Wild plants

Riverdale · #41 04/01/12, 07:48 AM

I am a member of this forum

Forager's Forum

Foraging.

I grew up foraging, and teach my kids what is safe and what is not.

I also use Culpepper's (a 17th century text) for edible and healing usesof wild plants.

City Bound · #42 04/01/12, 08:24 AM

young clover greens are very good. There is more flavor in the clover greens that get more sun then there is in the clover in partial shade. I like them raw. They make a good salad. You can cook them also, but I have not tried to cook them yet.

Dandelions are good. The flowers make nice fritters, the leaves are good, and the roots are good also. Made a danelion casarol once with the leaves and flowers and I thought it tasted good. Dried leaves make a nice tea that is mildly diaretic.

I tried to fritter dock leaves and it was ok. The leaves toughen up a little.

Pansies, violas, johnny jump ups are all good. Impatient flowers are very bland

Not a plant but, I tried some ants for the first time last week. No flaver, just crunch.

Cliff · #43 04/01/12, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motdaugrnds

...............Now to integrate that knowledge into some semblance of order in the gardens will be the next step................

Cliff, I've been researching wild plants now for about 3 yrs, sending samples of my findings to the local ag lab and posting pics of some in here. I'm presently in the process of "organizing" some in my garden area. I propagated some Plantain, Dock, Poke Salet & Lambsquarter last year; and they did real well. This year I've added a row of Giant Nettle along side the fencing not too far from the Rugosa Roses...both being thorny.

I've, also, discovered if I let the Evening Primrose grow in my garden, the bad bugs will eat those instead of my veggies.

Haha we "propagated" those things too.. years ago accidentally by mulching the gardens with weedy hay lol. Gave me a fit for years till I realized that was all good stuff

I haven't seen regular nettle growing here but we do have some wood nettle.

Interesting about the evening primrose, thanks

How does the ag lab thing work? Do you have to pay to get plant ids?

Cliff · #44 04/01/12, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riverdale

I am a member of this forum

Forager's Forum

Foraging.

I grew up foraging, and teach my kids what is safe and what is not.

I also use Culpepper's (a 17th century text) for edible and healing usesof wild plants.

Tyvm for the link.

Cliff · #45 04/01/12, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salmonslayer

We are with you Cliff. We use dried Goldenrod as a tea and in a tincture (thanks Sparticle), thistle, dandelion, dock etc. When I was stationed in Alaska we had a Tlingit lady make some sort of salve out of devils club that greatly eased by arthritis (Naturelover would probably know what that was).

We do a lot of foraqing and thoroughly enjoy walking our small property and identifying things. One last note, we grow Nasturtiums mostly for the peppery taste of the flowers in our salads...not for their beautiful flowers!!

Cool. I can't remember the medicinal use of goldenrod atm, will look it up again. How does it taste? What part of the plant do you use for tea?

I have nasturtium seeds I need to start. My problem is that when I get interested in something I tend to go over the top just a little

So I now have seeds for many many herbs and flowers, perennial and annual, and am sort of overwhelmed as to how to lay stuff out and where to start since I haven't grown many of these things before. Oh well I guess things can always be moved around if they don't work where they are put the first time.

cathleenc · #46 04/01/12, 04:39 PM

I share your interests in foraging and medicinal herbs and created a local group here in northern illinois that has 140 members as of today. Just held a class on creating and using flower essences this morning - fabulous class coming up with international mycologists about identifying wild mushrooms on May 6th.

Anyone in the area want to learn more? It's free to join and an absolutely wonderful group of people. PM me and I'll be glad to share more.
Cathy

weedlady · #47 04/01/12, 08:09 PM

that's why my name is Weedlady
martha

T. Stine · #48 04/01/12, 09:48 PM

My two favorite books are Medicinal Plants & Herbs and Edible Wild Plants, both Peterson field guides. Love to cook nettle and dandelion greens, add a touch of butter, salt and pepper. Every year I dry elderberry flowers for tea, and make jelly and cordial from the berries. My go to herb during cold season is tea made from Mullein leaves and honey from my bees. Great for chest congestion and cough.

Cliff · #49 04/02/12, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T. Stine

My two favorite books are Medicinal Plants & Herbs and Edible Wild Plants, both Peterson field guides. Love to cook nettle and dandelion greens, add a touch of butter, salt and pepper. Every year I dry elderberry flowers for tea, and make jelly and cordial from the berries. My go to herb during cold season is tea made from Mullein leaves and honey from my bees. Great for chest congestion and cough.

Did you know that elderberry shortens the duration of colds and flu by half? This one has been proven by research. We keep dried berries for tea (lol it tastes sort of like not so great kool aid) and start drinking it at the first sign of viral infection. If I remember right it mechanically prevents the virus from attaching itself to your cells, so it can't replicate and infect you so badly.

I'm thinking elderberry would increase survivability in the case of a flu pandemic.