10 Things I WISH I KNEW When Starting To Forage Wild Edibles & Medicinal Plants
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- In this video we count down the ten things I wish I knew when starting to forage wild edibles and medicinal plants. I've been foraging for a little over ten years now and when I first started there are a lot of things I wish I knew. Foraging wild edibles and medicinal plants is a skill and like all skills, it comes with things we should all know, but knowing them takes time. Hopefully this video gives some things to learn and gets you to foraging success much faster than learning on your own. Things like making tincture, knowing that mistakes are part of learning, and how to read the environment the plants grow in are all important aspects of foraging for food and medicine from the wild. Obviously there are things like knowing how to identify a plant, how to identify poisonous plants, but what we talk about today are the lesser known aspects of foraging that I feel, would have helped me get to finding and using plants much faster.
I thank you all for watching this video I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you learned something. If you want to learn more about wild edibles and medicinal plants make sure to subscribe!
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My parents both grew up rather poor in villages in India. They all technically grew up foraging but because of the climate there things like papaya, mango, passion fruit, lemons, bananas, jackfruit, coconut, and other things you would have to go to the store for here in the states *were* what they found in their backyards. Like, there's always an abundance of fresh fruit and you could be sitting in a park and go pick a wild coconut or mango on impulse.
Very true, but only in certain states, not all states have those fruits just growing. The state I live in most of those fruits need to be bought as well.
My grandma talks fondly about climbing mango trees in her hometown of LaPaz, Bolivia. It's one of my dreams to bring this experience to the U.S. as well. There's no reason that we can't replace our lawns with gardens and fruit trees!
growing up i was homeschooled for a while. and during that time my "biology class" was foraging plants near where i lived in missouri. there's so many plants to eat
Yes I'm here 3 years later! 😂 I'm just 13 but I really find foraging for food very interesting!! And I'm always up to try me food, tea and other recipes!! This was very helpful! Thanks!
Me too! I'm a bit older but i've become really interested in this lately, during the pandemic! I suggest looking at lawn weeds and figuring out edible ones!
@@KeruuKat alright cool! Thanks :)
one thing i'd add with tinctures is only some plants medicinal compounds are alcohol soluble, some plants have water or oil soluble medicinal compounds. some require water changes or acidification or alkalization or heat to extract. you only get the benefit of the plant if you are using the proper extraction method for the medicinal compounds you are trying to extract. tea isn't a good way to get vitamin c for example because vitamin c isn't heat stable. also how you plan on using it, internally, as a compress or salve, etc. and how stable the extracted compounds are.
Absolutely! Thanks for bringing that up!
Thanx man going on my first week hike and am gratful for your information. Dont know why this stuff aint mandatory in school🤟
This is an older video; thank you for making it! I'm in the northeast and have been learning my land for a few years. I can't believe just this year I've identified 3 plants I've been searching for! I accidentally introduced my favorite, purslane; and I'm doing my best to cultivate it as fast as I can get it to grow! Hopefully next year there will be enough to actually eat some as a meal! Thanks man.
Man I love this! I'm a super rookie lol so videos like this are helpful and motivating
That's awesome to hear Liquid Swords and means a lot this video is motivating for you! Thanks for commenting!
Yes, me too! This is a helpful video.
Empowering info is fantastic
So thankful for this video! I haven't even started foraging yet but after watching Rob Greenfield I've been very inspired to start growing and foraging my own food so I'm trying to get all the knowledge I can!
Beloved, a couple weeks ago. I saw a plant growing wild in my garden. It was not one of the 10 that i research. I cooked it separately and ate a bit. I waited a few hours and then ate some more. I have no idea what it was. It looks like spinach, it was delicious and the way i see it. i am no less likely to make myself ill than when i go into a supermarket.
Wow, I didn't know dandelions can thin the blood. Thank you for this info. Cool video🙂👍
Very informative video. I have an allotment (vegetable garden) in Scotland which is located on a small island in the middle of a river. Right next to the allotments is a wood with plenty of wild edibles - masses of wild garlic, nettles, sorrel to name just several. Combined with what I grow organically its far better than the crap available commercially.
Absolutely is! It's a blessing to have such good things available! Thanks for commenting John!
You always teach me something new. Thank you for these wonderful videos!
That was berry helpful thankyou 🤗🙋🙋
Thank you very much. The points you cover are wonderfully presented.
Thank you Cathy, I'm glad you think so! Thanks for commenting!
