(Another) noob, looking for advice

[Reachy]

Hello

Just started foraging and am keen to advance my skills. A few questions...

1) What's the best field guide?
2) What 'equipment', if any, do you take with you?
3) What other top tips do you have?

Cheers

Reachy

[TheTweedCat]

A walking stick or long handled umbrella is good for hooking down branches. And as for a guide, we like the River Cottage Hedgerow Handbook, but it's not the most practical guide out there I'm sure but it does have some lovely recipes and it's beginner-friendly.

[apophate]

Richard Mayby = a classic, no noob forager should be without. Make sure you don't get the really tiny one- or you loose the pages about edible roots, and quite a few other plants. There are so many versions of that book, go for the one with the most pages.

To be honest, the internet is far better for identification. If you get stuck, post some images on to this site and someone will identify what you've found.

I'm a forester, so a knife is more essential than a mobile phone for me. The deluded proponent of primitivism I am.

A good stick, as tweedcat said- comes in handy. If you carry a knife, you can find/cut a walking stick as you go.

Get some hard plastic tubs, 1-2 liter tubs with good lids - far superior to using bags -no run-off, doesn't get damaged- plus plastic bags aren't intended to be directly exposed to food, there's some nasty chemicals in them that transfer on your food.

I carry a pocket colen gem *sp* mushroom book, with photos in it. Pretty good for some mushrooms, but always check a few books, or even better check online before eating any mushroom...

Keep reaching for those berries, reachy!