Ive been foraging for the last few years and Ive saved hundreds of dollars on food and Ive made money teaching people how to identify foraged mushrooms as well as selling/trading excess fruit and nuts that I find.
There are so many fruit, nuts and mushrooms that you can collect from the wild. Foraging isnt just for forested areas, often fruit trees grow along hwys and railways, laneways and trees overhanging from peoples gardens. Sometimes its all about reframing your mindset, many "weeds" such as dandelion are edible and quite nutritious.
Etiquette: Always ask for permission when picking fruit from peoples properties (people tend to say yes if you offer to give them a jar of jam or whatever you make from it). Always check local laws to ensure youre allowed to freely forage. Only take what you'll use as wildlife and other people also make use of the food.
Right now in r/foraging many Nth Americans are foraging chanterelle mushrooms and hickory nuts.
Right now in Australia we've got walnuts, blackberries and about to get apples.
My advice for foraging is to get educated about what grows in your local area. Some community centres run amature mycologist (mushroom) courses and "bush tucker" (Australian Aborigonal term for wild edible plant) courses. r/mycology is a great resource for mushroom identification r/foraging is also a great resource
- With mushrooms it is important to get educated. You should know exactly what it is before you eat it. That being said there are many online resources to help you identify mushrooms. A really good start is with pine mushrooms saffron milkcaps and slippery jacks, theyre easy to confidently identify plus they dont have any poisonous look alikes. Some amateur mycologists will teach you how to id for a fee, something to look into.
Get your kit together:
Include things like a sturdy basket, gloves (for prickly pears) a jar or container for berries, small knife for cutting mushroom stalks and even secateurs. Wear sturdy walking shoes and it's always a good idea to let people know where youre heading. Some foragers also take maps to mark fruit tree locations.
I hope this was informative. Im passionate about foraging . I think it's a great way to get outdoors and to save a few bucks on food.
January 21, 2019 at 09:25PM
