Do you do any foraging for wild edibles?

Cafe Society
1

This thread got me thinking about it:
https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=894760
I was going to post in that thread but thought it might be a bit of a hijack, so starting my own…

Anyway, I’ve been interested in this and lately my wife has been too, though we haven’t done too much actual foraging and eating.

We have harvested and eaten many local morels here in SE Michigan, and they are delicious. I put them in risottos and other fancy stuff, but I think simply brushed with olive oil and a little salt and grilled, served with a grilled steak and asparagus, is my favorite.

We used to find morels by the dozens in our own backyard, the spring after a giant Elm tree died. Then we had about 1/4 the amount the next year, then 2 or 3, then 0. Every once in awhile when a tree dies in our yard we see a ring of morels around the stump the next spring-- they clearly like the roots of recently dead trees. We bring a plastic bag with us on walks through the neighborhood this time of year now, because we’ve had some amazing finds along the side of the road.

My wife wants to try the giant puffball mushroom, which is edible, easy to ID, and we see them a lot, but I’ve been a bit squeamish about that one-- looks like the texture would be like eating insulation. And I know there are many other edible 'shrooms around herre, but I’m only confident in my morel-IDing skills.

We used to volunteer with our kids when they were in Cub Scouts to remove Garlic Mustard in local parks, an invasive species originally planted because they are tasty cooked as greens. They do have a very strong garlic odor, especially when you fill an entire garbage bag. I was finding garlic mustard plants in my backyard for awhile, but I was nervous to harvest and cook them because we have a lot of poison ivy too, and I was afraid I might accidentally pull up a couple poison ivy plants along with the garlic mustard. Lately though, the garlic mustard has been crowded out by wild black raspberry bushes that ring our yard, which seem to be even more invasive. We don’t mind too much though because we enjoy the raspberries.

Another thing my wife has been on the lookout for are ramps, which are wild leeks, and they’re supposed to be in our area, though we haven’t made any positive IDs yet.

I’ve heard fiddlehead ferns are very tasty when sauteed, taste kind of like asparagus, and can be found in our state, though not as much as on the east coast. I’d need to do more research to know I’m harvesting the correct type of fern though.

And speaking of asparagus, we have a lot of wild asparagus in our state, and my cousin said he knows a secret spot where he harvests it. But we have a local family farm that sells asparagus dirt-cheap, so that’s good enough for me.

How about you guys-- anybody living off the land?

2

When I was in Boy Scouts we ate some things we found growing in the woods – Sassafras tea, fiddleheads, teaberry leaves. I made a pie from wild blueberries.

Nowadays the closest we come to that is eating the herbs from our herb garden.

3

The Long Island / NYC region is chock-full of wild raspberries and they’re mostly ignored. We go out and pick a few pails of them every summer and make ice cream and crumble cakes and other things from them.

4

[quote=“CalMeacham, post:2, topic:852442”]

…
I made a pie from wild blueberries.
…
/QUOTE]

That reminds me, years ago I used to go camping in Michigan’s upper peninsula for a week right around Labor Day every year. There were places you could see wild blueberries growing for acres. You could harvest gallons of them if you wanted. I started bringing up pre-made raw pie crust sheets and baking wild blueberry turnovers over the fire.

5

I pick wild garlic when I see it (it’s around now). Always make sure to wash it thoroughly know, you never know when a dog and its owner have been out for a country walk.

6

In the summertime I’ll grab some wild fruit as a snack if I happen to see some (e.g. if my wife and I are going for a hike and I see some wild raspberries).

In particular, the city of Toronto uses serviceberry/saskatoon berry trees for landscaping, so there’s a week or two in June where I can eat as many as I want. Saskatoon berries aren’t nearly as popular a fruit in Toronto as they are in Saskatoon, unsurprisingly.

7

My gf has a calendar where she notes various edible finds. We eat a lot of mushrooms that we collect during walks. In particular we have an area where Chanterelles erupt every year. We also harvest dandelions for our tortoise. They are in abundance right now.

8

[quote=“solost, post:4, topic:852442”]

I made the pie from scratch in the woods, and used a home-made reflector oven. I was very proud of getting it made, fully baked, and not burned.

The raccoons were really happy with the result, too. The moral of the story is: either eat the whole pie, or else have raccoon-proof storage.

One of the other scouts wanted to know if he could have some of my pie to bait his raccoon trap.

