Foraging in a temperate climate guide

[Trinity]

I absolutely adore foraging wild plant foods - it's so rewarding.
I've just written an article on the subject with some tips and advice along with 12 easy to find plants in a temperate zone. Would love to hear any other ideas or tips that you all might have... this subject seems endless.

http://www.trinityskitchen.com/foraging-guide-with-12-wild-plants-that-anyone-can-find/
http://www.trinityskitchen.com/foraging-guide-with-12-wild-plants-that-anyone-can-find/

 

[KLS52]

Love this...you are super cool!

It conjured up a wonderful childhood memory. I practically grew up on dandelion greens. My mom would stop anywhere and pick them.

Same with mushrooms (though not a plant). We used to spend summers in the woods in the Catskill mountains and always picked and ate the mushrooms we found.

 

[Trinity]

Love this...you are super cool!

Thank you so much for the kind words!

It conjured up a wonderful childhood memory. I practically grew up on dandelion greens. My mom would stop anywhere and pick them.

Wow - I wish I'd grown up on dandelion greens. I've been discovering all this amazing forgotten knowledge in my adult years. I did used to pick field mushrooms and get paid for them from a local catering establishment - nice little job for a 10 year old. Thank you for the reminder - had totally forgotten about that.

 

[yakherder]

I don't really specifically go foraging, but I know what's around locally and spend a lot of time outdoors and if I happen to spot something I'll grab it. When training in Vermont around this time of the year I always look forward to picking up a mass of wild onion. Very easy to find, and makes an amazing potato leek style soup.

 

[Tom L.]

I'm not nearly confident enough to eat mushrooms I come across. I suppose some are easy to identify and are not easily confused with any poisonous kinds, and if I learned those, I might try them.

But for now, here are some of my favorites: lamb's-quarters (taste like their spinach relative, but are MUCH easier to grow- in fact, just try to kill them!); garlic mustard (a pesky invasive in my area); purslane; mulberry, especially the reddish or blackish kind; violet leaves.

I've eaten dandelion greens sometimes, but my rabbits liked them a lot more than I do. I tried some early this year, and they weren't nearly so bitter as they were this week. One of these days I'll have to try cattail.

 

[bEt]

I'm not nearly confident enough to eat mushrooms I come across. I suppose some are easy to identify and are not easily confused with any poisonous kinds, and if I learned those, I might try them.

But for now, here are some of my favorites: lamb's-quarters (taste like their spinach relative, but are MUCH easier to grow- in fact, just try to kill them!); garlic mustard (a pesky invasive in my area); purslane; mulberry, especially the reddish or blackish kind; violet leaves.

I've eaten dandelion greens sometimes, but my rabbits liked them a lot more than I do. I tried some early this year, and they weren't nearly so bitter as they were this week. One of these days I'll have to try cattail.

I am happy to see another fan of purslane! I like it best added to a carrot salad. What do you like to do with it?
As for dandelion and other veggies that sometimes have a strong taste, I usually will mix them with other veggies and/ or fruits and/or grains, including adding them to a sandwich. Also cooking sometimes tames strong- tasting greens a bit.
I think I've read that most greens are best harvested before they flower. Here in so cal, that is sometimes nearly impossible. Everything goes to seed very quickly, even this time of year.

 

[bEt]

I'm not nearly confident enough to eat mushrooms I come across. I suppose some are easy to identify and are not easily confused with any poisonous kinds, and if I learned those, I might try them.

But for now, here are some of my favorites: lamb's-quarters (taste like their spinach relative, but are MUCH easier to grow- in fact, just try to kill them!); garlic mustard (a pesky invasive in my area); purslane; mulberry, especially the reddish or blackish kind; violet leaves.

I've eaten dandelion greens sometimes, but my rabbits liked them a lot more than I do. I tried some early this year, and they weren't nearly so bitter as they were this week. One of these days I'll have to try cattail.

Have you ever looked into a vine called Anredera cordifolia? It is one of my favorites. Some may not like it because of the texture, similar to purslane.

 

[Tom L.]

I'm not familiar with Anredera. My memory isn't perfect, but I'm pretty sure I've never come across it. I have an Excel spreadsheet someplace where I was entering all plants I had come across- an amateur botanist's version of a birder's life list, I suppose.

I looked it up. It's seriously invasive, but it appears to be a tropical (or at least sub-tropical) organism. I suspect it wouldn't be able to take our famously savage winters unless someone wanted to cultivate it and gave it protection- perhaps taking cuttings or seeds. The one website I went to so far mentioned it as an ornamental. I don't think it's been reported in the wild from my state yet.

About purslane: I just cook it with whatever grain I'm eating.