backwoods menu/Wild tea.

[nell67]

We've had rain alright, but we are still in very bad drought conditions.

It's not the water used in day to day consumption, but rather the water being used in the elec. plants throughout the state. Cut back on the elec. helps more for saving water than taking a quick shower.
We have gotten alot of rain recntly too,rain that normally would have left us pretty flooded,but no flooding this time,as the ground is so dry,it has soaked it all up,still well under the normal rainfall,maybe next year will be better.

[Sarge47]

We got about 3-4" of snow a few days ago, but it's melted off quite a bit. If we keep getting snow & rain then in April/May the Morel crop should be pretty good!;)

[FVR]

I would love to get some snow. It usually does not snow here until late Feb., and March. Matter of fact, I met my wife Caren during the snowstorm of 93 in Ga. It snowed close to two feet, started friday morning and snowed until Sunday.

I remember taking my blue chow Ashley running in the woods. I would take here off lead and we would go at it. She dissapeared. The snow had frozen to her coat and she looked like a snowdog.

Miss that dog.

[Tony uk]

For a day trip i take mostly preserved foods like beef jerky (Made In The USA :) ) or a MRE, also i take dried fruit and vegitables with a bottle of hot sauce (The good stuff)
Also the dried fruit packets you can get from any shop are good snacks. also dried soup powder is great (I eat it cold if i need to, its refreshingly cool but tastes better hot)

I take freeze dried coffee, hot choco, tea and screech (A kind of orange drink, search it on google its included in british MREs) all are nice to have at the end of a cold day

I like freeze dried American style rations, when you out in the wilderness they make a really tasety meal thats lightweight and nutritious :D

[The Koda]

I just tried pine needle tea for the first time....yum!

[Rick]

What kind? I like Red Spruce better than White Pine but I'll take either one.

I usually carry some home made trail mix, my old stand by Ramen noodles, some quick rice and tea or coffee bags. I found a package of Bumble Bee chicken breast in a foil pouch and I'm going to take it on my next trek (this week-end if we don't get a flood). It's fully cooked in the pouch.

[Nativedude]

Whatever I trap, snare, shoot, or catch (fishing) and all the edible greens I can find. I cook my meat/fish with wild sage and blue camas (usually). . .YUMMMMMM! ;)

[mbarnatl]

We've had rain alright, but we are still in very bad drought conditions.

It's not the water used in day to day consumption, but rather the water being used in the elec. plants throughout the state. Cut back on the elec. helps more for saving water than taking a quick shower.


People think we get a couple of days of rain and that ends the drought. I drive by Lake Lanier every day, it looks the same as it did before the rain we got this week. We need months of none stop rain to get us out of this drought. For a month our county was banning all outside fires except BBQ grills.

[canid]

uhmmm, i miss camas. have you had camas mead?

[The Koda]

What kind? I like Red Spruce better than White Pine but I'll take either one.

I've only tried white pine thus far, but I'll keep my eyes out for some red spruce! Do you find the tea tastes better when the needles are fresh or after they've been sitting around for a while?

[Rick]

You want to pick the tips (new growth) for the best flavor. I usually pick a stem about four inches long. If you look at a blue spruce, you can easily tell what is new growth and what is not. There's a very sharp difference in needle color. That would give you a decent reference with Red Spruce since the coloration doesn't differ that much.

I find that White Pine is a much milder tea and Red Spruce is a bit more flavorful and robust. Both have a nice clean flavor and are loaded with vitamin C (I've read 5 times that of an orange).

I usually rub the needles between my index finger and thumb to break them open and give more surface area to the water. Not enough to destroy the needles, however. Just enough to bring out the oil in them. I do the same thing to herbs by the way. It increases the flavor.

Some folks swear you should chop the needles but I've never done that. I just rinse the stems off, stick three or four sprigs in a cup and pour boiling water over them. I let steep about 10 minutes and enjoy.

