Rather good article on spring foraging

Comments

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Good article @judsoncarroll4 . I am familiar with most of these but Ramps don't grow here. Can you confirm that the picture shown is ramps? Or is it another species of the onion family?

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin
    edited February 2021

    Actually, I wondered about that pic, too. The ramps will come up here mid April. Those that grow by my creek are smaller and more blue in hue, less shiny, more delicate and usually with a reddish line toward the bulb... more like British ramsons. I will take some pics of them and do a full article when they do. "The nose knows" when it comes to ramps.

  • MaryRowe
    MaryRowe Posts: 736 ✭✭✭✭

    That is a good list in itself, and all the links to other articles makes it even better. Now I am even more impatient for the snow to just go away,

    It's so good to be back among TGN folks. Feels like coming home....I just did an online workshop, a joint effort by the local Senior Center and the Extension Office, "Supper Foods for a Super You." Another. World. Basically it was about trying to select the least unhealthy stuff at the grocery store. The two presenters were shocked at the idea of eating wild plants, discouraged us from buying grocery-store sprouts because of contamination concerns but had never considered home sprouting, had never heard about the nutritional value of mushrooms, etc. etc. I kept trying to remind myself this was for seniors, many of whom have limited mobility, and might not be open to trying new things, but still.... Here were these two supposed nutrition experts talking about things like the health benefits of cruciferous vegetables, like, you know, umm, broccoli, spinach and Romaine lettuce....I did put a plug in for TGN during the discussion period, as a place where you could get so much information about raising food for yourself even indoors when you're not very mobile, learning about easy-to-find wild foods and such. Sorry to veer off the foraging track, still recovering from the culture shock......

  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I enjoyed the article. And the pictures will be an excellent resource to help in locating many of them in my area. Thanks for sharing @judsoncarroll4.

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    When my class at Wilderness Awareness School went on our survival trip in western Washington we utilized several of these plants as food sources! It was in early May, in the Cascade foothills, and the 18 of us were dropped off on a chilly Monday morning with only the clothing we wore to see how well we had learned our lessons over the previous 9 months. (Mind you, we did have an emergency satellite phone and there were instructors camped out near by - something we suspected, but did not know for sure.)

    When we were picked up on Friday, we had built shelter, made fire with a bow drill that was created on the spot, kept that fire going all week, found a spring with reasonably good water, which we purified by boiling in beer bottles found on the river bank, and we ate pretty well.

    Aside from the one garter snake that we cooked, we dined primarily on cattail shoots roasted on that fire, and on miner's lettuce, chickweed and thimbleberry shoots. It was too early for nettle or berries at that altitude. But we had sufficient food, water, and shelter. We all passed the final exam!

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    I usually have a few trick up my sleeve... or, in my pack really. Some of it isn't legal everywhere, so I'm only admitting to using such things where they are... crawfish traps, nets, trot and bank lines, snares, a couple of small traps. If I can find water, usually I'll have some fish by supper and some meat by morning. Wild plants and mushrooms just round out the meals.

  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Mary Linda Bittle, West Plains, Missouri Wow! That sounds amazing and absolutely terrifying.😲 I don't know if I could do something like that. My husband loves to watch the shows where they do just that but for weeks/months at a time.

  • karenjanicki
    karenjanicki Posts: 996 ✭✭✭✭

    My husband and I enjoy foraging for ramps in the spring. Yum delicious! 😋

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Forging is in full gear here now. There are tons of edible flowers, pine is just coming out and of course there are all the barks to harvest.

    Hopefully if ther rain lets up (more like a drizzle) I'll be able to get out and collect

    Our lilacs will be out soon. Has anyone here made lilac jelly?

  • RustBeltCowgirl
    RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Good article down at the bottom about uses of purple dead nettle.

    Since I have a lot of it and the bees are busy with all the Creeping Charlie; they shouldn't mind if I gather the nettle liberally.

  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @karenjanicki What are ramps? I've heard of them but have never seen them until just this spring a small local grocer had them. But I still don't know what they are even though I know what they look like now.😊

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JennyT Ramps are wild leeks. They stay smaller and have more of a garlic taste. I love to forage for them.

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin
  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @judsoncarroll4 Do you use all parts of the ramp? I want to try the seeds this year

  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Denise Grant Oh, I love leeks and more so garlic. I'll have to try ramps then, thanks.😊

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    I try just to use the tops, so they can regrow, but I will harvest some bulbs if they are growing thick. I never tried the seeds. I just parboiled then fried some potatoes into crisp brown fries, smothered them in that allium goodness almost carnalized, topped with a thick layer of cheddar and browned it up in tee oven. Oh yeah, Creole seasoning before the cheese went on.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭


    They grow so thick here I can harvest the bulbs and not feel bad. But I save ther very root, like you would an onion and replant it so I really clone any I use.

    The seeds and flowers are good to use in salads.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JennyT Do,ramps grow in your area?

    I never tried them until last year when I picked some for family. My family has always liked them but when you eat them you smell like a ramp. You don't have that smell if you make soup, which is delicious. I found out I really like them.

    When we were in high school ther kids would come to school smelling like ramps so one year they warned them if they did they would have to leave. Well, that was silly - the kids all did it on purpose for a day off.

  • JennyT Upstate South Carolina
    JennyT Upstate South Carolina Posts: 1,273 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Denise Grant Apparently they do grow here. That store I mentioned sells only local or organic/local food and that's where I saw them. I've never seen them before. And it was just the other week that I saw them there.

    That's a hilarious story about the kids and school. 🤣 Honestly, you have the best stories ❤️