Foraging - Natures Food

dannie

S1976 wrote: »

If I were to freeze them or at least have a go, I would blanch them for 60 secs in boiling salt water and then throw them right into a ice bowl of water but really I would think they would still not freeze very well. But hey have a go and let us know if you find a solution

Sue

S1976 - No,the blanching method of dandelion flowers wasn't as good;thought they looked a bit blackened at the base but when snipped off they were still usuable. In my opinion,the best solution if quality is the priority is to incorporate the flowers in a recipe before freezing.

ceridwen

I'm coming to realise just how many opportunities there are for "gleaning" food - ie the food isnt deemed suitable to sell - but is perfectly okay to eat for anyone wishing to glean it - after the basic harvesting of this vegetable/fruit/whatever has been done.

A lot of useful food is just left to rot on fields - because it simply isnt worth it commercially for the farmer to collect it - but there is a decent volume of perfectly acceptable food worth collecting lying there on the fields.

Waste not/want not thinks me - so I've been putting on a "freegan hat" and collecting it and its possible to get quite a lot that way.

My query is: the reason this food hasnt been collected by the farmer is that there are "dud" bits on it and/or its deemed too small/too unattractive to sell etc - so preparing this food is basically a question of "chop off the bad bits and then prepare as required".

Errr....one very "specialist" question coming up here then:
- what I could do with is information specifically about what to do with such "gleanings" - something along the line of "chop off bad bits and then ........" and it needs to be more like quick/simple methods of preparation - more than actual recipes.

Something along the line of "To use gleaned apples - chop out bad bits, make into puree and then dry in a dehydrator and its apple leather and can be used the following ways......" or "to use gleaned carrots - chop out bad bits, then dry or make into vegetable crisps..."

Whatever is done with this gleaned food has to be VERY quick/easy etc. It doesnt matter if it then takes hours marinating or drying or whatever - but the basic preparation and any subsequent recipes using the foodstuff after it has been prepared HAVE to be VERY quick/easy/troublefree - and not involve freezers or anything unhealthy (eg: add a load of sugar and make jam).

So - I'm looking for VERY quick/VERY easy and VERY healthy ways of using gleaned food.

Has anyone got any ideas please - any useful books please?

greenbee

I'm assuming that you'll be getting permission to collect these gleanings, as in some cases the crop may have been left for a reason - as a green manure, as pig food (pigs are quite often put into fields after crops have been harvested to fatten on the leftovers), or because of disease or chemical contamination. They may also be 'experimental' crops e.g. GM, or be things like beans that aren't harvested until they are dry.

It is important to remember that crops that have been sprayed cannot be harvested for a given period of time. If you are not aware of the spraying schedule and resting time for the chemicals involved, you should steer clear of gleaning (or having a little nibble from a crop that hasn't yet been harvested!) as the crop may not be fit to eat at the time that you pick it.

Once you have permission, it really is as simple as collecting it up, checking carefully for pests, diseases and damage, and treating it as normal - so stewing apples for freezing, making soups and stews with vegetables etc.

sassyblue

I agree with greenbee, l live next to a farm and there really isn't any waste that l see except a few potatoes not picked up when harvesting (but that's only 1 year in every 4 with crop rotation!), everything else is cleaned away. Loads can't be left on the field (or orchard floor) as when it rots it would attract pests and disease, not good in farming! You could also go and pick some veggy bits when the cabbages/brussels have been harvested but you'd have to fight the sheep and get past the electric fences first :eek:

You can get reduced vegs and fruits in the supermarked most evenings (l'm sure you know that lol), but you're better off foraging for mushrooms, berries etc there will definitely be books about that.

thriftlady_2

I don't really understand why you need different methods of preparation from those you would use for non-gleaned fruit and veg As you say cut off the bad bits and cook/store as usual.

Are these gleanings anybody's for the taking? Surely they belong to the farmer.

HariboJunkie

I agree with the points above but I'm sure they're doing Ceridwen a disservice as she stated clearly in this post her views on helping yourself to foraged food without the permission of the landowner so I'm sure the farmer's permission has been sought.

ceridwen

HariboJunkie wrote: »

I agree with the points above but I'm sure they're doing Ceridwen a disservice as she stated clearly in this post her views on helping yourself to foraged food without the permission of the landowner so I'm sure the farmer's permission has been sought.

Oh yes - the farmers permission has definitely been given - I assumed people would realise this.:D

ceridwen

thriftlady wrote: »

I don't really understand why you need different methods of preparation from those you would use for non-gleaned fruit and veg As you say cut off the bad bits and cook/store as usual.

Are these gleanings anybody's for the taking? Surely they belong to the farmer.

I should maybe have made this a bit clearer - as in there's quite large quantities of stuff sometimes and I am thinking in terms of:
- ways of making it into usable food quickly and easily (due to it being large quantities and/or wanting to make up "dishes" to feed a large quantity of people).

ceridwen

ceridwen wrote: »

Oh yes - the farmers permission has definitely been given - I assumed people would realise this.:D

NOTE TO SELF: always remember that I've had so many years of being trusted/respected in my community that I take it for granted and tend to forget that those outside it don't know me ....DUH!! Also - don't forget people are a lot more "suspicious" of strangers than they used to be generally - herewith ends "sermon to self for the Day"...

tut...tut...ceridwen... being naive again....

Olliebeak

Maybe there's more 'gleanings' in these days of automation than there were in the past, when crops were harvested by hand.

I know that the machines are designed to get the entire crop out of the ground, but I don't think they have 'sensors' on them - at least not yet - hence there can be more left than a person 'picking' would leave.

Good luck to you, Ceridwen - very generous neighbouring farmers you have there.

I think I would just treat them as I would anything bought from the greengrocers - cook and eat/blanche and freeze/make soup. The root veg crisps are delicious, but you can only eat so many of them and I guess home-made ones would perhaps be difficult to package like the ones you get in health food shops.

If you had somewhere cool, dry and dark AND the crops in question weren't damaged (or in need of 'bad bits being trimmed') you should be able to keep them for a while, perhaps covered with peat/sand.

I can't see any method of preserving being possible without spending some money - you've mentioned them all in your original post. I can see you having lots of vegetable stews/curries/chillis/soups this winter, Ceridwen - good on you .