A year in the life of a forager....

[The Big Lebowski]

And, there's more...

Wild Pea-Pisum sativum. I'll replace this once the pods are showing. 110% ID needed in this group.


Common hogweed or cow parsnip-Heracleum lanatum. Makes a great chutney or a simple veg.


Giant hogweed-Heracleum mantegazzianum for reference. Stay well clear.


Wild carrot-Daucus carota. Arable grassland. Thanks F.

[xylaria]

I'll get you a wild parnsip photo, they look more like hogweed that any other umbellifer at moment.

[The Big Lebowski]

Cool

I'm so flat out at the mo its difficult getting time for piccy's, let alone hunting stuff down!

[The Big Lebowski]

Few more yesterday... Did some tapping today for a change.

Wild rocket-Diplotaxis tenuifolia. So much better that the shop stuff.


Sea Aster-Aster tripolium. Nice crisp succulent with a salt aftertaste. One of my faves.


Birch Sap- genus Betula pendula A real spring treat. Might try a maple over the next few days.

[Bucephalas]

Yum yum yum

[xylaria]

Here is wild parnsip. It has gone quite downy now, the leafets are in pairs up the stem as they are in hogweed.




This is hogweed, it probably quite a bot bigger then this in most areas, but i am a way up hill so things a little slow around here. The downy leaf that is unfurling in the centre is the most edible.
Dont eat either wild parnips or hogweed unless you are absolutly sure you have IDed them correctly.


wild sorrel not to confused with;

cockoo pint/lords and ladies/arum. The root on arum can be processed into a starch, but the leaves and any part of it raw cause oxalic acid burns to skin and mouth. It is not unusaul to come across arum and sorrel growing next to each other on woodland paths, however sorrel much prefers open grasslands. It is a very common weed in lawns, cockoo pint is only found in shady woodlands the leaves are much shineyer. They can look a like when small and under developed.


cowslip, the flowers tastes lovely. a wine can be made from the flowers but it would require foraging a unethical amount.


woodsage, I think it tastes quite unpleasant.


watercress. I presume there will be liver fluke.


ground elder, nice treated like spinach this time of year. Lightly boiled, bit of ramson butter melted over teh top, mmm I know what I am having for lunch tommorrow.


another common plant that carpets woodland floor this time of year, dogs mercury, this plant is poisonous.

[The Big Lebowski]

Great post thanks Xylaria..!
Been mad busy of-late, but back out with camera today, and there's a rumour the St George's are now showing

[xylaria]

Great post thanks Xylaria..!
Been mad busy of-late, but back out with camera today, and there's a rumour the St George's are now showing

not seen them yet. Had peas and weeds for tea though. chickpeas with satued ground elder and ramson butter. Saying that, my son said "doesn't this normally have them really nice mushrooms in it?". The old man made soem really nice chicken pakoras. Ramson riata is interesting, i am looking making fake turmeric with dock root.

[The Big Lebowski]

Food above sounds most tempting, I just had boring pasty and beans.

As promised St Georges! Calocybe gambosa.


A week later...


Good old Ramsons-Allium ursinum.

[The Big Lebowski]

Few more...

Hop Shoots-Humulus Lupulus. Sadly just a few weeks of the year. Tastes like very good asparagus.


Wild Strawberry-Fragaria vesca. Flower form.


Borage-Borago officinalis. Tastes like cucumber (roughly) Traditionally used in Pimms! Sundowner old boy?


Coltsfoot- Tussilago farfara. Not tried this as-yet but it is edible.

[Stratts]

Great thread mate is all this lot local to where you live? What sort of habitat is it all from? I live in the fens with various woodland pockets and am not sure what I'm likely to find if I get chance to start looking!

[Harvestman]

Hi Al, ask your mate if Ground Ivy is good for anything. Lots of it about at the moment.

[The Big Lebowski]

Stratts... Everything from woodland to meadow, salt marsh to concrete wasteland. Its all within a 5 mile radius of the coast. Hope that was kind-of helpful.

One for you Mike, taken today (with the phone) and I'll ask about the GI. I don't think its highly sought after though.

Morel-Morchella vulgaris. The common morel (or rather~ not so common)

[Harvestman]

Morel! I want!

