Selfsufficientish.com

Sorry if this has been covered before but as I am so upset I cant deal with searching ... I have just come back from my local country park where I spend time everyday. I also forage there with the rangers knowledge... today I went to gather a few ransome leavs afte I had been bird watching and I think I must have gone into shock as I never thought to take a photo ... a crown of folks were picking the ransoms by the black bag full the whole area looks like a herd of cattle had stampeded through it. I did report it to a ranger who went of to see what he could do and I returned home in tears ... hubby called the apprpriate council and spoke to someone who is going to see what can be done to stop this behaviour before it gets totally out of hand... I know we have unwriiten rules like dont take everything , dont damage, etc but what are the laws of the land or don'r the powers that be care.

Hi Silver ether,

http://www.wildmanwildfood.co.uk/pages/ ... %20law.htm

This might be helpful at explaining a few things. Sorry those people were so disrespectful to a place you obviously hold dear to you.

Thanks ... its all a bit wooly ... but as this is a park owned by the counsel I imagine its classed a private... I just hope the woman I spoke to at the counsel is a helpful as she seemed

That sucks! any idea why they were collecting them in such a large quantity? Cause I woul imagine if it isn't for private use then the council will be able to a lot more.

I must admit it annoys me when people strip an area of anything (particularly blackberries) I mean how much of one thing can a person use!

I hope there is something the council can do to stop it happening again

I'm guessing a TV chef has mentioned them recently

What do these people need a bin liner full for? A salad only takes a few leaves or flowerheads. Or any other way of preparing them. I can't imagine they'd freeze.

It might be interesting to see if they appear at your local growers market. If they do report them again - it's bad enough that they strip an area, but then fleecing the public for "free food" is also appalling.

Thats really sad. Again and again I see it though - people aksing on forums how to preserve wild garlic or mushrooms etc.. as they have loads.. and I always think.. don't.. leave some ...

sadly foraging has become very fashionable.. and I always have to ask.. is there enough for everyone? never mind leaving some for nature....

Well this group of people don't need Tv chiefs... this is the way they live in their own country taking from the land and its just one of the reasons they are disliked... during the autumn they were seen gathering fungi in large amounts, they stripped a meddler trees naked how long before they start chopping trees down for the woodland fires. Same culture had action taken against them for taking swans and carp from our parks....

SE - Is this a travelling community? I sense hidden meaning in your posts...

I am sure that in Scotland the law is that you are allowed to forage for your own use as long as it is not a commercial crop for the groundskeeper.

I always feel guilty foraging, i try to take enough blackberries to mix into Jam but I never get enough because I feel I am taking too much.

I have heard this about the Eastern Europeans because this is what they do in their own countries - however I imagine their own countries are not quite so built up as the UK and therefore there's a whole lot more available there, and only so much available from the UK (countryside) which is small and overpopulated.

MMM you have them ... last year I knew they had cleared some stuff as I have permission to take from this area and of course small amounts ... and every where I went the stuff had gone ... and a lot of it to early, and they vertually emptied a pool where cress grows last year but luckily for us one of the rangers who aint a wuss caught them at it. So we are all watching the area as there is a big group of birdwatchers and walkers and I wont be so slow next time and will use my camera. I went back to the spot yesterday after a thunderstorm and the rain has helped restore some of the energy there but there are several patches that have been done to death. Just gotta wait for the counsil to get sorted now.

oh and the other leaves they were taking were Aurum ... if you have the right knowledge you can cook the roots and leaves I hope it burns holes in their gut

If the Arum is Lords & Ladies then the leaves are poisonous but the roots can be used as you said, but everything I've read says to use only in times of total starvation as a desperate measure! So let's hope they poison themselves tho' somehow I think they know what they are doing. It's just sad that they have no respect for the countryside.

Millymollymandy wrote:If the Arum is Lords & Ladies then the leaves are poisonous but the roots can be used as you said, but everything I've read says to use only in times of total starvation as a desperate measure! So let's hope they poison themselves tho' somehow I think they know what they are doing. It's just sad that they have no respect for the countryside.

Well I am focusing on undercooking
this link is where I found that you could use Arum ... well some folks could use it but I aint that hungry

http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Arum+maculatum

This link is interesting (it also says the leaves are toxic) but it gives step by step instructions with photos as to what to do with the roots. I have them all over my woodland but as far as I'm concerned they are staying put as they are pretty much the first plants to emerge in late winter and I am happy to see them!
http://www.countrylovers.co.uk/wfs/arum.htm