Eating What Nature Provides

[carmen]

There are many days that I would rather eat what nature gives me than any other place. So much junk is in the food we eat now, no wonder many of us are not amped up to go take a hike, too fat & lazy with processed foods in our bodies.

 

[Grandpa]

This thread got me going through our books to see what we had about foraging. Instead of food, I found we had not one but two copies of Healing Plants of the Rocky Mountains by Darcy Williamson. Wow, it was a real wake up for me to see which local plants would cure my aches and pains and other ailments much better and cheaper than the pharmacy department at Wal Mart. :tinysmile_fatgrin_t

This topic also gives me another excuse to go for week long walks in the mountains.:tinysmile_fatgrin_t:tinysmile_fatgrin_t

 

[dinosaur]

God bless you all, and, Grandpa, take to the herbs first. A drug cocktail from your doctor may do more harm than good if advertising is any measure of effectiveness. Commercials for drugs always seem to include side effects that include dizziness, ulcers, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, bleeding from the rectum, and death from many different sources.

 

[Pathfinder1]

I usually don't trek very far,
when all around me black bears are.



Hi...

I was staying in a campground one time when I noticed a guy sleeping under one of the campground tables. I asked him what he was doing, and he told me that was where he lived...!!

Whenever he felt hungry, he would go foraging for his meals.

I guess that was one way to do it...!!

 

[Grandpa]

Hi...
I was staying in a campground one time when I noticed a guy sleeping under one of the campground tables. I asked him what he was doing, and he told me that was where he lived...!!

Whenever he felt hungry, he would go foraging for his meals.

I guess that was one way to do it...!!

Just an amateur bo then, sleeping under a table. A real one would have a shelter away from people where he could hide if the cops wanted to talk to him.
I was driving up I 15 when a head popped up out of the sagebrush on the side of the road. He had a right comfy shelter over there, right along the highway, about 2 miles from town. Two miles was just about right for the tourists getting a to go burger from the local drive in to throw their trash on the road. Very convenient for him to get to the leftovers before the ants did.

 

[Doro5thy67]

I would only look to do that if I got lost or stranded. Really, there is no point to do it unless you really really want to. I have eaten oranges and mangos right from trees if that counts though. Oranges are really good when they are green.

 

[foxylady]

Since I am not real familiar with what plants are edible, this would be a no. If I had to I might consider eating what I could find in nature though.

 

[ppine]

It is usually called hunting and fishing. Wild plants are available only during limited times during the year, a few in spring, most with fruits and flowers in the fall. The ability of primitive peoples (and lost modern people) to find food and survive is often a matter of timing. The caribou migration, the salmon run, the berry production, etc. occur sporadically and sometimes all at once, especially in the northern latitudes.

In the Yukon Terr. it is illegal to kill a porcupine, because that is one animal that is easy for a lost or stranded person to kill with a stick and eat.

Use caution when foraging for wild plants. Many plants that look edible have oxyalic acid which can make you really sick, especially if you are already in a weakened conditon. Sample wild plants in small quantities, then wait to see how you feel before eating more. Be careful with mushrooms. Make a mistake and hallucinate and die.

Lewis and Clark had problems with bitterroot in MT. The subject of Jon Krakouer's book in Alaska died after eating wild roots. There are lots of poisinous plants out there.

 

[Pathfinder1]

If you're going to be hiking anyway, it pays to keep your eyes open. Depending on the time of year, there will be berries and other fruits available, also different nutmeats. You may even find grains. And don't forget the seasonings. Canadian ginger, wild garlic, wild onions, even lemon balm. Wild carrots abound in certain areas. If it looks like a carrot top, dig up the root and smell it. It is a very distinctive smell. It will be white, not orange but will smell like a carrot. It will be tough so you have to slowcook it to tenderize. You can also find wild parsnips.



Hi...

Some good suggestions there. I'd also like to add fiddlehead (baby) ferns and dandelion leaves.

I would tend to be very cautious about the "white carrots", though. White root and green top...is not that also describing "hemlock" (no, not the tree), which is very poisonous, and which once was used as a poison?

 

[briansnat]

The only things I've eaten have been berries and freshly caught fish.

 

[shaun]

Wild food tastes better. Compare wild blackberries to the 20 dollars a kilo blackberries sold at the store, the wold blackberries are far superior. I'm not one to turn down organic and free food. If I stumble across wild food and I am sure it is safe to eat, I will eat it.

 

[ejdixon]

Other than fish, strawberries and raspberries, generally no. Most foraging activities take a lot of time/effort compared to the amount of food/nourishment you get. Most wild plants are somewhat lacking on fat/calories/energy. It's a fun hobby, but not one I would depend on.

I agree with Lamebeaver. It's basically fishing and berries for me. I've never tried to forage for mushrooms, except this one time I was with a friend who knew exactly what to look for. They make a great snack, but it's just not enough to really keep me full for a long period of time.

 

[Marshmallow]

We always try to eat the fish we catch and bring back some of Nature's bounty to friends and family. We go crabbing and have gone flounder or frog-gigging. We do eat those, but we never sample the flora. It's an idea, but we'll depend on the grocery stores.

 

[Grandpa]

As mentioned, foraging is too time consuming unless you are specifically harvesting for something. Reading about herb gathering, many plants need to be put on ice to protect their therapeutic value, most are very seasonal, and all require a trip commitment just to harvest. That being said, I'm sure not above grabbing a handful of berries when ripe, a fish when caught or a fool hen that wanders too close. The thimbleberries last week were delicious.

 

[shaun]

My best foraging expedition was when I stumbled across some Porcini mushrooms, LOADS of them. I filled two big bags with Porcini, weighing almost 5 kilos. I sold most of the mushrooms to a local restaurant at 50 dollars a kilo!

 

[Pathfinder1]

shaun;
My best foraging expedition was when I stumbled across some Porcini mushrooms, LOADS of them. I filled two big bags with Porcini, weighing almost 5 kilos. I sold most of the mushrooms to a local restaurant at 50 dollars a kilo!




Hi...


Exactly where did you say those mushrooms were?

 

[altavista111]

I feel really so adventurous if i find any stuff like this.

 

[TroyS]

I would only look to do that if I got lost or stranded. Really, there is no point to do it unless you really really want to. I have eaten oranges and mangos right from trees if that counts though. Oranges are really good when they are green.

Have to agree with you on that, FreeWilly. If it's available, why deprive yourself?