How many wild edibles foragers do we have?

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Growing up in Michigan's U.P., I;ve been a forager most of my life. I loved wild mushrooms, raspberries, blacberries, thimbleberries, and the tiny wild strawberries. To find a wild apple tree out in the forests, while fishing a stream was a treat. Saskatoon berries from some known trees,(sarvice berries, sugar plumbs) were gathered, along with king bolete, shaggy mein, trumpet, hen of the woods mushrooms, and such plants as sour grass, burdock, cowslips were icked, and treasured. . We could even find wild peas, and Leafy herbs like savory, sour grass, and chamomile in our yards.I also picked my share of blueberries, wild hazelnuts, acorns, and puff balls. I suppose you could even call fishing and hunting a form of foraging. So we could add brook trout, rainbow trout, chinook salmon, pink salmon, yellow perch, walleye, northern pike rock bass, smallmouth bass, crayfish,whitefish, and burbot can be added to the list. And then there are the many cottontail, and snowshoe rabbits, ruffed grouse, woodcock, and steaks/roasts of venison.

You could truly live off of the land, except it's mostly private property now, and you need to purchase gathering, hunting, and fishing licences, even if wild berries are growing in your yard. I haven't even touched on the edible wild flowers, cattails, and tree barks, let alone maple and birch sap.

how many foragers do we have on DC?

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[taxlady]

I'm a forager at heart, but I haven't had a lot of chance to do it. When I lived in the country for a few years, I did forage a bit. I had a mushroom identifying book and did collect a very few types of mushrooms, including some morels once. Those were wonderful.

I didn't enjoy most of the wild greens. I did like the milkweed buds and mustard greens. Berries: my favourite were the tiny strawberries. One year there was a bumper crop and I managed to pick enough to make about eight pint jars of wonderful strawberry jam. We also picked raspberries and some very dark berry that looks sort of like an oversized raspberry. Locals called them blackberries, but they grow on small plants, very close to the ground. We found blueberries once in a while, but I don't really care for them.

Went fishing, but I didn't really enjoy it and I learned that I don't like freshwater fish. I have been fishing once in the Saint Lawrence River estuary, where the fresh water mixes with the salt water from the ocean, and caught a fish that was delicious. I have no idea of what kind of fish it was. My companions told me the name of the fish in French, but I don't remember it.

For the past quarter century, I have been living in a suburb. And lived in the city for over ten years before that (which followed the few years in the country). I used to find mustard greens in areas that hadn't been built on yet. I pick the purslane that I find in my tiny yard.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Man dies from eating wild fungi

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Man dies from eating wild fungi

 

[taxlady]

Man dies from eating wild fungi

And that was why I used a very good book on mushroom identifying. There was a section in each mushroom description telling you whether or not it was edible and which toxic mushrooms it could be confused with. There were descriptions of things to check for. There were descriptions of the colours and appearance of the spores and a note about whether to use white or black paper for the spore collection. Spore collection was usually done by leaving the mushrooms overnight on paper. Then, the next day, you have a really good look at the spores. If in doubt, don't eat it. The only mushroom I didn't bother doing that with was one I identified by appearance. It was called "poison pie". I just threw them away without bothering to check the spores.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

There are no pink gilled mushrooms in the U.S that are poisonous. Morrells are easily distinguished from false morels, as the cap is attached to the stem. Shaggy meis are easy to identify, and have no poisonous look alikes. There are a great many murrons that are easily identified. You just need to do your homework, take a good field guide, and if possible, an experienced, reliable mushroom hunter.

There are members of the amanita family that are choice. And then there are the death caps. and angel of death amanitas that look a lot like the choice ones. They can be distinguished by spore prints, and whether the gills fork before reaching the edge of the parasol. Since my memory is less than perfect, I won't go near any of the amanita family. Also, LBM's are off limits in the Americas. They look like the straw mushrooms of china, but are poisonous.
many Chines immigrants were poisoned after eating the little brow mushrooms. We called them toad stools.

Follow the rules and it's safe to gather wild plants, even mushrooms.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[blissful]

Puffball mushrooms, and I love the lemony taste of purslane. Wild strawberries on our hiking trails.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I did a little foraging back in my hippie daze.

At this time of year, folks in this area would be tapping maple trees to make a little syrup or getting ready for trout season to open on April 1st.

It's still a great inexpensive family hobby if you get away from the roadsides and the manicured suburban lawns to avoid chemical contamination.

 

[pepperhead212]

I tried a few wild greens through the years, but nothing I was thrilled with. And I won't take chances with wild mushrooms. I used to get all of my epazote from foraging, and the green epazote grows wild here, and re-seeds itself. But now I grow the red epazote, which is better, though it will not re-seed itself here (without my help) - must be too cold.

 

[Kathleen]

I found chickweed in the garden as I started to clear it. Not out in the woods foraging, but am thinking of making it into a pesto tomorrow. As a child, we foraged for many fruits and veggies. I really hope to go mushrooming this year.

Fishing, hunting, etc. That was just regular life.

 

[Vinylhanger]

If my raised arugala patch goes to seed and then starts throwing off arugala all over the yard, does that count as wild arugala. [emoji12]

 

[blissful]

If my raised arugala patch goes to seed and then starts throwing off arugala all over the yard, does that count as wild arugala. [emoji12]

YES! We grew our kale a second year and it went to seed in BALES, and I harvested the seed, but it is a messy business, so we have kale growing everywhere, between the pavers outside the lettuce garden taking the place of weeds. It tastes good all the same.



Now if I could just convince mr bliss not to pull the purslane, because I like to eat it, we'd be very much foragers.

 

[Bitser]

We used to hunt, mule deer and pronghorn antelope, but my wife developed some joint ills and can't hold her rifle steady. I keep intending to go out, but find some excuse or other. We do miss the wild meat.

We pick berries— currants, serviceberries, chokecherries, and exotic stuff like Nanking cherry. I make jams, jellies and syrups.

This is not a good place for foraging: the climate is too rough.