As usual, just awesome video josh, always satisfied to see your videos come up, great job brother
Always good to see you in the comments too Ron, thank you!
Two years ago my neighbor ( who fancied himself quite a forager) told me he'd found ramps in the area around our homes . Well , he ate false helebore and died three times in the ER .
He survived .
Don't eat it unless you are shure you really know what it is .
Very knowledgeable and insightful! Love your station.
Thank you!
This video is great. Thanks for this information as I continue my wild harvesting journey.
You're very welcome!
This is an AMAZING video, Josh, one which I am certain many people will find extremely helpful. I know I did! Thank you so much for putting this together!
You're very welcome Erica, Im glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for commenting!
I cannot wait to get out there this spring! (the cold bothers me here in the north, so I wait). Such great info, thanks!
The cold bothers me too, ironically not for the temperature, but just for the fact that plants don't grow so well in it, lol. Thanks for commenting Helcat!
Hard to hear this one but thanks for the info. Being a beginner, Im using tons of sources to be safe, you are one.
Great video with lots of good insight for beginners. Thank you
Oh my goodness! I just love your sense of humor! You said magic wands and unicorn farts and did it deadpan, working it beautifully into the sentence making it flow.
I agree with your list of ten. Those are the list of things I wish I knew as well when I began chewing on my lawn. (I also wish I lived by a forest but those aren't as plentiful in Kansas 😁)
Thank you jesi, I love deadpan humor and been trying to find ways to add that to my videos more frequently. I'd love to visit Kansas sometime and see the wagon ruts from the Santa Fe Trail. Thanks for commenting, it's always a pleasure to see you in the comments!
Trillium: Wild Edibles
If my house was big enough, I'd invite you over to see the Santa fe trail (although if never seen it myself-knowingly) and take you to my favorite foraging places. Evening primrose, St. John's Wort, prickly pear, all kinds of odd goodies.
My "herb" gardens and yard are the bane of my neighbor's existence! The goose foot is a little over waist high already (bwahahaha! ) and the violet leaves are bigger than my palm.
J.
Best informational TH-cam video I have seen, very well put together. I was in a trance with all of the information I was receiving.
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it and learned something! Thanks for commenting Lainth David Martinez!
Great video! Thank you
Thank you for making this video. 🌱
You're welcome Sher Jack and thanks for commenting!
Best info ever.
Thank you Kim!
Just love your word on LEARNING from mistakes.
Thank you Melody! Mistakes are unavoidable, but they are necessary to learn. Thanks for commenting!
Eccellent work as always.
Thanks PiccoloMichela!
Excellent video, Josh... Your videos are very informative and some of the best out there! 👍
Great video :) thank you :)
I'm glad I found your channel!
Thanks, I'm glad you're here Paulette!
Thank you for all this info. I learn so much from your video.🥰😍🤗👍
Thanks 😊
Love your videos!
very knowledgeable, thank you sir!
You're welcome and thank you for commenting Tori!
Excellent video !!!
Thank you!
Amazing video bro. This one is so helpful. I've only been foraging for 1 year now, this year will be my second year. In 9 years from now I hope to be half as knowledgeable as you on the subject. Thanks to your amazing teaching abilities I am learning fast. Hahahaha, "unicorn farts," that was a good one! The best medicine I've harvested for curing cancer is chaga mushrooms. There are lots of them in my area. Thanks for this video bro, it's very helpful.
Thank you Daniel I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm sure you'll be as knowledgeable or more so in that time as I'm sure you're studying more than I did at that time. A lot of the stuff in this video came from my first few years of learning because they were things I didn't know then, but learned some a couple years later.
I don't get chaga down here because I'm too far south for it and the birches they seem to like. Oh well. I appreciate your comments man!
Great video i totally agree
Ive been foraging plants for a long time and learning about mushrooms for 10 years
Get to know what growing around you
Practice with weeds in the yard
Tinctures! 😍 Great video!
OH! Just what I needed. It is my first year exploring this, so thank you!!
You're welcome and thank you for commenting Dena!
Have developed such a deep appreciation for hearty "weeds"..... "life finds a way"
Great info, thanks so much! I am in the process of getting field guides for my area. I can’t wait!!
You're welcome Elise! Field guides are great to have and an invaluable resource for foragers. I too am excited for spring! Thanks for commenting.
Great video!! Thank you !!
GreatMaterials ..Thanks for SharingThis..
You're very welcome and I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting CampSerenity!
Great to see your videos again. You are amazing.
