permies: "wild harvesting and ancestral skills"

Aralia Racemosa (American Spikenard)

Kota Dubois — Wed, May 16 2012 08:28:05 MDT

I met a very interesting person who does a lot of wild foraging. He claimed that the berries of this plant are an excellently delicious fruit. I've tried to research it on the net and in my foraging handbooks and it seems to be not recommended and it also seems that the natives never used it either.

Does anyone have any personal experience with this fruit?

Elderberry leaves vs. Water Hemlock Leaves

Jonathan in Asheville — Sun, May 13 2012 08:09:54 MDT

Sure about the elderberry, but not so about WH...can anyone confirm? Found in Wilmington North Carolina

Wide leaf plantains.

angel sewell — Sat, May 12 2012 14:13:51 MDT

Today, while helping my husband on a job, I saw a plant that looked like it was edible. Because it was a foreclosed home and I might not be able to go back, I pulled up the whole plant. 10-15 of them. After some research I think it is wide leaf plantain. Are there any poisonous look a likes? I bet there has been good discussions on here about them but search wasn't much help. I am VERY new to foraging. I don't want to kill me. :) Help appreciated.

Nance Klehm on urban foraging

Paul Dickinson — Mon, May 7 2012 10:55:36 MDT

I've been lurking and enjoying the podcasts for a while. This seems like a good opportunity to out myself:

http://ecolutionist.com/2012/05/04/q-a-with-radical-ecologist-nance-klehm-on-urban-foraging/

Nance Klehm teaches urban foraging, tincturing, salve-making, and a host of other skills. She also has an occasional column, "Weedeater", in Arthur magazine. I have attended many of her forage walks, and always walk away with new knowledge and insight into my relationship with the plant world.

Paul Dickinson

Plant I.D _ Cherry like bark

Brett Price — Sun, May 6 2012 18:39:58 MDT

Anyone have a clue?? This tree has cherry like bark with prominent lenticels. The new growth is a pinkish, reddish color and their are some nectar glands on the leaf petioles.
I have to know what this is ... I've scoured Dirr and internet and attempted to use a key with no luck. Thanks, Brett

Agave nectar

tyler wallace — Thu, Apr 26 2012 21:26:06 MDT

Was curious if anyone knew how to gain the nectar from the Agave plant. was just wondering.

are all Nettles edible?

Misty Mc — Thu, Apr 19 2012 16:12:13 MDT

HI I was wondering are all nettles edible? I live in SW Ontario, Canada (just on the shore of Lake Erie) and there are a couple of nettles here on our property but I was wondering is there only a type of nettle that can be eaten or is there many varieties? I know the one particular nettle that is here in abundance has a real sting to it! If I brush up against it it bothers me for hours while my husband it only bothers for a few minutes. Thanks for your time!

wild edibles making the mainstream

duane hennon — Sun, Apr 8 2012 08:03:45 MDT

wild edibles making the mainstream

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/08/the-five-healthiest-backyard-weeds.aspx?e_cid=20120408_SNL_Art_1

PLANT I.D Tall Grass

Brett Price — Thu, Apr 5 2012 11:03:40 MDT

I bike by this stuff on the way to school. Does anyone have any idea what it is......(I'm in Maine) If not I just got this book from the Google library called 'GRASSES OF MAINE' .... It's gotta be in there. Only
problem is that the book is pretty old and not very light reading. thanks, Brett ( this grass is about 8 ft btw..... )

Plant Identification

Kellic kelwen — Sun, Apr 1 2012 15:27:17 MDT

Sorry if I posted this in the wrong section.

The picture of the plant is in the attachment. It has wide spreading palm-shape that kind of reminds me of wild geranium, but I'm not sure. The leaves are all attached in a central stem thats at ground height.

using horn

Morgan Morrigan — Sat, Mar 31 2012 17:54:08 MDT

how to work with horn

http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/horn/hornhome.html

birch syrup

lil hodgins — Sun, Mar 18 2012 16:28:40 MDT

I have just started tapping my first birch tree.....besides drinking the sap anyone got ideas on what else i can do it? how long can i keep the sap in a fridge? any help appreciated !! i'm surprised on how good it tastes!!

Asparagus from wild seed???

Craig Dobbelyu — Fri, Mar 9 2012 17:23:45 MST

My son and I were out today enjoying a warmish Maine day when he noticed some dead wild asparagus plants from last year that still had a few berries on them. We collected a couple hand-fulls of berries and then separated the black seeds out and rinsed them. We ended up with about 130 seeds. What could I expect if I planted them in a flat of seedling mix? Would they be at all similar at all to the parent plants?

Could anyone help me identify this plant?

Ashley Ross — Thu, Mar 1 2012 09:45:58 MST

I was thinking it might be a type of holly, which wold excite me because then I could use the leaves as a caffeine source in a coffee substitute blend :)

Also the berries look like juicy speckled jelly beans! Not that holly berries are edible (I don't think...).

Anyhow, if it helps I'm located in northeast Alabama and the area the plant grows gets really moist some parts of the year and is in a lot of shade. I think there may be some oaks growing nearby as well, and a few kinds of mosses as well.

And a lot of the soil on our land is clayey.

Ok, thanks to anyone who takes the time to reply with some info :)

Maple Syrup

David Bates — Sun, Feb 19 2012 08:45:30 MST

I'm sitting here looking at the weather forecast for where my Maple Trees are wondering if I should plan on travelling down there this week. Is there any sap running where you are? Not here yet. But the temperature (predictions) are above zero for most of this week. Not the Environment Canada is any good at predicting the weather.

Plants help please (pictures)

Kathy Burns-Millyard — Fri, Feb 17 2012 16:10:33 MST

Hello Everyone,

After lurking around the forums for almost a year I realized many of you might be able to help, so I finally signed up :)

I've been working with raw land for a couple of years in the low desert area of Arizona. My primary focus so far has been soil building and water harvesting but I keep trying to grow kitchen garden stuff too. In the past six months or so I've started to see nice progress, but now I have all kinds of plants sprouting up! I'm thrilled but I want to eat some too :)

These first pictures I suspect are things I tried planting in the past. They're familiar but I don't want to eat them until I know for sure what they are.

the above I initially thought was flat leaf parsley.

