PDA

View Full Version : any plant resources?



Bladen
11-26-2009, 08:43 PM
i know we have the great database here on this site.
to be honest, its a bit intimidating.

does anybody have any really basic plant resources?
id like to learn more about edible plants and medicinal plants.

i know next to nothing at this point.

thanks in advance,

crashdive123
11-26-2009, 09:08 PM
I like the Peterson Field Guides. Edible Wild Plants and Medicinal Plants and Herbs might be a good place to start.

Bladen
11-26-2009, 09:44 PM
thanks alot.

these book look really great.

gryffynklm
11-26-2009, 09:50 PM
I like the Peterson Field Guides. Edible Wild Plants and Medicinal Plants and Herbs might be a good place to start.

I use the same guides.

rwc1969
11-26-2009, 11:23 PM
Not sure where you are bladen, but if it's like the midwest you might want to check out Sam Thayer's book "The Forager's Harvest". He really goes into a lot of detail and it makes the whole process of starting to ID, harvest, and most importantly eat wild edibles much easier.

I use the Peterson guide to perform quick, rough, basic ID's, but I don't trust it enough to try and eat anything.

Bladen
11-27-2009, 12:53 AM
im in northern minnesota if that helps anybody else-
and thank you.

your_comforting_company
11-27-2009, 05:50 AM
I use those 3 books mentioned, the two Peterson's guides and "The Foragers Harvest". If you are looking for a website to help identify, try www.discoverlife.org. There's a couple others I use as cross reference, but they are not bookmarked on this computer.

It can still be a little confusing and I just want to repeat for safety's sake: "If you need a book to identify a plant, you are not ready to eat it." (thayer). So, just because you have a couple books, don't go sticking stuff in your mouth until you've studied the plant intimately and can recognize it without the aid of a book. It took me months to be able to identify a few plants and I even went back to NOT eating some of the wild stuff I used to eat until I knew for certain what it was... NOT the generic "old folks" name for stuff.

you can google "wildflower identification key" and it'll turn up a few sites.

Rick
11-27-2009, 07:56 AM
Here's our book sticky. You should be able to find a few in here:

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=5483

I use Peterson's as well. I also have a couple of laminated, folding references by the Pocket Naturalist. One is Medicinal Plants and the other is Edible Wild Plants, $5.94 each. You can pick up all three at Bolden's. I'm sure any of the big book stores carry them.

gryffynklm
11-27-2009, 10:07 AM
YCC, thanks for the book recommendation I just ordered one.

pocomoonskyeyes
11-27-2009, 10:12 AM
Well here's another one that WarEagle told me about "Edible Wild Plants" By Thomas S. Elias & Peter A. Dykeman. It covers regions,Seasons, and usage guide for @ 200 species.

Canadian-guerilla
11-27-2009, 10:36 AM
you can google "wildflower identification key" and it'll turn up a few sites.


i've been making my own wild edible picture database
i go to google images and type in " wild edibles " or the plant itself
i get a half decent picture and i follow the link
i have quite a few pics of each plant: leaves, flowers, seeds/fruit, spring/winter
plus any possible lookalikes

been looking at getting a laminator, my printer pics don't like rainy weather
and with Photoshop, i can make my own montage for a specific plant
the only downside, i've gone thru lots of printer ink
for some leaves, i use a simple black/white outline

find some pics you can trust, and go out and get hands-on " in the field " experience


i've been looking like forever for The Foragers Harvest

SARKY
11-27-2009, 07:37 PM
Best bet is to go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com then search not just for edibles and medicinal plants but also for the area of the country you live in. There are plants that are common for the entire US then there are plants that are specific toa region of the US.