Great to see you again Don, and thank you!
Excellent information.
Glad you liked it Larry, thanks for commenting!
Great tips as always 👌
This is a interesting and a informative video. Thanks for posting.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, thanks for commenting RONS BEERS & TOOLS!
Great information especially the end theres no cure all
I love trying to teach people what they have in their lawns but yes you cannot just go out and eat everything
Self diagnosis is a dangerous tool
I worry about teaching people these things but its something we all should learn more about but your right it can be very dangerous
Ive been learning about mushrooms for ten years now and theres still so many things to learn and im learning so much more to plants which i have Studdied my whole life
Great video
This is so helpful!!!! And I love how inclusive you are 💜
You're very welcome, I'm glad it was helpful for you!
Very nice video! I recently learned how much edible and medicinal plants there are here in the desert.
Oh yeah, every place has a lot of plants to use and it's good info to know. Thanks for commenting Jason!
Which state are you in Jason?
Arizona
Jason McDaniel , I'm in Texas.
Was that Irish music I heard? Loved the info. Wonderful. ... from an Irish slash Cherokee
Hard to hear the video but still a great video and very helpful.
Apologies for the low volume but I'm glad you still enjoyed the video!
Awesome video my brother!!! Thank you for all the information it is so helpful to have videos like this for beginners on Foraging
You're welcome Vinnie and I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting!
Great video Josh!
Thank you Brenda I'm glad you liked it!
Wow! That was a totally different look at wild plant videos. You did a fantastic job, keep up the good work. C. Jeff Dyrek, Disabled Vet
Thank you Jeffrey, and thank you for your service! Great to have you here!
Please, please address Stewardship and protected plants in each video! Most states have websites that list plants that are endangered. If we aren't careful plants on these lists will become extinct. Otherwise your videos are awesome. I recognized the majority of the plants but I'm sure it would be helpful to the novice if you could print the names of each one on the video as you show it. Keep up the wonderful videos.
Most of the plants I cover are not in danger of over harvesting, part of the reason I cover the plants I do is to try to prevent that. I sometimes do put the names of the plants in the videos but not always as it can be very time consuming while editing. A while ago I did a couple videos on responsible foraging, and plan to cover more of that in the future too. Thank you for the feedback Dee, it's always appreciated!
Good information. Glad to see another job well done. The beginning of the video has a low sound problem. I know microphone are expensive. But it might be a good investment. But otherwise, well done.
Thanku
You're welcome and thank you for commenting! Good to see you in the comments again!
Oh hey I know that song. I love it
thanks for the video!
You're welcome Michael, thanks for commenting!
Just subscribed, great video
Actually Josh the pollen of the plants you are allergic to makes excellent antiallergy medications. I got this from a clinical herbologist.
nice job
Thank you Chris!
Yeah after rain showers Chives regrows pretty quickly. Very interested if the same could be said for Lettuce. That said I also learned that I probably underwater some plants. xD
For the most part yeah, most things grow well after a rain unless it rains too much and there isn't enough drainage. I struggled with under watering plants in my garden, then it was overwatering. Finally it all came together after some practice, lol! Thanks for commenting Kenneth!
Hey, I love your video.You talk in point 4 about toxic areas. Do you have any advise how to recognise/know if there is a toxic area?
Sometimes it can be tricky but some basic rules to follow would be:
1: edges of crop fields can be dangerous due to pesticides and herbicides depending upon what is used and how frequently it's applied so avoid those as much as possible unless you know what's used etc.
2: areas with a lot of trash, especially old dumps are probably not safe because it's hard to tell what is in the soil.
3: heavily polluted waterways should also be avoided. For example, like next to sewage plants, industrial plants, etc. the soil and water will be disgusting and have harmful chemicals.
4: septic tank runoff and drainage areas are also potential problems due to harmful bacteria that can remain on the plants.
5: well manicured lawns and parks are also places to avoid as lots of fertilizer and other potentially harmful chemicals are generally used in landscaping.
Those are the main things to keep in mind when foraging to avoid potential contamination from harmful chemicals, heavy metals, dangerous bacteria, etc. Hope this helps some and thanks for asking Schilky!
Thank you 🙏....New subscriber!... very informative! ..,Happy New Year !🎆🎊🎈...Blessings and Love ❤️ 🌺💚🧡💜
You are so right. What is that plant at 12:13?
Great video dude, I just found your channel and look forward to learning from your content. I appreciate your work and effort, thank you.