Bon appetit!

[Last Mohican]

Does anyone have a good recipe for hardtack?

I just made a batch using:

4 cups rolled oats
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp honey
2 tbsp salt

I baked it for half an hour @ 300 , flipped it over, cut into 3 inch squares, poked a bunch of holes, put it back in for another hour. After that take it out of the oven and let it sit overnight. The next day I put it back in the oven @ 200 for 2 hours or longer with the door slightly propped open.

It actually turned out pretty good. If anyone has any improvements, please let me know.

[FVR]

What is the consistancy of yours?

When I make it, it's like, really hard. It does taste good when there is nothing else.

[hopeak]

Just buy Sailor Boy Pilotbread. Have you ever thought "FRUITCAKE". It has a half life of 200 years. Taste like Sh*t, but it will keep you alive, Maybe.....Plus you can use it for a brick if you are short of tent pegs.

[FVR]

For day trips, I just pick up a loaf of French bread. Take a little wine, cheese, crackers..........oh, oh, that's for a picnic. Just the bread sometimes.


At the rendezvous, I would leave pretty early, stop by Kroger and pick up one or two of their roasted chickens. After I set up camp and make a fire, I'd stick a stick through the chicken and stick it over the fire.

Pull and eat as necessary. I'd have two or three chickens depending on how many days I'd stay.

Always had roasted yardbird to eat.

[FVR]

I use to make apple pie in gallon jugs. After the first time, it was mand. that I bring apple pie.

I'd break it out at night after the firearms were put away.

Ya know, think I need to make some up.

[Last Mohican]

The dough is pretty thick when I mix it.

After it is finished baking and drying, it is hard enough to put a dent in a speed limit sign when thrown out the window @ 80 mph. Other than that it is pretty good. Just hope I don't break my teeth on it.

[Last Mohican]

P.S. I can't find pilot bread here in PA.
I thought about ordering it online. I read about it on wikipedia. They said it was big in Alaska.

[hopeak]

P.S. I can't find pilot bread here in PA.
I thought about ordering it online. I read about it on wikipedia. They said it was big in Alaska.

Roger- roger, Ain't a private aircraft survival kit in Alaska that ain't half full of pilot bread.

Put some SPAM on it, and your eating like a real man.

[Proud American]

FVR-We talkin Gallon Milk jug!
I want to make SOME! Is it good? Im sorry Mohican but in my teenage mind it comes down to this......
Hardtack Never = Apple Pie!

[rt36crazyfists]

i was wondering what wild ingredients one can put in tea? i've heard but dont quote me, raspberry leaves, pine needles, willow wood? anything information to add on this? also what kind of pine needles would be useable? anything to stay away from?

[Sarge47]

I'm moving your post to the thread already started on this subject.:cool:

[Sarge47]

This is where your post belonged.

[Rick]

Sarge, I'm sorry but I don't know what you moved or where you moved it. I know this thread is on wild foods but I did a search and didn't find a hardtack thread. To answer LM's question, sorry if I posted wrong:

During the civil war, hardtack was often soaked in coffee (or what ever they were drinking at the time) to soften it up. You can add a little animal fat (bacon grease works) to the softened hardtack to improve the flavor a bit.

Here's a link to a bunch of recipes for hardtack. It also includes wild foods and their uses:

http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/barracks/1369/recipes.html

Here's a place you can buy hardtack crackers:

http://www.bentscookiefactory.com/hardtack.htm

[hopeak]

10-4
Rick, I agree. I understand someone has to keep order (be the adult). But why not let the new subject run for 10 days, or till there are no new posts for 3 days. At that point sticky it where it belongs.

[corndog-44]

Not sure where to put this but can a person become sick by eating half-raw meat?

[nell67]

well you do run the risk of some nasty little parasites,and they can make you sick.

[Rick]

Are you talking about wild game? Fish? Domestic meats (cow, pig)?