Batch
11-27-2009, 07:48 PM
Yeah double check where it covers. I have bought a couple. The last one said Eastern United States. Then when you read the introduction it specifically says it doesn't apply to South Florida. :sneaky2:

owl_girl
11-27-2009, 09:12 PM
have you tried cattail root yet? last year i made a list of all the common wild plants i wanted to try and what time they would be in season and how to prepare them. with some plants there are things you need to do to them or ovoid doing to keep that plant from being toxic. like raspberry leaves are healthy fresh or dried but when wilted they become semi toxic and to much like that could make you sick. i did get to eat all the plants on my list. ive lived in MN a few times so i can help you make a list for your area if youd like

Batch
11-27-2009, 09:55 PM
Yeah, my Dad was into the natural foods long before me. So, we hit all the most common. Now, did you know that cattail starches can be converted to sugars? Still, that may not be of use to all.

My dad also did not have the internet back when we suffered these trespasses on the taste buds. LOL

Bladen
11-28-2009, 12:16 AM
id love to hear how to convert cattail starches into sugars.

crashdive123
11-28-2009, 07:39 AM
Just eat it. Your body will convert it for you.

Batch
11-28-2009, 11:49 AM
Actually, I guess the starches are already converted in the stalk. I came across the info while researching ways to get sugars from nature for distilling ethanol. I know that when malting starchy grains such as those in corn and barley you convert the starches to sugar and the sprouts have all kinds of nutritious benefits. There are also enzymes that are produced that will convert unmalted starches into grains. So you can add 2lbs of malted grain to 8lbs of unmalted grain called adjunct and the enzymes will convert the unmalted grains to sugar during the mashing process.

Sugar can be taken directly from the stalk of cattail in the same way it is taken from corn stalks.

http://www.biofuelswiki.org/canvaswiki/index.cfm/Cattail

I have yet to try it. But, I think I am paying about a $1 a pound for sugar. At least that was what I paid for the brown sugar I am using to ferment this batch.

So, I was looking for what could be used naturally around me. Its on the back burner right now. I got some ferment going now that should of stopped bubbling already. But, it is still bubbling so I got to let that sit. Then, I have a brand new grain mill, some malted barley and some corn adjunct. That will go next. Maybe after that I will go gets some cattail. Not, a hard task I can walk to the Everglades from here in about 15 minutes.

Wildlander
12-20-2009, 10:36 PM
i know we have the great database here on this site.
to be honest, its a bit intimidating.

does anybody have any really basic plant resources?
id like to learn more about edible plants and medicinal plants.

i know next to nothing at this point.

The problem is that there is really not to much that is easy to learn. Certainly you can learn about cattails and plenty of website tutorials online that teach you how to harvest and prepare. But the more prolific arcane plants take a lot of botanical knowledge. Otherwise you run the risk of eating something that might kill you or make you very ill. The best way is to just start going out foraging with someone who already knows.


The next best thing to do (at least for those in the US) is bite your tongue and join the yuppie native plant society. Go out with them on outings. They will teach you your plants. Also consider taking a course in plant taxonomy from a local college if you get into a more serious mode. If you are in Washington State, contact me. I am a botanist, ethnobotanist and know my native plants here.

Wildlander

wareagle69
12-21-2009, 06:33 AM
i also use several other resources
weeds of canada and the northern united states-france royer and richard dickenson

invasive plants-guide to identification and the impacts and control of common north american speceis

also google works great, mainly wikipedia also when using the computer i have found that looking for weeds other than wild edibles results far better results.
now do not expect to eat anything for the first 3 years, the first year you will id many plants some edible most not, but by the time you id them, they will be past edibility, next 2nd spring you will id them by rosette and location of flower from last year, then you will have learned the plant in all seasons and positively id the plant then the 3rd year you will be ble to eat it, but wait now you will say crap i spent all this time learning what it is but how, when do i harvest and prepare it, well thats what samuel thayer is for.

best of luck, it is a long endeaver, but i hope you persevere.
WE

Rick
12-21-2009, 09:28 AM
Don't forget to mark said plants that you've ID so you can see it through the seasons and find it again next year.

NightShade
12-21-2009, 04:32 PM
I learned a lot from my mom and other "older foragers"... I also have a library of books I use for occasional reference.... And there are a ton of websites.. I'd post sum links if wasn't such a techie retard.... Don't totally discount the sites database though!.. Great thing about it is that most the entries are user submitted- if u have a question just shoot a message to the user!
If you're just starting out and you don't have a mentor.. It may be worth learning all the most poisonous plants u have locally so you can easily identify and avoid them... Many of my friends I've started to bring out often joke that I'm more of a "poison expert" than an "edible expert"...at the very least learn the look-a-likes!

