Learning to Forage

[Greatshield17]

I’m not sure where post this but, I’m planning on learning to forage. Foraging is one of the skills homesteaders are recommended to have, it contains a lot of helpful knowledge such as knowing what plants are safe for your livestock to graze on, as well being simply a great survival skill to have.

I plan on taking photos of all the wild plants in my home town and area and uploading them here for the folks here to identify and discuss, but for now I’d just like to know all the people on here who know about foraging and what tips and advice they have.

So who’s here that knows about foraging and botany?

 

[oregano]

It would be more helpful to you to look for books on the flora native to your area. You will need to know how to prepare your gatherings correctly too. Some plants need to be cooked properly to remove poisons-the California acorn is like this. It would be more helpful to you to go to a local independent bookstore.

 

[Major Tom]

I know quite a bit about both and would be happy to help if I can.

 

[Aspychata]

Be careful about mushrooms l guess. Anything that looks yellow may have been peed upon. That's my extent of botany. And you can't grow fast food from empty wrappers. Hey. It's all l got.

 

[VictorR]

PlantNet is a pretty decent app for looking up plants by taking a photo.

 

[Aneka]

PlantNet is a pretty decent app for looking up plants by taking a photo.

Forget plant apps that try to identify plants on photos. I tried it to prove a point and it claimed that a dandelion was rucola. It can be very dangerous. Don't trust people on this forum either, do your own research in a library and ask local experts.

 

[Magna]

I have foraged for certain things and have found it enjoyable. A few things I've had success with:

Marsh Marigold greens. One of the first wild greens available in the spring. The leaves must be boiled in several changes of water. They end up being similar to braised spinach and were quite tasty with a bit of butter and salt.

Cattail shoots. The tender new inner shoots at the base of cattails in the spring after peeling away the outer reed. I steamed them and they had a very mild flavor.

Immature Milkweed pods. Also steamed. Very tasty.

Ramps (wild garlic). I have a few of these growing wild around me. I've only selectively harvested a few of the leaves to use like a scallion rather than pulling up the whole plant. They're too rare in my area to justify uprooting them.

Sumac berries. They're hairy on the outside, but at a certain time of the year they have a pleasantly sour flavor and are a good source of Vitamin C. I've only sucked on clumps of the berries and then spit them out.

Dandelion Greens and Roots. Fresh new greens in salads. Sautéed, they were disappointing. I dried and roasted the roots for a coffee substitute. M'eh.

Spruce Tips. The light green new growth on the ends of spruce tree boughs. Excellent eaten raw.

Spruce gum (resin). Fun to chew on. One of the original nature's chewing gum.

All in all I haven't done much foraging.

 

[VictorR]

Forget plant apps that try to identify plants on photos. I tried it to prove a point and it claimed that a dandelion was rucola. It can be very dangerous. Don't trust people on this forum either, do your own research in a library and ask local experts.

Yep, definitely multiple sources is helpful, though apps can be a good starting point.
I agree that getting a book on local flora can be very insightful, as is meeting local experts.

 

[Greatshield17]

How far away should one be from areas that contain pesticides and pollutants &c. in order to forage safely? I’m trying to think up areas near me where I can forage?

 

[Greatshield17]

I tried foraging today in a spot that I felt was far enough away from pollutants; unfortunately I couldn’t recognize any plants that I know are safe and edible and on top that, most of the pictures I took aren’t appearing in my photos app. (Including one of a plant that I was wondering whether it was plantain or not) On a much more positive note, here’s a photo I took of one of the nice green areas I went through on the way to that foraging site:

Next I’ll take a closer look at forgeable plants in my region, and either try this area again, or a different area I’m thinking of, provided that they don’t use herbicides or pesticides there.

 

[Greatshield17]

@Varzar do you have any experience and knowledge with foraging?

 

[watersprite]

A very tasty foraging treat is the fiddlehead fern before it unfurls in Spring. Be kind to Nature, and always leave a lot so that the plant is not decimated.

They are delicious in a salad and/or lightly sauteed.

Try to find a lnursery with owner or employees who’ve lived in your area a long time. They often know about the “locals.”

 

[Varzar]

@Varzar do you have any experience and knowledge with foraging?

Not so much, no. I've been slowly learning some of the local plant varieties, and which are edible.. But not to the point it's really been of any use.

About the only thing we collect a few of each year is the wild strawberries. They taste like strawberry jam straight off the plant. So good.

 

[Greatshield17]

Not so much, no. I've been slowly learning some of the local plant varieties, and which are edible.. But not to the point it's really been of any use.

About the only thing we collect a few of each year is the wild strawberries. They taste like strawberry jam straight off the plant. So good.

Ah yes, strawberries, I would love to grow those again sometime.

Say, I just noticed that this plant is growing in my backyard, do you know what it is?

 

[Varzar]

Ah yes, strawberries, I would love to grow those again sometime.

Say, I just noticed that this plant is growing in my backyard, do you know what it is?

View attachment 67958

No idea. Like a weed to me.. lol