What do you forage?

[LadyLocust]

I actually forage quite a few things. I know in different areas there are different things to forage. What do you harvest in your area? And if it's something that might be rare elsewhere, how do you use it.
A few things I've foraged:
Cedar (infused oil for soap)
Pine pitch (soap and salve)
Mullein - dehydrated for tea if sick
Rose hips
Juniper berries
Dandelions
Violets
Hmm - I'll have to do more thinking. Those come to mind.

 

[hiwall]

So far this spring all I have eaten is some Banana Yucca flowers. They are just like lettuce and they are blooming every where this year. I am looking forward to the bananas when they get ripe.
I am going to pick some Mullein to dry for tea as soon as I remember. There is plenty in my field.

 

[timmie]

bullis grapes and berries[dewberries. blackberries, huckleberries ,wild plums]

 

[Bacpacker]

Dandilion
Rose Hips
Blackberries
Walnuts

 

[Patchouli]

They say first year mullein is best, that's when it is the ground floret. The second year is when it sends up the flower stalk.

 

[LadyLocust]

I did not know that @Patchouli. This one is not new, has flower stalk. I see the ground ones all the time too but didn't know they were better. Now I can be even pickier Don't blame me though, I get that from my Grammy.

 

[Cascadian]

Cherries, apples, blackberries and sometimes my cupboards..

 

[camo2460]

I don't do much foraging any more do to Health reasons, however in the recent past I have foraged for:
Dandilion Greens, Nettles, Day Lilly flower Pods, Chamomile, Catnip, Mint, Milkweed Pods, Wild Grapes, Apples, Cherries and Plums, Cattail roots and shoots, Arrowhead Tubers, various wild Berries, Fresh Water Mussels, Crayfish, Turtles, Frogs, Smelt and various other small Fish, Elder Berries, Mullen. The list is longer but this is just what I can think of right now.

 

[LadyLocust]

@camo2460 I completely forgot about elderberries. Both the berries and the blossoms. I've never tried cat tails- do you cook them a certain way? Also, are certain turtles legal?
We had so much fruit on our place up the mountain, I didn't really consider it foraging. It was just our food. But some of those were wild blackberries, various plums, service berries maybe more. As you folks mention things, I think "Oh yea."

 

[Spikedriver]

Wild asparagus is all I've foraged so far this year. Mulberries are just starting to come on, and raspberries will be later...

 

[timmie]

can somebody show a pic of wild asparagus please? i've heard of it but never seen it.

 

[Spikedriver]

Wild asparagus looks much like what you get at the store, but the spears will not be of uniform height and diameter like at the store. It also generally has a better flavor. Usually it's best at about 8" height, if taller the stalk gets woody starting at the bottom. You can break the woody part off if it's not too mature. Once it starts to "head out" at the top, it's too mature to be much good for eating. The spears in the pic are just about perfect.

 

[Sewingcreations15]

So far we have foraged mulberries and prickly pear fruit. Once you get past burning off the prickles the prickly pear fruit tastes really quite delicious.

Also been reading up on plants you can forage for here in Australia recently.

 

[hiwall]

So far we have foraged mulberries and prickly pear fruit. Once you get past burning off the prickles the prickly pear fruit tastes really quite delicious.

I have done both of those. Sometimes with the prickly pear fruit I just ran them through my juicer and I just used the juice. Way easy.

 

[lonewolf]

blackberries, crab apples, wild strawberries.

 

[camo2460]

@camo2460 I completely forgot about elderberries. Both the berries and the blossoms. I've never tried cat tails- do you cook them a certain way? Also, are certain turtles legal?
We had so much fruit on our place up the mountain, I didn't really consider it foraging. It was just our food. But some of those were wild blackberries, various plums, service berries maybe more. As you folks mention things, I think "Oh yea."

The Cattail Shoots can be peeled and eaten raw, or added to a Salad. The Roots are cleaned, put into a Bucket with a little Water and pounded, the Roots will come apart and the Water will turn Milky from the Starch in the Roots. Remove the Roots and let the Starch settle, drain off the Water and collect the Starch to make Breads and Ash Cakes. As far as Turtles are concerned, the ones I used are the common Snapping Turtle. Some Turtles are protected so make sure you know the Laws in your State before Harvesting any Wild Game.

 

[GrannyG]

wild plums, blackberries, garlic, polk, dandelions, lamb quarters

 

[Cascadian]

When I was a kid my friends mom made prickly pear jelly. That was delicious.

 

[Spikedriver]

wild plums, blackberries, garlic, polk, dandelions, lamb quarters

Granny, is lamb's quarter really any good? I've read that it's actually grown on purpose as food in South America. Nobody around me has heard of eating it, it's just a weed to kill here...

