Foraging for Food- The weed identification thread.

[sunsaver]

Part of being prepared for an emergency is having food on hand, or knowing how to secure food in a crisis. Along with hunting and fishing skills, you should be aware of all the edible wild herbs and fruits and nuts in your area. A "weed" is any plant that is growing where you don't want it. Grass looks good in a lawn, but you don't want it in your flower beds. Many gardeners toss out plants that might be good if cooked or tossed in a salad. It's been noted that we need a weed ID thread, so lets put it here. Post your weed or wild herb photos here, and those of us who have foraging experience will try to ID them for you. Thanks!

 

[big brown horse]

What about mushrooms? We get a good variety up here, however I only know how to identify the chanterelles.

 

[Wifezilla]

The only safe mushrooms I can easily identify are Morels.

Two things I had been digging up and throwing out for years were lamb's quarters and purslane. Lamb's quarters are more nutritious than spinach and purslane has some of the highest levels of omega 3 fatty acids you can get from a plant

 

[sunsaver]

I can make a guess from a photo, but for a positive ID you need a spore print, KoH test, and microscopic inspection of the spores. A spore print alone is usually good enough for identifying genus, but even experts can confuse the actual species. All of the most deadly mushrooms are in the Amanita genus, and all of them have white spores. If you don't ever eat a mushroom with white spores, your chances of dying from mushroom poisoning will be nearly eliminated. However; there are thousands of little brown mushrooms (LBMs)that can make you so sick you will wish you were dead.
Chanterells, oyster mushroom, maitake (hen of the woods), and chicken of the woods are easy for beginners to identify: but i don't recommend that anybody eat any mushroom unless they are 100% positive on the ID, have done a spore print, and preferably be shown in person whats edible by a local expert. If you do a spore print, and feel confident on the ID, it still might be something that you are allergic too. Start with just a nibble, and wait a day or two before sampling it again. Always do a spore print, and never eat it if it has white spores. Don't eat LBMs either.
To do a spore print: get a white sheet of paper or a white tee shirt, and a black sheet of craft paper or a black shirt. Cut the cap of the mushroom in two, a lay one half on each shirt, gills down. After a few hours you will have a spore print that looks like a white or pink or grey or brownish dust. Those are the spores. The color of the spores is used to help the experts identify the species.

 

[sunsaver]

Mushrooms are more like a rare delicacy to be savored in a fine dining atmosphere. Not at all what i would call a survival food if the SHTF. They only occur at certain times of the year, under specific weather conditions, often in limited quantity. Here in Louisiana, we have plenty of Pluerotus pulmanarius and ostreatus. These are two of the best tasting oyster mushrooms in the world. I found some in my little patch of woods, and thats what led me to learn about them. They are more firm than button mushroom, not so rubbery, with a meat like texture. Okay, im getting hungry now. Turning into a food critic.
Greenbriar is my favorite forage food. You harvest the growing tips and cook it just like asparagus. I have tons of it in my woods, and it really starts popping up after the asparagus is done.

 

[FarmerJamie]

The only safe mushrooms I can easily identify are Morels.

Two things I had been digging up and throwing out for years were lamb's quarters and purslane. Lamb's quarters are more nutritious than spinach and purslane has some of the highest levels of omega 3 fatty acids you can get from a plant

http://thepqnation.com/livingwicked/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/DoubleFacePalm.jpg

I must have that image for my desk at work!!!

 

[Pirtykitty]

By purslane do you mean the wild purslane that pops up in the garden and roadside??? I 've been pulling it and feeding to ducks .
How do you fix it for human eating???

Just went out and found some small plants and put them together in a pot to grow and then transfer into basket... If I leave them in the ground hubby will pull them up as weeds.. I'll trim when big enough and try it.. Should be plenty to share with the ducks too !!!!
I remember years ago at flea market when I sold the purslane that came indifferent colored flowers that the people from Mexico had a name for it Macheesma I think ( not spelled right.) I asked them about it and they said you could eat it.. had forgotten about that till now.

 

[sunsaver]

I like purslane tossed in a salad. Never thought about cooking it. I would think you would need lots of it to make a meal.

 

[rebecca100]

Glad someone finally started a weed thread. I thinking of doing it, but never got around to it. Now we just need to get some pictures goin'! I have some of what I think is lambs quarter. I also have something that resembles broad leaf plantain, but with a darker leaf. It starts out as a rosette the first year and then grows tall with seed stalks the second year. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow after I get back from town.

 

[Wifezilla]

Yeah..purslane that grows everywhere. Just make sure you don't mistake it for spurge. Purslane is think and fleshy. Spurge is thin and releases and irritating milky sap when you break the stem.

Nothing wrong with feeding it to the ducks but it is good raw in salads. I haven't tried it cooked yet, but allegedly you can cook it.