It is now putting out flowers like this.

This third picture makes me think of mustard. The leaves look very similar to my Shepard's purse but there are no "purse" pods. My SP is all blooming white where this is yellow, and SP doesn't have the wavy arm stems at the top.

This last one is curly leafed and pretty. Familiar somehow but I can't place It. Its currently thriving under a soda bottle dome where I recently put Tomato & Basil. I know its not either of those.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

(PS. I'm sorry, I don't know how to size the images to fit this board.)

Plant Identification- not Garlic Mustard

Jamie Yvonne — Tue, Feb 7 2012 11:03:45 MST

I have these growing like crazy in a few of our garden beds, they have been thriving since late fall all through winter- they are low to the ground, they are small- have juicy stems, and leaves- tiny hairs cover the stems and underside of the leaf. To me they look similar to lemon balm, or garlic mustard, the main difference being the flavor and scent. It has NONE! No flavor, no scent. It's like a wild lettuce. Can anyone identify this for me? (((thanks in advance))) :)

Is this chickweed?

Kevin Sturgill — Mon, Jan 30 2012 20:36:46 MST

Can someone verify to some amount of certainty whether or not this is chickweed? I'm pretty sure it is but I wanted to get some verification from others who have experience harvesting it first before I harvested and ate it.

bad timing plant id request (photos)

Michael Brown — Tue, Jan 24 2012 13:11:30 MST

Probably not the best time to ask for some id's since it's mid-winter in New England but I just recently moved home while laid off and figured I would help out my parents by working on their backyard. I took some photos of what's left of the foliage, any help would be greatly appreciated. No worries if this just isn't possible, just figured I would give it a shot since I'm laid off and bored. Thanks!

Here's a link to the gallery of 19 images: Gallery

If you happen to know any of them if you could refer to the picture by a number 1-19 going from left to right, working down, that would be great.

documentary about a group of people living in the iron age for one year (1978)

paul wheaton — Sun, Jan 22 2012 09:45:03 MST

(if you fear boobies you might want to skip this one)

Making ochre pigment

Daniel Keating — Sun, Nov 27 2011 05:09:59 MST

Hi,

I've been making my own ochre pigment, extracting it from rocks which have appealing colours. I did very little research before I started experimenting, but I've ended up with something which compares well to the professionally made ochre I've bought. I've posted pictures, instructions and a video on my blog:

http://danielkeating.blogspot.com/2011/10/making-ochre-paint-by-hand-part-2.html

Hope you find it interesting... but I was wondering, is there anyone else here with more experience? Is what I'm doing a common way of extracting ochre, and can I improve the process further? Is it technically "ochre" in the first place???

The way I do it is very time consuming, and for that reason I use it sparingly.

Truffles in a greenhouse

Robert Ray — Thu, Nov 24 2011 22:13:25 MST

I have never heard of this problem and I guess it isn't a problem but has anyone heard of this before. A neighbor a few acres away has a greenhouse. She uses that ugly green astro turf carpet as a walkway/weeed barrier in her greenhouse. She rolls up the walkways and hoses them off after a season outside the greenhouse. For the last two seasons she has had truffles grow under the carpet. They don't grow anywhere else in the greenhouse just under the carpeted walkway. No special soil in the walkway just the common pumice pine duff that is here.

Learning to hunt in Cascadia

Ben Martin Horst — Sun, Nov 20 2011 18:24:18 MST

I grew up in the city, was raised by pacifists, and have never picked up a gun in my life. But I want to learn to hunt. What's a good way to learn? I don't have much cash, and I don't have any patience for the NRA. I live in Western Oregon. Any suggestions?

Earth Living Skills - a gathering of Primitive & Traditional Wilderness Skills

True Nature Farm — Mon, Oct 3 2011 22:29:55 MDT

Earth Living Skills
7-Day Course (May 6-12, 2012)
http://www.truenaturefarm.org/earth-living-skills.html

We invite you to join us at True Nature Wilderness School for a week of primitive living skills, natural crafts and nature awareness.

[img width=480 height=640]http://www.truenaturefarm.org/uploads/5/9/9/4/5994227/8630043_orig.jpg[/img]

This 7-day course offers participants a hands-on experience in wilderness living skills such as:
Traditional hide tanning, primitive trapping, foraging of wild edibles, natural cooking techniques, fashioning of stone knives, friction fire methods, hunting with primitive tools, and stalking exercises for hunting of small and large game.
There is no requirement of previous experience with primitive skills in order to apply for this course. We welcome all participants who seek a wilderness excursion, aiming to increase their knowledge of traditional earth living skills.

Earth Skills Course Topics:
☼ Natural Tool-making: Make friction fires by methods of fire plow and hand-drill using wood from bee plant, yucca, sagebrush, cottonwood root, clematis, or sagebrush; use stones to make knives; sew pouches from hides that you tan in the traditional method; use nettle or dogbane fiber to make ropes and cordage; scrape gourd bowls and carve out wooden spoons for dishware

☼ Edible & Medicinal Plants: Ethical gathering and preparation of wild edibles and medicinal plants (infusions, teas, poultices).

☼ Trapping and Hunting: Atlatl demonstration, construction and discussion; small game with primitive traps, deadfalls and snares; setting and placement of traps; stalking exercises; how to flourish in a survival situation.

☼ Nature Awareness: Moving, stalking, sense meditation; learn how to use your senses to notice more, how to have more wildlife encounters, how to move silently through the forest, how to smell flowers, and how to slow down to find a real connection with the natural environment; responsible plant and animal harvesting and care-taking ethics.

☼ Variety of Cooking Skills: Primitive cooking, rock boiling steam pit, cooking directly over coals, clay pot cooking; food processing and game processing; hide processing.

☼ Shelters: Creating warm sleep without a tent and sleeping bag using local materials; Debris beds; Primitive survival shelters; material and location choosing, safe construction principles.

Earth Living Skills - Guides:

Matt Graham
Survival & Traditional Living Skills Instructor
Matt was a climber and began studying primitive skills at age 17 in Yosemite Valley. At 20 he was doing search and rescue as a tracker in Sequoia while running and learning to travel the backcountry with no food or gear. Not owning a car, he travelled all over California and parts of Arizona on foot. At 23, he ran the length of California on the Pacific Crest Trail (1750 miles) in 58 days, a record at the time.

Matt moved to Boulder at age 24 and started guiding and teaching at Boulder Outdoor Survival School, teaching all the hunter/gatherer courses. Primitive hunting and living off the land became his passion. Three years ago, he walked off into the wilderness on the Winter Solstice and returned on the Summer Solstice. Living with the land for 6 months, Matt has been on many primitive walks and led about 50 hunter/gatherer courses ranging 4 to 33 days.

He has been a consultant for “Survivor Man” and many other TV productions, was featured in "Wilderness Way" Magazine, "Trail Runner" Magazine, and is a leader in his field.

Kirsten Rechnitz
Survival & Traditional Living Skills Instructor
Kirsten's passion for earth skills began at age 19 when she was a guide for the outdoor recreation program at Vanderbilt University, where she led climbing, boating and walking trips through the Smoky Mountains.

At age 22, she began to extensively travel the world, visiting over 25 countries, and observing beauty in the people who use natural materials to sustain their lives. Upon her return, she continued instructing wilderness trips in North Carolina and Costa Rica, loving the connection that was growing within her to the natural world.

This led her to Boulder Outdoor Survival School, where she was able to be with people and students who were also wanting to explore the land and make the same connections.

Working hard to learn primitive skills so that she could become a better teacher, she took a personal journey and walked out into the desert alone for 25 days, honing the skills of friction fire, spear fishing, duff beds, shelter, and working with plant fibers. Coming to the realization that primitive living is to become her life-long journey, she is now an important part of the team at True Nature Farm.

Course Information:
Course Dates: May 6-12, 2012

TO FIND OUT MORE GO TO:
http://www.truenaturefarm.org/earth-living-skills2.html

Wild Walkabout - A Hunter-Gatherer's Journey

True Nature Farm — Mon, Oct 3 2011 22:18:06 MDT

[img width=250 height=333]http://www.truenaturefarm.org/uploads/5/9/9/4/5994227/1315087570.jpg[/img]

Hi Folks,

We are glad to announce this amazing course in Primitive Living Skills, Wilderness Self-Reliance and outdoor Survival, taking place in southern Utah.

see the details below or go to:
http://www.truenaturefarm.org/wild-walkabout-a-hunter-gatherers-journey.html

Wild Walkabout - A Hunter-Gatherer's Journey -
14-Day Wilderness Course (May 6-19, 2012)

Join us on a wild adventure into the heart of the Utah wilderness, carrying little more than the clothes you wear.
Learn how to slow down into the heartbeat of the earth, to expand your awareness of the natural world
and the gifts it has to offer, to reclaim your native ways of living with the land.

Course Description:

The focus of this course is to let go of some of the stereotypical survival teachings and establish a relationship with the earth through the skills of the Hunter-Gatherer. By treating the earth like our home, we can become more comfortable and let go of the conquering notions that the term “survival” sometimes has associated with it.

In the Wild Walkabout course, you will acquire the tools necessary for being comfortable walking the wilderness with minimal to no gear, while learning the ancient skills we all once had for living off the land. We will be foraging, trapping and hunting our food with the tools the land offers us, and expanding our awareness of the natural world as well as the Wild Within.

We'll spend the first week harvesting materials from the land to build stone age tools and equip ourselves with knowledge of how to take care of our basic needs while living in nature.

For the second week, we'll apply our skills as hunter-gatherer people have done throughout history, walking the backcountry of the beautiful high deserts and slickrock canyons of the Grand Staircase National Monument.

This course offers a hands-on experience in skills such as:
Wilderness Survival skills, Primitive living, traditional hide tanning, primitive trapping, foraging of wild edibles, cooking techniques with fire, fashioning of stone knives, friction fire methods, hunting with primitive tools, and stalking exercises for hunting of small and large game. We'll also practice utilizing all of our senses to approach the natural world, and learn how to become more responsible stewards of the earth in the process.

For week 2 of the Wild Walkabout, we will travel between camps every few days, and along the way practice trapping, hunting, foraging, food preparation and processing, selecting favorable campsites, techniques of finding and purifying water, and using natural materials to regulate our core body temperature.
The journey will also include a 1 night solo as well as a traditional sweat lodge at the conclusion of our time together.

If you seek a hands-on, real application of stone-age earth living skills and an expansion of your awareness of the natural world and the gifts it has to offer, this wild walkabout is the course for you.

Wild Walkabout Course Topics:

☼ Traveling Light: By connecting with our natural surroundings and using the materials around us, we are able to travel unencumbered.

☼ Natural Tool-making: Make friction fires by methods of fire plow and hand-drill using wood from bee plant, yucca, sagebrush, cottonwood root, clematis, or sagebrush; use stones to make knives; sew pouches from hides that you tan in the traditional method; use nettle or dogbane fiber to make ropes and cordage; scrape gourd bowls and carve out wooden spoons for dishware

☼ Edible & Medicinal Plants: Ethical gathering and preparation of wild edibles and medicinal plants (infusions, teas, poultices)

☼ Trapping and Hunting: Atlatl demonstration, construction and discussion; small game with primitive traps, deadfalls and snares; setting and placement of traps; stalking exercises; how to flourish in a survival situation.

☼ Nature Awareness: Moving, stalking, sense meditation; learn how to use your senses to notice more, how to have more wildlife encounters, how to move silently through the forest, how to smell flowers, and how to slow down to find a real connection with the natural environment; responsible plant and animal harvesting and care-taking ethics

☼ Variety of Cooking Skills: Primitive cooking, rock boiling steam pit, cooking directly over coals, clay pot cooking; food processing and game processing; hide processing

☼ Shelters: Creating warm sleep without a tent and sleeping bag using local materials; Primitive survival shelters; debris beds, material and location choosing, safe construction principles.

Wild Walkabout Guides:

Matt Graham
Survival & Traditional Living Skills Instructor
Matt was a climber and began studying primitive skills at age 17 in Yosemite Valley. At 20 he was doing search and rescue as a tracker in Sequoia while running and learning to travel the backcountry with no food or gear. Not owning a car, he travelled all over California and parts of Arizona on foot. At 23, he ran the length of California on the Pacific Crest Trail (1750 miles) in 58 days, a record at the time.

