What do you forage?

[whysprs]

@whysprs do you collect these items? Do you use/process them and I what form? How are the results from use -- i.e do the preps work?

@Hinotori ... I know you forage, process, use. What do you feel is most successful as to results of relief for the purpose targeted.

I've always been interested in herbalism, natural treatments. This year, having so many of the better known growing here, I'm going to process some infused oils, salves. But looking for input from those already experienced with best working for purpose. Limit my attempts. Suggestions, opinions? Appreciate you!

Yes the majority we harvest and prepare ourselves, when we cant find them we have ordered them via mountain rose herbs. Majority of thiers is wild harvested.currently we have mullien and yarrow that i planted last year from wild seed. I havnt done salves as of yet, I usually just go ahead and use it as an infused oil for topical usage. Did my first tinctures last year with horehound, mullien, california poppy, amd cant remember the other. I should have used a lower alcahol though because taking a few ampules of these is like doing a shot lol but it was a learning experiance. We normally use teas more than anything else, it seems to work a lot faster than using anything else other than if you have an infection or something in a cut, then the oil works real well. That would be with plantain that I do that. Cured up a burn that turning gange green one with it as well as saved my finger when I shot a nail through it when building our tiny house, bounced off a knot in the 2x4 and came out the side.. wont do that again for sure.

 

[whysprs]

Broad and narrow plantain. Tons of it. It also gets really big in some spots. We have the perfect environment for it. I feel it's a little tough to eat. I dried a bunch for the burn salve I'm going to make. You can chew it and use as a sting paste if you're out and about and get stung or run into nettles.

Bracken fern is supposed to make a good tea to pour over nettle stings as well. Vinegar is your best friend if you have a lot, say from the knee down on both legs because you accidentally walked 20 feet or so through a patch in sandals.

Young dandelion leaf is good but my chickens eat it to the root.

We always just hit cold water, rather being a creek or the hose to stop the burn from nettle. As for plantain, its decent as a green in salads. We have mixed dandelions and plantains as a salad with a oil and vinegar dressing many times in the past. Dandelion jelly was pretty good too.

 

[FarmerJamie]

I've found few edible wilds here but, turkey tail just last week👍 oh, I love a pan of sauted mushrooms. I buy them 🤣

I remember back in the 70s when locally there was a bunch of wild mushroom poisoning cases. My dad was teaching me to forage and then mom put her foot down and refused to use any wild mushrooms. Took me 10 years to get over the fear of mushrooms. No such issue now!

 

[Mini Horses]

Madame financial advisor??? Love it!

 

[Hinotori]

We have white and brown ones. I've picked both. But I've picked on both sides of the Cascades and in the Blue Mountains.

I think false morels are easy to identify, but was taught all the poisonous look-alikes we have pretty young.

Biggest danger mushroom hunting is the commercial mushroom hunters. They will shoot anyone they think is mushroom hunting. Dad usually went along as a watch for them and cougars while we picked.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

We have tons of pecan trees all around us...on the college campus...in lots of parks. We can pick them up in the fall. We also have dewberries and blackberries that ripen in the spring/summer.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Blackberries and raspberries, and crab apples on our property. Chaga anywhere we find it, we'd like to forage for other mushrooms but we're mildly afraid of poisoning ourselves so that and chicken of the woods is about all we're brave enough to get. Fiddleheads, dandelions...

 

[tortoise]

Not much foraging (yet), but blackberries and hazelnuts. Sometime dandelions. From our property in WI

 

[NH Homesteader]

@tortoise are fiddleheads a big thing there too? People are nuts about them here... I didn't know it was such a cult thing but apparently it is 🤣

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Unfortunately, I do not know where to forage fiddleheads, though I have a friend who let me do some picking on her property a couple years ago. Fiddleheads rank right up there with asparagus in terms of being delightful to eat. If I had to choose between the 2, I'd choose fiddleheads. Therefore... they just might be my favorite vegetable. They can be bought here when in season. There is an Indian reservation about 25 mi. away. Those folks harvest and sell a lot at good price in the College town that their reservation island abuts. Also, many Mainers collect and sell fiddleheads at road side when they are in season. Absolutely yummy, buttery flavor, with melt in the mouth texture. They MUST be well cooked, otherwise, they are toxic.

People guard their picking places, thus... I can't get anyone to take me out harvesting! Similar to hunters who won't tell anyone where their favorite hunting spot is... or Mushroomers who guard their morrel sites! Or, fishermen never telling WHERE they caught the big one.