Foraging for Food

reply to post by Asktheanimals


Poke can be eaten before the stalk turns red.
But it needs to be thoroughly washed. It is very good.

Interesting about sassafrass, I've heard it was like poke, in this respect.

reply to post by JayinAR


Foraging for wild plants for survival is an excellent skill to achieve. One must be very careful as to not misidentify a certain plant as many out there look alike and it could cost your life in some cases. For the beginner forager and to properly learn how to identify, find and even harvest wild plants I highly recommend the book "The Forager's Harvest" by Samuel Thayer loaded with over 200 clear colored pictures.

He is unlike other authors who are somewhat educated about what is edible and what is not, this author lives for Foraging and has eaten all plants written of hundreds to thousands of times. He goes into great detail on how to identify, harvest and prepare them.

Happy Foraging!
I have been into this for quite a while now and read many books on the subject as well as eating wild edibles, this is the one I would recommend over all for the beginning forager.







[edit on 30-8-2009 by ET_MAN]

i have to many to list i pick and look for
dandelions(mentioned and yes i noticed a lack of also since my yard is usually full of them) didn't read all listed but here goes mine in the poconos:
blackberries
black raspberries
blueberries
ginseng
watercress
acorns(need to know which ones tho)
black walnuts
hickory nuts
strawberries
teaberries
onion/garlic
apples
purple clover
i know i'm forgetting a few but going to bed

Here are a few more:
Cattails can be peeled, the roots (or pollen) can be reduced to a flour that’s used for muffins, biscuits, or pancakes. The young shoots can be used in salad.

Milkweed The young sprouts can be prepared like asparagus and the leafy tops make a great spinach substitute.

Day Lily The unopened buds can be sautéed or cooked like green beans. The entire opened (in full bloom) flower can be dipped into a batter and fried.

Purslane is a edible weed used in salads.

Fiddlehead fern The fiddleheads of certain ferns are eaten as a cooked leaf vegetable; they must be cooked first to remove shikimic acid.

Oregon-grape and Tall Oregon-grape they're better in a sweetened jelly.

Wild Ginger,Cow Parsnip,Labrador Tea.

Camassia quamash The bulbs when well cooked are very nutritious.

Chicory In early spring makes a tasty salad

Chocolate Lily, Fritillaria lanceolata These bulbs cooked or steamed are a source of a nutritious food.

Edible Thistle The roots are considered a useful source of food and all thistles have none poisonous properties.

Elderberries, gooseberries


Violets, which can be found in the woods and are commonplace in backyards, pack a generous portion of antioxidants in their leaves

hard berries that grow on the prickly ash tree, which is also called the toothache tree because it causes numbness of the mouth.

Bon Appetit !!

reply to post by starlitestarbrite


Thanks for the additions!
I would add though that if you are going to use cattails, that you should make sure you are getting them from an area with fresh water. Not stagnant.

A lot of those I wasn't aware of.

There are a lot of flowers that are great sources of vitamins and antioxidants.

My nieces and nephews make popsicles and fruit leathers (fruit rollups) with them all spring and summer long.

In the spring they use a lot of violets, but by the end of summer they mostly have wild roses and japanese honeysuckle to work with.

With either project you just combine the petals with a vary small amount of water in a pan until it is almost boiling, stirring them a lot, then stir in some honey or real maple syrup. Add in some diced fruit of pretty much any kind and stir some more. Let this mixture cool off for a few minutes, then pour it into a blender. Mix it for a few, then either:

Pour the mixture into a popsicle mold, cover with paper or foil, and add wood popsicle sticks, and freeze over night.
-or-
Pour into a dehydrator and wait 3-4 hours.

These are both great ways to get kids to eat freshly picked organic produce that is packed with the things they need. You can even sneak in stuff like steamed spinach and steamed broccoli, just make sure not to use too much and blend extremely well.

The hips from wild roses are good for a lot of things too, from tea to steamed with salt and butter.

Great information, guys!

I'm glad we can pack this all into one thread. Screw buying books, there is enough cumulative knowledge here on this board to teach a person to live in the wild.
Aside from the obvious "killing game" that would need to be done in a survival situation (sorry vegans, you are screwed), with this information anyone can learn to sustain themselves. Whether it be situation x or just lost in the wilderness.

