Foraging

[mamabearCali]

IF the SHTF in a big way eventually all of us are going to run out of preps....unless you have a bunker....if you do props to you. We do not at this time. So eventually we will have to look for food outside our home. This is knowledge that must be gained before the SHTF. Assuming we have a general hunting and fishing knowledge (not that it is for certain that game will be able to be had). We are going to need additional resources. Food is out there. We all know there are edible plants and medicinal plants hanging about but how many of us know which ones will give you a meal and which ones will kill you right out?

So lets share what we know while we can.

This is what I know can be found in many backyards in spring summer and fall.

Dandelions....completely edible. Best when young ( not so bitter) I have had them sauteed--and they weren't bad--reminded me of spinach. I have been told...have not had a chance to practice this yet that the flowers taste like mushrooms when battered and fried. I am not fond of coffee, so someone else can check this out, but I have been told that the roasted roots of the dandelion taste like coffee.

Acorns....if it is not rotten it is edible. The rub is you must soak the inner nut for a few days and then you must grind it. However if you have a manual coffee grinder around you are golden. Use it like a flour/meal.

Wild Onions....this is where we start to get into plant identification. If it looks like an onion AND smells like an onion it is edible, all of it.... If it only looks like an onion--but it does not smell like it DO NOT EAT IT! I used to eat these when I was a kid....as I remember it tasted like chives.

Berries...if it is purple and multi-seeded it is 100% edible (think blackberries)....if it is red, you got a 50/50 shot (not worth it in my book).


That is what I know for sure in wilderness food!

Please add on what you know so that when the SHTF we are all up to our ears in chives and blackberries.

[GeneFrenkle]

Dandelions are tasty. We put them in our salads. In central va, we also have mulberries, grapes, blackberries, and black raspberries. In my yard are also damson plums, apples, and figs.

The best part is going out with my son during late spring and summer and graze for dessert. Good times.

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[WRW]

Poke leaves good, rest of the plant bad...including berries.

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[mamabearCali]

You know I have never seen a poke plant...I looked it up...not familiar at all. Maybe it does not grow around here.....We are hoping to plant blueberries and peaches on our little 1/4 acre plot come spring. That would be helpful. Pre-positioning a few plants of either medicinal or food value. For example in our front flower bed we have rosemary....grows very well and is of great use both as a culinary herb and a medicinal herb. It is part of my never fail get well soup.

[WRW]

This time of the year may not be too late to put out kale, collards, etc., especially south and west near the house or in a cold frame. Apples are on the market now and can be dehydrated. Chives and onions overwinter in a garden and will have a head start for next year. Not exactly foraging, but still a way to round out a diet.

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[WRW]

Thyme and sage winter well also. Basil can be taken indoors. Blueberries are good stuff, really healthful. Two varieties is good, three is better.

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[WRW]

Nettle has medicinal properties and vitamin C.

The library may have an old Euell Gibbons book or two, if you really want to pursue the foraging. He even ate poison ivy to build up a resistance.

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[mamabearCali]

I am not eating poison ivy....I am not insane....that is a fabulous way to die quick. However I am looking for a foraging book. I will see what I can find in ye olde library or perhaps barnes and noble if I am feeling flush with cash....because like the web the library will be gone in a nasty situation. Better to have something one can reference.

[WRW]

Now that I think on it, persimmon is about ready for consumption and should no longer have astringent quality.

Don't use sassafras for a camp fire that will be cooked over.

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[Reverenddel]

Don't forget the magic that is the LIGHTEST green of pine needles, they're rich in vitamin C. They have an odd flavor, but when you put them in an "acorn, squirrel, and wild onion stew", they add a lil' citrus flavor.

You know, is there ANYONE who teaches these things? I really like the outdoors, and I can survive fairly well, and I DO know the edible plants, but I think I would enjoy an outdoor class.

[mamabearCali]

That would bea great class....light green pine needles. I will remember that one.

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[imaduckin]

theres 2 water plants you can eat actually the roots, the cattail and the arrowhead plant. roots are potato like and high in carbs. if your goin to eat acorns, get the white oak acorns , they are less bitter than the red oak. pine cone seeds are edible but only in small quantitys as they cause constipation.

[Palladin]

There's a reason we don't EAT this stuff - it tastes like crap!

I think Americans are on the right track... just be fat as pigs, then when tough times come your good to go for a coupla months.

Seriously though, I was feeding my pigs some acorns the other day, and I noticed that they whuffed up the white oak acorns before getting the chestnut oak acorns. They eventually ate the chestnut oak acorns, but they definitely passed over the big ones to get the tastier small ones first.

After reading up on it and talking with my brother in law (who's part Native American) I sliced up some chestnut oak acorns and put the slices through 4 boiling water rinses over a one hour period. Then I patted them dry and toasted them with some olive oil and garlic salt. It wasn't too bad - a little mealy, but I could eat that if I was hongry enuff.

The Natives would rinse theirs in sacks weighted down in fast flowing streams...

[mamabearCali]

Wild onions are actually REALLY GOOD! If you like onions... I got a few last night out of the yard, just to retest them.....yep, just like chives. And who says that blackberries taste like crap....I have stopped and picked buckets full from thickets in our neighborhood. I have not tried acorns yet, but I will soon just as an experiment and will report back.

edited to add: that in a different thread someone said we would all starve to death in SHTF. I would rather eat acorn, dandelion, onion, pigeon stew and live.

[kelu]

What I bought: http://www.amazon.com/dp/039592622X/?tag=k--20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/039592622X/?tag=k--20
and from there, you have plenty options.
You will want to learn about medicinal plants too...

[mamabearCali]

I have field guide for medicinal plants.... I think come next payday I will be getting that book. It is cheap and could literally be a life saver. It might even be a money saver, never can tell.

[Reverenddel]

Best part of Cattails, not only EDIBLE, but the tufts make GREAT firestarter!

[dorminWS]

Poke leaves good, rest of the plant bad...including berries.

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You can also eat the stalks. Cut them up and peel them, flour them, and fry them. Pretty good eating, really.

[WRW]

Poke leaves good, rest of the plant bad...including berries.

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You can also eat the stalks. Cut them up and peel them, flour them, and fry them. Pretty good eating, really.

I stand corrected. Mustard greens are good early in the year, too.

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[Palladin]

Poke leaves good, rest of the plant bad...including berries.

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You can also eat the stalks. Cut them up and peel them, flour them, and fry them. Pretty good eating, really.

Poke sallat Annie, gator's got cher granny.