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Jilly Offline OP
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Today I went around my yard and collected some lovely wild mustard greens and pods to have with my dinner tonite. I will also add some pecans I collected from an old historic road in my town.

Anything around your area to eat for free? This weekend I also found tender elm pods and some early dandelion heads and leaves.

Last edited by Jilly; 05/14/12 03:15 AM.
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Today I foraged some yucca flowers, sow thistle, prickly lettuce and cheeseweed from the neighborhood to add to my 'salad bag' in the fridge. I noted some bull thistle to look at on another day.

The salad bag is still under experimentation. I will talk about that more as I figure it out!

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There is tons to forage where I live, just not exactly right now. The snow has melted, and no greens have popped up. In a few weeks there will be highly nutritious chickweed, shepherds purse, fireweed shoots, wild spinach, rose petals,dandelions, followed by a whole slew of wild berries, more greens, morels, shaggy manes, oyster, icicle and chicken of the woods mushrooms.
Fishing can be considered a form of foraging locally, all the places to get ones really appropriate for eating aren't easy to get in town.
In the winter, wild grouse and ptarmigan can be hunted easily - and don't require a hunting license for residents.
Special ice fishing lines can be set for burbot (which are really good to eat) in town.
OH, and for those that are really low income, there is a $5 combined fishing/hunting/trapping license to encourage foraging.



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Jilly Offline OP
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AKlisa, fishing and hunting are totally foraging! Unless you are hunting at the supermarket. wink

Mmmmm, mushrooms! Now that is a food source I am very excited to learn to explore.

I have been hearing that some people get so much food from foraging that they have stopped gardening. I would bet they still grow a handful of things, like herbs and tomatoes. This might be a kind of appealing idea. I could just informally plant a few things, and go out and forage for the rest. The desert has a TON of food in it, all year round.

Today's forage: I experimented with my garden fennel leaves and some spreadable feta cheese. I loved the combination. I added some mallow from the yard, but it was a little too fuzzy for me to eat raw. I might try a quick sautee of mallow like one does with kale. I know there are tons of recipes out there.

Not sure I want to put mallow in the salad bag.

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Jilly Offline OP
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Today I made a pita pocket sandwich with foraged foods and turkey.

I used:
wheat pita pocket
sliced turkey
yellow mustard

From my dehydrator I added dried strawberry slices that i rehydrated

From the garden:
viola blossoms
fennel leaves
yarrow leaves

And from foraged foods:
yucca blossoms (lots of those)
prickly lettuce
sow thistle
wild mustard greens, flowers and pods

I was surprised at how good it was. Next time I want to add more greens. I wasn't sure about them, but they were great. best to chop off the stems first, though, since those parts were a little stringy in my mouth.

The yucca blossoms added an interesting je ne sais quoi. They didn't have a taste that i could discern, but they added a something.

I wonder how yucca blossoms would taste pickled, or lightly sauteed, or made into fritters. Or used like a chile relleno with cheese fried inside?

Since they are in bloom now, I should probably freeze them or dehydrate them while I figure out how to cook with them. There isn't a huge window of time for these, but right now they are everywhere.

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One thing i found that really helps with the salad bag is to put a paper napkin in with the greens. This absorbs some of the moisture from the greens and keeps them from wilting and rotting as fast.

I don't buy paper towels or paper napkins at all (i use reusable cloths), so for these experiments i am using napkins that are extras from times I've eaten in places like restaurants, coffeeshops or gas stations.

I don't really know how just cloth would work. I could try using very thin cotton, or maybe coffee filters. Or old newspaper? Anyway, this is where I am at right now with the salad bag.

Last edited by Jilly; 05/12/12 08:07 PM.
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I have always wanted to grow mushrooms.

Because I live in a heavily populated suburb, it is hard to forage, per se. Everything is laden with pesticides, especially the parks.

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Lori, people in urban/suburban areas have a lot of options. You just have to look where people don't spray and the weeds have taken over. Sidewalks, empty lots, near drainage ditches, some medians, in border areas between natural forest and 'civilized' land, along streams...I do my best foraging in urban areas, as those are where the most disturbed zones are.

Disturbed areas = weeds. Lots of weeds = no one bothering to spray chemicals. If there are bugs crawling over the plants = even better. No pesticides.

Just don't take things that look like a regular dog peeing bush, and wash everything well.

Last edited by Jilly; 05/12/12 09:17 PM.
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Jilly Offline OP
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Oh, and along bike paths that cut through random areas (ie - not the manicured parks).

Also I have done really well in southern Ca looking in those ravines that are everywhere. smile

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I found some lamb's quarters. This week they will go into the spinach.


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