Speaking of situation x vs. lost in the wilderness, I think this is where a lot of people miss the boat in regards to the scope of this forum of ATS. I keep hearing people say "Well what if such and such happens, what should I do?"

I say, if you know what to do when you are lost in the woods, you know what to do if the worst happens.

If stuff really hits the fan in your hometown, you had better be prepared to survive off the grass in your front lawn before you consider going outside to kill commies, or whatever. Because if things get that bad, we are in for a long haul.
Total collapse of Government, local community, etc. People who know that you can eat dandelions will be better suited than the man waiting to stab another man at the grocery store for a loaf of bread.

Hell, I can use accorns TO MAKE BREAD.

In the Prairies of Alberta we have dandelions. I have a neighbour who dries and uses the roots for coffee substitute. We also get wild sage which grows in the provincial park about an hour drive away. Given the huge # of thistles we get around here I wish they were edible

I planted hops a few years ago and now it has taken over my arbour and I harvested about 10 lbs of pods from it this year.

Saskatoons grow along river banks in my area and are a great source of vitamin C and taste really good.

Lastly if your out hiking and you see an old falling down farm (homestead). I suggest checking around the foundation because everyone used to plant Rubarb and it grows with almost no water and will take over if conditions are correct. It also comes back every year even in our cold climate. It isn't the sweetest item on the planet but as long as you don't eat the leaves or the seed stocks it's safe and very high in vitamin C and liquids. The thinner stocks are less tuff and sweeter.

reply to post by exile1981


You can eat thistle.
You just need to remove the spines first!

Not much good to a person who isn't in dire straights, but if you are, it holds a ton of water.

Take a big stalk, shed the spines carefully and cut it up. Either drain it into your mouth or chew on it. Either way, they soak up a lot of H2O

i forgot about cattails- not exactly palatable but do make a good flour
spruce tips make a good tea- thistle does also- and if you have never tried a purple clover tea i highly recommend you do- only problem is i eat them before i can boil them lol
and someone mentioned milkweed- haven't seen any in a few years but the young pods(unripened) deep fried are actually quite tasty
you can also find wild turnips- which i hate- but the game commission here is planting them for the wild animals
wild lettuce but depending on where it grows can be very bitter
horseradish is everywhere but you need an axe to get that s### out of the ground
i love rhubarb too- have a few in my yard- just remember the leaves and seeds are poisonous
there are also huckleberries,elderberries, god knows how many more berries
sassafrass makes a great tea
if you live in the south you have pecan trees
just be sure with berries you don't eat ink berries-they are quite poisonous-and easily confused with blueberries
i would recommend getting a book on how to identify edible plants- but remember edible doesn't mean tasty it just means it won't kill you
you would be surprised how healthy and nutritious wild food is
and i know this is about foraging but let us not forget our friend the deer- most tasty and healthy meat you can ever eat- had to throw that in since hunting season opens soon lol sorry
iwas searching and can't find it- maybe someone can help me? there is a plant that is like sugar cane that grows wild and you can pound it and make sugar out of it just like sugar cane. i don't know thename of it or where it grows tho

reply to post by bigfoot1212


Is it possible that your talking about the wild stevia shrub
stevia is very very sweet. I used to use it before I switched to
splenda.

reply to post by starlitestarbrite


yes that is very possible thank you- it sounds familiar
from what i understand you pound it boil it and let the water evaporate and what is left is sugar just like sugarcane
that might be the plant i was thinking of- i don't think i have it around here that's why not sure on what it is

This thread has so much great information, thanks everyone! SnF
Lambs quarters, aka pig weed, grows all over my yard and is considered a weed. This year I found out that the leaves can be eaten like spinach so I let some grow and it was delicouse! Also from what I've found out on line, the lambs quarter's seeds are edible and nutritious, with lots of protien and vitamins. This plant is in the amorinth family that includes quinua. From what i can tell tehy are all grown for their leaves or for their seeds/grains

roses are also over looked
not sure on nutritional value but are tasty
i used to have a big rose garden- but deer ate them all(another reason to kill those hoofed rats) but the petals can be brewed to make a tea or mixed in with salad
go to an expensive restaraunt and they use rose petals as garnish on a salad and whack you god knows how much because of it lol
oh and we forgot about wild mustard- that is a good one to find too