Forage Fellows ππ±
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Screwbean Mesquite
I recently found out that Screwbean Mesquite is ground into meal and flour and used in baking. As a kid we would chew on Mesquite Beans, but we never messed with these.
YouTube Video
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19329231
Weβve seen a lot of media chatter about these AI generated foraging books and unfortunately I think the danger is real. Be careful what information you absorb and make sure it is from a reputable source.
Although, to be completely fair, Iβve seen plenty of wrong or misleading information from books authored by humans as well.
The USDA's plant database shows something like 50-ish native viola species in Pennsylvania, where I live. As far as I can tell, they're all more or less edible, but what about the flavor? Are there any especially choice species that really stand out? Internet sleuthing doesn't seem to turn up much of anything. So far, I'm getting the vague sense that purple ones generally taste better than yellow or white ones, and that short species might be sweeter than tall species.
This seems like the sort of thing that somebody somewhere must have figured out by now, since violet used to be a pretty popular flavor. The classic liqueur Creme Yvette is very specifically flavored with these obscure Italian Parma violets, which implies that they must taste somehow unique. So what about the rest of them?
This is a little off the beaten track as far as usual foraging posts go, but I had a question. Has anyone tried spinning Eastern Tent Caterpillar webs into a usable thread/yarn? I'm definitely not one of those people who hates them and wants them gone; they're native here and relatively harmless, despite what naysayers would have you believe. However, they sure do make a ton of webs! I'm sure they could probably stand to part with a little here or there right? Like, after they're done with them?
!Communal tent of the Malacosoma americanum caterpillar
Not sure if it would work, but if it is spinnable, seems like it might be a convenient local source for an ahimsa silk alternative.
- β’ 96%
Elderberries!
I'm gradually working through my forage wishlist. Next up, persimmons! What's on your wishlist?
Another first. Will be doing the nibble test tomorrow.
I liked the print as it was kinda retro colorful, so I sewed it into a bag with toggle closure and belt loops. The canvas belt is also a revived old belt I got 25 years ago. My mum made me the little labels (I had to edit my name off them for the internet!)
Butter and garlic, yep, it's delicious! Don't judge my filthy forager nails lol
I live in the Rio Grande valley, not much to forage until the rains come in. But these New Mexico Olive trees grow all up and down the river, they are always so full of fruit. But they are painfully bitter.
...until recently, ramps (Allium tricoccum) have been a fairytale. I went to Vermont for a trip and my friend showed me her ramps field, although it was summer and they'd all died back to flowers. Well, hiking in an undisclosed location in east Tennessee today, I saw this. I rubbed my fingers on it and... YEP, RAMPS. Further down the trail it got completely boombastic with them. This is a random trailhead off a main road, so I suspect I've got a good chance of snagging a respectable harvest next season. So exciting.
Il know that bramble are eatable and I can recognised them perfectly but I couldn't bring myself to eat it. It feels to weird. I should'nt have forrage it. I've made a flower-leave salad and mugwort fritters out of the rest.
publication croisΓ©e depuis : https://jlai.lu/post/6859176
My wife and I walk our dogs on a trail along the Rio Grande every morning, and years ago I found this patch of Mountain Gooseberries. The birds usually get to the ripe ones before I do. I never pick too many to ensure the birds do have enough. As the patch has grown, and continues to grow, I eat more.
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Fiddleheads
I almost missed fiddlehead season but was able to get out Sunday and collect a few that were still curled up tight.
Iβve heard there are a few edible species but we only harvest the ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris. I love them lightly battered and fried (after blanching) or pickled to go in bloody marys.
More info: https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2540e/
I've been thinking about collecting dandelion sap (y'know, the white stuff inside the stem) for a while, but I can't find anything about how to collect it because duckduckgo only shows unrelated results.
- β’ 95%
Mayapple
Found some in the woods yesterday and looked them up. Apparently the fruit is very tasty, resembling Starburst. Have you tried it?
Some more info on season/edibility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uovfSkeyfbA
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Spotted dead-nettle
I tried a tiny taste and it was pretty neutral, not "grassy" at all. Might work well in a salad.
I didn't take any home since there was not much there and I'm not 100% sure on the ID.
Got some spruce tips, but they basically have no flavor. Am I picking at the wrong time? Or maybe it's just a bland tree?
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Garlic mustard
At least I'm pretty sure that's what it is. It has a nice garlic taste. I chopped it and put in some oil, salt and pepper for a nice little spread.
