Foraging / surviving from the land

[Toddy]

If you want to try them, even from an area that might be polluted, you really need to take a small bit of root, grow it in a bucket or basin of rainwater and just leave it in peace somewhere light to grow. The new roots, seeds, etc., will be fine, discard the original piece.
I grow 2m high reedmace in a small 15" deep pond in the front garden food (starch, shoots, pollen) firelighting, cordage, & basketry all in one plant useful stuff

cheers,
Mary

 

[Greg]

No, all true grasses are edible. However common reeds are very effective at absorbing material from reed beds (which is why they are used in sewage treatments for example). Among the things they can absorb are heavy metals. I would be more concerned about the concentration in rhizomes than in seeds, but my point is that, whilst not toxic in and of themselves, they can become so by living in a toxic environment.

Thanks Red much appreciated info...the reeds in question aren't near any industrial sites but they are downstream of a campsite, so could be questionable...

If you want to try them, even from an area that might be polluted, you really need to take a small bit of root, grow it in a bucket or basin of rainwater and just leave it in peace somewhere light to grow. The new roots, seeds, etc., will be fine, discard the original piece.
I grow 2m high reedmace in a small 15" deep pond in the front garden food (starch, shoots, pollen) firelighting, cordage, & basketry all in one plant useful stuff

cheers,
Mary

Good info Mary....I do like Greater Reed Mace..indeed it is a very useful plant

 

[xylaria]

I was under the impression that all grasses were edible...is that a wrong assumption?

All grasses arent toxic, however we aint cows. Our insides can become injured from eating too much of the outer husks of the seeds or the fibrous blades. As british red said Reed Mace to sucks up heavy metals and dioxins and then there is ergot
I am experimenting with various types of rhos/clubrush seeds, there were eaten in wales in the past. I dont know which ones or how they were cooked.

 

[Greg]

So I take it greater reed mace (cat-tails) can be dodgy to depending on where it is found..?

 

[mrcharly]

What I've learnt from this thread is that if I want to survive in the 'wilds' of the UK, I need to take Toddy with me.

 

[British Red]

I think you would need to marinate her for a while

 

[Toddy]

I think you would need to marinate her for a while

I'm told that as a very long time, non skinny, vegetarian, the meat would be tasty and juicy with nicely marbled fat
(that brings to mind another thought actually; why 'don't' people eat carnivores, generally speaking I mean.)

I think if I wanted to wander and survive, I'd find like minded and very capable people.....group dynamics are a whole other ballgame though.

Patrick M, Typha, Xylaria, Stuartf, Fergus the forager, Mark Williams, et al

cheers,
M

 

[mrcharly]

(that brings to mind another thought actually; why 'don't' people eat carnivores, generally speaking I mean.)
M

I'm told that they don't taste very nice.

 

[British Red]

(that brings to mind another thought actually; why 'don't' people eat carnivores, generally speaking I mean.)


cheers,
M

They do eat some ....what they don't eat is carnivorous mammals (we do eat snakes, crocodiles and other reptiles, also many species of carnivorous fish right up to sharks). I suspect one of the reasons is that its inefficient to farm carnivorous mammals (why feed meat to meat?) and they are fairly hard to hunt (being relatively solitary in nature)

 

[Greg]

What I've learnt from this thread is that if I want to survive in the 'wilds' of the UK, I need to take Toddy with me.

I think I have to agree with you there...but bring Xyleria along too