces you to safe, easily identifiable mushrooms with no poisonous lookalikes.  If you follow his instructions at the beginning of each mushroom description, there is no way you can poison yourself.  It's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Mushro...ywords=edible+wild+mushrooms+of+north+america" rel="nofollow">Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America</a> by Dave Fischer.  I've included the link to it at Amazon. I have a library of mushroom books, but that is still one of my favorites.  And my very favorite for beginners.

Sheryl · Dec 30, 2012

<a href="http://providence-acres.blogspot.ca/2011/03/cooking-with-roses.html" rel="nofollow">Here is some info on cooking with roses</a> and rose hips with lots of recipes. Wild roses are great for this and usually have large hips.  This is from my blog, as are most of my info links. It's just for the information. While I have Google ads on the blog and links to my art site, I don't personally sell anything on the blog right now. Maybe when we settle somewhere for a long period of time... Let me know if you folks don't want the blog post links and I will just copy/paste the info. The links are just easier and have the pictures.

Sunny1 · Dec 30, 2012

Wow, Sheryl!  That's a treasure trove of info on using roses!  I especially appreciate the rose petal jelly recipe! And I love your including a link to your blog.  That gives people a chance to browse the rest of your blog.  It's like discovering treasure!  <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="bbc_img"> The only reason I posted pictures instead of a link to my blog is that I have a lot of subjects mixed in together on my blog pages, so I picked only the pictures that would be of interest here. It's too cold to get out today, but sometime this week I plan to take some photos of wood and sheep sorrel and show how to use field garlic in cooking. It's fun to see the interest in this topic, isn't it? (oops, edited to correct spelling of Sheryl's name.)

Sunny1 · Dec 30, 2012

Today I took a few more photos of cool weather wild edibles. <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/field-garlic-bulbs-sm.jpg" class="bbc_img"> Field garlic bulbs <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/field-garlic-sliced-sm.jpg" class="bbc_img"> Field garlic ready to cook <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/sheep-sorrel-sm.jpg" class="bbc_img"> Tart, vinegary sheep sorrel <img rel="lightbox" src="http://tinycamper.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/wood-sorrel-inset.jpg" class="bbc_img"> Lemony wood sorrel leaves If you'd like more information on how to find them and how to prepare them, see this blog page.  http://tinycamper.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/more-on-cold-weather-wild-edibles/

Sheryl · Dec 31, 2012

We call the wild garlic "ramps". Those are great pictures! I find it really hard to believe all that greenery in Jan. I haven't seen the ground since October!  We had the sorrel too, everywhere in Ontario. I have occasionally eaten a handful while gardening. I don't know if it grows up here or not. I'm looking forward to the fiddleheads in early spring! I  know they grow nearby in the hot springs area where there is a warm micro-climate.

Sunny1 · Dec 31, 2012

Sheryl, you are so fortunate because you have the gourmet quality ostrich fern fiddleheads up there.  All we have down here are bracken fiddleheads.  Also, the carbohydrate-rich roots like burdock and Jerusalem artichoke don't grow down here.  The only potato-like thing we have growing wild are groundnuts. I wondered what ramps were.  I've heard of them, but didn't know they were the same thing as our field garlic. I am grateful that we can still see a little greenery.  We get very little snow here, but do get really cold (around 10 degrees) here a few times a year.  Right now our days are running in the 40's and 50's, so that's still pretty warm for this time of the year.

Sheryl · Jan 1, 2013

My mother used to make prickly pear jam. She grew them in her garden.  There is a hardy prickly pear cactus that people grow in gardens in Ontario and I have considered making jam with it when it blooms and fruits, just never did. I doubt that it grows up here in northern BC. Ditto for the yucca. It grows in Ont and I've had it in my garden before but I doubt that it grows up here. I will have to scope out the foraging more closely in the spring, if we are still here then.  Another "weed" that is good to eat are mallows - common mallow and also malva moschata. It comes in several forms and most are considered weeds in many places. This is the most common and prolific.  <a href="http://backyard-wildcrafting.blogspot.ca/2009/09/common-mallow.html" rel="nofollow">Common Mallow  </a>This is another common weed with a lot of great uses:  <a href="http://backyard-wildcrafting.blogspot.ca/2009/09/plantain-plantago.html" rel="nofollow">Plantago </a>It grows EVERYWHERE! Dandelions, leaves, flowers and roots are good to eat too. The older leaves are quite bitter but you can cover the plant with something to blanch the leaves (make them white from growing without sun) and they will be very mild. Try battered and fried flowers. Lots of nutrition and use info <a href="http://backyard-wildcrafting.blogspot.ca/2009/09/dandelion.html" rel="nofollow">HERE.</a>

Sheryl · Jan 1, 2013

I have made a list that might be useful of weeds used as food, tea and medicinal herbs. Look them up on Wikipedia for nutritional/medicinal info. Some of these are extremely prolific, so be careful when harvesting the seeds! I have grown, harvested and sold seeds for most of these. Google for pics -mint, various kinds -violets -mallows (including malvas) -Dandelion -Purslane -garden huckleberry (solanum negrum berries) -ground cherries -fiddleheads (Ostrich ferns and bracken ferns only) -nettles (use gloves! cooking takes out the sting) Nettles are powerful healers and an androgen, especially the seeds. If you harvest the seeds when not quite ripe but still a bit green and dry them, they are a powerful androgen! Just a small pinch a day is plenty.  -choke cherries make great jelly!  -crabapples make great jelly and wine! -wild grapes make great jelly and wine! -impatiens (the seeds of impatiens gladulifera, when dried, taste just like chopped walnuts. I have used them in baking.

Jewelweed (touch-me-not) is used on poison ivy. -prunella vulgaris (heal all) -wild evening primrose -motherwort -plantago -wild chamomile -feverfew -autumn olive -honeysuckle flowers -sorrel -bee balm (wild monarda fistulosa) -wild roses, petals, leaves and hips -hibiscus -clover -curly dock -thistle ALSO lambs quarters pigweed cattails -  roots, pollen and fruit, small tender shoots in spring wild lettuce daylilies peonies chicory milkweed, shoots, flowers, and silk cattails, shoots, roots and pollen/fruit

Thoreau · Jan 1, 2013

Thank you Sunny for the mushroom book recommendation, and for the additional pictures. And thank you Sheryl for the info. on roses and the list of edibles, etc. I've been sick with one of those winter chest/head colds/bronchitis, so am mostly hunkered down waiting for it to take its course. I will look further into the information when my energy returns. Thanks again.

Foraging For Food

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