Free garden/field food

[BushTucker]

Hey all

Being the nunkey type of forager that I am, wondered if you could give me a little help.

I need info inc pictures if possible to show what plants are edible in the typical UK back garden or field. I need pics as the books i have seen trying to explain the different types in black pencil type drawings really does not do it for me.

I know of the nettle and danelion, but I also have many other different types including the dock type plant used to relieve the nettle stings.

Any help greatly recieved. Thanks

Don

 

[ANDYRAF]

Hi Bushtucker, I'm the same mate, Get in contact with Marcus Harrison( Jumbalaya on here) at the Wild Food School he does courses and books and cd roms.

Andy

No connection to WFS, only satisfied customer.

 

[BigShot]

Get yourself along to the library and borrow "Food For Free" by Richard Mabey.
That's a great guide as to what is edible, and also when you're likely to find the different foods.

After that get a good field guide to plants (and animals if you're into free meat too) that you can work from and use that to actually identify the plants you want to eat.

 

[BushTucker]

Yeah, im popping to the library later, I get confused with it all as i have dock in my garden and turns out there are loads of different types of it. Baffling....

 

[PJMCBear]

I know people rate 'Food for Free', but it is a very basic guide. It's well laid out, but there is so much more out there.

If you can get hold of it try the 'Hamlyn Guide to Edible and Medicinal Plants of Britain and Northern Europe'. It was a tad expensive a couple of years ago, but more have surfaced from old bookselves now, so the price has come right down.

You could also look at 'Seaweed and Eat It'. I think that is quite a good one too, but difficult to read (the text).

 

[BigShot]

PJMCBear
I agree, Food For Free is a very basic book.

I think it's a great guide to get you started, I'd be interested to read the Hamlyn Guide you suggested. I'll have to get hold of a copy soon.

 

[PJMCBear]

It can now be picked up on Amzon for about £18. When I first went looking for it it was more like £70-80. It's a bit more scientific than most foraging book I've come across, but there's lots of info in it.

 

[BigShot]

Sounds affordable.
Cheers

 

[xylaria]

It can now be picked up on Amzon for about £18. When I first went looking for it it was more like £70-80. It's a bit more scientific than most foraging book I've come across, but there's lots of info in it.

:You_Rock_ :You_Rock_ :You_Rock_

I don't know how to thank you enough for that. I have wanted that book for years and years and have never been able to afford it, I gave up trying to look for it. I have just put an order in.


As for the thread topic.
Buy a good field guide, I use collin wild flowers, and I write in margin with symbols whehter they are edible. IDing is really the most important thing.
food for free comes in a little gem version, it can over state the ediblilty a bit, but it is a really good book and contains a wide range of information.
Wild food by roger phillips is the best for recipes and how to cook them, it is advialble as a re-print, but the content is a bit dated and you should check as some are now known to cause some long term problems.
I have found the ray mears book interesting, but I don't referance it much. Hugh furry eatsitall has wrote some very informative books, and most begiinners find his fungi book really good. I tend to get his books out of the libary and try out the odd thing but have never felt there was enough to warrent buying one.
There are other wild food books but check they are european before buying, and then google an unfamiler plant with the word toxicology.

 

[Broch]

I've used a wide range of books to construct my own catalogue of what is local to me - it helps with the learning process to actually collect and photograph or draw the plants yourself. I list the food, medicinal, practical, and legendary value of plants (trees, shrubs, herbs) and fungi. I've been doing it for years and still find new ones each year!

 

[potboiler]

I'd second the mention of Marcus at WFS (as suggested by ANDYRAF) Really nice bloke and very knowledgeable.

There's even a PDF file with coloured pics and descriptions on his website www.wildfoodschool.co.uk - again, no connection other than happy customer.

 

[Rebel]

I wonder if this book is any good. Anybody here got a copy?

Food From the Wild
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Wild-Ian-Burrows/dp/1843308916/ref=pd_sim_b_6

They only seem to have a hardcover copy though which isn't great for a field book.

The following book has photographs instead of illustrations which might be interesting but I'd like to see a copy before I ordered it myself.

Wild Food (Natural history photographic guides)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Natural-history-photographic-guides/dp/0330280694/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c

 

[Chris G]

PJCMCBear - Thanks!!

Xylara - I'f you say it's that good..... My order placed!

Rebel;

Food from the wild - 7.5/10 a good pocket sized reference book but as the write up says, it's not the best.

Wild Food (Natural history photographic guides) - 8.5/10 - I'm half way through reading this at the moment and it's a good read, but you do need to cross reference it with other books for both descriptions and also recipes.

Chris

 

[Broch]

All the books seem to have about 80% of the same material, 10% not relevant, 10% new info (gross generalisation of course). Which is why I decide to develop my own herbal/botanical (don't know the correct terminology) of my local area to narrow it down to a usable number of species I could get to know really well.

One thing I have found is that 'experts' often disagree!

 

[BigShot]

I'd suggest that hardback needn't be a drawback if the content is good.

I tend not to bring the food books into the field with me, I make notes from the food book at home, mark the pages in a field guide of plants and flowers (I carry one of plants and flowers and another of trees) and use that to identify.

That way you get the best of both worlds, a hit as to what to look for in the particular month/season you're in from the food book, and a much better identification guide from the proper field book.

 

[xylaria]

One thing I do if i am trying out a new plant (I often try out stuff that isn't in books ), is look up whether there has being any problems with it, or any relations. I have a poisons book (hmso cooper johnson) but this canadian website so heavly refrances it, it might as well be it. It also has links to BODD so if some plant gives you a funky rash you can look that up as well.