[corndog-44]

Are you talking about wild game? Fish? Domestic meats (cow, pig)?

Eating half-raw meat would apply to all meat. Do you really trust meat inspectors at the packing houses? Not me. And domestic meats that are homestead grown are home-butchered a lot of times.

[Last Mohican]

Thanks Rick. I will have to check those sites out. I guess the hardtack thing is hereditary. Since the French and Indian war, my family has been in infantry divisions in the army including myself. I was an M-60 totin' ground-pounding grunt for six years.
I must be a glutten for punishment.

[FVR]

Maybe we should have a recipe area.

[FVR]

Sarge,

What have you done. I can post on two threads at once. Whooohoooooooooo..........

[Elkchsr]

A recipe area would be a great idea, especially for jerkys and other goodies we can make at home :)

[Rick]

Does anyone carry panforte with them? It's a mixture of flour, honey, shortening, nuts and dried fruit.

Here's a recipe for meatless pemmican for those of you that are vegetarians. It's from physicalmind.com:

MEATLESS PEMMICAN
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried pumpkin or squash
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup acorn or cornmeal
1/2 cup hickory nuts
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup dried apples

In order to make sure that the acorn or cornmeal is bone-dry, spread it in a thin layer on a cookie sheet and place it in a warm oven for 15 to 30 minutes, checking frequently. The oven should be at the lowest possible setting. Then combine the dry ingredients and either chop them with a knife or grind them coarsely through a food grinder. Add the honey or maple syrup and blend thoroughly. Divide the mixture into 1/4-cup portions, press into cakes, and store in the refrigerator.

Watch out! Such fiber will have a 'bathroom' effect, and it will be very high energy from the sugars in the honey and fruit. However, the excellent fats and proteins from the nuts will help counter the over-abundance of energy.

[Rick]

With regard to Elkchsr's suggestion on a recipe area, what do you folks think of this? How about a forum library? It could contain sub categories of:

1. Forum Instructions such as my sticky on how to upload images.
2. Recipes
3. Survival documents - I have a number of Army survival documents I'd be willing to upload.
4. Gear reviews - A lot of folks have done write ups on gear and this would consolidate those.
5. How to's: Instructions on such things as How to build fires, How to purify water, etc. We've seen a lot of different suggestions that might not be found in a survival document.
6. The perfect whatever. Mitch did a nice job on the survival knife write up. We could include other items such as the perfect clothing material, hat, boots, socks. Whatever. There are a lot of opinions on each of those but Mitch circumvented the opinion issue very nicely and others could follow that example.
7. Wilderness Medicine

Those are just some ideas. Others could be added. Some of these deleted. I would expect that the "keeper of the flame" would have final say on what goes into the library. Some gatekeeper (Sarge) would probably need to control it to some extend. But that would give newcomers a place to go and find, "What's the best...." without having to search through the threads or start the 93rd thread on the same issue. I like vBulletin a lot but its search engine can be cumbersome at times.

[Sarge47]

Sounds like a good idea to me!:D:cool:

[Elkchsr]

That would be a great idea and an excellent expansion of what I said...

In the words of a famous poet....



:D :p GITERDONE!!! :p :D

[corndog-44]

Rick, I gotta give credit where credit is due... a forum library is a good idea.

[Rick]

Okay - In the spirit of Git-R-Done, the next question is should the library be 1. an open forum category, 2. a closed forum category or 3. a moderated forum category? I don't think we want anyone and everyone posting comments, etc. into the library yet we need to be able to post legitimate items such as Mitch's write up. So I would suggest it be a moderated forum category. That would require Chris or Sarge to validate any new post or thread. That might be cumbersome at first as we build the base (we could also leave it open at first and migrate to a moderated category later) but once the base is built it should be on a onesy twosy basis so they shouldn't have too much validating to do.

The second order of business is what sub-categories need to be included? Once those items are decided, all of this with Chris' permission of course, then Chris could add the forums.