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British Mycological Society Talk: Chris Knowles - A beginners guide to fungal habitats in the UK
cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/9734268
> British Mycological Society Talk: Chris Knowles - A beginners guide to fungal habitats in the UK > > Chris Knowles is a field mycologist, tutor and digitiser at the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. In this talk, Chris presents a back-to-basics look at the various ecosystems where fungi thrive, from ancient woodlands to urban environments. Each habitat presents unique challenges and opportunities for fungal communities, shaping their diversity and distribution; Chris discusses what this means for a forayer and how to plan around these challenges.
Pretty psyched for garlic mustard and dandelion season here soon.
Paw-paw season is my favorite though because you need to plan around climbing trees and jumping around in rivers.
Got any great experiences you want to share?
Hello there foragers and gatherers!
I've transitioned instances, but I am the one running this community. Hoping to grow this community now that the long cold winter is finally coming to and end, at least here in Scandinavia. It's been a while since anything has happened in this community, most likely due to the winter and there not being many possibilities for foraging that time of year. However, it's now warming up, so it would be super nice to see some more activity in this community again, and I'll do my best to put the word out there that this community exists for more to join.
Here are a few things I plan on doing this spring! βοΈ
- One of my all-time favourite things to do gather during the spring is birch sap! But please do be careful how you do this, as it can heavily damage a tree. It's a very healthy drink and tastes super good. Here is a video that let's you know how to do it :) This sap can also be turned into syrup which is great for desserts and drinks. Let me know if there is any interest on this syrup and I'll write up a guide on how to do it!
Plants and herbs I try to look for during Spring:
- Wild garlic, ramsons, and victory onion - The wild gourmet onions
- Nettle - wild spinach
- Ground elder - nature's wild parsley
- Garlic mustard - wild garlic
- Rowan tree leaf(sprouts) - the forest's marzipan
- Maple tree blossoms - the forest's nectar fireworks
- Sorrel - the taste of spring
- Ground elder shoots - Nature's answer to vanilla
Let me know what you're planning on foraging in the next few weeks, and happy foraging! π
Sorry this isn't actually foraging per se, but the only kind of people who'd grow these are probably foragers anyway. I've been growing them for a couple years, but this is the first year I had enough to bother trying to eat them! From two plants we got about 1/2 a cup.
So my question is, does anyone have any tips for actually eating these things?? We tried soaking them for 24 hours and boiling them for 2 hours, and they were still inedibly bitter! I'm thinking maybe brining them, an alkaline soak, splitting them all in half, and/or swapping out the cooking water a few times. At least one of those ought to work hopefully. It'll have to wait till next year though, we wasted these ones lol.
Sadly, there are only a few small areas of ancient forest left in my area, but they are so diverse and abundant. They're always a treat to explore.
Ochre brittlegill (Russula ochroleuca), stump puffballs (Lycoperdon / Apioperdon pyriforme), amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystina), Common puffballs (Lycoperdon perlatum), clouded agaric (Clitocybe nebularis), and what I believe to be red cracking bolete (Boletus / Xerocomellus chrysenteron) which are very abundant here. I did find some more wood mushrooms (Agaricus sylvicola) and green cracked brittlegills (Russula virescens), but I didn't take a picture for some reason.
Agaricus arvensis or campestris. I can never tell horse and field mushrooms apart, but no yellow staining and a pleasant mushroom and mild anise smell. I found several rings. Unfortunately, the maggots beat me to most of them. Also found a fair few meadow puffballs (Lycoperdon pratense) that had unfortunately just started to spore, and some parrot waxcaps (Gliophorus psittacinus) which, whilst edible, are far too small and slimy to bother with.
I did also find either a rather beautiful pure bright white amanita. Either a Destroying angel (Amanita virosa) or white dapperling (Leucoagaricus leucothites), im not knowledgeable enough to tell. Whilst fun to find, it's definitely not one I brought home.
My town have a plantation of Juglans nigra. These nut trees don't grow usually in France yet when I decided to have a taste of them, I thought I would handle it like another nut. But they are different.
I try to have the green shell to dry completely before peeling them off. But I couldn't so I went with a knive to get ride of it before they turn bad. The nuts are smaller than the one that grows here but so hard I can't crack them with a nutcraker.
Should I have wait longer before picking them up ? What is right to great ride of the green skin ? How could I crack them ?
Anyone else finding wild grapes?
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Muscadine vine
Does anyone else primarily find muscadine by smell? I can easily notice it from 20 yards away.
Found me some Wood Hedgehog mushroom today.
Considered to be a good od edible, having a sweet nutty taste and crunchy texture. Some consider it the culinary equivalent to the chanterelle. There are no poisons look-alikes either π
Further info about the mushroom: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/hydnum_repandum.html