First foraging experience and is a course worthwhile?

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First foraging experience and is a course worthwhile?

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laloopi

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 2

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 11 9:32 pm Post subject: First foraging experience and is a course worthwhile?

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, and new to foraging (but not to downsizing) and I took a walk with my family today after receiving my copy of the Food for Free book. I was amazed how much there seemed to be... blackberries, apples, rowan berries (are they ripe yet?), hawthornes, acorns, cow parsley and so on. There's probably lots of stuff that I can't identify yet. We didn't collect a lot as I wasn't prepared for how much we would find.

Anyway, wanted to share with you, but I was wondering if it's worth paying for a course or is it better to go by experience and books? I'd like to venture into fungi later in the year, so will be extra careful then!

boisdevie1

Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 3897
Location: Lancaster

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 11 4:16 am Post subject:
Surely books and the wonderful people here on Downsizer will be a lot cheaper?

Went

Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 11 6:46 am Post subject:
Hello and welcome from Asturias - a course would be good, many of the books have poor pictures and someone with experience would help give you tips and indicators that you will not find in a book. There are a couple of people on here who run courses - whereabouts are you?

SmattyB

Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 127
Location: Just landed in Aarhus, Denmark.

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 11 6:52 am Post subject:

Hi,

I felt the same, especially about collecting mushrooms, I went on a couple of residential weekends with Field Studies Council.

https://www.field-studies-council.org/2011/courseinfo.aspx?id=386

I found them really helpful and John Hughes is an incredibly knowledgeable guy. I thought it was really good value for a full weekend including food and board as well.

By the very nature of the course, you tend to meet some really nice like-minded people too, bonus

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15966

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 11 8:54 am Post subject:

If you are fairly good at identifiying plants, then you don't really need a course. You can learn a lot about plants from ID books, and adding that to the Food for Free, and similar books, you should be all right on them. Fungi are a thing I have a lot of trouble with, so there are very few that I will forage.

Basically, don't eat anything unless you are absolutely sure you have a correct ID and make sure you prepare them as stated in a reputable book, as some things like acorns need a lot of processing before being safe to eat.

Katieowl

Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 4317
Location: West Wales

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 11 10:02 am Post subject:
I know a lot of plants on sight and I still found a course helpful. Did one here in one of the local centres, a two hour guided walk, cost about a tenner - well worth it. If you are using the food for free book, let it not be the pocket edition. The photos are WAY TOO small to make a positive ID on anything Kate

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 11 10:08 am Post subject:

Katieowl wrote:

If you are using the food for free book, let it not be the pocket edition. The photos are WAY TOO small to make a positive ID on anything

I'd just added that to my Amazon wish list. It has now been removed.

laloopi

Joined: 22 Jul 2011
Posts: 2

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 11 11:30 am Post subject:

Thanks for all the replies. I'm based on Coventry, so if anyone knows of a local course then I'd love to hear of it. I'm getting involved in the local Transition group, and there is a vague plan to organise a walk sometime.

I do have the Collins Gem book, but am looking for another book (hadn't realised when I ordered it that it wasn't the book everyone talks about).

Would you recommend the bigger Food for Free book, or is there a better book I should look for? I like the look of the River Cottage ones as well.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 11 11:33 am Post subject:
You mentioned Cow parsely: DO be careful: there are lots of plants that look similar to it and some are poisonous.

Katieowl

Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 4317
Location: West Wales

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 11 11:45 am Post subject:

laloopi wrote:

I had a copy of food for free years ago and it disappeared, the kids bought me the small one, pretty useless IMHO. I've several others, most of which are probably out of print now. Whatever it is has to have a good clear photo, or a good detailed botanical drawing, which gives an idea of scale. I have one wild flower book where all the pictures, show the flowers as the same size...so pretty poor to judge that X actually has tiny, tiny flowers and the plant Y has ones like saucers!

I've not personally seen the RC one, but their guides are normally pretty good.

Kate

sgt.colon

Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 11 11:48 am Post subject:
I've got the RC one and it's rather good. Just not pocket size though. If you take a back pack with you then all should be well.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15966

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 11 8:00 am Post subject:
For flower ID I use Keeble Martin and Rose's Wild Flower Key. I prefer Keeble Martin myself, but then I have got used to this one. The drawings are better than Rose imo. Keeble Martin is quite a big book, but Rose is large pocket size. You would need a rucksack for both of them.

Ipso-phyto

Joined: 28 Jul 2011
Posts: 28

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 11 12:04 pm Post subject: forqaging courses are the way forward
Hi As previously mentioined, there are a few people on this forum who host 'courses'. I dont know if this is poor form blowing my own trumpet(no-one else will do it! ) but i can steer you to my website, where some information about foraging courses is available, including my guided wild food and medicine walks in oxfordshire and other parts of southern england... ipso-phyto

marigold

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 11 12:13 pm Post subject:
Judy of the Woods created a print it yourself field guide that she mentioned on here years ago - did anyone buy it? I didn't 'cos I learnt at my Dad's knee the things I'm likely to forage and I've got various other books including FFF. https://www.judyofthewoods.net/forage_uk.html

gythagirl

Joined: 18 Feb 2010
Posts: 1467
Location: Somerset

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 11 9:18 pm Post subject:
"Into the Wild" springs to mind - a wonderful but cautionary film...

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