Matt moved to Boulder at age 24 and started guiding and teaching at Boulder Outdoor Survival School, teaching all the hunter/gatherer courses. Primitive hunting and living off the land became his passion. Three years ago, he walked off into the wilderness on the Winter Solstice and returned on the Summer Solstice. Living with the land for 6 months, Matt has been on many primitive walks and led about 50 hunter/gatherer courses ranging 4 to 33 days. He has been a consultant for “Survivor Man” and many other TV productions, was featured in "Wilderness Way" Magazine, "Trail Runner" Magazine, and is a leader in his field.

Kirsten Rechnitz
Survival & Traditional Living Skills Instructor
Kirsten's passion for earth skills began at age 19 when she was a guide for the outdoor recreation program at Vanderbilt University, where she led climbing, boating and walking trips through the Smoky Mountains.

At age 22, she began to extensively travel the world, visiting over 25 countries, and observing beauty in the people who use natural materials to sustain their lives. Upon her return, she continued instructing wilderness trips in North Carolina and Costa Rica, loving the connection that was growing within her to the natural world.

This led her to Boulder Outdoor Survival School, where she was able to be with people and students who were also wanting to explore the land and make the same connections.

Working hard to learn primitive skills so that she could become a better teacher, she took a personal journey and walked out into the desert alone for 25 days, honing the skills of friction fire, spear fishing, duff beds, shelter, and working with plant fibers. Coming to the realization that primitive living is to become her life-long journey, she is now an important part of the team at True Nature Farm.

Course Dates: May 6-19, 2012

Requirements:
There is no requirement of previous experience with primitive skills in order to apply for this course. We welcome all participants who seek a wilderness excursion, are able to hike 5-10 miles in a day, and are aiming to increase their knowledge of traditional earth living skills and wilderness survival.

TO FIND OUT MORE GO TO:
http://www.truenaturefarm.org/wild-walkabout-a-hunter-gatherers-journey1.html
Or email [email]info@TrueNatureFarm.org[/email]

smoking blends

secondhandstardust McCoy — Mon, Oct 3 2011 20:59:33 MDT

So this fall i have been getting into foraging for my own ingredients to add to my cigarettes. I have used mullein, sumac berries, mugwart, raspberry leaves, sassafras, chamomile, lavender, mint (don't like it), and rosemary. I mix some combination of these with tobacco and it produces a fine smoke and taste. Just wondering if anyone has read or smoked any other plants that have nice flavor or medicinal qualities. I read that mullein is medicinal for the lungs and actually helps sore throats and improves the lungs. These ingredients also make for tastier spliffs. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and Peace.

Acorns

Ed McCoy — Mon, Sep 26 2011 15:22:30 MDT

We purchased both of the books by Samuel Thayer based on recommendations found on this site, and are very happy with both of them.

We pulled the shadecloth off our greenhouses at the beginning of September and moved them under acorn trees on our property.

It was a little slow getting started, but it seems that the white oaks are really cranking up now. The odd thing, is that alot of the nuts have begun to sprout. We check the nets every day. Not seeing this with the red oaks, but they seem to be a little behind.

Sprouting obviously means they are healthy, but does anyone know do you continue the process of letting them dry then leaching out the tannins?

Seeing the bounty you can get from these trees reminds what a wasted resource they are.

Rabbit Skin Glue - for Gesso

Tom Celona — Wed, Sep 21 2011 07:03:52 MDT

Hi there everyone,

I recently discovered a painter friend was using dried rabbit skin powder to make glue from.

Does anyone have a brief instructional on how to do this? google pointed towards boiling the skin into a gelatin, but it sounds like the end product is a non-shelf stable jelly. Any idea's how to get it into dried powder? this is a value added product to rabbit raising I never considered before.

Thanks!

TCel

Ripe Persimmons in the Ozarks now.

paul homestead — Tue, Sep 20 2011 16:03:23 MDT

I run into a lot of people who think that persimmons are not good until after a frost. The only tree I could find on my place that has a good crop is ripe now. The coolest it's been at night has been the mid-50's.

When I first moved here to the Ozarks, I could eat all the persimmons I wanted. For some reason the last 3 years there have hardly been any. The first off year, there was a hard, late freeze, but I don't know why they've done poorly the last two years.

Edible Wild Mushrooms

Don Splitter — Thu, Sep 15 2011 14:35:42 MDT

Anybody got any good ideas for wild mushroom books. It's too bad Samuel Thayer didn't touch on that subject, but here in Minnesota. It would be a great thing to have.

Help identifying these Minnesota wild plants

Don Splitter — Tue, Sep 13 2011 14:37:58 MDT

I've done quite a bit of investigation, but I'm at a loss for a few of these plants on my property. I've been working on my foraging skills over the last few years. I'm getting better, but it's always nice to get others opinions/thoughts.

sweet little yellow "button" flowers
[img width=450 height=800]http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp%3B33%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E486%3E%3B%3B8%3EWSNRCG%3D34%3B284647533%3Anu0mrj[/img]

Oxe Daisy.. I think??
[img width=450 height=800]http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp%3A%3C%3B%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E486%3E%3B%3B8%3EWSNRCG%3D34%3B284%3A33%3A33%3Anu0mrj[/img]

Yellow Clover??
[img width=449 height=800]http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp%3B34%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E486%3E%3B%3B8%3EWSNRCG%3D34%3B284648433%3Anu0mrj[/img]

??
[img width=800 height=450]http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp%3B32%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E486%3E%3B%3B8%3EWSNRCG%3D34%3B284%3A34633%3Anu0mrj[/img]

Looks like it's growing by some "Salsify"
[img width=800 height=450]http://images1.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp%3A%3C5%3Enu%3D323%3A%3E486%3E%3B%3B8%3EWSNRCG%3D34%3B284%3A34%3A33%3Anu0mrj[/img]

Rabbit Stick

Matt M — Mon, Aug 22 2011 10:29:08 MDT

Any of you folks going to Rabbit Stick next month

Wild Berry Vinegars and Wild Berry Recipe Swap!

