31
votes
Accepted
Is wild garlic edible? How do you prepare it?
Here in Slovenia, the use of wild garlic is quite widespread. Although the whole plant, including bulbs, is edible, leaves are most commonly used.
I tried only leaves so far, so I can share my ...
- 426
20
votes
How do you eat nettles?
Nettles should be blanched to destroy the formic acid before eating (Handle with gloves of course).
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil & prepare a bowl of ice water on the side.
Once ...
- 1,658
17
votes
Accepted
How do you eat nettles?
I have only had them as a tea with raspberry leaves. Refreshing enough, but nothing I'd actively forage to accomplish.
However since the USDA report (direct PDF download) says that stinging nettles ...
- 2,924
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 ...
- 4,662
14
votes
Accepted
What should I bring home foraged mushrooms in?
Any cloth bag with a loose weave will also work. Closely woven bags are a second good choice, but won't breathe as well.
Part of the reason for a basket, though, is that you'll also have a lot of ...
- 513
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 ...
- 376
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. ...
- 23.4k
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 ...
- 125
10
votes
Accepted
Where/how can I catch American signal crayfish in the UK?
First things first you need to contact the correct authorities. You require written permission to trap crayfish in the UK.
There was an episode of River Cottage where they trapped them on the River ...
- 15.4k
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 ...
- 9,589
9
votes
Accepted
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, ...
- 15.4k
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 ...
- 9,589
9
votes
Accepted
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 ...
- 1,952
8
votes
What should I bring home foraged mushrooms in?
I have good experiences using cloth grocery bags (note: breathability).
Depending on how many mushrooms you are gathering it might be necessary to put something like a bowl/small basket into the ...
- 12.6k
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 ...
- 15.4k
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.
- 520
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 ...
- 1,778
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 ...
- 521
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 ...
- 9,050
7
votes
How do you eat nettles?
This is a good place to start: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's nettle recipes.
Nettle Soup
Adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Around 150g nettle tops
30-35g knob of butter
1 ...
- 171
7
votes
Accepted
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 ...
- 9,589
6
votes
Is wild garlic edible? How do you prepare it?
Wild garlic is perfectly edible.
My usual ways of cooking it are either to eat it raw (after washing) as a salad leaf, or to saute it like spinach (and it will reduce by a similar amount). It can ...
- 397
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. ...
- 76
6
votes
How do you eat nettles?
Very carefully!!
Seriously need to be blanched/boiled to render the Formic acid inert. Formic has a much higher effect on organics than its relative acidity would suggest.
From here use like cabbage ...
- 161
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 ...
- 161
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, ...
- 1,736
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 ...
- 521
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 ...
- 21.3k
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 ...
- 51
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