What wild foods are about in your neck of the woods

[Andy Hamilton]

As I said in another post I found some jews ear, (wood ear, tree ear) fungus yesterday. I also found a couple of other patches of mushrooms with a few differeing vareities, will have to return with my book though as I am not 100% of what they are.

In gerneral there does seem to be a lot more around at the moment, wild garlic is still hanging about, hedge garlic is about but on its last legs. I even found some fennel growing wild. Of course there is the usual suspects like comfrey and nettles around. So what is growing near you?

[grahoom]

went out a week or so ago and found some

Jack By the Hedge,
Cow Parsley,
Alexanders,
water mint,
burdock,
dandelion,
elder flower

(coastal)
sea lettuce,
common prawn,
limpet,
winkles,

(i am down in east sussex)

[Boots]

I was just talking with the kids about this this arvo. They are off on a bush survival camp in Sept and are heaps excited.

I guess our foods will sound pretty foreign to you foreigners...

We have lots of wild citrus at the base of nearby mountain that should be on now.

To be honest, I am not real good with the calendar, and tend to just wait till a mate mentions things are on again.

In the local area (on abandoned farms or in national parks) we have rosellas (which I just love jamming), paw paws, melons, macadamias and lots of spots for witchety grubs (which I don't seek out, but a mate does). We have a weird one that I think I have the name wrong for.. Something Deliciosa?... it is sometimes called the fruit salad plant. There are a few of them around. Spring onions and garlic chives run riot. Passionfruit pops up in lots of places too.

There is a guy on our council that plants stuff everywhere while he's working. He is a right ratbag and real good fun. He likes planting food and has been on the council a long time and knows where lots is, because he put most of it there. He mixes native fruits in with the native mixes they use on banks and stuff.

The best find was probably the peanut truck that overturned on the range a few weeks back. That was bizarre... There were still peanuts for the picking up when I went through last week, and all the SES road workers went home with their pockets bulging when it happened.

Just realised I don't know where any banana trees are... am sure there'd be some here somewhere. Will have to ask.

[Andy Hamilton]

grahooom - I always thought that you can't go uprooting plants, as it is against the law? So that burdock has to be left as does horse radish.

Boots - It does sound like you have plenty of exotic plants there to eat. I was talking to nev about mushrooms and he was saying that there are loads over there but no-one eats them as it has not been catalogued to which are poisionous or not.

[grahoom]

Andy, indeed that is the case unless you have the land owners permision, luckily i know a farmer who has some woodland that he lets me and some friends wild camp there.

there is burdock there, we roasted the roots on the fire, tasted exactly like "baked potatoe with butter".

[Andy Hamilton]

Never tried Burdock root but I like the sound of it, I have just emailed the council to see if I can get permission to dig some up.

[grahoom]

Andy, good idea, never thought about asking the council for permission for foraging root veg..

if you've not tried it before, try the Alexanders... i'm not quite sure about them as the taste was something i hadn't really experienced before, slightly flowery, and sort of peppery with some other hint.. i just tried it when i was out wild camping, so had it boiled, with no butter or other seasoning, but i reckon if it was boiled then lightly fried in butter, it would be pretty tasty.

[Andy Hamilton]

Actually I picked some yesterday, I can't get a positive ID on them though, I heard that there is a poisonous plant that looks very similar.

[grahoom]

Andy, i've not heard that there was a poisonous plant that is similiar to Alaxanders.. - what is the name of this plant?

i am aware of the poisonous plants similiar to Cow Parsley, them being Fools Parsley, and Hemlock.

[Andy Hamilton]

Perhaps I am wrong.

Alexanders is a new wild food to me and I am going on hearsay rather than anything I know for certain. In fact I think that the person who told me alexanders was the plant I have is totally wrong. I am not sure what I have but it looks nothing like this. I think I now know that plant you mean, will have to go out and have another look.

foundthis image that helped me

[grahoom]

andy here is a good link.. just found this site, and its pretty informative regarding plants etc.

http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr ... +olusatrum

http://www.pfaf.org/index.html

[2steps]

hawtorn an elder are starting to flower here. we had tons and tons of dandelions. I've also seen loads of cleavers and nettle

[Andy Hamilton]

cheers for the links grahoom, I always forget that plants for the future site, it is pretty good.

2steps - The allotment next to me was covered in dandelions, I am not one of the people who call them a food. The leaves are too bitter for my liking. Although I do use the heads as a cough medicine.

[2steps]

were I live seems to be a haven for dandelions - shame I haven't still got guinea pigs I don't like the leaves either but made jam from the flowers which is really nice. tastes honey like but milder

[shiney]

We have elderberry trees, blackberries, some horseradish on the canal and a couple of apple trees from an old orchard that give lovely apples. No one else seems to collect them apart from me! Ones and eater and the other a cooking apple. Also we have plenty of crabapple trees.

We do have lots of mushrooms but I am a scaredy cat when it comes to those as I have to be careful how many mushrooms I eat anyway. Even 'normal' mushrooms can make me feel quite ill! Shame tho' cos I love them.