Lindsay L — Wed, Aug 17 2011 17:26:53 MDT

Hello Everyone,
I am out harvesting all sorts of berries in the PNW now. Here are a few:
Trailing Blackberries, Blackcap Raspberries, Saskatoons, Thimbleberries and many more.

I make a wonderful vinegar out of these by just gathering them into a pint jar and covering with balsamic or apple cider vinegar to use on my salads for the summer.

I am also going to collect Saskatoons soon to dry for winter snacks and pemmican. Do you have any wild berry recipes that are unusual?

Please share! Thanks!

Lindsay

New Wild Green Smoothies Group on Facebook

Alice G — Sun, Aug 14 2011 19:45:13 MDT

There is a recently created group on Facebook called Wild Green Smoothies. The group is a place for people to share knowledge about wild plants, including wild greens, wild fruit and other wild edibles. It’s also a place to share raw recipes using wild ingredients, especially (but not limited to) green smoothie recipes.

In case anyone is wondering, green smoothies are blended leafy greens with fruit. The taste of the fruit dominates the greens, so if made with the right ingredients, green smoothies are delicious and offer tremendous health benefits.

Whether or not you consume green smoothies, the Wild Green Smoothies group is a great place to share knowledge and healthy raw recipes as well as to connect with like-minded people.

urban wild plant ID help please

crockettjohnson Hatfield — Tue, Aug 2 2011 13:04:38 MDT

Another Plant ID...

txpc McCoy — Thu, Jul 21 2011 14:41:33 MDT

See this growing in dense groups under shaded areas with good soil. It has thin 1cm long hairs growing on its round stem.

[img width=800 height=449]http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/6861/20110721154558736.jpg[/img]
[img width=800 height=449]http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/504/2011072115480111.jpg[/img]
[img width=449 height=800]http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/373/20110721154810948.jpg[/img]

ID plant

Steven Baxter — Wed, Jul 20 2011 16:18:59 MDT

I thought it was red clover but I am not 100%

creeping ground cover plant ID

Jeanine Gurley — Wed, Jul 20 2011 04:43:02 MDT

I planted creeping charlie in this spot but this plant has taken over. I used to try to keep it pulled up but finally just let it have its way. It is not a bad looking plant but I can't seem to find out what it is and wondered if it has any uses other than ornamental.

Can anyone identify this work bench?

Spock McCoy — Wed, Jul 20 2011 02:36:10 MDT

When word got out that we were searching for "old junk", stove top or coal irons, farm implements, spinning wheels etc., a lot of people used tis as an excuse to clean up their yards, barns, whatever.

One guy just showed up with a tractor load full, including this bench, obviously meant to hold some sort of work in progress, but what kind?

Can anyone provide some enlightenment?

Prickly Lettuce

Kirk Hutchison — Tue, Jul 19 2011 10:50:41 MDT

Howdy y'all,
I recently found out that one of the "weeds" that always pops up around my garden is in fact prickly lettuce (latuca serriola), the ancestor of cultivated lettuce and, despite the prickles, a nutritious and tasty edible plant. I wrote a little paragraph on it here: http://www.paleogardener.com/2011/07/plant-profiles-prickly-lettuce.html , if anyone is interested.

ID this weed :)

txpc McCoy — Mon, Jul 18 2011 13:33:54 MDT

[img width=604 height=453]http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/5081/flowerf.gif[/img]

See this growing in fields here in Florida, and I recently visited Michigan where it was growing as well. Its very tiny, only standing about 4".

Eating the weeds in My Garden and inedible things?

Thelma McGowan — Mon, Jul 11 2011 23:08:20 MDT

So here I am thinking that I am so Clever eating The weeds out Of My Garden! I finally got soo tired of waiting for my planted crops to be ready for eating that I got brave enough to Try the weeds for the first time. I always thought that a couple of the greens might have been edible, But as I researched I was shocked at how much of the random stuff growing around My yard was wonderful to eat. And Now I will not have to wait next year to eat out Of My Garden as the "weeds" pop up very early.
The tipping point was when My Dad noticed a couple weeks ago.."Oh Pig Weed" like I was supposed to know what he was talking about. He never shared this bit of Knowledge.....He apparently is a stingy old So-an-so......as just this year he showed me Wild licorice root growing on the Maples. That was so awesome! as it does taste great in tea.
I told My Mom that I was eating the Amaranth "weed"out of my garden...She Says" oh Red Root Grandma used to cook that up for us out of her Garden when I was a kid"......Apparently also My Mom is holding out On me too.

I always knew that My Family had foraged a lot when My Parents were Young. That was definetly the way to do it as they lived very close to the Land. I guess I will have to drag out of them all of these little gems of info. Sooo... I feel a litlle silly about My excitement for how yummy the weeds are....since apparently it is old news :wink:

I live in the North West and have identified several delicious "weeds". So far the only inedible thing I have identified is NightShade. I am not ready to forage for mushrooms as I can only possitively ID Morrels and Puff Balls ( 2 items My Mom DID show me when I was young) Are there Any other unedible greens that I should watch out for? Please Do Share! :lol:

ID this wild fruit tree

Steven Baxter — Mon, Jul 4 2011 13:03:09 MDT

What is it? I think its a plum.

I would like to get seeds from it and grow it. Does anyone know what type of plum it is? The fruit is a lettle larger than a cherry. I looked on the internet and found a few cherry plums that look similar. Wondering if someone could steer me in the right direction to find what type it is.

I'm pretty sure it was a volunteer many years ago. The fruit fell and new trees grew. So it is kinds like a wild stand of trees.

Wildcrafting with Skeeter: Michael Pilarski Interview

Amber Westfall — Fri, Jun 17 2011 07:10:04 MDT

http://herbmentor.podbean.com/2011/06/17/wildcrafting-with-skeeter-michael-pilarski-interview/

In this Herbmentor radio interview, Skeeter talks about how to sustainably wildcraft plants and covers a few common plants of the PNW.

From the site:
"Michael Pilarski is a farmer, educator and author who has devoted his life to studying and teaching how people can live sustainably on this Earth. He has extensive experience in organic farming, seed collecting, wildcrafting medicinal herbs, plant propagation, horticulture, teaching, and international networking.

