Can anyone recommend any books, resources or groups for learning coastal foraging in mainly Scotland?
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Coastal foraging
- Thread starter faydowntown
- Start date
I've copied my response to your other post here
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Hi and welcome. Most of my best coastal foraging in Scotland (actually in the UK) has been on the west coast, in particular on the islands and the Ardnamurchan peninsula. The waters there are crystal clear and fish and shellfish have been plentiful at times.
I would download a copy of 'Eat the Beach' by Fraser Christian (he can occasionally be found on the forum) and/or get a copy of the River Cottage Edible Seashore book. The latter doesn't cover fishing but does include molluscs, crustaceans, plants and seaweeds. Frazer includes fishing.
I probably wouldn't favour the Firth of Forth for coastal foraging because of the influence places like Edinburgh could have on the water quality. That may be unfair but I'd certainly check the official water quality statements. The East coast north of Dundee has some excellent places. I've spent a little time up there but not enough.
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Hello and welcome.
The Handbook of Scotland's Wild Harvests,
and mind that so long as the water is clean, and the red tide isn't there, then there are no poisonous seaweeds, and those seaweeds not only add taste and texture but are mineral rich food too.
and welcome.The Handbook of Scotland's Wild Harvests,
and mind that so long as the water is clean, and the red tide isn't there, then there are no poisonous seaweeds, and those seaweeds not only add taste and texture but are mineral rich food too.
Hello
The Handbook of Scotland's Wild Harvests,
and mind that so long as the water is clean, and the red tide isn't there, then there are no poisonous seaweeds, and those seaweeds not only add taste and texture but are mineral rich food too.
Now I've had to go an buy another foraging resource!
to note (and I realise this thread is several months old) the river cottage series also includes a separate sea fishing volume
Sea Fishing: 06 (River Cottage Handbook) Hardcover – Illustrated, 3 May 2010
the handbook of Scotlands wild harvests is great - nice to see interest 'beyond the woods' particularly for those of us who live in the Hebrides =)
Sea Fishing: No. 6 (River Cottage Handbook): Amazon.co.uk: Fisher, Nick: 9781408801833: Books
Buy Sea Fishing: No. 6 (River Cottage Handbook) Illustrated by Fisher, Nick (ISBN: 9781408801833) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk
the handbook of Scotlands wild harvests is great - nice to see interest 'beyond the woods' particularly for those of us who live in the Hebrides =)
I can recommend 'fish locker' on youtube, however he covers mainly Cornwall, but I think you would find some of his video's useful.
Galloway wild foods website is probably worth a trawl too, especially for coastal plants and seaweeds.
A good sea shore guide is well worth having IMO. 2 is better!
Galloway wild foods website is probably worth a trawl too, especially for coastal plants and seaweeds.
A good sea shore guide is well worth having IMO. 2 is better!
What can you do to monitor seawater conditions for pollution and toxins?
Here, the Federal Department of Fisheries & Oceans posts a notice page and closure zones.
Has not been even a single day for shellfish in years in the Pacific Northwest.
Here, the Federal Department of Fisheries & Oceans posts a notice page and closure zones.
Has not been even a single day for shellfish in years in the Pacific Northwest.
In Scotland toxin monitoring is largely undertaken to help underpin the shellfish industry by food standards Scotland https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/...y-specific-advice/shellfish/shellfish-results. local government will also tend to issue warnings if toxin levels are high....old school is to avoid months without an R in them (May to August).
What's the problem in the Pacific NW? Agriculture and/or Forestry and eutrophication? Warmer waters?
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What's the problem in the Pacific NW? Agriculture and/or Forestry and eutrophication? Warmer waters?
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Here in the Pacific Northwest, the Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning issue is much of the entire west continental coast.
I have no explanation but I'd put money on human activity and eutrification of the Salish Sea is where it began.
The Japan Current has done little to flush away nutrients over the past decade.
Somehow, South America is still clean (Humbolt Current?) as is the entire East Coast of NA.
What pisses me off is that I really like to eat all things fishy and lots of it. Bring it on.
I've got wonderful recipes for everything from steamed mussels to battered halibut.
Several really good seafood cookbooks.
There's a fish shop in the city that is bold enough to sell everything at air-freight prices.
I can tolerate that, every once in a while.
When I was a little kid, I used to go foraging at low tide with my Grandpa. We would come home
with buckets of stuff that Grandma would cook up. I was really easy to feed.
