Foraging - Natures Food

gardenjenny

I am really interested in starting to forage for food but am an absolute beginner. I could identify apples and blackberries but thats it! Are there any things I could safely hunt up with a guide book?, obviously fungi is a no-no. Have looked for an expert in my area of Merseyside but have come up short there.

oliveoyl

Depends on how deeply you want to get into it... there's a basic little book called Food For Free by Richard Maby that will point out the easy/distinctive ones.

DitaBombita

Id agree with the book above, its great. I dont think there is much about apart from Sloes and end of blackberries and nuts at moment, maybe get the book and read up for Spring?

PasturesNew

Obviously watch out if you're going into the woods with strangers who are scousers ...
http://liverpool.gumtree.com/liverpool/73/40552373.html

brownhandbag

lots of crab apples in the hedgerows. Easy to spot as just look like little apples

beautiful_ravens

This most excellent site, Celtnet
http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/ancient/guide-a.php has an A-Z of edible wild food which you can search, then links on to recipes and uses. Its great!! Cobnuts and beech nuts should be collected NOW. :cool:

SSTEPHANIE

Elderberries (cordial, jelly etc.) I expect you know not to pick from beside a road, car exhausts etc.. Nasturtian plants (with the orange flowers) are edible and growing at the moment, leaves slightly peppery and good in salads, flowers too. Primrose (yellow) plants are probably something you would recognise, the flowers are good in spring, full of vitamins, in the "olden" days they would eat them with bread. Hope that gives you a start. If like me you make home-made wine (dont get me started) rosehips are around at the moment, infact you can make wine from rose petals, highly recommended believe it or not.

gardenjenny

Obviously watch out if you're going into the woods with strangers who are scousers ...
http://liverpool.gumtree.com/liverpool/73/40552373.html

I am a scouser too, so can look after myself!

Wow, thanks everybody. Loads of ideas here.

Norman_Bean

I've just started on my foraging career as well.
Last week I made nettle soup for the first time - it was really delicious - use the tips of the nettles.
Went for a mini-forage today and found 7 blackberries, thousands of chestnuts, loads of hazelnuts and walnuts. I got loads of windfall apples and pears, cut out bruised and manky bits and made apple and pear compote. There were also lots of beechnuts but I didn't like the taste, I'm not sure if you need to toast them or something?
I also saw a lot of sloes but not sure what to do with those ... I'm also going to investigate if acorns can be used ...I'm not sure if I've imagined 'acorn bread' or not!?
Good luck - foraging is addictive and rewarding!

Norman_Bean

Just googled 'acorn bread' and it does exist! lots of recipes to have a look at. Give it a go!
Norman x