 

[GrannyG]

I like it in salad when it is very tiny and the leaves are tender....eating weeds and thriving...LOL....

 

[The Innkeeper]

So far this spring all I have eaten is some Banana Yucca flowers. They are just like lettuce and they are blooming every where this year. I am looking forward to the bananas when they get ripe.
I am going to pick some Mullein to dry for tea as soon as I remember. There is plenty in my field.

I didn’t know mullein could be used for tea, it grows everywhere here. Do you use the leaves, the roots!? Do you dry it or use it fresh? Edit ... I see you dry it

 

[Patchouli]

For mullein, it is the leaves, it dries and becomes quite brittle.

 

[LadyLocust]

I didn’t know mullein could be used for tea, it grows everywhere here. Do you use the leaves, the roots!? Do you dry it or use it fresh? Edit ... I see you dry it

I think there are actually two types of mullein. I cut the leaves and rolled up the strips then went through them with a toothpick and dried them that way. They are easy to get into a mason jar that way. If I need some tea, I can pull out one or two of the little rolls. I've read the flowers(or flower buds?) can be used to make a type of "honey." I've never tried that. I only keep it in case I get sick. Also, you need to run the tea through a coffee filter (or the like) so as not ingest the little hairs.

 

[hiwall]

For mullein, it is the leaves, it dries and becomes quite brittle.

And the flowers also dried and used together or separately with the leaves as tea.

 

[The Innkeeper]

I think there are actually two types of mullein. I cut the leaves and rolled up the strips then went through them with a toothpick and dried them that way. They are easy to get into a mason jar that way. If I need some tea, I can pull out one or two of the little rolls. I've read the flowers(or flower buds?) can be used to make a type of "honey." I've never tried that. I only keep it in case I get sick. Also, you need to run the tea through a coffee filter (or the like) so as not ingest the little hairs.

And the flowers also dried and used together or separately with the leaves as tea.

And all this time I thought it was just another annoying weed to be pulled. Love this forum

 

[camo2460]

Mullein is a great Medicinal Herb that can be used as a Decongestant, for this use the Leaves are dried and a small amount is Smoked in a Pipe, however care should be exercised as over use can cause a "rebound" effect and you can become uncomfortably "stuffy". The Flowers can be steeped in a little Olive Oil over very low Heat, strained and a drop or Two placed in the Ear for Ear Ache.

 

[Patchouli]

https://www.encyclopedia.com/plants-and-animals/plants/plants/mullein
This link has excellent info about mullein.
Read to end if you harvest wild mullein.

 

[LadyLocust]

Today I picked a grocery bag full of choke cherries. Hubby likes the preserves. I make it like the gelled cranberry sauce but with choke cherries. That's how he eats his turkey. The elderberries are thick this year. I'll get some next weekend. I only have so many hours to work with. I can't believe more folks don't harvest them - let alone fruit in their own yard.

 

[Caribou]

Today I picked a grocery bag full of choke cherries. Hubby likes the preserves. I make it like the gelled cranberry sauce but with choke cherries. That's how he eats his turkey. The elderberries are thick this year. I'll get some next weekend. I only have so many hours to work with. I can't believe more folks don't harvest them - let alone fruit in their own yard.

How do you deal with the pits?

 

[Peanut]

There is only one species of mullein used in herbal medicine in north america and it came from europe, Verbascum thapsus. Worldwide there are actually 360 species of mullein.

Special note: The leaves contain coumarin which is used to make warfarin. If you are already taking blood thinners use special care with the leaves.

Warnings aside… mullein has a host of uses, every part but the seeds can be used.

A tincture made from the root is excellent for incontinence in the elderly and new mothers, my elderly dad uses it from time to time. It’s also been known to help some prostate issues.

The leaves… the list of uses is almost endless. Let’s start with a little-known use. The leaves as a poultice speed the healing of broken bones, just like comfrey. As an extra benefit it eases nerve pain from broken bones and wounds especially if you pour a little flower tincture on to the poultice.

It’s particularly good with difficult to set bones like badly broken ribs. Just put on a leaf poultice and rest for a couple of days… It also eases the nerve pain from dislocated limbs like a shoulder or a badly sprained ankle. It has a special affinity for bulging or herniated disks in the spine, just apply the poultice to the spine and rest for a couple days… no more herniated disk.

The list for respiratory issues takes up an entire chapter of a book I have. I not going to begin to write them here.

Another little oddity… the plant is a biennial. The first year you only see the rosette, before it puts up the stalk… leaves from the center of the rosette, AND only the center, made into a tea makes a very good sleep aid… Leaves from the outer edge of the rosette work as a sleep aid also but cause horrible nightmares in a large portion of the population! Hey! Want to scare the crap out of your kid on Halloween night? Just kidding!