Foraging Wild Grain

[urbanresistance]

There's some wild oat and what I think is barely growing in my backyard and around my neighborhood, I was wondering how I would go about harvesting and using it. I've looked, but I can hardly find anything on foraging grains.

[Dave]

This is from Fergus Drennan's website http://www.wildmanwildfood.com/

Strip mature oats off the stem. Spread on a sheet to dry in the sun or use a low set oven. Once fully dried, wiz in the food processor for a couple of minutes. This will help break off much of the outer husk. Return oats to a bowl. Standing in a strong wind, tip the oats from a distance of a few feet into a larger bowl. This is winnowing – removing the indigestible outer pars of the oat (the chaff) from the grain. Repeat this several times until all the chaff has blown away. If there is no wind, simply walk with both bowls as you are tipping out the grain. This will create sufficient movement of air to blow off the chaff. The grain will still have the last bit of outer husk attacked at this point. You can either just grind the grain as it is to produce a rich fibrous grain – nothing wrong in that, or try to take it a step further. I suggest doing the later because that is how you make the milk for this recipe (not that I expect anyone at all to make it!!!!!!!). Now place the grain in a liquidizer and blitz for a few minutes. This will break off a lot of the husk but will also powder a little of the inner oat. But this is good. Sieve this to leave a flour that you can then grind. Take what is left in the sieve and liquidize it with 3 x its volume in water. Pass through a fine cloth. What you are left with is a delicious (in my highly subjective opinion) oaty liquid straw flavoured milk.

Fergus is a bit of a genius when it comes to wild grains, there's no two ways about it he IS the UK's best forager what he doesn't know about wild food you can put on a postage stamp. More about wild grains on this page \http://www.wildmanwildfood.com/pages/wi ... s1-31.html

[Milims]

Good morning urbanresistance!Why not pop onto the introductions thread and tell us about yourself?

[urbanresistance]

This is from Fergus Drennan's website http://www.wildmanwildfood.com/
Fergus is a bit of a genius when it comes to wild grains, there's no two ways about it he IS the UK's best forager what he doesn't know about wild food you can put on a postage stamp. More about wild grains on this page \http://www.wildmanwildfood.com/pages/wi ... s1-31.html

This guy is amazing, thanks. Do you know how to tell when an oat is mature? he doesnt get into that.

[urbanresistance]

also anyone know what great this is? sorry for the quality.

[Dave]

Could be an immature Hordeum murinum or wild barley but hard to tell from that picture. Have you got Roger Philips's Grasses book? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grasses-Mosses- ... 0330259598