Thoughts?

[nell67]

I think it should be moderated from the get go,that way it would eliminate the redundancy of information being added.

[trax]

Can't we just run a thread that's recipes only and Chris or Sarge can turf anything that isn't? We're bound to get some repitition in some of the recipes I'd imagine, and we can divide it up into like...wild meat or vegetables harvested wild categories....I dunno...you guys post recipes I'll go home and try them :D that works for me!

[wildWoman]

Wild raspberries, strawberries and saskatoons
Dandelion, fireweed and wild chives
boletus and meadow mushrooms

[Rick]

Oh, Lord. She said the bad word again. Here we go........

[wildWoman]

What was that?? my problem is I always have to rush so as not to waste too much energy and always seem to miss half of the posts...

[Rick]

Psssst. Mushrooms. We don't mention those things on here. We had the world's longest post over them. Once it gets started it just never ends.;)

[nell67]

Has anyone here heard of it ,or eaten it?It is made from the blood of a hog,and I remember my grandmother making it everytime we butchered hogs when I was a kid,I could never get the courage up to taste it though.
My grandparents always said you can use every part of the pig except the sqeal,and yea I remember them having "mountain oysters" when they castrated the young males,not eating that stuff either,somethings are better left off the table,and these are 2 of them in my opinion.

[canid]

moreover, many mushrooms have significant amounts of protien, wich [provided you have enough water, some fat intake and a bit of carbs] is a good source of calories.

the real danger, as with plants is the identification.

if you are in a subsistence situation, you'd be better off knowing a few key, useful mushroom species in advance, rather than trying to identify unfamiliar species when there is other food about.

i eat a new species of mushroom often, but in the comfort of my own home and after i've had the chance to be sure of the placement of said mushroom into a safe taxon. if i needed to condider eating mushrooms for subsistence, i'd stick to the few dozen species i can recognize on sight. if you are truely familiar with one or two, or six, or a dozen edibles and happen to come across one you know, same deal, would you sddenly trust them less?

[Rick]

Nell - It's also known as Black Pudding (sausage with animal blood). You can google up tons of info. I'll bet Tony knows a thing or two about it.

[nell67]

Yea I have googled it,and still no way I would even consider eating it.

[Chris]

I think the best thing would be for me to setup a wiki on this site... it is on my list of things

[flandersander]

Wild raspberries, strawberries and saskatoons
Dandelion, fireweed and wild chives
boletus and meadow mushrooms

Hey I live in saskatoon. In fact, my great great grandpa helped name the saskatoon berry. Or so the family story goes.

[cyc79]

no , they were like resberries but you could see through them , they were on a plant that looks sorta like a wild blueberry plant, there was just one cluster of em there iv nevery seen anything like it in books or whyle hiking

Cloudberries maybe?They look very similar to raspberries but turn yellow when ripe.They grow in muskegs & are hard to find as there's not many around.The Dene people call them muskeg berries.

[dilligaf2u2]

Try this!

http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/food.htm

Hard tack recipes is in here and how to use it.

Don

[LarryB]

This is a recipe thread, damn canucks... lol... how about a Moose meat recipe... lol
seriously thoug I wanna try some moose meat.

Ya, since sarge47 turned it into one, I guess...:confused:

[LarryB]

I don’t want to go alone into those deep dark woods ;)

No fear of that happening OwlGirl, if I'm anywhere near the far North woods! :cool: I'll even show you a few easy mushrooms in your hood, that you can eat safely. As you well know, sweet thing, it's ALL about the knowledge, when it comes to being in the bush. Lots of armchair experts waste time tellin' folks like you and me to stay away from mushrooms etc. etc. They'd rather stick to the negative side of life and try to tell you what they don't know for sure, than to hear what you DO know to be true.

