Newbie to foraging

[cheddarpaul]

Hi all

I am new to the idea of foraging, but now I live in a more rural area am keen to use the fruits of the land wherever they can be found. I have a few questions I hope you can help me with:

Are there any groups specifically for forages?

Is there a good book(s) I can use on my travels?

Where can I get good recipes to use my newly foraged food?


Hope to hear some good news soon. Thanks and what a great site!

[Muddypause]

The most famous one is Food For Free by Richard Maybey. It's not been out of print in over thrity years. Have a look at eco-logic books, who have a link on this site.

The latest edition is a sumptuous version with lots of colour photos, as well as recipes and details about the plants.

I wouldn't recommend it as an identification book, particularly with regard to fungus. But it is not a disappointment.

[cheddarpaul]

I had heard of that book so will give it a look up.. Thanks

[cheap&cheerful]

Hi Cheddapaul,

I've just bought Wild Food by Roger Phillips. And I am really pleased with it. The pictures are good and show the plant in a natural setting. Although I've also got a pocket book called Free Food, that is handy.

He also does a book called Mushrooms and othe Fungi, it's the one Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall uses as a reference.

I've also got HFH, A Cook on the Wild Side. I bought it off ebay..don't ask me how much I paid I'm too embarrased to say ...It was bought in my "manic" ebay phase!!!!! I'm having councelling to keep me away from ebay and Waterstones, not to mention Amazon.


Jill..

[cyndeelouwho1972]

There are foraging discussion forums on YAHOO. Go to www.yahoo.com and register to be a user. Then go to find a group and put in the word foraging and you will find many groups with lots of knowledgeable folks. They have lists of helpful books to read as well. They help people identify plants too. Learning the "art" of plant identification and gaining those skills is really what you need to do to enjoy foraging. It get frustrating for me as I have difficulty remembering how to identify leaves of species that are closely related. I am trying very hard to learn,,,,i should have paid more attention in biology class!

[cyndeelouwho1972]

Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons is a book someone told me to read. Haven't got around to it yet. Happy Hunting.

[gunners71uk]

i would love to learm how to identify mushrooms to eat can you reccommend a book clubs etc , manythanks

[Muddypause]

http://www.lowershawfarm.co.uk/october.html#fungus

[ina]

Pity that course is so far down south... If you ever hear of anything like this further north, let us know!

We had a lot of mushrooms this year (field mushrooms? - those ordinary ones that grow in meadows...), and my kind neighbour used to deliver a bag full several times a week, until I didn't really want to see them anymore either!

Ina

[Sadoldhippy]

Richard Mabey's Food for Free is also available in a pocket size edition which is useful. Ray Mears Wild Food is also good, I found that the DVD made some of the things in the book easier to grasp ie you could see them doing it not just read it. Some history books on the area you are in also give details of traditional regional foods and techniques.
Hope this helps

[Eigon]

Roger Phillips' mushroom book is excellent - though not exactly pocket sized! My late husband used to use it, and he led Fungus Forays for the local Wildlife Trust.

When we first came to this area, part of our job was providing lunch for our employers (we were servants in all but name). What I used to do in summer was go round the garden weeding, throw all the edible stuff in a salad bowl, and garnish with nasturtium leaves and flowers. Looked fantastic and cost nothing. They had a lot of ground elder in the flower beds, and we used Jack-in-the-hedge as well - I forget what else.