Ted
01-10-2010, 02:38 PM
have you tried cattail root yet? last year i made a list of all the common wild plants i wanted to try and what time they would be in season and how to prepare them. with some plants there are things you need to do to them or ovoid doing to keep that plant from being toxic. like raspberry leaves are healthy fresh or dried but when wilted they become semi toxic and to much like that could make you sick. i did get to eat all the plants on my list. ive lived in MN a few times so i can help you make a list for your area if youd like

The roots are havested from fall through spring, you don't eat them, you us them to make flour! Clean 'em, peel 'em, put 'em in a pail of water and crush 'em. Scoop out the fibers and let it settel. Poor off the water and put in more water and remove any more fibers and what have you, and let it settle agian. Pour off the water and let it dry, pound that into flour!

I often eat the stalks, pull up the plant, cut off anything that isn't tender enough to chew, usually only about 6 in. or so(from the bottom), and eat it. Tastes like cucumber!

smittysurvival
01-10-2010, 02:48 PM
wild edible is my specicalty!! no jokes here people. cut me some slack. i really am good at wild edibles. send me a PM if you want more info

crashdive123
01-10-2010, 03:03 PM
wild edible is my specicalty!! no jokes here people. cut me some slack. i really am good at wild edibles. send me a PM if you want more info

Why would you not want to share valuable information in the forum. Sometimes I have found when discussing issues like this, that it is best to share so that all can see and review my information. If it holds up to the scrutiny of this crowd, then I am more comfortable in knowing that it is accurate.

smittysurvival
01-10-2010, 03:38 PM
my bad crash. i would have to dig through several bookselves to find my sources. but i didnt want to post on here bc since he lives where he does i would hate to have him looking for something that doesnt grow where he is.

Beo
01-11-2010, 07:29 PM
Any plant resources.... hmmm well I'd try the forest, they are usually a good resource for plants, so is the neighbors flower bed, as is the farmers field and river banks.
I tend to find a lot of plant resources in the forest. I just saying...

owl_girl
01-11-2010, 09:18 PM
you us them to make flour!

i was to lazy to do that. i just made white creamy goopy stuff. i think it would make a really good base for a creamy soup.

LowKey
01-11-2010, 09:28 PM
I have 3 plant resources I use a lot and one 'cookbook'.
I initially went to school to learn plant sciences.
The first two are keys we used in taxonomy classes.
The third is an herbal.
The fourth is just a general how-to-eat-it book.

Plants in the Vicinity of New York, Gleason, published by the NY Botanical Garden (out of print but available online fairly cheap.) this one is good for most of the northeast and into the Great Lakes area. This has to be one of the easiest keys out there for this particular area. If you decide it's for you, I can post the corrections needed. There are a few key errors that might lead to dead ends.

An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Britton and Brown. this is a 3 volume set and it helps if you start with the book noted above and use this set as a secondary reference. Available from Dover Books. The nomenclature is out of date but the illustrations are very helpful. Again good for most of the northeast down to New Jersey and out to the Great Lakes (and into Canada) but the keying is very difficult.

A Modern Herbal, Grieve. Available from Dover Books. This one is dangerous if you aren't careful but it is a very good old herbal.

Feasting Free on Wild Edibles, Angier. Stackpole Books. Two volume set condensed into one book, formerly Free for the Eating and More Free for the Eating Wild Foods.

Beo
01-13-2010, 07:25 AM
Actually I use Tom Brown Jrs Guide to Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants, and the Native American Guide to Edible Plants in North America. Marking the location and State where I found each one.

russell_pta
01-14-2010, 04:50 PM
+1 on the forager's harvest. that's where i got started.

Chris
01-16-2010, 10:56 AM
wild edible is my specicalty!! no jokes here people. cut me some slack. i really am good at wild edibles. send me a PM if you want more info
You should add what you know to wildcrafting.net