People who have walked the walk and danced the dance of real-life woods living, know how to use as many natural food sources as are available in their immediate area, to the best of their advantage. Starving folks NEVER say, Ooouuww, I don't like mushrooms and frogs and stuff. When real starvation hits you, you would VERY likely eat a large bear or moose paddy and love it.

Don't let all the nay sayers get to you sweet missy, you and your partner are doing a swell job of being real up there and life-dancing in the North woods. That includes, your beliefs in eating any wild edible foods from your neck of the woods that you know to be so. :cool:

You know, I can't see these armchair experts and repeaters of bs, just walkin' by a whole whack of Chicken in the woods or Angel wings or Morels for that matter, and saying, oh no, I'd rather starve than waste my time on that dirty fungus...:D

Glad to hear you've tried to stick to the original subject matter as well, Owlgirl. Perhaps many could have learned a few new wild foods had most of these posts been about what I thought was an easy topic.

Oh well, I guess we do need a recipe thread started eh, sarge47? And a nutrition thread could even get a lot of arguments going about wasting our time while stranded in the woods along with another one about what NOT to eat out there to save you some time?

Chow,

[LarryB]

if i am in the woods i will eat mushrooms if any of you posers take the time to educate yourselves about wilderness survival you will learn quickly about five or six mushrooms that are easily identifiable and will help keep you alive food in the stomach will give you energy to keep going. honestly some of you need to get in some dirt time and educate yourselves.

always be prepared..

Here, Here, my Man Wareagle! Well spoken sir buddyman! That makes at least three of us now that aren't afraid to step-up for what is real...
Reality Rules!:cool:

[LarryB]

juniper berries, prickly pear cactus fruits, hunnysuckle, leeksAwesome! Thank You Borelli for bringing this thread back to where it belongs! You're a man with his head screwed on right. I like your wild food choices too.:cool:

Peace!

[hermitman]

birch and pine tea.

[plantdude65]

dude, i like to roast me up some wild onions! thats the best stuff when your feelin hungry. down here in the south we got tons of those growin back by the creek, and they are strong, oderwise.

[plantdude65]

also i like to munch on violet wood sorrel.

[Rick]

I ran across these recipes and had never heard them. Something else I'll have to try.

Blackberry Tea

Pick the blackberry leaves and dry them.
When you want to make tea, just crumble a couple of teaspoons of leaves
to one cup of boiling water.
Steep for five to ten minutes, and you have blackberry tea.

PINE-APPLE BEER

1 pineapple
Water
Sugar

Wash and then pare a pine-apple; if a good size, put the rind into about two quarts of water (in the quantity you must be guided by the size of the pine-apple); cover it for twenty-four hours; then sweeten to your taste, bottle, cork, and put it into the sun for five or six hours, cool it and it is then fit for use.
From The Carolina Housewife by Sarah Rutledge, 1847

SPRUCE AND BONESET BEER

1/2 c. hops
1/2 c. boneset
Water
1 tbs. essence of spruce
Sugar, molasses or other sweetener

Boil a small handful each of hops and boneset for an hour or two, in a pailful of water; strain it, and dilute it with cold water till it is of the right strength. Add a small table-spoonful of essence of spruce*, sweeten, ferment and bottle it.
The essences of hops, checkerberry, ginger, and spruce, put into warm water in suitable proportions, then sweetened, fermented and bottled, make good beer.
From The Young Housekeeper's Friend by Mrs. [M. H. ] Cornelius, 1863.

*Essence of Spruce is made by taking the tender new-growth tips off branches of either spruce or balsam fir trees and soaking them in water or molasses until the flavor is absorbed into the liquid. Strain and save the liquid for use in recipes such as these.

MAPLE BEER

4 gallons water, boiled
1 qt. maple syrup
1 tbs. essence of spruce
1 pint homemade yeast, or 2 packets or cakes commercial yeast

To four gallons of boiling water, add one quart of maple syrup and a small table-spoonful of essence of spruce. When it is about milk warm, add a pint of yeast; and when fermented, bottle it. In three days it is fit for use.
From The Young Housekeeper's Friend by Mrs. [M. H. ] Cornelius, 1863.

