Foraging Challenge

Malfiore

Hi Was hoping I could join in as a newbie forager?!

I have just ordered the Food for Free book and have a copy of the foraging calender that was linked earlier (thank you ) and I'm raring to go.

First thing will be elderflower champagne! We (the OH and I) make beer and wine already but never from food, foraged or otherwise, so I'm excited to give it a go.

Lavender cakes sound delicious as well...

jumblejack

River cottage just had felicity foraging pig nuts:j

If you haven't seen it already, catch it on 4OD!

Aldahbra

splodger_seedswapper wrote: »

as there might be a few people wanting to take part that are new to foraging - i thought it might be useful to learn a few plants to avoid (not a comprehensive list by any means) but it does help to know what plants are poisonous - or have poison elements to them - so i would recommend that anybody new to foraging can identify the plants to avoid.

baneberry
black bryony
buttercup
columbine
common buckthorn
deadly nightshade
fool's parsley
foxglove
hemlock
henbane
ivy
laburnum
meadow saffron
mistletoe
monkshood
spindle tree
white byrony
white hellebore
woody nightshade
yew (leaves and berry)

hope this will help

Wow thanks that is a really useful list. I can only recognise some of those, so I need to look a few up.

Welcome Malfiore, the more the merrier, this is going to be new to a lot of us. I have always foraged a bit but now I'm planning to take it to a whole new level and have a lot to learn.

adelight

Got four pints of elderflower champagne on the go It would be more but someone had beat me to the flowers on the lower branches and I couldn't reach much on that tree even sat on OH's shoulders. I'll pick some more elsewhere tomorrow.

Malfiore

Thanks Aldahbra

I'm excited to get started!!

Moorhen

Foraged some more of the raspberries that have been planted by the birds in our garden last night, there is a huge crop this year.
I did have to peel some snails off the canes first though!:eek:

jumblejack

adelight wrote: »

Got four pints of elderflower champagne on the go It would be more but someone had beat me to the flowers on the lower branches and I couldn't reach much on that tree even sat on OH's shoulders. I'll pick some more elsewhere tomorrow.

:rotfl:
That's hilarious! I'd loved to have seen that:rotfl:

Hope your results are better than mine.
I'm going to try again with the champagne whilst there's still some heads worth picking.


Malforie, well done on the winemaking, etc.

I'm a total newbie regarding this but am up for the challenge. :j
Feel free to post pics or share ideas. We could all benefit from the experience of others.

If we all pool our knowledge here, we will all come on at a tremendous pace

Boodle

jumblejack wrote: »

nettles and dandelions (nettles are at their best in spring but can still be useful now),

Hi JJ - any tips on harvesting the later nettles? We have a lot around here. I remember reading not to harvest any that have flowered...?

Also, I have a bay tree and use them fresh. The plant leafs all year round so no need to stock up.

Aldahbra, the red flowering currants are a different berry to redcurrant. I used the same recipe for the rose jelly yes, but it doesn't seem to have set very well. Thinking of transferring to bottles and label as Rose Cordial for the birthday gifts.

adelight

Moorhen wrote: »

Foraged some more of the raspberries that have been planted by the birds in our garden last night, there is a huge crop this year.
I did have to peel some snails off the canes first though!:eek:

Eat them My local council actually suggests fattening up garden snails in an old fish tank, or similar, with peeling and porridge and eating them!

jumblejack

Boodle wrote: »

Hi JJ - any tips on harvesting the later nettles? We have a lot around here. I remember reading not to harvest any that have flowered...?

Also, I have a bay tree and use them fresh. The plant leafs all year round so no need to stock up.

Aldahbra, the red flowering currants are a different berry to redcurrant. I used the same recipe for the rose jelly yes, but it doesn't seem to have set very well. Thinking of transferring to bottles and label as Rose Cordial for the birthday gifts.

I put mine through the juicer then dilute it with fizzy lemonade.
I will post pics after if you want as I have a couple on photobucket! Remind me if I forget!
It's a great way to get the health benefits of the plant and they love the green frothy moustache they get too!!!!

Re: bay leaves,
Ive read that the flavour improves when dried. Do you find it doesn't make any difference. If not, I will use them fresh too then.