What are you most looking forward to foraging in 2009?

[Stanleythecat]

Now spring is here and fresh new growth is appearing I just thought i'd ask the question what food are you all most looking forward to foraging for this year?

Anything tasty you've been waiting to get your teeth in to?

Leo

 

[locum76]

i want to get more mushrooms this year.

 

[Toddy]

Reedmace pollen, I want to see what it tastes like in my gluten free bread and nut cakes

cheers,
Toddy

 

[WoodWildling]

omg where do i start?!

there is a huge chicken of the woods near me, some chanterelles growing where I work, lots of fruits and nuts. But probably i am most looking forward to foraging cattails, because i have never tried them before

Wild

 

[Stanleythecat]

Toddy - Reedmace pollen? That sounds interesting, though I imagine fairy hard to harvest a good quantity?

Hi woodwildling - any specific plans for those cattails? sounds like mushrooms are quite a popular choice for many.

Leo

 

[Peter_t]

im going to go to the beach and try cooking some shelfish and seaweeds


pete

 

[xylaria]

Every month there is something new to look forward to, I couldn't pick favorites. There is something intensely pleasing about only getting to eat a given food once a year. I want to try to make easter ledge pudding this month. It is bistort leaves, nettles and barley, steamed into a haggis like ball.

I have a recipe I tried last year and really like which is bacon, hogweed, and cattail shoots. I need to hurry up before the cattail gets woody. Where i pick ramsons is where the st georges mushroom grows, I really look forward to them.

 

[RobertRogers]

Errr, what fresh new growth? It still gets down to -10C (10F) and there is three feet of snow on the ground here.

 

[JohnL]

Toddy - Reedmace pollen? That sounds interesting, though I imagine fairy hard to harvest a good quantity?

Hi woodwildling - any specific plans for those cattails? sounds like mushrooms are quite a popular choice for many.

Leo

there is a recipe for cattail pollen here. http://www.primitiveways.com/cattail_pollen_pancakes.html

Not tried it myself, but would like to give it a go sometime.

I most look forward to the fruit season, you cant beat raspberries, blackberries & apples.
Raspberries mid summer, blackberries & apples through the autumn.

 

[dwardo]

I love foraging for greens but i must get my act together for the fruits mid to late summer. I never manage to do anything with blackberrys, rasberrys etc. I think its because when there is a glut of them i just keep thinking, oh ill wait till next week, then low and behold they are all gone

I will also be trying more for mushrooms, cat tails and fancy tring burdock root.

Oh and pignuts, usually find them easy enough but my lack of patience with the digging stick usually means i end up with nawt but mud

 

[Tor helge]

Errr, what fresh new growth? It still gets down to -10C (10F) and there is three feet of snow on the ground here.

You have the same foraging problem as I have then .
Spring is sadly 1-2 months away for me.

Tor

 

[Jumbalaya]

Ramsons for all sorts of things at this time of year, and young nettles - one of the best wild foods methinks. In a month or two perhaps roots of 2nd year burdocks as they stir into life.

Regarding chicken of the woods mentioned in an other reply in this thread... I was talking to a mycologist over at the Eden Project a few weeks ago and he mentioned that there'd been an incident where 6 people had eaten chicken of the woods and all had vomited. We presumed that the culprit had been ID'd correctly, but it makes you wonder if some of the edible wild fungi are safe to eat.

M

 

[Toddy]

I eat a fair variety of wild fungi, and though I love chicken of the woods, it don't like me Incredibly sore wind swollen tummy and heartburn. Shame too, it's widely available, easily gathered, tastes really good, but just not worth the discomfort.

HWMBLT has no problems at all with it.

I think it's one of those for folks to try for themselves, and probably in small quantities to start with.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[xylaria]

Ramsons for all sorts of things at this time of year, and young nettles - one of the best wild foods methinks. In a month or two perhaps roots of 2nd year burdocks as they stir into life.

Regarding chicken of the woods mentioned in an other reply in this thread... I was talking to a mycologist over at the Eden Project a few weeks ago and he mentioned that there'd been an incident where 6 people had eaten chicken of the woods and all had vomited. We presumed that the culprit had been ID'd correctly, but it makes you wonder if some of the edible wild fungi are safe to eat.

M

Edible but some react adversely might be better. I have eaten COTW a few times, but once I collected off a tree that fallen and died, there was something off with it. The flavour was wrong, it was absent of flavour and even though I only swallowed a small amount, i felt a little off with it. I really like chicken of the woods and never had a problem before, but it is one of those I cringe with thought of it been sold in posh resturants to people that don't fully understand what they eating. Hen of the woods (grifola) is really nice and that can get a funny taste once the tree dies as well.

 

[VirusKiller]

Bilberries (didn't bother last year), elderberries (got there too late) and, after last year's great success with sloe gin and sloe chocolates, lots of sloes!

 

[Stanleythecat]

Sloe chocolates! sounds interesting!

Leo

 

[Muddypaws]

Although I'll have to wait till August it will be Blaeberries. Made some blaeberry vodka liqueur last year, so I want to make a lot more this year (that will be a load of christmas pressies sorted - hows that for forward planning!)

 

[smoggy]

Berries.....any berries.....on account I kept myself from being too bored over the winter by making myself a berry picker....and I want to be able to tell you all how well my design works..

Unless it doesn't then i never posted this LOL!

Smoggy

 

[mjk123]

Right at the moment, ramsons. Easy to ID (smell them), very abunadant and tasty. Chop finely, mix with butter and spread on to hot toast. Good for you, too.

 

[Iona]

I'm alllll about the St. Georges mushrooms, and I'd love to manage to find a black truffle or 2 this year, I've been gathering tips... Loads of wild strawberries grow near me too, and they're always a treat, But right now I'm still super excited about wild garlic! oh and I love elderflower champagne, so that's a highlight too. might have been easier to ask what I'm NOT looking forward to!