He founded Friends of the Trees Society in 1978 and has authored many books on forestry, agriculture, agroforestry and ethnobotany. Michael has been involved in the permaculture movement since 1981 as a writer, teacher and networker. "

Which perennial crops to grow a forest garden in NE Texas?

muraljoy Hatfield — Mon, Jun 13 2011 13:55:36 MDT

Can someone from NE Texas or SE Arkansas please list some perennial crops which might be successful in our forest garden project. Thanks. :|

Plant ID

simplyshinto Hatfield — Thu, Jun 9 2011 20:57:36 MDT

I live in Ky.this gets three feet tall with large hollow stem. My goat loves it. thought maybe wild lettuce but really unsure and need help identifying this. thanks a bunch!

Do I have water hemlock?

decev Hatfield — Wed, Jun 8 2011 05:52:51 MDT

Hi all,

I've been lurking for a while. This isn't a very permaculture question, but you all seem to have such knowledge about everything plants that I thought I'd try this.

This is growing all over the edge of my yard that I just moved to:
https://picasaweb.google.com/109282226609184861618/PlantIDHemlock?authkey=Gv1sRgCO_C-Jud4MDQcA

I live in central PA near State College. This stuff has formed a thick ground cover on the southwest side of the yard under the shade of some bushes and where it gets a bit wet in the spring. No standing water though. The flowers get 3-4 feet tall.

I've read a lot of descriptions about water hemlock, and it all matches save for two points. First, the leaf veins don't end in the notches of the leaf which is an easily identifying characteristic of water hemlock. Second, I can't find any hollow spaces in the roots. The stems are hollow though at the bottom.

So I figure it's related but I'd still like to know where I have a giant patch of death or something harmless that I can at least compost or something. Don't worry, I'm not going to be making soup of out this one. :-P

Wild Rice

Ed McCoy — Tue, Jun 7 2011 15:28:18 MDT

We have a couple of smallish ponds on our property. Already have cattails, and we enjoy them in a couple of different ways. Also going to transplant some wapato into the ponds this year. There was a recommendation for Samuel Thayers books here, and we bought both of them. Great books. Buy them for the info on acorns alone.

He also has alot about wild rice. I see you can buy plants and seed on the internet (can't seem to find any growing wild here in upstate NY) that goes in after 9/15.

Does anyone have any experience growing this?

bow drill fire starting

paul wheaton — Fri, Jun 3 2011 14:48:26 MDT

This wood fired pizza oven is made from adobe/cob. A main component is a 55 gallon barrel that acts as the oven. I like how the hinges are placed just right so it is gravity that keeps it closed. I have video of cob ovens, but this is definitely not a cob oven. Even though it is an oven and it looks like it is made of cob. This design keeps the smoke and fire seperate from the pizza.

Alexia Allen of Hawthorn Farm in Woodinville, Washington, has cooked many pizzas in this wood fired oven. And she says that she almost always starts the fire with a bow drill. Alexia has worked for many years as a wilderness skills instructor, so bow drill fire making is something she has not only practiced many times, but taught to hundreds.

For the bow drill fire making part of this video I have tried to not edit any of it out. I was amazed at how she could get a fire going so fast!

We cooked about seven pizzas that night. Plus Kyle Koloini's calzone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1X1SkdA5kw

Learning Primitive Skills

urbanresistance McCoy — Wed, May 25 2011 23:26:32 MDT

I was wondering if there was a website or a book that you would recommend which teaches primitive skills and crafts. I have this one book on bushcraft which got me really interested in the subject :?

Tree Identification

David Biland — Sun, May 15 2011 11:38:17 MDT

Anyone know what this is? The flowers looked like a dogwood and they did not smell nice.

Nature's Garden

tyffdavi Hatfield — Thu, May 12 2011 11:56:53 MDT

Oh man, I am so impressed with this foraging book I've just gotten in the mail that I wanted to share it here. Maybe it's really popular and everyone knows about it and this is not new information but the book is "nature's garden" by samuel thayer.

If you live in America, and especially if you live in the midwest or central-eastern part of the country and love foraging- you gotta check it out. It's a book for the active forager, though, definitely not the armchair forager.

So pleased!

Is this comfrey? Now with Pictures!

Shawn Bell — Sun, May 8 2011 14:38:20 MDT

While driving to the in-laws today I saw what I thought was comfrey, however after looking at some pictures online they do not look like what I saw.

These plants were about 3.5 feet tall. Looked like a single stalk, with broad thick fuzzy leaves. At the top of the single stalk were small yellow flowers. I dug a couple of plants up and they had big whitish looking taproot.

Is this a comfrey plant? Any ideas what it could be? If it is comfrey I want to dig up some more on the way home.

Thanks Shawn

Q: filtering/purifying sea salt & evaporation techniques

JPeens Hatfield — Sun, May 8 2011 08:47:39 MDT

Does anyone know a simple DIY way to filter seawater for a fairly cleaner salt? I can get a little more than a average/tall diner salt shakers worth of salt from a 1.5 liter bottle of seawater here (philippines) but that involves heating in a pan (waste of fuel for a cheap product) and the output often has more dirty tinge than I care to have.

Yes, I know about the issues regarding using seawater and its contaminates for getting salt.

Even the local sea salt I buy for 5 php (10 cents) for a large fistfull... well, it has random contaminates when i dissolve it in hot water. Is there some home plan that works for a good and fast evap sys and also one for cleaning out the crap? I'm not talking random algae strands... but when dried, its off colored.

Fundamentals of herbal medicine?

Steven Baxter — Sun, May 8 2011 00:10:29 MDT

I would like to attend this course in Berkeley, CA.
http://www.ecologycenter.org/calendar/event.php?title=Fundamentals+of+Herbal+Medicine+5-Session+Course&eventID=35220

I just wanted to know if anyone in the area is going to attend also. Or if anyone has any useful information on the instructor?
Joshua Muscat

Ozarks Eat This Now 29 April 2011

paul homestead — Fri, Apr 29 2011 18:12:43 MDT

Corn Salad (Valerianella spp.) is a common weed that most people toss in the compost pile when they find it in their lettuce patch. It's better than most lettuces. The ones I used to pick “back east” had blue flowers. The ones I find here are white flowered. They taste the same. This is one of my favorite salad greens and one I plan to plant in the garden.

