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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills:  Foraging  |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 09 2013 : 06:58:37 AM
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| Many parts of the country have mushroom/mycology clubs which host meetings and forays and are very willing to help you with identification. And always remember "When in doubt through it out" |
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cj6
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
cj
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2013 : 07:32:36 AM
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Thank you so much Anita,that link is great!
Mountain girl,I didn't know that about the clubs so I will have to look into that. Thanks for the info! |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2013 : 09:03:07 AM
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| CJ6 here is a link to most of the mushroom/mycology clubs around the country http://www.namyco.org/clubs/ Morels are already being found in the southern states. |
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cj6
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
cj
USA
196 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2013 : 12:39:08 PM
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Joann,thanks!  |
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Cozynana
True Blue Farmgirl
1123 Posts
Kem
1123 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2013 : 8:22:02 PM
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We do choke cherries, morel mushrooms (been hunting them since I was a kid), mulberries, and wild plums but they are harder to find now. Oh I forgot, we also do wild grapes off the creek. One time we also found a natural bee hive on our creek and had someone help us get the honey that knew about bees. I wish we could find a hive every year. That was good stuff! I would love my dad to take me out and pick Lamb's quarters. He grew up on them and they grow every where here. I would also like to try dandelion greens this spring. I think I have eaten them in some of the mix green I have purchased. We don't spray or use much at all for chemical so as long as we picked on our own farmyard we would be fine.
I would like to try doing something with acorns. There is a roadside park in our town that has acorns. I would like to try to make some flour or something with them. Anyone tried acorns? What is the best thing to do with black walnuts. We have trees in our creek, but I have not gathered them because I don't like the taste of them, too strong for me. Anyway to tame down the taste? |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4178 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4178 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2013 : 04:16:09 AM
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Yes there is a way to tame down the strong taste of black walnuts. My dad just learned it, and it made a difference. You heat them up in the oven. I will have to ask how long and what temp, but he said it really helped. We have picked wild raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blackcaps, elderberries, black walnuts,plums,gooseberries. We have an orchard of 9 apple trees, a wild crab apple, cherry tree, and 2 young plum trees. We make maple syrup too. We have lots of wild onions but never been sure how to use them. They smell really strong. It sure keeps a person busy!
Michele |
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2013 : 10:33:14 AM
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I'm still picking turnip greens every spring in the field that my DH's uncle planted for farmer's market - and he's been dead for over 15 years. I always make sure not to pick them ALL, so that there will be some next year. We also have wild asparagus, blackcaps, elderberries, and occasionally the odd morel or two (if I get there before the trespassers do). I've picked wild onions and used them like chives. I'd love to have black walnuts, there are some on my dad's property, but it is 3 1/2 hours away. Next year I'll put on my calendar to schedule a trip in late October, early November? My grandmother spent a lot of time harvesting black walnuts, and the post above brought back so many wonderful memories of her. Thank you for posting. I have a gooseberry bush that volunteered, but I haven't seen but a handful of gooseberries on it. We don't manage the orchard because we live too far away, but we do "forage" the apples that appear.
I keep telling my husband we can quit our jobs and live off the land. There's lots of deer on the property, but neither of us are hunters. Same goes for rabbits and wild turkey. He says we'll lose a lot of weight!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blogs at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com (farming) http://brightmeadowknits.blogspot.com (knitting) or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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jollyquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
251 Posts
WV
USA
251 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2013 : 8:19:41 PM
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I am not a mushroom hunter, just like living to much I guess!! But I always get blackberries and rasberries and elderberries. This year I got some pears f rom a friends land and also found peaches, apples and figs. My husband and I both hunt and fish. I have 32 quarts of venison chunks and 11 pints of salmon on the shelves. As well as fresh fish about every week now that spring is closing in. Rabbits and squirel are eaten fresh when killed. We could live off the land if we needed to.
www.StuffByKim.etsy.com
http://fiberandflea.blogspot.com |
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Antb
Farmgirl in Training
25 Posts
antonia
Rockforf
Il
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2013 : 5:00:00 PM
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One thing I still am able to forage is garlic mustard from a local forest preserve. The rangers there tell me they don't spray, but the weed is so invasive that they are happy for me to tromp through and gather first, in the spring, the leaves and then in late summer, the seeds. They do ask me to uproot the plants and leave them on the path as I go.
Last year I gather enough see and made enough prepared mustard to give it along with jams as Christmas presents. My daughter made pretzels, and the mustard was well received.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SecondChanceCeramics
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AntB
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - Apr 21 2013 : 11:08:13 AM
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| Morel season is here. Jim found 8 morels. Nice and early for them--we live about 50 miles from the Canadian border and the same for the Idaho border. |
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TexasJo
True Blue Farmgirl
161 Posts
Jody
Berthoud
CO
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - Apr 21 2013 : 5:06:53 PM
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What fun!! I have only accidentally foraged for food that you pick. We were on a family hike in the Rockies and came across a wild raspberry patch (a large one!) and we all dug in. Delicious! I have been hunting some in the past years for quail, doves, white tail deer in Texas and elk here in Colorado. I can't say that I have actually killed anything, because I never got the chance to shoot, but I have helped clean birds (YUCK) and helped clean deer and elk (not as yucky as the birds). But it was nice to have a freezer full of meat for the winter. My mother in law used to make the best creole style of quail stew! I collect rose hips in the fall, but only from my back yard. I have never looked for them in the wild, but that would be a wonderful thing to do. Mushroom hunting,,, now that would be something interesting to do -- but yes, much studying would have to happen first. Have fun foraging ladies!!! I would love to hear more about what ya'll find out there. :)
Hugs,
Jo
We can do it! |
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westfork woman
True Blue Farmgirl
554 Posts
Kennie Lyn
Emmett
Idaho
USA
554 Posts |
Posted - May 14 2013 : 5:26:01 PM
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DH asked if I wanted some more watercress. I said sure, just not too much. He came back with a bushel basket full. There are only 2 of us and it is hard to eat that much watercress before it goes bad. I cleaned it all, and put some in plastic bags, and some in two of the ventilated Progressive veggie containers. They really work. I have two from thrift stores. I have used the bagged stuff first, it is getting a little limp, but the container stuff is much better.
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
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westfork woman
True Blue Farmgirl
554 Posts
Kennie Lyn
Emmett
Idaho
USA
554 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2013 : 5:21:06 PM
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Is anybody getting morels? I thought it had been too dry, but our neighbors had us over for dinner, so I could show them how to cook those wonderful mushrooms. Someone had shared with them. They were sure good.
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2013 : 06:09:15 AM
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I just started foraging recently...wrote about it and posted a recipe for dandelion jelly on the Suburban Farmgirl blog, if you'd like to take a peek.
Farmgirl hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Farmgirl of the Month, January 2013
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
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Mountain Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
806 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
Washington
USA
806 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2013 : 07:08:26 AM
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Kennie Lynn, We live 40 miles from Canada and 40 miles from the Panhandle of Idaho and we've been finding them for about three weeks. Not in huge numbers but enough to keep us happy. It has been a strange year. They're not were we usually find them and popping up where you wouldn't think to look. Jim led a foray yesterday and they weren't as numerous as other years. He scouted for them on Friday two days later some he found had gone bad. He actually saw some while driving one of the forest roads back and spotted a couple from the truck! It was our last stop yesterday and got them but others spotted tons and I mean tons of coral mushrooms a few feet away! They're out there but they sure are good at hiding!
Collect Moments Not Things |
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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills: Foraging |
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Foraging
