Is this a pignut?
- Thread starter Biddlesby
- Start date
People make a bit of a deal about following the thin thread to the tuber (pignut).
If it breaks, just dig up some earth around where it broke, ie go a little deeper and wider and sift through the earth you pull out. 99% of the time you can still find it if the thread breaks. There's not a lot you can mistake pignut for but still be a little careful to check you've got the right one. They'll have a brown sort of skin that flakes off when you squeeze the pignut or you can simply scrape it. I use the small blade of my SAK for this. The leaves arn't dis-similar to chamomile sort of feathery
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?i...vnum=10&hl=en&lr=&cr=countryUK|countryGB&sa=G
Check out Yarrow on this site too. I've tried Yarrow tea and it's a nice wild tea. Comes out mid - late summer
If it breaks, just dig up some earth around where it broke, ie go a little deeper and wider and sift through the earth you pull out. 99% of the time you can still find it if the thread breaks. There's not a lot you can mistake pignut for but still be a little careful to check you've got the right one. They'll have a brown sort of skin that flakes off when you squeeze the pignut or you can simply scrape it. I use the small blade of my SAK for this. The leaves arn't dis-similar to chamomile sort of feathery
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?i...vnum=10&hl=en&lr=&cr=countryUK|countryGB&sa=G
Check out Yarrow on this site too. I've tried Yarrow tea and it's a nice wild tea. Comes out mid - late summer
I keep finding them out in meadows, less so in woodland (up in Nottingham, Derbyshire and Liecester anyway)
It's a good sign that grassland has been around for a while, if they are growing there.
They apparently like acidic soil, so check out trees that like acidic soil it may give you a hint to look around there.
You might find this link useful Biddlesby
Pignuts- digging of
Venger
It's a good sign that grassland has been around for a while, if they are growing there.
They apparently like acidic soil, so check out trees that like acidic soil it may give you a hint to look around there.
You might find this link useful Biddlesby
Pignuts- digging of
Venger
falling rain said:
As Said do take care if this happens!! I have used this method before and pulled up bluebell bulbs along with the elusive nut! (They seem to grow side by side here!) I would follow the root very carefully for the firt few untill you are sure you can tell the difference! (They are completely different when put side by side)
Better to be safe then sorry!
If you have a look at the link in my last post and the picture of the pignut (thanks for your link Venger, that's a good one too 
) on there you can't really go wrong. I can't think of anything that looks like the pignut, but that dosn't mean there isn't anything. I sometimes carry a heavy duty trowel http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=8708&Referrer=ShoppingCom if I'm digging for burdock (it usually grows in very hard packed soil) and if you lose the pignut thread this tool makes things very easy to dig around the small area to locate it if the thread breaks. Good little tool and many uses like moving embers digging a quick poo pit etc. If you want to be more bushcrafty make up a digging stick. It takes only a few minutes. Once you've identified pignuts you'll see them in lots of places. I went to Harcourt arboretum in Oxford a while back and there was a huge field full of them. Don't forget to gather widely
) on there you can't really go wrong. I can't think of anything that looks like the pignut, but that dosn't mean there isn't anything. I sometimes carry a heavy duty trowel http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=8708&Referrer=ShoppingCom if I'm digging for burdock (it usually grows in very hard packed soil) and if you lose the pignut thread this tool makes things very easy to dig around the small area to locate it if the thread breaks. Good little tool and many uses like moving embers digging a quick poo pit etc. If you want to be more bushcrafty make up a digging stick. It takes only a few minutes. Once you've identified pignuts you'll see them in lots of places. I went to Harcourt arboretum in Oxford a while back and there was a huge field full of them. Don't forget to gather widely 