Forage a few of those for me and we are halfway to a trade my friend

[The Big Lebowski]

I'll update this shortly.... Been rather busy

[lannyman8]

this thread is awesome, but i would never have the guts to just go and try stuff.......

i need an expert like your self to show me the ropes on actual plants...

[lannyman8]

Is this Yarrow



Sent from my GT-S5570 using Tapatalk 2

[Harvestman]

Is this Yarrow



Sent from my GT-S5570 using Tapatalk 2

Yup.

Well, probably.

[lannyman8]

cool, it had last years stalks in the center with the flowering/seed heads still on, about 12" tall ish, maybe a little more, a group of about 6-12 plants in total...

i feel a balm coming up.....

thanks gents..

[The Big Lebowski]

Few more...

Pignut-Conopodium majus. Spring growth. Found amongst bluebells and ramsons in this picture.


Wood Sorrel-Oxalis acetosella or 'Alleluia' Great for hydrating your mouth or mixed into salads ect.


Bay-Laurus nobilis. Always worth collecting leaves if you do a lot of D.O or asian cooking.
Dried for a few weeks, soo much better than the supermarket stuff! A world infact.

i need an expert like your self to show me the ropes on actual plants...

I'm no expert buddy... Starting a long journey and your shotgun!

[Steve M]

Once again, lovely pics Al.

Wood Sorrel. Great for hydrating your mouth or mixed into salads ect.

And stuffing trout.

this thread is awesome, but i would never have the guts to just go and try stuff.......

i need an expert like your self to show me the ropes on actual plants...

I'm pretty sure Big Al won't mind me adding in a link to the Wild Food and Natural Resources course I'm publishing on my blog. It's only a few posts in and the first set of plants is here.

[The Big Lebowski]

No problemo here with the link, I can highly recommend anyone follow Steves Blog.

Some very good reading

And stuffing trout.

Stuffed wood pigeon too, trout sounds interesting... Nom, nom

[drewdunnrespect]

i fully understand what all is getting at with the user field guide infact i have one but dont have a blooming clue how to use it

so would need an expert to show me the way

[lannyman8]

I'm no expert buddy... Starting a long journey and your shotgun!

thanks mate, you are very helpful to many folk im sure, not just me...

[The Big Lebowski]

Your very welcome lanny. If it helps one person its worth it

Routers about to commit hari-kari, but with thanks to mike/harvestman I have a few new plants to add...

Yellow archangel-Lamium galeobdolon. Member of the dead nettle family and a very pleasant almost sweet taste.
Taken on the side of a riverbank.


Lady's smock or cuckoo flower-Cardamine pratensis. Sweet tasting flowers with a hint of pepper. Nice.
Taken in Meadows.


Jack by the hedge-Alliara petiola.
Never really got on with the slight bitter aftertaste of this but my palate may be different to yours!
Grows on just about every suburban/country roadside.

[Ichneumon]

Stunning pictures! Difficult to go far wrong with pictures like these. Local names might be an issue though.

FWIW:

Lady's smock is sometimes known as Cuckoo flower and more often Milkmaids.

Hedge garlic is also listed in many field guides under the names garlic-mustard and/or Jack-by-the-hedge - a name that perfectly describes its growing habits. Best picked before the flowers appear.

Any merit in including the Latin names too Al? Might avoid problems with regional and national differences.

ATB Paul

[The Big Lebowski]

Dont see any problems with the latin... It can just be a bit overwhelming to start with so I though best leave it out

Adding now bud, atb, al.

[Harvestman]

That's the exact reason the specific scientific names (commonly called 'Latin names' though they aren't always based on latin) are used. Local names are a right pain, though they do add a bit of colour sometimes.

I've never heard of Lady's Smock/Cuckoo Flower being called Milkmaids, but that is the point, isn't it? Apparently, there is a plant (I don't know which) whose local name in one part of the UK was "Jack run down the path, jump over the garden gate and kiss me". Not sure if that is true, but it certainly makes the point.

For those who say "I can't be doing with latin names" I usually say "Name me a dinosaur". When they reply "Tyrannosaurus rex" I just smile...

[The Big Lebowski]

And for those of us researching 50 odd latin names... Its going to be a long night!

Off to bed, updates to follow!

[Harvestman]

As soon as you get into the latin names, some wise-guy (usually me ) will inevitably tell you that your reference book is out of date, and the name has now changed to something even more incomprehensible than the one you thought it was. You can't win.

(Did that make sense?)