You're very welcome Jerad, I'm glad you're enjoying the videos and learning! Thanks for commenting!
Great info
Thank you Teja!
Try headphones people... the sound is perfect that wsy . its a great video. 🙂
Thanks. I'm viewing them now. Just was confused when saw you holding plants, thought they were the ones speaking on, until notice differently. Wonderful info on each video however. Thx.
No problem, I can understand why you were confused.
Thanks for sharing,
You're welcome and thank you for commenting jackeekp!
Very interesting and informative!!!
Thank you I'm glad you enjoyed it Belle!
Dames rocket rosettes, garlic mustard & wild onions can he gathered here in WI throughout the entirety of Winter
What do you do with dames rocket? Most books I have say they are toxic.
How do you know if there’s contaminants or heavy metals where you are gathering? How do you know if it’s safe to gather there? (Point 4 @ 11:11)
This is a tricky question but I'll try to answer the best I can.
I find that looking up the history of the area to be helpful, and by history I mean basically the past 100 years or so. This can help determine if the land was used for something like an old dumping ground or even an old factory. However it's very tedious to do this and it doesn't always lead to a solid answer.
Another thing I do, if possible is ask the caretaker of the land, whether that be the city, a nature trust, or municipality like the county. They usually have great information about the land usage over the years.
Lastly you might be able to get a soil sample done to check for contamination but that is tricky if the land is public land and might be illegal to do without permission. A local agricultural extension or university might be able to help you with that.
I really wish you would make a book.
I like videos like theses but here in Canada in winter we could be under a lot of snow! I think you could say where you live as we are a global village not everone has the same climate!
Wow, brother….your info is AMAZING🙌🏼❤️ but that hair….you must have just gotten rained on..🤔
I DON’T KNOW WHAT AREA YOU ARE FAMILIAR with the plants or if your knowledge is broaden by travel over a large variety of terrain but if you know the answer or if you are able, I would really like to see you cover information on two plants. One I need a refresher course is lemonade summac ( don’t know if It’s spelled correctly ), and the other is a plant that one could see in the winter in north GA., TN, AL and most likely it could probably be found in the Carolinas also. This plant grew low to the ground, was evergreen in that its leaves are stiff like Hoyas. The leaves are variegated and the lighter color reminds me of a silver color. My Grandmother said she thought it was wintergreen but I never detected any smell. I never saw any flowers but that does not mean there were none. The plant seemed to spread by runners or again like the Hoyas. I’ve never been able to find information on that plant. The leaves are moderately narrow with two ‘toes” that separate slightly from the center and I do believe they were toothed. Wish I could draw you a picture. LOL Never seen it up here. Thanks. Your channel is important. I hope people watch and learn.😊👍💕 Much wisdom here on your channel.
My knowledge of plants is relative to mainly eastern woodlands of the U.S., but there are plenty of plants I cover that grow in a large portion of the U.S.
I plan on doing sumac lemonade this year when the fruit becomes available, usually Sept - Oct in my neck of the woods.
I'm not sure what plant you are referring to in the last part of your comment, unfortunately. So I can't say, though I wish I could.
Thank you so much for enjoying the channel Susan, it means a lot!
Great information ty for the video!
You need to write a book! I would buy it 😊
I've been working on one for a bit now, don't know when it'll be done however. Thanks for commenting!
@@TrilliumWildEdibles if you need help getting it ready for publishing let me...i copyproof/edit for a living
Awesome, I'll keep that in mind, thank you!
Just found your channel really enjoy in and you have a great sense of humor too... Unicorn Farts! 😂😂😂😂😂
Thank you Patricia, I'm glad you're enjoying it and got some chuckles out this video! Thanks for commenting!
Thank you Patricia, I'm glad you're enjoying it and got some chuckles out this video! Thanks for commenting!
What is the plant at 2:38!? I took a walk about and found one in my neighbor's yard, had it in my pocket when I turned on this video. Love your videos but the way.
Can you please tell me what plant that was at 8:10. Also, what do you call that bag you were using to make tea? Thanks.
The plant at the time code you mention is called Garlic Mustard, then at around 8:12 in the video it shows Curly Dock. The sacks I use for tea are just called Steep Sacks. I purchase them from my local grocery store, easily found at Kroger and Wal-Mart for like $3 a box, and a box contains about 100 sacks. Hope this helps and thanks for asking gcxred4kat9!
