Learning wild plants

[rwc1969]

I've been hunting, camping and fishing all my life. I started hunting wild mushrooms 3 years back and now want to learn the wild edible and poisonous plants.

Any suggestions on how to go about doing this without getting poisoned?

I ordered:

Euell Gibbons "Stalking the wild asparagus"

Samuel Thayer's "The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants"

Peterson field guides "A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America"

Are these good books? any typos? Are there any other resources you know of to help with ID? Online? etc, etc,?

Are there any local members or organizations to go out on a hunt with? I'm in southeast Michigan. Thanks!

[mountainboy]

wounder if theres ant edable mushrooms around here {northeast al} i know theres the kind hippys take that grow in cow pattyes .so ive ben told .how many of yall ever eatin polksalit.real good .

[Rick]

You may want to look at the "official" book thread. It's a sticky:

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ead.php?t=5483

I have the Peterson Guide and rely on it quite a bit. I think it's an excellent book. Realize that you need to learn a plant through it's four seasons. So find something that you can easily identify, cattail for example, mark it and return to it often so you can see the transformations it goes through.

One of the things we've discussed is the need to draw plants. You don't have to be an artist and the final product really isn't important. But drawing the plant (or in my case trying to draw it) forces you to focus on nuances of the plant. You'll start to see the hairy leaves on the underside or the way the thorns reduce in size as you move up the plant or whatever is unique to that given plant. Taking a photograph lets you spend a few minutes with a plant but drawing it allows you to really become intimate with it and learn it in a way that you probably will not be able to otherwise.

And remember that learning plants is a life long adventure. It takes a very long time to learn many plants but the rewards are pretty amazing. I now have "weeds" (purslane and dandelion) growing in my garden along side my "vegetables" (tomatoes and beans).

[Rick]

Mountainboy - Of course there are edible mushrooms in NE Alabama. Fungi are prevalent throughout the world. And be cautious about eating Polkweed. While it is a very good vegetable, it is also quite poisonous and must be properly cooked to reduce the toxins.

[rwc1969]

I'll check out the link Rick, Thanks! I'm hoping to learn a few basic and good edible plants along with the more poisonous ones in my area and then move on to others.

There are quite a few poisonous mushrooms, some look very similar to edible ones. It sounds as though the same applies to plants. Hopefully I can apply the same ID principles I've learned with shrooms to plants.

I've been tempted to try poke, nettle, staghorn sumac and garlic mustard, but haven't as of yet.

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

i have several videos on gathering and identifying wild plants. click onto the link in my signature to see all of my food gathering suggestions.

[rwc1969]

I've checked out your videos, Nice! I looked at the link you posted, but didn't see any tips on food gathering.

[NightShade]

Peterson field guides are good... But I have a variety of different field guides that i use and cross referenced everything to be sure i had a positive i.d. when i was learning... I would reccomend Tom Brown Jr's book... won't help you identify plants so much as learn about them...and always a good idea to get a book on local edibles in your area!... Good luck!

[crashdive123]

Hey there NightShade - how about foraging on over to the Introduction Section and tell us a bit about yourself. Thanks. http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...splay.php?f=14

[Nativedude]

Here are the links to info I posted on the forum about Medicinal Plants (some are also edible):

Medicinal Plants 1

Medicinal Plants 2

Medicinal Plants 3

Hope it helps!

[LudwigVan]

I have the peterson guide as well and like it, I have been wanting to check out Stalking the Wild Asparagus.

My only reccomendatiton is to start with the really easy plants and work your way up to the ones that are a bit thougher to ID. Cattails, dandeloin, Kudzu are very common here among others.

[oldsoldier]

[QUOTE=LudwigVan;137722]I have the peterson guide as well and like it, I have been wanting to check out Stalking the Wild Asparagus.

I have the petersons guides for both edible as well as medicinal wild plants. Both ar great. Theyhave excellent color pictures as well as good descriptions. The audabon society also puts out a good series of similar books I've got the mushroom one it was a gift Doubt I'll use that one as there are so many look alikes that are poisonous that Outside of morels I leave them alone. Anyone coming to jamboree want the mushroom book?? I also have a copy of stalking the wild asparagus it's a pretty good book but i think the "field guides are better and more compact and easier to carry.

[oldsoldier]

wounder if theres ant edable mushrooms around here {northeast al} i know theres the kind hippys take that grow in cow pattyes .so ive ben told .how many of yall ever eatin polksalit.real good .

lots of mushrooms in alabama. BUT BE CAREFUL If you don't definately know what your doing leave them alone!!! Lots of plants will make you sick if you eat the wrong ones. Eat the wrong mushrooms and you can DIE. Outside of morels you can't be sure unless your experienced in gathering them

[LudwigVan]

I think you even have to be carefull of morels, if i'm not mistaken there's a lookalike that looks exactly the same but has a different pattern on the head part.

I have been wanting to try a Sulfer shelf mushroom ("chicken of the woods"), does anybody know of any lookalikes to it? Petersons faild guide didn't say.

[oldsoldier]

[QUOTE=LudwigVan;137811]I think you even have to be carefull of morels, if i'm not mistaken there's a lookalike that looks exactly the same but has a different pattern on the head part.

yes there is a difference BUT the difference is very easy to spot, once you've seen a morel you'll never mistake anything else for them

[lanahi]

I've been hunting, camping and fishing all my life. I started hunting wild mushrooms 3 years back and now want to learn the wild edible and poisonous plants.

Any suggestions on how to go about doing this without getting poisoned?

I ordered:

Euell Gibbons "Stalking the wild asparagus"

Samuel Thayer's "The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants"

Peterson field guides "A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America"

Are these good books? any typos? Are there any other resources you know of to help with ID? Online? etc, etc,?

Are there any local members or organizations to go out on a hunt with? I'm in southeast Michigan. Thanks!

"Any suggestions on how to go about doing this without getting poisoned?" Simple: You make a positive ID of the plant you think is edible before you eat it! You can't ever know about all or even the majority of the plants you see, but you can start with the ones you know. Try making something from dandelions, roses, and acorns and go from there.

The books you have are great, but you need one or two that are more local as well. Suggest ordering books from the local library first before you buy them to see which ones are more helpful. Next, go to www.amazon.com and look at the customers reviews of wild plant books: that tells you more than an editor's description of the book. They have used books there too, but you don't have to actually order from them...it's a great way to learn what others have to say about the book.

[Sarge47]

These may help:

http://www.morelmadness.com/

http://www.morelmania.com/info.html (I've talked to these folks on the phone before.)

http://www.thegreatmorel.com/index.shtml

There's info on other mushrooms as well.

[vthompson]

You can't go wrong with Peterson's Field Guide and study it carefully. To sample wild edibles, start in your own yard. Dandelion leaves, plantain leaves, purslane, daylilly, cattails, just to name a few.

[wareagle69]

let me answer this completly in a new thread i will do in a bit, it will adddress what you are looking for but then i can also voice some of my findings and opinions w/o hijacking your thread, not sure what i will call the thread but you'll know it when ya see it
WE

[WillDeerborn]

My Cockelburs (Burdocks) are up and blossomed (Some of 'em). I was wonderin' if anyone here knew how to prep them to eat...By the way Howdy ya'll.