15
votes
Accepted
Are Hawthorn berries edible?
If you are referring to Crataegus, then yes Hawthorne is edible, the pomes are like tiny apples with two flower spots on the bottom. It is commonly made into jelly, syrups and country wine.
Regarding ...
12
votes
Accepted
Is it practical to tap a tree for syrup on an overnight stop?
Using some numbers from Cornell's Extension program:
10 gallons of sap per tap in a season is reasonable.
The length of a season varies- Let's say it's 90 days.
The sugar concentration, which ...
11
votes
Accepted
Are there any inedible seaweeds on the UK coastline?
There is one poisonous: the Desmarestia. The other species should be okay. However, I can't say anything about if they are "worth eating" :)
Desmarestia is a genus of brown algae found worldwide. ...
11
votes
Accepted
Why / when to limit how much you gather?
(TL:DR -- The "safe" amount to harvest varies enormously with plant species and context. When in doubt, take 5% or less. 1/3 is probably safe for common, prolific species.)
This rule is given out ...
9
votes
Accepted
How do you tap a tree for sap?
Sugar Maple trees are by far the most popular trees that people tap for sap. So I will use this as my example of how to tap a tree. The following is taken from: Common Sense Homesteading.
Identify ...
9
votes
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How to start foraging in the UK?
Foraging is actually really easy in the UK, there are plenty of easy start plants and berries you can look for.
Do you require anything specific to start doing this?
Realistically, no not at all, ...
9
votes
What is a good source of vitamin C in the wild?
There are many sources of vitamin C in the wild. Some of the tricks that I have come across is to know how to extract it in ways that do not destroy the vitamin C. Berries are great in vitamin C and ...
9
votes
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What types of wild foods are protected from foraging in the Swedish Lapland forests, and how is the status decided?
Protected species in sweden are listed in English here: Protected Species in Sweden.
Since information is subject to change I will not copy the information into this answer.
Apart from that, hunting ...
8
votes
Accepted
What time of year is best to forage sloes in the UK?
The best time of year in the UK to go foraging for sloes is from mid-October to early-November, with the best time being after the first frost in this time frame. Allowing a frost will help the ...
8
votes
Accepted
Are almond fruits edible?
If you are eating fruits like these, you aren't eating true almonds. These are tropical almonds, Terminalia catappa, and the entire fruit and nut are edible.
8
votes
How to clean picked berries?
I usually combine the two answers above- pick into a container, when done transfer the berries one by one to a strainer. Get rid of anything suspicious.
Wash thoroughly with cold water, if needed let ...
8
votes
How do you tap a tree for sap?
There are a few ways to tap a tree, before you tap you need to know when the sap is rising from the roots to the branches.
I have read about
use a knife to make a shallow cut under the bark, then ...
8
votes
Accepted
Can I eat mice? If so, how to cook them?
Eating mice is no different to any other mammal - skin it, gut it, cook it. I've never eaten one, but I suspect that the flavour would vary a bit depending on what they had been eating and the sex of ...
7
votes
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What are good locations to find wild strawberries?
I enjoy going out every year and picking wild fruits out here in Beautiful British Columbia.
Many times a year, I will go out picking berries, early in the morning with a friend if possible. My ...
6
votes
What are good locations to find wild strawberries?
Since geographical area was not mentioned, Smultron are very common in Sweden.
I am not sure about the botanical definition of wild strawberries, but usually Smultron is translated as wild ...
6
votes
What are good locations to find wild strawberries?
I have picked wild strawberries in Colorado often while I am out hunting. My go-to place for wild strawberries is on old logging roads that have been overgrown. It takes some clear area with shade, ...
6
votes
Are Hawthorn berries edible?
Crataegus is definitely eatable, and has medicinal qualities. But remove the seeds before preparing any significant quantity. You also might wish to know that mature hawthorn fruit is often loaded ...
6
votes
Accepted
Can you eat dock leaves? How can they be prepared?
Rumex includes both sorrels and docks. The sorrels are generally more widely eaten. You can eat all of them, although they're pretty acid. Sliced finely with other salad greens, they add some bite. ...
6
votes
Accepted
Collecting plant foodstuff in the Canadian wilderness of Alberta during winter?
This is really a comment, or several of them, but too big to use the comments mechanism.
Alberta is a big place with quite varied climates. In particular, you can divide the province into the Rocky ...
5
votes
Accepted
What locations am I likely to find sloe bushes?
Yes loads! They're currently a very popular hedge bush. You'll likely find them along all new housing developments. Especially speaking for in the South of the UK, my development is only 4 years old ...
5
votes
Are there any inedible seaweeds on the UK coastline?
Here in the UK, there are several varieties of seaweeds that are tasty and are readily available for foraging, each with its unique flavour and texture.
While they are strictly no poisonous/unsafe ...
5
votes
How to clean picked berries?
The type of berry may matter. I am often picking very ripe blackberries, so you can't do much like shaking or tumbling without damaging the berries. What I do pick for speed, letting whatever get ...
5
votes
Accepted
What UK mushrooms will kill you?
I am quite certain that there are more deadly mushrooms than just the one you mentioned - if only for the other members of the Amanita Genus, many of which are very poisonous and some plain kill you.
...
5
votes
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Is there a backpacker's guide to edible plants that is very light?
There are multiple guides to edible foods, it looks like you would be most interested in would cover all of North America and if you are wanting to go light, there are pocket guides.
I found quite a ...
4
votes
How to clean picked berries?
The first thing is to pick them carefully in the first place, discarding any stems and most bugs. The more exposed berries are easier to pick cleanly, as of course are the largest ones. Then with ...
4
votes
What are good locations to find wild strawberries?
In the bellies of critters...
Seriously, anything living in the area is going to know where the wild strawberries grow and will have made a habit of eating them when they get ripe.
They grow close ...
4
votes
Is there a backpacker's guide to edible plants that is very light?
Short answer, yes. There are thin or even pamphlet sized guides to wild edibles. I doubt you would find any practical use with those. They simply don't have anything but the most well known plants ...
3
votes
Is wild garlic edible? How do you prepare it?
They are popular in Denmark as well.
My favorite use is pickling the non-flowered flower buds - for this, one has to pick the flower buds right before they open - then pickle them, like you would a ...
3
votes
Whats the most efficient food one could forage in the Taiga in a survival situation?
Speaking about taiga implies average climate. If things happen neither in middle or eastern Russia nor northern or western USA or Canada, then these territories are quite dense populated and any ...
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