A year in the life of a forager....

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Hazaar! Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius)
 

The Big Lebowski

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 11, 2010
2,320
6
Sunny Wales!
Back down the coast over the weekend for more of these... Its great fun with some waders and a net :)
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Picked some seaweed for a few dishes over the next few days.
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Top left- Sea lettuce. Ulva lactuca
Top right- Carrageen or Irish moss. Chondrus crispus
Bottom- Gutweed. Enteromorpha intestinalis (what a fab name!)

One recent purchase was a few foraging bags (don't think that's what they had in mind originally) from Alpkit.
They have a mesh upper with a nylon bottom, so foraged food can ether be drained or kept damp depending on which way you carry it.
I'll mostly be using them for seaweeds and coastal plants but they look a really good all rounder, and at less than two quid each an absolute steal!

(no I don't work for Alpkit but I can recommend their bags!) :)

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I'll see how they hold up to seawater, but the stitching looks nylon/rot proof and a quick swill when home should keep them in good condition.
The size pictured is 2ltrs.
 
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The Big Lebowski

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 11, 2010
2,320
6
Sunny Wales!
Quiet on the foraging front again. Autumn has truly kicked in around here and other than the odd sorry looking apple/plumb/pear and even elderberry tree,
most of the plants are dying back or loosing their vibrancy. Still, the mushrooms are staring to put in a show and I managed a nice pot of stump puffballs the other day.
Peeled, fried and seasoned they taste like popcorn and tofu! Strange but nice :)

I'm back down the coast next week so I'll update the thread with something.

Stump Puffball- Lycoperdon pyriforme
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Geoff Dann

Native
Sep 15, 2010
1,252
31
55
Sussex
www.geoffdann.co.uk
This puffball is very much at its best when very small. They are usually a bit tough by the time they get to the stage yours are at - not just the skin but the "flesh" also. They are the only puffball that becomes inedible when the flesh is still white.

Geoff
 

The Big Lebowski

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 11, 2010
2,320
6
Sunny Wales!
Thanks for the info Geoff, appreciated. Its the first time I've tired them, but they where pleasant enough :)

I might try some as a tofu alternative in a Chinese style rock pool prawn and noodle soup next weekend.
 

The Big Lebowski

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 11, 2010
2,320
6
Sunny Wales!
Took a 70 or so mile drive down the coast for a day on the beach with the little lebowski armed with a cool box, prawn net and a tub of table salt.
The idea was to go rock-pooling, collect mussels and razors. The tide was not ideal for razors, being 1mtr higher than prefered at low water and its a very shallow beach.

As we had some sarnies I watched two guys with buckets ambling along the low water mark so I took a stroll down and found a band of cockles several meters wide,
half a mile long!! I've fished this area many times and I've never seen so many washed up. Chatting to one of the guys, it was the same about 4 weeks ago. No idea why.

That's tea sorted then and clams with tomato's and pasta was on the cards :)

Cerastoderma edule- Common cockle.
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Back out in the morning and I've had the nod the ceps and hedgehogs are now showing.
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TJRoots

Nomad
Jul 16, 2009
336
0
33
East sussex
Amazing post! Very informative with some lovely photos. Just gotten back from a short night-time coastal forage myself, snacked on sea lettuce, guttweed, bladder-wrack and raw limpets.
 

Craig88

Tenderfoot
Oct 1, 2012
64
0
Kingston Upon Hull
Just read this thread through and i must say very impressive, both on the knowledge front and photography skills. I'll definitely be using this as a quick guide when needed. Thanks man and keep up the great work!
 

The Big Lebowski

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 11, 2010
2,320
6
Sunny Wales!
No problems!

Been kind of quiet waiting for the mushroom season to kick off, but finally its begun :) I will be updating this thread over the next few days.
 

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