The Foragers' Thread

[DRM]

I was going to try to recount this tale that I saw on a Ray Mears program once, but I've found the clip instead... It's put me off foraging for mushrooms anyway!

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmmk3RCz6SI

Lofty Wiseman offers the best advice for fungi foraging in his SAS Survival Handbook, don’t it’s not worth the risk, for example chanterelles are delicious, false chanterelles are poisonous and they look very much like each other.

 

[theclaud]

I was going to try to recount this tale that I saw on a Ray Mears program once, but I've found the clip instead... It's put me off foraging for mushrooms anyway!

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmmk3RCz6SI

Gordon is lush.

Risk is a weird thing. I don't know many people who are too scared to pick blackberries, and yet many mushrooms are no more difficult to identify safely than a berry, and there are several plants that are as dangerous as the scariest mushrooms, but for some reason they don't inspire the same fear. But a lot depends on how people process information. I mentioned upthread that I have roped some friends into mushroom hunting. I won't OK anything for someone else to eat unless I eat it myself, and it's a little bit scary that some people trust this - all it means, after all, is that both of us might end up dead if I get it wrong. But others are more independent, which is great but no less scary. I've got a friend who has been mildly poisoned three times trying mushrooms I wouldn't. She's a surgeon, and much brainer than I am. The convos go something like this:

Her: Ping! I found this mushroom. It looks like a St George's Mushroom
Me: It does, but it's December, and they appear in April/May. Hence the name.
Her: What is it then?
Me: I don't know. I will investigate further.
Her: Can I eat it?
Me: I wouldn't.
Her, impatiently: What else can it be?
Me: I don't know. Can I get back to you on that?
Her: [describes mushroom features in detail, emphasising the St Georginess of it all]
Me: Yes but there are lots of mushrooms, and I don't know all of them, and this could be one of the ones I don't know.
Her: Could a St George's Mushroom appear in December?
Me: I can't say that it couldn't. No one knows precisely why they appear when they do. But their timing is reliable.
Her: So it could be a SGM?
Me: Please don't eat it.

 

[theclaud]

The yew berry thing has reminded me... Chicken of the Woods often grows on yew. It seems to be the case that this doesn't make the mushroom itself toxic, but if you do pick one from a yew tree, get all the needles and bark off before putting it in your stew.

 

[Randomnerd]

I’m really struggling to understand why anyone would eat yew arils, when the chance of death would be imminent from just one mistake. Or promote the activity on a foraging thread. There’s just no need. The “oh, well, just ring 999” defence is incredibly selfish. Yeah, the ambulance will come if I cock up, so I’ll just go ahead. IMO it’s a pretty stupid example to set. Alright saying risk is a funny thing. Some less well educated third party comes along and follows your lead?

 

[slowmotion]

I've got a copy of Roger Phillips' mushroom guide. It was recommended to me by @theclaud a few years ago after I went mushroom hunting in Scotland with a friend who knew a bit about it, but I've never dared identify 'shrooms by myself, for the reasons given by @mudsticks. I'm just not rock and roll enough. Mentions of "multiple organ failure" make me nervous.

 

[slowmotion]

I’m really struggling to understand why anyone would eat yew arils, when the chance of death would be imminent from just one mistake. Or promote the activity on a foraging thread. There’s just no need. The “oh, well, just ring 999” defence is incredibly selfish. Yeah, the ambulance will come if I cock up, so I’ll just go ahead. IMO it’s a pretty stupid example to set. Alright saying risk is a funny thing. Some less well educated third party comes along and follows your lead?

I didn't "promote" it, did I? I said it was something that me and my school friends did when I was a child.

Edit: I think that most people who have posted on this thread have indicated that there are risks associated with obtaining food not smothered in plastic packaging.

 

[bitsandbobs]

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.

is this purslane or something different?

 

[Reynard]

I always pick nettle tips at this time of year to dry for tea. Nettle makes a really good thirst-quenching tea. And it's a good way of taking revenge on the little blighters!

Mushrooms. I generally avoid all of them, except the giant puffball. It's pretty well much the only one you can't mistake for anything else.

I do most of my foraging in the late summer and autumn, as I know where I can pick filberts, apples, quince pears and walnuts, all from the hedgerows. Never mind the ubiquitous blackberry. Last year I had three cases of apples, a case of quince pears and about 25 kg of walnuts. Was a crap year for filberts though, as there weren't that many, and the ones I did pick were all empty...

 

[theclaud]

is this purslane or something different?