Grapes (Vitis spp.) are good for more than just their fruit. Any part that is tender enough to eat is good. Right now, new sprouts and leaves are nice and tender. Make sure you are eating real grapes. There is a vine called moonseed that looks a lot like grape, but is potentially deadly. Moonseed does not have true tendrils that wrap around things to support the vine. Before the buds form though, the early growth of the flowering part can look like a tendril. Make sure you can see old tendrils from last year before nibbling.

Mints and allies. I've had people argue with me when I call things like bee-balm (Monarda spp) “mints.” Some say that the term mint should only be applied to “true mints” of the Mentha genus. I'll use the term “mint” to refer to any member of the Labiatae family. With some experience you can learn to recognize any member of this family. Most are mainly used for flavorings, but some are mild and tender enough to use in a salad or with cooked greens. Many people, and too many wild food books, seem to limit mints to teas. This is too bad. They can also be used as a cooking herb. Any member of the Monarda genus, dittany (Cunila origanoides) and others can be substituted for oregano in most recipes. Others can be used for basil or other Labiatae herbs. One word of caution though, some people have become ill with excessive consumption of mints, especially if they are using the concentrated essential oils. There will be mints of one type or other available from now (or a few weeks ago) until heavy frosts in the fall. There are people who claim, sometimes in books, that any plant with a square stem and opposite leaves is a mint. This is false. If it doesn't have a mint-like smell, you may need to wait until it comes in bloom to check the flowers to be sure.

Bellwort (Uvularia sessilfolia) is sometimes called “wild oats,” though I have no idea why. It's not close to being an oat and is no more wild than any other forest plant. It is delicious if picked young enough. By the time the flower or leaves appear, it is getting bitter. If it is only slightly bitter, cooking will help. Cook like asparagus. Like asparagus, I eat most of what I pick raw. I should have mentioned these before. They'll be past their prime now, but if you're lucky you might still find some.

Pineapple Weed (Matricaria matricarioides) is our native camomile. Its leaves and flowers have a strong pineapple scent and flavor. It's not something to fill your belly with, but is an interesting tea. The tea is supposed to be mildly sedative and sleep inducing.

Redbud (Cercis canadensis)is making the list for the second time. The flowers are gone, but the small bean-like seedpods are forming. Right now they are tender and sweet enough to make a good raw nibble. Soon they will start getting tougher and bitter and will need to be cooked. By the time the seeds start getting noticeably large, they will be beyond cooking. This is a remarkably productive plant, but with a very short season.

Gooseberries and Currents (Ribes spp) are another plant I'm going to list again. The leaves are still tender enough to nibble, but the flowers have been replaced by tiny fruits. As a kid I ate far more green gooseberries than I did ripe ones. The ones I found today were still small and completely green, but were a refreshingly tart nibble. BTW: I often get asked what the difference is between gooseberries and currents. In theory, if neither the plant nor fruit have spines or thorns then it is a current. If the berry itself has spines, it is a gooseberry. If the plant has spines, but the berry is smooth it probably should be called a current, but are often called gooseberries. Having said that, when it comes to common names there are almost as many exceptions as there are ones that follow the rules. Moreover, the same plant can be called a current in one location and a gooseberry someplace else.

Cheeses, (Malva neglecta) also known as Common Mallow lives up to it's species name in that it is, unfortunately often neglected. It is this area's most common member of the mallow or hibiscus family. Tender leaves can be eaten raw. Older ones need a bit of cooking. The flowers can be tossed onto almost anything you want to dress up a bit. They are particularly good on salads. Older leaves can be dried, crushed and the longer fibers sifted out. The resulting “flour” can be used to thicken stews or added to regular flour for making nutritious and tasty breads and muffins. Try anywhere between one part powdered leaves to three to ten parts flour for breads and biscuits. I've also heard that it is a good addition to homemade noodles, but haven't tried that. It gets the name “Cheeses” because the seedpods look like tiny old-fashioned cheese wheels. When young, they are a good nibble or add to soups and such. Although the seedpods are much smaller and do not look like it, this plant is a close kin to okra and has a similar flavor. I haven't noticed any seedpods yet this year, but they are in flower so the seeds will be there soon. Marshmallows can be made from this plant, but I've never done it and don't have a recipe at hand. It looked like it would be a lot of work.

All native willows (Salix spp) are nontoxic. Some are more bitter than others. The young leaves right after they open and new shoots are sometimes almost sweet. If they are too tough or bitter raw, boiling may help. I'm sure you're getting tired of hearing that, but that is the way of many wild foods. All Salix spp contain some amount of salicin, the substance aspirin was originally derived from. If you are allergic to aspirin, best leave these leaves alone.

I've had a couple of questions that I'll answer here. When I talk about new shoots, I do not mean sprouted seeds. I mean new growth of the stems. Many herbaceous plants make a very rapid flush of growth first thing in the spring. Think asparagus. Also many woody plants have a similar spurt of new limbs or new growth at the end of old limbs. In many plants this new growth is both tender enough and healthy to eat. Of course, not all shoots are edible.

Somebody also asked what spp means. When it follows the name of a genera, it means more than one species in that genera. For example, if I was talking about mints and I said Mentha spp, I mean peppermint (Mentha piperita), spearmint (Mentha spicata) or any other plant who's botanical name starts with Mentha. Once you know I'm talking about a specific genus, I can abbreviate the genus to just its initial: M. piperita or M. spicata, for example.

I'm not trying to turn this into an advertisement, but if anybody happens to be going to Baker Creek Seed's (rareseeds.com) Spring Planting Festival this weekend (May 1st and 2nd) I'll have a booth in one of the tents. I'll be selling Azomite. Stop by and say hello.

Urban Foraging

Lindsay L — Tue, Apr 26 2011 13:25:15 MDT

Hey All,
I am curious to hear your stories around any urban foraging adventures you have had. I know that this can be a very rewarding experience and have loved checking in with city folk if I can harvest from their trees for things like apples, etc.

What are somethings you have had to look out for as well? I have never had any issues with herbicides, or people getting angry... what about you?