9

We do a little bit of wild harvesting. Chanterelles are a good rare find, but our favorite are black trumpets, a chanterelle species that looks a bit like a dead black leaf and tastes like pure forest joy. We also gather blueberries almost every year, and in May and June we keep our eyes out for wild strawberries, with the blackberries coming in July and August.

10

Used to have raspberries growing on our property in New York. The dogs liked to sneak over and grab them one at time, for some reason they thought they weren’t supposed to be eating them. There was also a nearby lake where blueberries grew wild all around the shore. We’d go out in my canoe to get to the ones inaccessible on foot.

Here in RI I know a couple of naturalist guys who are hunter gatherers. Some people, like their families, describe them as too lazy to work. Different points of view, you know.

11

Until my husband went against my wishes and doused our front and back yards with weed killer 4 years ago, we used to do a week of Eat The Lawn every spring. I’ve also gotten to old and frail to gather mulberries in early summer to make spiced mulberry jam.

I loved our lawn filled with violets, wild onion and garlic and dandelions. Hubby poisoned it all and our lawn still looks like shit. Even more shittier with clover and oxalis and dock. There are still tufts of onion but I won’t eat them now. The run amok morning glories are all my fault, though.

12

We had wild black raspberry brambles all over our back yard. I would go out every evening before sunset and pick the darkest berries, a small handful at a time, and store them in a big baggie in the freezer. They really added up. … When I was young, about 8, we lived next to a big field and played ‘store’ - we picked things and tasted them. I’m surprised we never ate anything deadly! … I’ve seen wild blueberry bushes next to a parking lot nearby. I’m kind of wary of eating anything ‘wild’, though - there is so much poison and pollution and you never know.

13

I used to have to pick a lot of pokeberry for my grandmother. She and her siblings were really into it, but I never tried it myself.

14

We get pokeberry plants in our yard. Aren’t they poisonous?

Yeah, googling says the berries are indeed toxic-- they can cause pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Good thing you never tried them! The leaves can be eaten as greens but must be boiled and drained twice first. I assume that’s what your grandma and aunts were eating, not the berries…

15

Yes, the leaves. Famous as “poke salad.” (A gator did not get my granny.)

16

In 4 months, there will be blackberries around us. Other than that, not “wild” per se. We have a lot of volunteer herbs from our own and others’ yards, and someone in the neighborhood planted strawberries that have seeded everywhere, so we’ll get both the alpines and these commercial berries around the yard.

17

Time to brag and link my daughter’s latest book.

18

Nice! I’m no expert on herbal remedies, but 5 stars after 68 ratings is pretty impressive. Congrats to your daughter!

19

My family’s favorite Easter tradition is dandelion salad. The trick is to harvest them before the flowers appear-- After that, the leaves turn bitter.

I’ve hunted morels before, and the hunting itself is fun, but I can’t stand the taste of them.

Grampap used to love ramps, and I had a taste for them too, but since he died, most of the rest of the family hasn’t put much effort into finding them.

My mom makes a wonderful garlic mustard pesto. Officially, you’re not supposed to harvest anything from the Metroparks, but the rangers turn a blind eye when it’s just invasive species.

Not mentioned yet are purslane and chickweed. Chickweed can be a bit tough, so most of that we find goes to the chickens (who absolutely love it, hence the name), but purslane is great.

Mom also harvests a lot of fruit and berries from abandoned lots and such, but I’m not sure that counts, since those are all domesticated varieties that were bred for food before they got abandoned.

20

My family’s favorite Easter tradition is dandelion salad. The trick is to harvest them before the flowers appear-- After that, the leaves turn bitter.

I’ve hunted morels before, and the hunting itself is fun, but I can’t stand the taste of them.

Grampap used to love ramps, and I had a taste for them too, but since he died, most of the rest of the family hasn’t put much effort into finding them.

My mom makes a wonderful garlic mustard pesto. Officially, you’re not supposed to harvest anything from the Metroparks, but the rangers turn a blind eye when it’s just invasive species.

Not mentioned yet are purslane and chickweed. Chickweed can be a bit tough, so most of that we find goes to the chickens (who absolutely love it, hence the name), but purslane is great.

Mom also harvests a lot of fruit and berries from abandoned lots and such, but I’m not sure that counts, since those are all domesticated varieties that were bred for food before they got abandoned.