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Free wild food ideas?

I love the idea of not relying on the supermarket and looking for ways of getting free food! I grow what i can in my small garden.

I already pick blackberries and freeze as much as i can of them and there is an apple tree in the woods that i have the apples off lol

I'm looking for more ideas?

I live very close to the beach anything there? and right next to the local woods is there other berries that i could be making use of?

What about game is there a way of catching them without a gun? ( i have the springer spaniel though) do you need a licence, would go fishing but can't afford the licence for that.

Thanks
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Comments

  • Skint_Catt
    Skint_Catt Posts: 11,548 Forumite
    seaweed? A certain type is good in stews I believe.

    Not sure of other berries and I'd be wary of mushrooms if you don't know you're stuff though we used to get people picking 'Jews ears' near the pub I used to work at for us to cook!
  • JoJoB
    JoJoB Posts: 2,080
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    If you have samphire growing on the beach that's delicious to cook up. I'm unsure as to whether it is available all year round or not but i suspect it is.

    I cook it by boiling for 5 minutes (after you have washed it). Drain and add melted butter (just as with asparagus).

    To eat you sort of put the "spear" in your mouth and pull away through your teeth, leaving the fleshy, buttery bit in your mouth.

    Lovely salty buttery and free. :D
    2015 wins: Jan: Leeds Castle tickets; Feb: Kindle Fire, Years supply Ricola March: £50 Sports Direct voucher April: DSLR camera June: £500 Bingo July: £50 co-op voucher
  • Bongedone
    Bongedone Posts: 2,457
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    JoJoB wrote: »
    If you have samphire growing on the beach that's delicious to cook up. I'm unsure as to whether it is available all year round or not but i suspect it is.

    I cook it by boiling for 5 minutes (after you have washed it). Drain and add melted butter (just as with asparagus).

    To eat you sort of put the "spear" in your mouth and pull away through your teeth, leaving the fleshy, buttery bit in your mouth.

    Lovely salty buttery and free. :D


    I saw Rick Stein on UKTV food eating that. He says its lovely. I believe it was Norfolk that had lots of it.
  • JoJoB
    JoJoB Posts: 2,080
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    It really is delish. It grows well on areas that are marshy/mudflats which is why you get a lot in Norfolk. I have a nice mudflat area just past all the sandy beaches near me and that's where I find my supply.

    If you have a rocky beach near you there will probably be mussel beds around. Winkles and cockles too. And there is an r in the month so ok to eat them.
    2015 wins: Jan: Leeds Castle tickets; Feb: Kindle Fire, Years supply Ricola March: £50 Sports Direct voucher April: DSLR camera June: £500 Bingo July: £50 co-op voucher
  • Bongedone
    Bongedone Posts: 2,457
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    Ah! Winkles. I used to collect them all the time when I was a child. Sadly don't live next to the sea anymore.
  • A friend brought me a pheasant today that their Labrador had caught, so your spaniel may be lucky! You may also find elder berries and flowers, crab apples for wine, sloes, damsons, mushrooms, nuts, nettles for soup, shellfish.

    There are older threads here:

    Foraging - Natures Food

    Free Food Challenge

    Cheap food if you aren't squeamish

    Penny. x
    :rudolf: Sheep, pigs, hens and bees on our Teesdale smallholding :rudolf:
  • HariboJunkie
    HariboJunkie Posts: 7,740 Forumite
    There's not much around at this time of year but we forage regulary for berries, mushrooms, elderflowers, wild garlic,nettles, mussels and razor clams.

    Arm yourself with the book "food for free" and get hunting. ;)
  • Haribo, I have Food for Free by Richard Mabey on my wish list. Do you have it and would you recommend it?

    Penny. x
    :rudolf: Sheep, pigs, hens and bees on our Teesdale smallholding :rudolf:
  • Seakay
    Seakay Posts: 4,265
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    You no longer need a licence to kill or take game (since August 2007) but

    it is illegal to hunt with dogs unless you have the specific permission of the landowner, and then only in a few cases:

    Rats, rabbits, retrieval of hares and falconry

    Dogs may be used to hunt rats or rabbits, to retrieve a hare which has been shot, or to flush a wild mammal from cover to enable a bird of prey to hunt it.

    http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/hunting/summary.htm

    Of course, any hunting by any means without the permission of the landowner would be poaching which is a crimminal offence, and killing game outside it's season would also be illegal, even if you had the permission of the owner.

    However, if you can entice game into your garden, then you can kill it because you own it, but this is an old poachers trick so is really theft by another name and won't get you out of the seasonal thing anyway.

    If you have any rivers nearby then you can get non-native crayfish whenever you like http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/crayfishconsultation_e.pdf

    in fact you would be doing nature a favour as they are competing with native crayfish.

    The Richard Mabey book is great, and the Roger Phillips books on plants are a good reference - especially "mushrooms" and "wild food"
    http://www.rogersplants.com/
    Try getting them from the library before buying.
  • HariboJunkie
    HariboJunkie Posts: 7,740 Forumite
    Haribo, I have Food for Free by Richard Mabey on my wish list. Do you have it and would you recommend it?

    Penny. x

    Go on Penny....treat yourself. It's great. ;)
    I also have "fruits of the forest" by Sue Style and 10 (yes 10) mushroom books. :o:D
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