26 April 2017

Foraging (I'm Hooked)

Last Friday, I ate my first dandelion flower. I didn't know the flowers were edible or sweet. Before this, I've only had store-bought dandelion tea but stopped buying it due to the inflated price tag.

They can suck it, I'll make my own.

Guess what else? In the woods behind our trailer I found wild garlic, wild onions and garlic mustard. All edibles. Today, I spent two hours in the woods and it felt like 20 minutes. I'm hooked.

PS: Here's Bug. Taken today.

56 comments:

  1. Bugs is a darling. I've had a few things made with danedlion flowers. One was jelly and had honey taste to it.
    Coffee is on

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I LOVE the idea of making a fruit spread sorta thing. Thanks for the idea. Right now I'm digging on strawberries and dandelion dairy-free ice cream, but I will try my hand and some sorta jam. Thanks.

      Delete
  2. Super cute doggie. Fun foraging!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Foraging is catching on everywhere now, HW. Happy gathering!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No idea it was trending. But then, I didn't know the flower part of the dandelion could be eaten, either. Learning all kinds of new stuff.

      I tell ya, I got tired of spending the money on store-bought dandelion root tea. No thanks!

      Delete
  4. That is really cool. Fresh stuff right near your home. And bug is adorable! Look at that sweet face.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In my backyard, so fun. I took a bunch of black and whites whilst in the woods and some colour. How fun are cameras????

      Will you go exploring your area?

      Delete
  5. I have never eat dandelions, but I know that they are edible. Foraging is a good thing. As a kid we would pick berries, plums, nuts in the woods every summer. Bug is a cute dog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very cool that you picked all that. I loved the berries as a kid. Tim had wild grapes. All sounds fun.

      Delete
  6. What a cute love Bug he is...and I hope you have many more happy hours in the woods!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She says, "Thanks!"

      How's Jacob today?

      Delete
    2. He says, "Meow" and happy weekend to you!

      Delete
  7. Of course you know to make sure that the area hasn't been treated with pesticides.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Way to go Ivy, foraging is great. Just be sure you don't pick any mushrooms that aren't.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I won't pick the poison ones. Great fun to research what is safe and what is not.

      Delete
  9. Oh my! You'll be ranging far and wide now, I'm sure!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a sweet photo of Bug !

    cheers, parsnip and thehamish

    ReplyDelete
  11. I had no idea you can eat dandelions. I have to admit I won't be rushing out to try one anytime soon. Knowing my luck I try one that a dog has peed on.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a cute dog :)

    Foraging is good if you're able to do it but do be careful with fungi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She says, "Thanks!"

      I sure will be careful. Thanks for dropping by and boogie boogie.

      Delete
  13. Bug is super cute. But you know that.
    You can make dandelion wine too.
    Pansies are also edible. Happy foraging.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've heard about the wine. I've not researched pansies yet. I'll give it a google. Thanks.

      Delete
  14. Bug looks peaceful on his porch. I'm not game to go foraging, my suburb is close to the city to thing are contaminated by exhaust fumes, cats and dogs etc, plus I couldn't tell which things are edible and which aren't.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She's says, "Thanks!"

      Oh, close to city and contamination. Ack. I tell you, it always amazes me when people jog on busy roads.

      Delete
  15. such a metaphysical photo of Bug! My cats are currently shedding hair and look like they have leprosy :)
    Woods are such cornucopia of wonder and delight! I used dandelion milk to remove a small wart from my finger once.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very cool that it helped your small wart. How cool is that?

      Sorry your cats are shedding so much. How many cats do you have?

      Delete
    2. they always shed at the turn of spring. Theoretically just one, Ignatius, but two of his illegitimate black daughters have decided to spend more time with him than with their mother, so they're almost always with us as well, Simonida and Snezhana (SnowWhite in Serbian).

      Delete
    3. Snow White in Serbian. Very, very cool.

      Delete
    4. Hofeherke in Hungarian :) I call her Snezhana because she's all black :)

      Delete
  16. That is so cool. And what Dez said? Cool too! The photo of Bug is adorable. She needs scratchies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She said, "Thanks!"

      Yes, very cool about the small wart.

      Delete
  17. When I was a kid we occasionally ate dandelion greens. I found them bitter but I've read that if you pick the very new ones they don't have that bitterness. I've never tried a dandelion flower! I'd be afraid of pesticides here in town. We don't use them but the neighbours do. Good luck with the foraging! Bugs is as cute as a bug in a rug :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Jenny. It blows my mind how the tastes vary depending on the age/size of the leaves/flower/root. Understandable about pesticides.

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  18. I wonder how the flowers taste. I think they're nice looking and the wind blown seeds are great. They're supposed to be weeds so people spend money to poison them. If they were hard to grow I bet they'd try to grow them instead of kill them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You make an excellent point, John. I bet you're spot on with that.

      For me, the taste is sweet and different flower heads taste different.

      Delete
  19. Bug is adorable and what a cute name. I lived in West Virginia for a year and the woods were right behind my house. I loved going walking around trying to find things. It's so cool that you found all those wild edibles out there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most excellent, Mary. What did you enjoy seeing the most?

      Yes, I agree, it's fun to learn these things. Each day, I find something new.

      Thanks, her name fits her.

      Delete
  20. Oh garlic! How wonderful to find it in your woods! I'm seeing loads of possibilities here!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Lambs Quarter is wild and is better than spinach if you pick the young leaves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ohhh, I will have to lookup Lambs Quarter. Thanks for the tip.

      Delete
  22. How cool to be able to forage for food, in September we have been able to forage for chantrelles if we get enough rain. We live in Oregon half the year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've not heard of chantrelles yet. I'm still a newb but I will for sure research them. Thanks for sharing.

      Delete
  23. OMG, that photo! And so cool about foraging for your own food, that's incredible.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Such a super photograph of Bug ...

    Foraging can be so much fun, glad you are enjoying it.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete