The Foragers' Thread

[theclaud]

Partly to stop me and @mudsticks diverting weightier threads with questions about our dinners, but also because it's spring and there's bounty in them thar hedgerows, forests and fields...

I have long been a casual mushroom forager, but since there was not much else to do last autumn, I refreshed my memory, roped in some friends, and expanded my mushroom repertoire in a more determined way. Whilst waiting for the mushroom season to get going in earnest I've decided to take the same approach to plants, and venture beyond the obvious. I've already banged on at enormous length about Wild Garlic, which might be common as muck but is still one of the best and easiest free foods around, but so far the discovery of the new season for me is Hogweed Shoots.* They need to be cooked - they are best steamed or blanched very quickly and them fried in butter, IMO. But then, what isn't? They keep their bright green colour when cooked.

Hogweed and Wild Garlic omelette for breakfast this morning . Tell us about your free food finds, CC peeps!

*Not to be a killjoy, but you need to be 100% confident that you are not picking Giant Hogweed, which is an extremely dangerous plant, and shouldn't even be touched. It's the thing your mum warned you not to make blowpipes from when you were a kid! All of this is less daunting if you do your homework beforehand and treat every walk as an opportunity to learn and observe a little more. I recommend these guys as an excellent source of info for newbie foragers - if you are going to pick something new, chances are they have an informative video on the subject.

 

[Julia9054]

Horseradish is just about impossible to kill. It would grow wild in the verges of the public carpark behind the flat we used to live in 25 years ago. Go out, chop off a chunk. grate in the food processor and clear your sinuses at the same time. We dug up a bit when we moved and offshoots of that same original root has moved house with us three times since.
We manage to kill off just about everything else we try to grow but the horseradish is still going strong.

 

[theclaud]

Horseradish is just about impossible to kill. It would grow wild in the verges of the public carpark behind the flat we used to live in 25 years ago. Go out, chop off a chunk. grate in the food processor and clear your sinuses at the same time. We dug up a bit when we moved and offshoots of that same original root has moved house with us three times since.
We manage to kill off just about everything else we try to grow but the horseradish is still going strong.

Do you bother eating the leaves? Apparently the young ones should be good around now, if you like a bit of a kick in your salad...

 

[Julia9054]

Do you bother eating the leaves? Apparently the young ones should be good around now, if you like a bit of a kick in your salad...

Not tried that. Will give it a go.

 

[Julia9054]

This is Al's trusty guide. We've got out of the habit of late but I recall him coming back on his bike once with his rucksack full of the biggest chicken-in-the-woods I have ever seen. It made about 5 portions of stew for the freezer.

 

[theclaud]

This is Al's trusty guide. We've got out of the habit of late but I recall him coming back on his bike once with his rucksack full of the biggest chicken-in-the-woods I have ever seen. It made about 5 portions of stew for the freezer.
View attachment 583155

I've got the Phillips, too. It's brilliant but with a few caveats. Cross reference it with the Wild Foods UK lads above and err on the side of caution and you can't go too far wrong.

 

[Salty seadog]

I used to forrage specific mushrooms but I was young and carefree then. Now I'm getting older and carefree I forrage in farm shops and M&S.

 

[oldworld]

At times there are masses of mushrooms about but I'm not sure if they edible or not.
A friend here also likes the idea of picking some so we consulted 3 different reference books. It was a waste of time, the illustrations for a variety differed greatly between each book. We didn't feel confident to pick and eat any. I think the only way to safely learn is to go out with a experienced mushroom picker.
Every time I see someone with a basket of wild mushrooms I think of all that food I'm passing by.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

At times there are masses of mushrooms about but I'm not sure if they edible or not.

All mushrooms are edible but some can only be eaten once. 🍄

 

[oldworld]

All mushrooms are edible but some can only be eaten once. 🍄

 

[bitsandbobs]

Back in the day, I had fungal biology classes from the genial mycologist, Harry Hudson. They often veered off into recipes for the various species he touched on. He claimed to have been near to death only twice in his foraging career.

Later on, my housemate, now a Prof of Plant Science at a prestigious university, foraged some mushrooms, ate them and then convinced himself he was going to die. He puked soon after eating them and thought he'd had one of those species where you recover only to die a couple of days later of catastrophic organ failure. A most enjoyable couple of days for me whilst he sweated his bollocks off!

happy foraging peeps!!

 

[Hover Fly]

Just to add to the claud’s warning about Hogweed, be very careful about Hemlock leaved Water Dropwort, which in addition to being highly poisonous, is easily mistaken for edible plants such as parslley (leaves), wild carrots/parsnip (roots) and even celery by some.
https://www.hedgerow-harvest.com/20...entity-confusing-edible-and-poisonous-plants/

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Much as I am tempted by foraging for mushrooms, I’d rather do it under the guidance of an expert. The only one I have seen, which I would be comfortable eating, is the cep or penny bun. We came across some huge ones on a walk up at Laggan a couple of years ago. Here’s one with my size 9 boot for scale..



Another one we found was called something like Judge’s Wig, I think, and we later learned that it’s safe to eat too.

 

[mudsticks]

Nettle tops, chucked in with any of the seasonal brassica tribe who are currently available, and roasted with oil and salt is very good.

Wild garlic pesto..
No cooking required, just blend it in a food processor with nice oil, and maybe nuts like cashews, then bung in a jar.

Excellent stirred through pasta, dolloped on pizza or even spread on toast under fried eggs..

Hungry now..

 

[mudsticks]

I've got the Phillips, too. It's brilliant but with a few caveats. Cross reference it with the Wild Foods UK lads above and err on the side of caution and you can't go too far wrong.

At times there are masses of mushrooms about but I'm not sure if they edible or not.
A friend here also likes the idea of picking some so we consulted 3 different reference books. It was a waste of time, the illustrations for a variety differed greatly between each book. We didn't feel confident to pick and eat any. I think the only way to safely learn is to go out with a experienced mushroom picker.
Every time I see someone with a basket of wild mushrooms I think of all that food I'm passing by.

I'm not dead (!) confident on fungi id either,

Unless it's the obvious ones like field mushrooms, chanterelles, or puffballs, I prefer to eat fewer mushrooms, but have a longer life.

I have a friend who grew up in the Czech Republic, who really knows her stuff.
But am nervous about just id from a book.

There are too many that look 'almost but not quite' like the picture.

Particularly when you factor in the age of the mushroom too..