Foraging
Does anyone forage? Get food off the land in the wild? Awhile ago I used to teach a basic survival course at a nature camp, but beyond pointing out cattails and some medicinal local plants (in NC) we really didn't do much foraging. I am curious to learn more about foraging and if there's any good books out there on it. And if anyone has any experience on it.
I can see if my fiance would write to you. He used to hunt and forage with his family when they were going through a rough patch. His mother showed me a set of books a few years ago that were on plants in the area that were poisonous and plants that were edible. At the very least, I am sure that you could do a search for books on plants in your state that are edible or foraging in your area and come up with something.
Now, I forage with them on occasion but it is no longer out of necessity, but for the fact that there is some really good food that grows wild on her property. For instance the wild raspberries are in season right now and she has a few canes that will put out berries as big as your thumb. We have also gone morel mushroom hunting with mild success.
Now, I forage with them on occasion but it is no longer out of necessity, but for the fact that there is some really good food that grows wild on her property. For instance the wild raspberries are in season right now and she has a few canes that will put out berries as big as your thumb. We have also gone morel mushroom hunting with mild success.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
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There's lots of good books on foraging and edible wild plants.
I haven't done much foraging, but I'm getting better about eating my weeds -- purslane, lambsquarters, amaranth/ pigweed, etc.
In the recipe section, I posted the purslane potato salad recipe that I really like.
I haven't done much foraging, but I'm getting better about eating my weeds -- purslane, lambsquarters, amaranth/ pigweed, etc.
In the recipe section, I posted the purslane potato salad recipe that I really like.
Last edited by rainbowgardener on Tue Jul 03, 2012 12:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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!potatoes!
- Greener Thumb
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
If you are looking for those spring shoots, pokeweed should be on the list. That's another one I could eat out of my garden without having to go anywhere to forage. Haven't tried doing that yet, but one of these springs....
What smilax do you eat? They are mostly kind of woody/ thorny like greenbriar...
Jerusalem artichoke is another one I could find wild or in my garden. I do sometimes eat those tubers in the fall.
Euell Gibbons wrote the classic foraging books (Stalking the wild asparagus, Stalking the healthful herbs, etc).
What smilax do you eat? They are mostly kind of woody/ thorny like greenbriar...
Jerusalem artichoke is another one I could find wild or in my garden. I do sometimes eat those tubers in the fall.
Euell Gibbons wrote the classic foraging books (Stalking the wild asparagus, Stalking the healthful herbs, etc).
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!potatoes!
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1938
- Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:13 pm
- Location: wnc - zones 6/7 line
There's a name that was once everywhere, but haven't heard for quite a while...Euell Gibbons!
On our home farm there are two woods, one 10 acres, the other 50 acres.
Lots of wild raspberries along the edges, and one large wild blackberry patch.
The trick is to get there before the birds. A friends husband, born and bred Ca city, was here during raspberry season and was thrilled to be "living off the land"!
We have not found many spring mushrooms in either woods, nor have others who have searched. Our nephew knows where a swami (?) grows and drops one off each spring.
Then there's a few sassafras trees along the east side of the larger woods.
That's about the extent of our foraging.
On our home farm there are two woods, one 10 acres, the other 50 acres.
Lots of wild raspberries along the edges, and one large wild blackberry patch.
The trick is to get there before the birds. A friends husband, born and bred Ca city, was here during raspberry season and was thrilled to be "living off the land"!
We have not found many spring mushrooms in either woods, nor have others who have searched. Our nephew knows where a swami (?) grows and drops one off each spring.
Then there's a few sassafras trees along the east side of the larger woods.
That's about the extent of our foraging.
I've done some raspberries and blackberries - they're completely different from the stuff you get in the store and yummy. I also found a cherry tree at the property where I keep my horses. I would like to get into greens and mushrooms (which I know can be very tricky). Maybe some roots too. I was watching some program on the food network and I think it was "Strange Foods" and this person made a salad and food entirely out of foods foraged in Maine and it looked sooo tasty. For me it's not necessarily a cost thing - rather than a sustainability thing. Being able to live off the land (either by growing things myself or foraging) I think is a handy thing to do. To get stuff local and not import - pretty awesome.