What do you forage?

[The Lazy L]

Raspberries and a few volunteer apples.

 

[Meerkat]

Not muchhere to forage so will have to try to plant to make up for it.

 

[Peanut]

Ate my first 2 muscadines yesterday... it'll be another week before there are enough ripe to stuff myself.

 

[Patchouli]

There is not a lot to forage for here either. Maine looks pretty good, with all the orchards and produce, fish and wildlife, seafood.

 

[Bacpacker]

Gonna check my concord grapes tomorrow. Muscadines are at least a month off for me.

 

[herbalnewbie]

Mullein leaves, flowes and roots
Dandelion roots, stems, flowers
White Clover
Prickly Lettuce
White Vervain
Prickly Ash bark
And still looking and hoping to find more surprises out there.

 

[hiwall]

Wax currants are ripe and bushes hanging full right now. I don't really harvest them but I do eat a few when I am out hiking.

 

[Alaskajohn]

The northern boreal forest is very rich with ample items to forage. Where we are at we get a tremendous amounts of berries that grow wild all around us. Blueberries, Raspberries, low and high bush cranberries, crowberries, among others. All delicious and abundant, and most do well frozen so you can enjoy them in smoothies throughout the year. We typically harvest more than enough to last the year.

Also the forest is host to edible mushrooms and fungus. A lot of the plants are and quite delicious including fiddleheads and fireweed. Chaga has become my favorite tea and when it’s tea making properties are gone, we dry it and use it as our fire starter. We are just starting to learn about what trees, and which part of them are edible.

My wife has become very good at knowing what to harvest for medicinal purposes, but I admit I know little about this part of foraging as I tend to focus on what I like to eat!

 

[Bacpacker]

We picked over a gallon of Muscadines this week. Cooked them down and ended up with 1.5 quarts of juice. Gonna make Jelly from it.

 

[GrannyG]

Love wild garlic..grows all around here, great for winter use....I love the little native pecans better than the papershell or Burketts...they have so much flavor...harder to peel, but more oil in them....there is always lambs quarter growing around here...

 

[lilmissy]

I would love to see pic of what everyone forages and pics of how you are using it.

 

[randyt]

a few jars of pickled leeks

 

[LadyLocust]

I would love to see pic of what everyone forages and pics of how you are using it.

I cut mullein into strips and roll it like a ham roll-up complete with toothpick then dehydrate. Store in a mason jar.

 

[hiwall]

I cut mullein into strips and roll it like a ham roll-up complete with toothpick then dehydrate. Store in a mason jar.

I just dry and store the flowers

 

[LadyLocust]

I just dry and store the flowers

I think (watch out that's dangerous!) the flowers and leaves are used for different purposes. Leaves are an expectorant if made into a tea and strained through a coffee filter prior to drinking. Flowers, I think folks have made jelly from??? Is that what you use them for?

 

[hiwall]

I think (watch out that's dangerous!) the flowers and leaves are used for different purposes. Leaves are an expectorant if made into a tea and strained through a coffee filter prior to drinking. Flowers, I think folks have made jelly from??? Is that what you use them for?

From what I have read the flowers and leaves can be used pretty much interchangeably for the medicinal properties. The flowers do not have the tiny hairs that the leaves do which can cause irritation

 

[Bowguy]

Different mushrooms, ramps, fiddleheads, burr dock, elderberry, wineberry, black berry, blue berries, wild garlic

 

[Bowguy]

There used to be places on our back hill where lots of red berries grew. Longest time we thought they were red raspberries, but no, they were something that was an invasive species and now I can't find the name of it. It was reported that they were crowding out the native berries. They were tasty enough.

Foraging for mustang grapes here is popular, making jam from the spoils. I haven't done it. I don't know where to look!
There is a particular area we drive through on late summer in the evening that smells like dill, every year. Would love to find out where that is growing.

Wineberry?

 

[Patchouli]

Wineberry?

I just looked it up, you may be correct. An agriculturally educated friend said it was from China. They're trying to take over everywhere.

 

[Bowguy]

I just looked it up, you may be correct. An agriculturally educated friend said it was from China. They're trying to take over everywhere.

Yea they’re from over there somewhere but are real good imo. My girl makes muffins, pancakes and jam that’s all fantastic. My freezer is loaded we them. My property is surrounded by wine berries and there’s patches of blackberries and black caps. Black caps I forgot to mention earlier. Real good too. The wine berries do take over if they can though.

 

[Patchouli]

Yea they’re from over there somewhere but are real good imo. My girl makes muffins, pancakes and jam that’s all fantastic. My freezer is loaded we them. My property is surrounded by wine berries and there’s patches of blackberries and black caps. Black caps I forgot to mention earlier. Real good too. The wine berries do take over if they can though.

They are food, but I started tearing them out as I was able once I realized they were an invasive plant. Oh well, like trying to get rid of kudzu probably.

 

[LadyLocust]

@joel I’ve read several books about edible landscaping. That’s my opinion too - oh it’s just a pretty plant though I know it’s edible and visitors probably don’t.
@Alaskajohn fireweed? So I guess 2 questions. 1 what’s the scientific name? Would like to make sure it’s what we call fireweed. 2 what do you do with it?

 

[Bowguy]

They are food, but I started tearing them out as I was able once I realized they were an invasive plant. Oh well, like trying to get rid of kudzu probably.

I don’t think they’re going away. They’re too set in right now. The birds have made em pretty widespread. Some guys round here really hate em cause they’re crowding out the black caps. Crazy though cause my beagle club grounds are full of black caps, black berry, elderberry and grape but not one single wineberry. It’s only 10-15 mins from me but if I saw it there it’d get pulled. Seems conflictive I know but where there’s no way to win I won’t try. I believe they’re here since early 1900s or earlier

 

[Bowguy]

Patchouli I just saw 1890 as the introduction date.