Nope - Common Hogweed. Heracleum sphondylium. I didn't know purslane was also called hogweed. These threads are always an education.

 

[theclaud]

I’m really struggling to understand why anyone would eat yew arils, when the chance of death would be imminent from just one mistake. Or promote the activity on a foraging thread. There’s just no need. The “oh, well, just ring 999” defence is incredibly selfish. Yeah, the ambulance will come if I cock up, so I’ll just go ahead. IMO it’s a pretty stupid example to set. Alright saying risk is a funny thing. Some less well educated third party comes along and follows your lead?

It wasn't my intention to 'promote' eating any part of the yew tree, which, if we need to reiterate, is extremely poisonous, including the seed of the aril/'berry'. Apologies if it came across that way. However everyone has the internet, and I could say 'don't even think about it', but someone might follow my link to Marlow's site above (which is excellent) and find that he happily juggles and spits out several seeds at once. I'm sure he doesn't let his toddler do the same though.

 

[theclaud]

The yew berry thing has reminded me... Chicken of the Woods often grows on yew. It seems to be the case that this doesn't make the mushroom itself toxic, but if you do pick one from a yew tree, get all the needles and bark off before putting it in your stew.

Seeing as we are adding an extra level of precaution, obviously the safest course of action altogether is not to collect this mushroom if you find it on yew. Which you probably will. There was a large specimen which used to grow on an ancient yew in Mumbles. It's been cut down and a Marks n Sparks built on the site, where you can now pay about four quid for a small handful of cultivated shiitake mushrooms in a plastic tray...

 

[theclaud]

Lofty Wiseman offers the best advice for fungi foraging in his SAS Survival Handbook, don’t it’s not worth the risk, for example chanterelles are delicious, false chanterelles are poisonous and they look very much like each other.

Don't Eat Wild Food is a bit of an odd take for a prepper handbook, isn't it?

 

[DRM]

Don't Eat Wild Food is a bit of an odd take for a prepper handbook, isn't it?

Not really when you consider that in that kind of end of the world scenario, there will be no hospitals or doctors, it's very sensible advice, even in a staying alive in an emergency situation whilst awaiting rescue, the idea is to stay alive, not risk illness or even death.
He doesn't say don't eat wild food, just don't take stupid risks.

 

[VelvetUnderpants]

I have Wild Garlic growing under my hedge near my front door. I planted some three years ago and to says its prolific is an understatement. Every spring I use my hand fork to remove the seedlings who wish to colonise my flower border.

I still have some more to remove.

 

[mudsticks]

Pre-foraged sections are definately the way ahead IMO....

I approve this message.

As I make most of my living from pre foraging for folks

(OK I slightly cheat by growing it all too)

A lot of the foragable stuff is 'technically' edible.

But eating very much of it makes you realise why they invented 'proper vegetables.
However there are definitely some worthwhile delicacies out there.

And it's a reasonable proposition to suggest that even small amounts of wild food contain higher quantities of nutrients per gramme.

Compared with the flaccid, chemically grown offerings that often pass for veg life in so many supermarkets.

One thing I do remember is that the proven largest living thing on earth is a fungi, it was over 2 square miles

And is vital in the soil to break down organic matter and make food available for green plants to make more food for us..Even if you only eat meat and dairy.
Cows forage grass and turn it into food for us.

Huzzah for fungi 🙏🏼

Mycellium are marvellous..

I didn't "promote" it, did I? I said it was something that me and my school friends did when I was a child.

Edit: I think that most people who have posted on this thread have indicated that there are risks associated with obtaining food not smothered in plastic packaging.

There's plenty of the plastic smothered stuff, that probably shouldn't come under the heading 'food' either.

But I'll grant, some is yumy too..

Nope - Common Hogweed. Heracleum sphondylium. I didn't know purslane was also called hogweed. These threads are always an education.

I don't think it is called purslane, or not commonly.
There's a few sorts of forageable 'purslane' none of which are umbellifers.



The winter one is also called claytonia, or miners lettuce, its something I do grow, for winter salad bags. I'll get a pic later, it's sp'osed to lower cholestoral or summat too.

Seeing as we are adding an extra level of precaution, obviously the safest course of action altogether is not to collect this mushroom if you find it on yew. Which you probably will. There was a large specimen which used to grow on an ancient yew in Mumbles. It's been cut down and a Marks n Sparks built on the site, where you can now pay about four quid for a small handful of cultivated shiitake mushrooms in a plastic tray...

Criminals..

I hope you were sat up it, until the last possible moment..