I have no explanation but I'd put money on human activity and eutrification of the Salish Sea is where it began.
The Japan Current has done little to flush away nutrients over the past decade.
Somehow, South America is still clean (Humbolt Current?) as is the entire East Coast of NA.
What pisses me off is that I really like to eat all things fishy and lots of it. Bring it on.
I've got wonderful recipes for everything from steamed mussels to battered halibut.
Several really good seafood cookbooks.
There's a fish shop in the city that is bold enough to sell everything at air-freight prices.
I can tolerate that, every once in a while.
When I was a little kid, I used to go foraging at low tide with my Grandpa. We would come home
with buckets of stuff that Grandma would cook up. I was really easy to feed.
Thanks for the reply, I can imagine your frustration, having similarly grown up with my boots in seaweed. We are privilidged here to be able to go to the shore for a fry of mussels, cockles or razorfish every now and again.
re the fish shop I think different bivalves take different lengths of time to depurate once the toxins levels are back to 'normal' or they are put in clean water tanks...so it'll probably be the case that some fishmongers are depurating the ones they can in a reasonable time frame (and therefor cost)?
I believe that the very act of foraging brings a satisfaction equal to the food itself.
Remember, the "stone age" was just a couple of centuries ago here.
Much of those habits and activities still persist.
You guys just waltz off down the beach with a bucket and a knife and supper is almost on the table.
How I wish ( but my cane would likely get stuck in the wet sand!)
Over here, it's look but don't touch. The juice off one big BC oyster (cooked) will kill you. I've read
accounts where the PSP acts so fast, you can't even vomit to get rid of it.
Something quite paleo about foraging. As a note added in proof, there are shellfish middens on the coast of BC.
One is estimated to hold 27,000 ^m oyster & clam shell. Another is of unknown depth. 50M?
Almost every marine stoney beach has been "culturally modified" by coastal First Nations for shellfish mariculture.
It was OK to dig them, just don't get piggy.
What's in the stores ( eg mussels) is all of east coast origin. I don't know if there are any efforts to try to amend
edible quantities of west coast shellfish. Prawns and shrimp are sourced all around the Pacific rim as are calamari.
They and the round fish all seem clean enough.
Must take them out to thaw = orange-honey saute'ed calamari for supper tonight.
I guess a bushcrafter needs a set of tide tables?
Remember, the "stone age" was just a couple of centuries ago here.
Much of those habits and activities still persist.
You guys just waltz off down the beach with a bucket and a knife and supper is almost on the table.
How I wish ( but my cane would likely get stuck in the wet sand!)
Over here, it's look but don't touch. The juice off one big BC oyster (cooked) will kill you. I've read
accounts where the PSP acts so fast, you can't even vomit to get rid of it.
Something quite paleo about foraging. As a note added in proof, there are shellfish middens on the coast of BC.
One is estimated to hold 27,000 ^m oyster & clam shell. Another is of unknown depth. 50M?
Almost every marine stoney beach has been "culturally modified" by coastal First Nations for shellfish mariculture.
It was OK to dig them, just don't get piggy.
What's in the stores ( eg mussels) is all of east coast origin. I don't know if there are any efforts to try to amend
edible quantities of west coast shellfish. Prawns and shrimp are sourced all around the Pacific rim as are calamari.
They and the round fish all seem clean enough.
Must take them out to thaw = orange-honey saute'ed calamari for supper tonight.
I guess a bushcrafter needs a set of tide tables?
My best wild camping times in Scotland I didn't need a timetable; we just spent days watching the tide come and go, foraging the rocky coastline as the tide was dropping away from the rocks and setting the lines when it was low enough. Bliss
Yup, it's the act of foraging. Different things to do at different times of the tide.
Grandpa used to take us over to the tide flats along the north shore of Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, BC.
The clam digging for children was such fun. Grandpa had such patience with us.
Now, the whole place is covered with the fekking Lonsdale Quay shopping center tourist suck-hole
and some got dredged for the gigantic Z-Drive harbor tug boats.
Grandpa used to take us over to the tide flats along the north shore of Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, BC.
The clam digging for children was such fun. Grandpa had such patience with us.
Now, the whole place is covered with the fekking Lonsdale Quay shopping center tourist suck-hole
and some got dredged for the gigantic Z-Drive harbor tug boats.
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