Friday Forage Thought Experiment - Scotland

[Quixoticgeek]

I got a copy of the Collins Gem version of Food for Free recently (top up to get free delivery on an Amazon order...).

Flicking through it got me thinking. There are lots of resources available telling you what you can eat from the wild. But if you are sat on a hillside in Scotland, how do you decide where to start hunting for lunch.

This got me thinking of a little thought experiment:

It's a Friday afternoon in September, You are stood in a Valley in the Scottish mountains. Behind you is a small woodland of gnarly hazel, to your right a stream sparkles in the sunshine, feeding into a loch a few hundred meters down the valley. Ahead of you in the distance is a pine plantation covering a hill side. In the foreground heather covers the sides of the valley.

Where do you start hunting for lunch?

You have a titanium mug on your belt. What do you carry in your pockets to make the task easier (no a mars bar is not in the spirit of this...)

What would you do? How would your answer change if it was May? or July?

Julia

 

[mountainm]

Small woodland, then stream.

It's September - sounds like if I'm lucky it'll be trout or crayfish with blackberries, hazlenuts, nettles and any other greens I can grab. Maybe with a cup of pine needle tea.

 

[Man of Tanith]

Woodland and stream like the fine gentleman says.
may also get burdock roots, silverweed roots, Rosebay willow herb roots, ribwort and greater plantain leaves maybe seeds,
dandelion leaves and roots, cleavers leaves and seeds.

 

[mountainm]

There'd be shrooms too at this time of year.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

How would you catch the trout/cray fish?

J

 

[Man of Tanith]

With fishing line for trout. And a fly (unless no one else was about then a worm nessmuk reference )
Crayfish can be caught by hand

 

[Goatboy]

Must admit that with the furthest from the coast in Scotland being 40 - 50 miles I'd be heading in that direction is it was going to be a prolonged living off the land exercise; much easier to survive there.
But I'd start looking for bird, insect or mammal life as indicators to more food rich areas. As others have said at this time of year there are more likely to be fruit and fungi in the woodland areas, and the conifer plantation means that (usually) there will be some sort of habitation nearby (ish). Forcing fish towards traps in burns is an idea, but they'll be wee ones.
If you're feeling brave/desperate the rut is starting and deer loose their fear of humans allowing you to get closer - but having been faced by hormone fueled stags in the past it's not something I'd be keen to do.
Certain ground birds will sit if you sneak on them and rabbits could be snared, hit with sticks (like Samon wants to do!). Snares for squirrels with fungi bait in trees.
More edible plants in and around the woodlands. It wouldn't be easy as the countryside is pretty denuded in most areas. Some edible roots in reed beds and the likes for carbs.

 

[cranmere]

Edge of the woodland, then the stream.