[Tony uk]

O.o I like the pineapple one Rick :D

Thanks A Lot :)

[launchpad]

i am new sow I dont now long this talk as bin going on but I like to eat shoe sting snard rabbit and sourdok and boild powk

[Rick]

Do you use a shoe string to snare them?

[launchpad]

yes boy scouts 1o1 if you have it on you find a way to use it o by the way sasafras tea is good to

[GVan]

This list isn't just mine, but as my wife grew up in the country side of Korea, some of it is hers as well.

Wild grapes
Wild grape leaves (steamed)
Wild grape stem inner core (boiled)
Cat Tail
wapato (a bit strong)
wild sage
sea lettuce
Large of tender wild grasses (steamed)
Wild rice
Palmetto leaf inner core
termites
Sugar ants
Snake
Turtle
early spring fiddle heads
Brown sea kelp
Sassafras Root, Bark, Leaf
Dandelion
Red clover
Pine needles
Pine Nuts
Oak Nuts
California Ice Plant leaflet cored
Prickly Pear
All kinds of rodents (rats, mice, rabbits, squirrels, Guinea pigs, bats (very hard to catch))
fish
frogs
birds (any size)
snails
Inner cores from many wild vines
Wild berries
Powdered dried earthworms make a great broth thickener that's high in protein


Now I'm hyngry,... I think I'll go and forrage in my back yakd for a while.

[Tahyo]

Try this!

http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/food.htm

Hard tack recipes is in here and how to use it.

Don

I just made some whole wheat hardtack yesterday and vacuum sealed it today. Though the stuff usually lasts a long time, I rotate it every year in the emergency bags in our vehicles. I tossed some flax seed in this year.

[grazer]

:rolleyes:Hi LarryB. Hundred choices around here. This time of year I like to enjoy the fresh stuff. lots of spring greens, a salad of violets, chickweed, and wintercress or watercress is a nice combo. The mildness of the violets and cress combined with the earthy flavor of the chickweed is a favorite. I also like some of the flower choices, throwing in some eastern redbud or whaterever is at hand.

[Timbo1]

My name is Timbo. I live in the UK although I've camped all over the world. I have bought a few woods to share with friends in the Uk - so we can camp without someone trying to stop our fun.

Really like this site...some good advice - although we don't have all the plants you guys have.

Timbo
http://owningyourownwood.blogspot.com/

[Rick]

Timbo - Welcome to the forum. I repaired your link. Hence, the reason for the edit in your post.

References to your web site need to be placed in your signature rather than the email. That is actually better for you in that it will appear in all your posts. The forum doesn't allow you to post links to your own site in the body of an email.

[KingFisher907]

since you asked us to keep it confined to flora, I will definitely have to go with:
#1- Morell mushrooms, they're just deee-licious!
#2- Alaskan blueberries or raspberries
#3- Alaskan cloudberries

[jayc32]

Wild leaks, rasberries, black rasberries, blackberries, huckleberries, elderberries...most any wild fruit and berries basicaly, and clover and danilions make a nice salad.

[Yooper_Jake]

1)moral mushrooms
2)dandelions
3)grape leaves

[snakeman]

dandelions, blackberries, honeybees, and honeysuckle.

[Cleankill47]

Not sure if they were wild, but I found two pear trees and about six peach trees and I love em.

I also like Dandelion greens as well as the wine made from the yellow tops.

And the fruit of the passionflower (maypop) 'Passionfruit!' Found a vine growing on the fenceline and love the fruit! (Makes a great smoothie!)

[Rick]

Welcome, Cleankill. Care to go over to the Introductions section and tells us a bit about yourself?

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

I make chewing gum with bees wax, honey, and clearified Pine Resin,(some times i add a little cinnimon).

