Winter food plants

[stuart f]

Hi all, i decided to go for a wander round my local haunt with the intention of looking out for foragable edibles at this time of year. We all know that at this time of year it can be slim pickings, but with keen eye there are bit and pieces to be had. Anyway here are a few picks.

First find a few small leaves of Common sorrel(Rumex acetosa).

Then the all familiar Rosehips(Rosa canina),

Next was Ribwort Plantain(Plantago lanceolata)

Then i found these Jews ear(Auricularia auricularia-judae)

Now this i can't make up my mind as to whether this is Chives(Allium schoenoprasum) as i have never seen them flower,or whether its Crow Garlic(Allium vineale) as a common form of this plant has no flowers

Here we have a personal favorite Ramsons(Allium ursinum) just popping out of the ground,it was good to see an old friend again.

And this i was quite surprised to see(sorry about the photo but it was dark when i found it and i had to use the flash) Wood Sorrel(Oxalis acetosella)

I also found small plants of nettles and cleavers.

A great day out trying to spot potential food sources,plus i got a little fire going using the bowdrill to make a

As it was getting dark when i was making my way home you can imagine my surprise when i managed to suddenly find wild leeks,turnips and brussel sprouts then i realised i was walking through the allotments at the back of our house

 

[bushtank]

good pics stuart i had loads of oyster mushrooms last week cooked in front of a fire they tasted lovley the jews ears are best in a soup not much taste but good texture

 

[jamesoconnor]

Excellent pics there Stuart. Its amazing what you see under your feet when you go for a wander this time of year. I never expected that you could see wood sorrell at this time of year. Goes to show you what is out there.

 

[Thrym]

wow i never knew you could eat jews ear does it need preparing or can you just eat it raw
Josh

 

[Fenlander]

I was surprised at the amount of Wood Sorrel at the Achray site a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Brian]

Thyrm,

You can eat Jews Ear raw mate, its not too bad

Brian

 

[Thrym]

ah cool il be off into the woods soon then to try myself some

 

[stuart f]

Thrym, you can also use jews ear in stir fries as it is similar to chinese cloud ears,but it does tend to spit a bit in hot oil though. Also you can dry it for storage,it will shrink down to half its size. When you want to use it just simply soak in water and it will swell back up to its original size,chop it up and throw it into your stir fry, and bobs yer uncle.

 

[Thrym]

cool its probably the fungus i see the most where i live its everywhere ive always wondered if there was a use for it thanks cant wait to try some
Josh

 

[xylaria]

Excellent post stuart.
Jews ear I think is best dried then broken up into little bits and then added to soup. I have tried eating raw, it is diffinatly an experieance, just not a very good one. Dont fry it whole it bubbles up and explodes.
This time of year is abit odd for foraging. Most of the goodies are various roots where the leaves have died back. So unless you clocked a plant in the summer you aren't going to know it is there. Silverweed (potentilla) and bullrushes are still visable and have tasty roots. Japanese :AR15firin knotweed has edible shoots they taste like rubarb, they should start coming up soon. The roots are edible but difficult to harvest without spreading the . NB: japanese :AR15firin Knotweed is spread by fragments of root being transferred by being stuck in the tread of tyres and shoes. The soil it grows in is treated as contaminated waste and so is fragments of the plant.

 

[Mikey P]

After reading about Winter Greens in the latest Bushcraft magazine, I was wandering across a grassed area to the cookhouse and, looking down, I saw: Salad Burnet and Ribwort Plantain! I have to say, I'd never even noticed those before.

So, the proof is there that it's all out there - you just need a nudge to show you what to look for!

 

[stuart f]

Hi, i was just thinking about how things are changing with the weather and all,what with finding the Wood Sorrel,also our herb garden has got Mint,Parsley and Rosemary growing in it. 8 to 9 years ago this was never heard of, especially the Mint and Parsley as they always died back with the frosts end of Oct./Nov.

:Thinkingo Makes you wonder whats happening to our planet

 

[Biddlesby]

Good post! I have yet to try many wild foods. I definitely have to try Jews Ear raw, just so I have.

Did you get the bowdrill to work with materials found on site, contemporarily?

 

[bushyboo]

Great thread im always looking for thing to eat when im out and about
i just have a slight problem identifying things especialy fungus

Xylaria how do you go about eating bullrush roots do you have to cook
them or can they be eaten raw ?

 

[stuart f]

Great thread im always looking for thing to eat when im out and about
i just have a slight problem identifying things especialy fungus

Xylaria how do you go about eating bullrush roots do you have to cook
them or can they be eaten raw ?

Hi Bushyboo,when you say Bullrush do you mean Cattail(Typha latifolia),if so then i have tried them.Typha roots can be gathered and simply thrown into the embers of a fire,when they turn black they are cooked, then you break them open and inside there are fibres that are white and coated in starch you simply suck the starch off from the fibre which you discard.

Hope this of help.

 

[bushyboo]

thanks stuart
im going to have to try them

 

[Toddy]

It's a kind of surprisingly rich Winter so far
I've even got green buds on the hawthorns. Green thistles and fresh dandelions as well as bittercress and watercress.
The other noticeable thing is that there are still lots of fallen nuts available. Masses of acorns that are still fit for gathering and roasting for coffee or soaking/grinding for flour. A lot of rose haws, that haven't gone mushy either, still around too.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[xylaria]

Hi Bushyboo,when you say Bullrush do you mean Cattail(Typha latifolia),if so then i have tried them.Typha roots can be gathered and simply thrown into the embers of a fire,when they turn black they are cooked, then you break them open and inside there are fibres that are white and coated in starch you simply suck the starch off from the fibre which you discard.

Hope this of help.

Thank you for answering, I couldn't get this website to work yesterday. I have eaten them boiled to same effect the roots are quite stringy. I thought I hadn't cooked them properly, but they must just be like that. It was like eating cordage dipped in sweet potatoe. I don't know how stringy or sweet they are in winter. So do need to try before I can vouch for how good it is. In early summer the pale innerards at the base of the plant are really quite sweet and nice grilled on stick like a marshmallow sweet.

The whole of the genus Typha is edible both raw and cooked. All parts of the plant are edible in some way at certain parts of the year. They do absorb industrial pollution and great thought needs to be taken when decideing if to harvest from a certain site.

Has anybody tried plantain roots?, cause if not I give them a go as well.

 

[paulcd]

My mate from a certain regiment spent 2 weeks starving on rabbits in the Orkneys, and said that they boiled up the whole plant to mush...I assumed Greater but could have been Ribwort..have yet to try this.
This whole thread gets me thinking about global warming...I found plenty of juicy, edible cleavers, chickweed and fresh hogweed last week. These have always been available, but I have never seen so much.
On Jap, hogweed, Martin Crawford of the Agroforestry Trust has an interesting take on this, in that it only covers a few hundred acres in total and is not really an invasive weed. With global w, we are going to have to think about introducing more plants and trees to the UK...obviously, we need to deter invasive species that might affect our valuable ecosystems, whilst encouraging useful plants that enjoy our changing climate.

PS does anybody know how I can change my user name?

 

[warthog1981]

its amazing what can be found at this time of the year but it worries me how our climate is changing

p.s nice lid on your cup lol