Thanks!

Ozarks "Eat This Now" for 24 April.

paul homestead — Sun, Apr 24 2011 14:27:39 MDT

Most of the stuff on my list from last week is still in season. Here's some new things to try.

Gooseberries and Currents (Ribes spp.) Some books list the leaves and flowers of some species as being edible. None are mentioned as being potentially harmful. It's easy to learn to recognize plants belonging to this genus, but not always as easy to distinguish each species, so I just try them and see if they are good. Flowers are eaten raw as a trailside nibble. They are very sweet and delicious. Leaves can be eaten raw if tender enough, or cooked. Some books mention making tea from the leaves, but I've never tried it.

Basswood (Tilia americana) is often grown as a shade tree, but I planted some for the leaves and flowers. The leaves are a bit tougher than what you would commonly find in a salad, but not too tough. They have a nice flavor. The unopened buds can also be eaten. I just planted mine last year, so all I've been able to do so far is nibble on a small sample.

Brambles (Rubus spp.) include blackberries, raspberries and dewberries that are native and a number of nonnative species and hybrids. The fruit isn't the only part that is edible. Tender leaves can be used in salads. The new shoots, especially rampant growth from plants that were pruned or mowed off, is delightful. Well, usually delightful. Some have a slight bitterness to them. I eat most of the ones I find where and when I find them, but they are also good lightly cooked. Bend the stem, if it snaps it's good; if it bends, it's too old. The leaves of most species can be used to make tea, but I haven't played with that.

Speaking of tea though, most leaves make better tea if they are dried first. Something about the drying makes the essential oils more available to flavor the tea. If the tea is too mild, try toasting the leaves slightly. This is true for all teas, not just brambles.

Plantain (Plantago major) is a common yard weed. It makes a passable salad green if picked young enough. Even tiny new leaves are tough in the summer heat, so try it now. Plants growing in the shade tend to be more tender. The fibers in the ribs are the first thing to get objectionably tough. One thing that can be done to minimize this is to roll up a bunch of leaves and slice them up, cutting across the ribs. Try adding some to coleslaw. Narrow leaf plantain is also edible, but I don't like it raw. Both are often added to my “mess of greens” pot. It's also good on sandwiches.

Ox-eyed Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) is, in my opinion, and underrated flower. It's a very underrated salad and cooked green. In China and Japan they grow a special variety of chrysanthemum called “shingiku” that some claim is too strong tasting for American's palettes. Our common wild daisy is a slightly milder near twin. Unlike a lot of plants, it does not get bitter when it flowers, so the leaves can be eaten anytime you can find them. They are a bit more tender before the flower stalk comes up though.

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) isn't a plant to fill your belly with, but it is a good year-round seasoning and tea. There isn't any part of the plant that doesn't have a spicy flavor and scent that is similar to allspice. Twigs, bark and leaves are all available now to seas you meats or to be brewed into tea.

Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) is also known as wild carrot. Like garden carrots, it is a biennial. And like the domestic ones, but the time you see the flower stalk, the root is tough and woody. You might still find a few roots tender enough to eat, but fall or really early spring is better. I decided to mention them now because the greens can be used as a flavoring soups or for meat. Just make sure you get plants with hairy stems, smooth stems might be deadly hemlock. This isn't one to just guess and hope you ID'ed it right.

Wood sorrel (Oxalis spp.) is a delight to any kid who finds it. Looking back at how much of this stuff I ate as a kid, I think kids are born liking sour things but learn to like sweets. Like the Rumex spp I mentioned last week, Oxalis spp get their sourness from oxalic acid and could cause health problems in some people if eaten in large amounts. There are a number of species in the area. They all have the same shamrock-shaped leaves, but differ in size and color. All are interchangeable for culinary uses. Some do provide much larger leaves than others. All parts are edible: leaves, stems, flowers and seepods.

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is the only plant on this list that I haven't at lease nibbled in the last week. There isn't any growing nearby and according to some that's a good thing. I know it's in season though because one of the parks near Springfield, Mo., just had a garlic mustard pulling day. It's officially a noxious weed. One of our native butterflies lays its eggs on native mustard plants, except where garlic mustard grows. If it lays its eggs on the garlic mustard, the caterpillars never mature. In some areas garlic mustard is so rampant that the butterfly is threatened with extinction. If it wasn't for this, I'd plant it in my garden. I ate bushels of the stuff before I moved here. The tender new leaves are one of my favorite pot herbs. So do the butterflies a favor and eat as much of it as you can.

Eating the invasive protein.

Peter K. — Fri, Apr 22 2011 11:02:28 MDT

Okay I have been looking for the best place to bring this topic up and you folks seem to be more accepting to unusual ides than most. As a kid I used to run the woods hunting wild game, fishing as well as gathering wild edibles so they run hand in hand with me. After I had kids I ended up with a lot of responsibilities that kept me from having time to hunt and gather but I did keep up with fishing. I did make the occasional hunting trip when I got the invite but it was not on woods I knew and I did not really have time to learn some anyway. Now flash forward several years and I am retired and not as physically able to run the woods as I was during what I call my wasted years. I have deer, squirrels, and rabbits (and other game animals) right out my back door however there are also seasons for those so it is not a year round pursuit. In fact right now everything but turkey is out of season and that ends shortly but there is hope. In this state we have a invasive species the main ones being hogs and armadillos (I bet yours has something too but hogs seem to be a common invader). There is no limit, season, and very few restrictions mostly involving firearms at night on these animals. Now hogs I know as they have always been a target of chance but something like armadillos which are recent residents, with them having moved up from Florida in the past few years, gets my interest up. The problem is I have never tried armadillo and while I assume they are like possums on the edible scale that amour plating looks like it might be a bit difficult to process the animal (not to mention that while I know they are in the area I have not seen a live one I could harvest yet). Anyone got any experience with hunting and eating armadillo (specifically going from whole live animal to ready for the pot as it were)? Anyone else interested in harvesting the free range more unusual or invasive protein available in your state? Please feel free to talk about your experience with or interest in this subject.

Free Food And Medicine DVD series.

T. Joy — Mon, Apr 18 2011 19:48:40 MDT

This looks awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdtOFkMQzzQ&feature=share