[hard county]

Hucklberry, persimmon, sumac-ade and hickory nuts are hard to beat. There are countless others which are delicious but these are my favourites.
Also, I prefer the chicory coffee to the dandelion coffee.

[crashdive123]

Hey there Hard County - welcome to the forum. When you get a chance head on over to the introduction section and tell us a bit about you. Thanks.

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

ROSE HIP and SERVICE BERRY TEA.... from dehydrate! And dont forget about Pineapple
weed, wood sorel (lemon clover), New England Goose Berry, the Florida Glossy leafed HOLLY(contains Cafine),Labrador tea,Roasted and ground Pine Tree Root Bark.

[Nwy]

My favourite bush foods most definitely the top one has to be Cattail pancakes, usually made with porcupine or rabbit fat. (although rabbits don't have much fat on them) The most delicious tasting breakfast ever, especially if you have some blueberries to cook and pour over them... mmmmmmm

But for a meal, the one thing I have been craving over the years which I haven't had since my grandfather passed on would have to be pheasant, pit roasted with plantain, cattail shoots and arrowhead tubers, maybe dry and burn some coltsfoot for garnish/spice.

[Jericho117]

Sassafras leaves dired and crushed into powder and added to my stews. Skunk cabbage roots, thinned and dried, also added to my stews. My favorite game animal is Deer and Rabbits liver and eyes. I also like steamed grasshoppers, lol. My Acorn cakes are good as well. I have many favorite outdoor foods.

[Jericho117]

Nwy- you mentioned spice, Sassafras is the way to go. Lol.

[crashdive123]

When I was in the scouts (a reeeealy long time ago) we would use sassafras quite a bit. Now that it is known to be a carcinogen I will stay away from it.

[wareagle69]

last week alan introduced me to sweet gale tea very nice, this evening i used raspberry leaves i put 10 leaves in to steep for 10 minutes maybe next time i will only use 5 i wasn't overy excited about the flavor

[Flying Dog]

lol... it is illegal to pick mushrooms in most parts of australia

that aside, nothing is more rewarding to eat than something you have obtained from the wild!

i prefer any seafood because it is always fresher from the wild than any top class resturant (and free!) and easy to get

other favourites include rabbit, berries, honey and any plantation fruit you can steal

[biddysere]

How about Orange grass, Sassafras, and Green Briar ? And some Yaupon Holly tea!

[LudwigVan]

I make chewing gum with bees wax, honey, and clearified Pine Resin,(some times i add a little cinnimon).

I wouldn't mind trying that. Do you mind sharing the technique you use to make that?

[AVENGED]

Also In The Great Basin Nevada Region We Have Morman Tea Plants. They Can Cure AHeadache And Give You A Nice Boost Of Energy. And Also A Good Book I Keep With Me When I'm Out Is "Edible Wild Plants and Herbs: A pocket Guide" By Alan M. Cvancara.

[wildWoman]

last week alan introduced me to sweet gale tea very nice, this evening i used raspberry leaves i put 10 leaves in to steep for 10 minutes maybe next time i will only use 5 i wasn't overy excited about the flavor

Raspberry leaf is so astringent it leaves your mouth all dry. Don't like it that much either; we keep some around mostly for medicinal use.

[danmc]

1) muscadines (wild grape of the southeast). yum.

2) tough choice here, but I made some persimmon ice cream with some wild persimmons this year and it was fantastic. But... I don't know offhand where many of those grow

Others that come to mind, hickory nuts (mockernut and pignut), blackberries, elderberries, jersusalem artichoke (careful if you ever bring home a tuber and plant it in your garden, you may wish you hadn't).


I don't mind acorns after soaking but I wouldn't go out of my way for them unless I was really hungry.


still looking for a hot drink from wild plants that I like. Don't care for pine needle tea or dandelion tea. Persimmon seeds roasted and ground are good but at least for me they are no where nearly as widely available.