I would love to make tinctures as well, but don't want to use alcohol
Glycerin can be used, however I can not give much info on that as I've never done that before. I'm sure you can look it up though. Is there a specific reason why you don't want to use alcohol? I might be able to help, though I might not. Thank you for commenting Abby!
Its a biblical thing...my preference 😉
I don't have any experience with glycerine, but I know alcoholic tinctures have an extremely long shelf life, they practically never go bad if stored right. Unless you are a recovered alcoholic you don't use a lot of alcohol with a dropper.
Abby Boehm ..You could make herbal vinegars. That extracts the health benefits as well.
Abby Boehm Do you take cough syrup.
I live in Ala. Do you know of any plant or plants that can.help with pain in a natural way. Thankyou.
Wild lettuce is pretty popular for that but this time of year it's all died back, at least in my state. You might be able to find some there in Alabama but I can't say for sure. There's some great videos on using wild lettuce for pain on TH-cam if you search.
Some other options are Yarrow and/or plantain, not the plantain in the grocery store though, I'm talking about Plantago major/ Plantago lanceolota. These can be used topically in balms or salves or even poultice or tinctures. Some other options for mild pain/inflammation are several varieties of mint, like bee balm or even peppermint.
Hi do u know how I can find a plant identifying class near me? Cumming ga.
Which book do you think that I should get
Do you recommend a book for edibles in France? I am an American but would like a good book. I am a beginner
Audio not loud enough
Would be a great video I'm sure if it was louder
You mentioned that a lot of the books repeated each other, what books did you wish you had when you first started foraging?
hugh jasole that is a good question.
That is a good question. I'll try to get that done in a video soon because it would take a lot to type out. Plus it'll make a good video. Thanks for asking such a good question hugh jasole!
Trillium: Wild Edibles I'll be looking forward to it , thank you.
Lovely video, but wish you had just put the name in latin up beside many of the plants that were shown. I live in the far S.W. of France Just near the Pyrénées and the Atlantic. It is very wet and this year it has hardly stopped raining to the point of being unable to put the animals out in the fields. I come from the far N. W. Highlands of Scotland. So it is quite a change apart from the rain :)
I am being demented at not knowing what yellow flowers are growing on the banks of the small road. They sort of ring a bell from Scotland, and I am quite sure they may be edible, certainly medicinal. For all the world they look like a low growing comfrey. They have soft furry leaves and a stalk that is a little more prickly. Then the most beautiful bright not too pale yellow flowers that hang down. A great bee attraction. I have not a clue how to put a phooto on you tube, and use my age as an excuse. (Still not succumbed to a mobile phone :)
Is there anyway you might have this in America? It is in full flower now. Does anyone have an idea? They are not woodland plants. I would love to hear from anyone.
P.S. I am a plant eater, 80% wild. Just hate the word raw 'vegan' Thanks again I am going to subscribe. Fran.
I didn't add Latin names to this video as the plants shown are not the main focus here, but have discussed Latin names in several other videos before.
Unfortunately I can't tell what plant you may be talking about, but if you want you can try to send an email to me, and I can try my best to I.D. it for you. My email is on the about page of my channel. Though I'm sure someone will come along and help you out if they can. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Fran, I'm no expert, but there are comfrey plants with yellow flowers and they do hang like little bells. But, I wouldn't use it without confirmation. I live in Texas so I'm a lot more familiar with this part of the world. I'm a plant eater too and love to eat my weeds. My favorite great aunt in Nova Scotia was named Fran and she loved foraging. We had to drag her out of the blueberries at dusk. Ha wishing you all the best
what is the flower in the thumbnail, the yellow flower?
It is the Yellow Coneflower, or Ratibida pinnata. Hope this helps and thanks for asking Helcat!
@@TrilliumWildEdibles what is its purpose?
Awesome. New sub. Rock on.
Glad you liked it Jennifer, thanks for commenting and subbing!
❤️❤️🙏🙏
Hello
What up little cousin?
Did you name your channel after the girl from “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”??
No I've never seen it. I named my channel after Sessile Trillium, my favorite plant and the one in my profile pic.
@@TrilliumWildEdibles Dude! Thanks for responding. 😁
I’ll have to look that one up. Why is it your favorite?
It's a small plant that takes a long time to flower, up to 10 years! It's slow growing and develops a large but rather easily destroyed root system so it's very delicate. When you see it you'll usually find hundreds if not thousands of them if you're in a good spot. It also is very beautiful to me but is beneficial for native pollinators. One of the varieties has reddish maroon flowers and red is my favorite color so that's always nice!