Foraging Resources

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Dave568

Joined
May 24, 2005
Messages
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I was wondering if anyone could point me to a good online resource for foraging information. Specifically, I am looking for information pertaining to the Northeast US, but any good information will be appreciated. Being very new to the subject, I am not too confident in my ability to seperate the "good" information from the "bad" information on the internet, so I was hoping someone with experience in this area could help guide me to some credible sources. Thanks.
 
Geez guys don't leave him hanging. This would be a good read. I know very little, but here goes.

Cattails are an important foragable resource. You can eat parts of the root and use the tops as torches, and also for starting fires. You can also cut up the root and roast it then pour hot water over it and get a "cofee like drink." I've never eaten it (you're supposed to stew it for a while to get rid of the bitter taste) or made the cofee like beverage from it, but its in the boy scout handbook.

Dandelions are another foragable food source. You eat the greens like salad, in fact its available in thos mixed field green bags at the grocery store. I wouldn't eat the flower, but I'm not positive its poisionous.

Another is 6 legged bugs. Almost all are edible. (Technically spiders aren't bugs, but Arachnids, but for simplicity just count the legs and only eat the six legged ones.)

Others will know a lot more.
 
For the Northeast, I would check out Steve Brill's site. Or if you are in the NYC area or travel there take a class. I have taken similar classes in Los Angeles and even if you take one piece of information away with you it's a win. Alternatly go back and re-read My Side of the Mountain. Always a good source of ideas on wilderness foraging in that neck of the woods. Please take that last statement with a grain of salt, I rarely get out of California and my only east coast experience has been in and around Boston when I was young.

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

Good luck

Michael
 
There are a number of good books on edible wild plants. It helps to be able to identify them quickly. You need to learn the kind of environment they grow in to find them sometimes. It helps to have an interest in wild plants in general such as wild flower identification as it teaches you to look the the small details and you learn about other plants at the same time.
 
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