Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

You'd be surprised at just what you can forage in built up areas CAPELLA I walk the village streets and there is Common Mallow, Hairy Bittercress, Yarrow, Sow Thistle, Chickweed, Dandelions, Nettles, Wall Pepper and there are edible flowers Magnolia, in the warmer weather Nasturtiums, Day Lillies (Hemerocalis), rose petals, honeysuckle flowers, fuchsia fruits (which look like tiny black sausages) Mahonia Fruits, Hosta shoots, young hawthorn and beech leaves, lime leaves and the fresh flowers of lime can be made into a tea, the ripe fruits taste like chocolate, common (not French or aftican) marigold flower petals are edible and grow like weeds in a garden, daisies are edible, the leaves and the flowers, and many other garden plants and flowers that you wouldn't begin to consider are actually edible too, you need a good guide book to be safe and must be SURE that what you have IS the edible version but foraging could help very much with feeding ourselves in adverse times.

[Deleted User]

Not forgetting field mushrooms.

Cappella

Thank you MrsLW I do have a good guide; but I was brought up on a small holding in Lincolnshire and have very fond memories of my dad and my great uncle who taught us to sample many of the plants you mention, though I didn't know about magnolia flowers, mahonia or daisies!! Most of the plants in your list grow on or around the allotment site. I'd add borage flowers; and comfrey leaves make tasty fritters - though you need be very careful not to use foxglove leaves by mistake, that could,and has, been fatal.
Mallow grows along the canal here as well, so that's worth investigating further.
I pickle nasturtium pods, they make a good substitute for capers, and also radish pics which we like with cold meats so we always let the bolted radish go to seed before we compost them.

BedsitBob - I don't trust my identification skills well enough to forage fungi. I recognise horse mushrooms and puffballs but would be very wary of trying anything else. My son grows shiitake and oyster mushrooms on birch logs though so that would be a resource I hadn't thought of either.

Thank you both.

elaine241

I think it would be a good idea to raise a "what if" question quite regularly as it seems to make people stop and think about their own scenario and it also raises issues that we may not of thought about. Foraging in built up areas is often better than in the countryside. Near me are several plum/apple trees possibly remanents of old back gardens before the area was developed, Very often back gardens have fruit trees that are never harvested.

I cant think of a question or scenario to continue this but I am sure someone will be along with one very soon!! :-)

RAS

One question? Or maybe two? Based on some discussions locally about fruit that rotted when stored to the speaker's chagrin.

With respect to fruit (and veggies), do you know enough about varieties to recognise the Discovery apple say, that rots in weeks from your Arthur Turner which keeps well? All to often people think that the culinary pear is crap because they try to use it as a dessert pear or too early in the season.

Do you know how to keep fruit and veggies in their skins? Logan berries rot in a couple of days but blueberries and gooseberries keep surprisingly well when picked, as do red currants.

GreyQueen

I think there's a general de-skilling afflicting the population around fruits and veggies. I was once in a small indy greengrocer in the hometown, in late May. Browsing quietly, the greengrocer at his till, when two loud and ill-mannered women came into his shop.

They strutted around, finding fault with everything then said very loudly that it was a shame there weren't any ENGLISH apples for sale and then went slamming out, obviously feeling both patriotic and clever.

I just rolled my eyes at the greengrocer and commented that it was a shame that some people don't know anything about growing seasons. He just shrugged, used to it, I guess.

My Magic Greengrocer, third generation in the family firm, remarks that people now are obsessed with sweetness in fruit, always asking if something is sweet, and rejecting unconventional fruits or anything which isn't very sweet. I am convinced the sugar-rich food environment we live in has ruined our tastebuds for subtler flavours in natural products.

I love a bit of a forage and it's amazing how much you can find in urban areas. Don't discount roadsides, either, as there are many species of apples growing happily and fruiting heavily on roadside verges where they grew from discarded apple cores.

I have had some very funny looks when harvesting wild plums off wayside trees. I'm sure some people think you'll drop down dead if you eat things off trees without the intermediary of the supermarket to manage the process for you.

There are also places where you can find herbs growing, I know a rosemary bush in a municipal shrub bed, of all things.:p

Nargleblast

Handy things, herbs, especially for minor ailments. My OH had a small mouth ulcer recently for which he wanted me to go out and buy expensive mouthwash. No way, Pedro, says I - instead he got a bottle of home made sage, mint and clove mouthwash, which didn't cost a penny as I had the herbs growing already and dried cloves in stock. Basic idea is cover a few sage and mint leaves with boiling water and add a few cloves. Leave till cool then strain. Add sweetener, sugar or honey if you like. This potion tastes nicer than antiseptic mouthwashes and does the same job.

A thyme infusion is said to be good for sore throats, and basil tea is very calming if you are upset. Rosemary can be made into a hair rinse for dark coloured hair, and the essential oil is good for muscle aches when diluted with a carrier oil.

I have signed up with Futurelearn for a three week course in Food as Medicine. It starts May 2nd, and sounds interesting. I am really getting into natural medicine.

[Deleted User]

We had a pamphlet in the letter box today, BRITAIN STRONGER IN EUROPE it says and contains quotes from HM Treasury, HMRC, European Commission, Office for National Statistics but isn't attributed to any political party. Intrigued I looked up the only reference on it which is to strongerineurope.co/uk so I looked that up and found it comes from a company and is run by Will Straw, Jack Straws son, the kid who had the drug incident when he was younger, wouldn't you think someone would have said it was Labour Party on the paper? or is a private company playing politics?

[Deleted User]

An infusion of THYME is also disinfectant and antiseptic too but the properties only last for about 24 hours so you can't make lots and keep it, have to make new every day.

GreyQueen

The easiest and cheapest way to speed-heal a mouth ulcer is salt. Just rub dry salt into the ulcer gently with your fingertip. A single application is often enough.

Yes, it stings slightly, but less than you'd think it would, and the advantage of salt is that you can put your hands on it just about anywhere.