-Dan

[nell67]

persimmons grow rather wildly around here,nothing to pass by a wooded area and run over tons of them after they ripen and fall.

[fishpole]

some surprisingly easy critters to trap that i happen to enjoy:

muskrat
opposum
racoon
squierrel (witch im sure you have all eaten)
woodchuck

vegies:

cattail tubers (pounded and ground into flower, sun dried, or boiled)
wild onions
acorns
dandilion (and dandilion wine lol)

[danmc]

persimmons grow rather wildly around here,nothing to pass by a wooded area and run over tons of them after they ripen and fall.

this year a friend turned me on to the joys of roasting the seeds from persimmon and grinding them to use as a coffee substitute. It's pretty good and so far my favorite "wild" hot drink.

[chiangmaimav]

mulberry tea, mango, and a vegetable Thai call kah but I am not sure what English name is.

[danmc]

mulberry tea, mango, and a vegetable Thai call kah but I am not sure what English name is.

For the mulberry tea, is it from the dried fruit?

-Dan

[skunkkiller]

blood pudding is good all it is is the blood cooked it has the techer of pudding .when you cook a pork chop and the blood runs out and cooks on the edge of the chop that is what blood pudding is.

[chiangmaimav]

Dan, the mulberry tea is actually made from the dried mulberry leaves.

[edr730]

fried ditch lily with egg and cornmeal (a delicacy that is similar to fried squash blossoms)
elderberry (sour, but add sugar)
morel mushroom (superior to all other mushrooms)
poke salad (also some parts are very medicinal)

These are foods that I ate commonly as a child and still do eat, but less regularly. I agree with the tastes of others here, but I listed some that are a bit less common. Deer meat (if the tallow is cleaned off), cottontail (far better flavor then domestic rabbit or snowshoe), squirrel (prolific and easy to run down and shoot while just sitting there while you shoot it), fish (panfish have a delicate flavor even for those who don't like fish), Walnuts (unequaled compared to domestic varieties, all berries (all superior), maple syrup, honey (follow the bee). These are the delicacies of the forest that many of us have enjoyed. There are many others that I haven't mentioned, only tasted or only read about that are very interesting as well. Two that sound interesting to me at the moment are the cattail (almost all edible) and itchweed (stinging nettle...makes good rope and very edible and extremely medicinal). I am new here, but hope to learn more about this subject....and thanks for starting the post.

[danmc]

fried ditch lily with egg and cornmeal (a delicacy that is similar to fried squash blossoms)


I've never had either. Are the tubers similar to soloman's seal tubers? Is it the tubers you fry?

With regards to cattail, I haven't tried the tops yet. I find the steamed roots to be fairly bland. I wouldn't jump with excitement about having them for dinner (unless I was really hungry and then I definitely would) but I wouldn't complain either. Just don't eat the tough fibers. Suck off the starchy stuff and spit out the fibers.

-Dan

[edr730]

Danmc....it is the flower that you fry. I guess the tubers might be edible, but I never ate them. If you try the squash blossoms, only pick the long stemed ones; they are male and don't produce squash. Thanks for the input on the cattails. I may try them the roots soon to see if they are edible in the winter. I'll smash them up good, let them freeze, thaw them slowly and hope that the starch is the first thing to melt away. kinda like a shortcut to boiling the water away. This method has worked good on some other stuff.....maybe it will work, maybe not. It doesn't sound like it's something I want to make a part of my regular diet...at least not the roots.

[ClayPick]

Looks like a roast of moose and fiddleheads tonight, gees times are tough. My wife enjoys Labrador Tea so we gather a few lb’s of that every year. As far as I’m concerned I’d rather drink bilge water.:D

[Hcaterpillar]

Wild Garlic, Pignut (Conopodium), Thistle leaves.
Current faves for winter - Frosted dandelion, small leaved sorrel, juniper berries, pine needles (mostly just to chew on).