30 Days to Better Preparedness. Day 16. Foraging/gathering.

This is a post by Vicky which was due a little alter in the course but today I am out of day so thank you so much Vicky we are going to look at an important consideration.   If hard times were to strike you have what you have prepared in your home,  you have what you have stored in your pantry... to that you may be able to add some extras and this can be very valuable!  

As you all know I am dead set nosey.  I spotted two new trees today on the roadside with pink blossoms.  Yes, I will be going back to see if they have fruit!  

Over to Vicky:


Foraging is a great way to add to our supplies. So many things that nature offers is either edible or medicinal that we can make use of if needed. You don't have to have a large haul to benefit from foraging, although it is nice. It always reminds me of stories of the little old lady who takes her basket and a small pair of scissors and forages and then has jars of all kinds of dried things to season food with, make flavoured teas and use as remedies for different ailments, even soap making or cleaning supplies. 

We have so many things at our disposal in this day and age that we may not need to forage to get by, but it is certainly a good thing to know what edibles or medicinals grow in our area that we could utilize if we wanted to. And they are higher in vitamins and minerals for an extra boost of nutrition and immune building benefits. 
I just went foraging in a very small area where I live and here are some of the things I found. If I expand the area I forage I'm sure I can find many more things to forage. I can't include all of the photos because it would be too long, but here are a few.
Grapes! Lots of grapes growing that if I get to them before the wild life when they ripen that I'm sure I can harvest at least a half of a bushel of grapes to make juice or jelly with. 
Raspberries- Even small amounts are good for a snack or muffins or to freeze for later, but a good patch can yield a bucket full of fresh berries. I love berries so I'm happy to go in search of them. 
Rosehips- These are smaller because they are from wild roses, but they can be chewed fresh kind of like an apple or dried for tea. They are a good source of vitamin C among other things. 
Jewel Weed or we call it water weed- This is a great medicinal. We use it on poison ivy, bug bites or small burns and can be used in soap. This grows all over behind my house near the woods. 
Oxalis or sour grass- it has a great lemony taste to just chew or add in a wild salad and if your interested research the health benefits and other ways to use it. It is quite a list.



Also while foraging I have found mushrooms, wild onions(I love wild onions!), currants, elderberries, I have plantain galore which is another great medicinal, nettles, cat tails, black walnuts, lambs quarters which is wild spinach and we actually eat quite often in the summer, perslaine, pine needles (with exceptions of some) are used for a medicinal tea, dandelions and some other edible flowers. 
Do you know what you can forage in your area and the uses of them? I believe that just having knowledge tucked away in case we may need it can be very valuable, especially if threats of food insecurity are a possibility. 
And some foraging doesn't require long hikes, just simply keeping our eyes open wherever we go. 
People used to make fun of the people here they called hill folk for the way they lived. Most were poor and truly had to live largely off the land and utilized the resources available to them (If you can find the FoxFire Chronicles it's worth reading). But they had invaluable knowledge on so many subjects! 
So all in all ladies part of preparedness is knowing we can get by if we need to, but planning for all of the ways we may need to do it.
XOXO
Vicky

Comments

  1. Thanks for the post, Vicky. It sounds like you hit the jackpot foraging. The city, where we live, planted chokecherry trees to adorn the walkways around the malls and medical facilities. Every year the berries would fall on the ground and sidewalks; no one wanted them. I always thought it was a shame, but most people probably didn't even know what they were. We had chokecherries in our yard, so benefitted from those.
    Love and hugs,
    Glenda

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    1. Glenda,
      I did hit the jackpot. It's good to know what we can gather if needed. So much fruit like the choke cherries do go to waste because people see them as ornamental I guess, but choke cherries make good jelly. So many good things go to waste that nature puts out for us. It is sad.
      XOXO
      Vicky

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  2. Foxfire has a website if you want more info. If you are in the USA your local library may carry the magazine or have the old books.
    Thrift stores and second hand bookstores may have foraging and medicinal plant identification books. Be extra careful when foraging mushrooms, in my area you can take a class from experts to help you stay away from toxic mushrooms or plants and find the good ones. This would be a great investment. I believe in other parts of the world you can take your mushrooms to the pharmacy and have them checked.
    -Kathryn, Washington state

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    Replies
    1. Kathryn,
      This is all good info you shared in your comment. The resources are available if we want them. I love the Foxfire Chronicles, but it's been awhile since I've read them. I only forage right now what I know for sure is edible, but I do want to expand my knowledge of the edibles in my area. My hubby loves mushrooms so when we find them he is always happy about it and I'm happy about the addition to meals with no cost Lol.
      XOXO
      Vicky

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  3. Dear Vicky, My Mum loves foraging for mushrooms. I have a book on mushrooms on hold because I think you are right - the knowledge is invaluable. Yesterday my husband had a medical appointment. In the car park there was lots of acorns. I collected a few - I have been wanting to try to grow little acorn trees, I am unable to get acorns from my parents at the moment so grabbed the opportunity. The day before I bought home some rosemary sprigs from a hedge at a Medical appointment. I will look up the foxfire chronicles. Thankyou Clare

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    Replies
    1. Clare,
      That is wonderful! We need to take the opportunities that present themselves that can get us ahead. Mushrooms are fun to forage for and so rewarding when you find some and a book on mushrooms is a great tool to use. We don't have that many growing around here mostly morels, but the hubby loves them. I made acorn flour one year just to try it and it is for sure a process, but it didn't taste too bad and worth the knowledge I gained from it. I did have a little giggle about your rosemary sprigs because I have pinched some starts of herbs or flowers from places too. It's a great way to get our own herb or flower beds started.
      XOXO
      Vicky

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