Thank you for a very useful video. One more tip I can add is, if you have any food allergies, be aware that those allergies can also apply to the wild varieties of those foods. For instance, I am highly allergic to aspirin and have been advised by foraging experts to avoid wild plants such as Meadowsweet as it contains salicylic acid, the active component in aspirin. This is why it is ALWAYS a good idea to learn from an expert! 😃😃👍
Thank you for posting these videos... really helpful and informative. The other day we had our first foraged meal - wild garlic with nettle and rice. It was delicious!
Thanks for that. My book Food for Free will be delivered today. I've been collecting nettle, dandelion, plantain, yarrow and rose so far and taking pictures so I can find the date next year. The diary is a great idea. Won't go near mushrooms as they are too difficult
Great video with tips and advice. I will keep looking at your videos to learn more. I started with "food for tree" but I found that the plant or mushroom description was not detailed enough for me to be able to identify with 100% accuracy. I personally focus on plants and use three different books to learn a plant: 1) "Wildflower of Britain and Ireland" it is a bit dated and some family names have been updated but I find it still provides a good general description of the plant. 2)"The wildflower key" by Francis Rose which provides a detailed description of the flower. 3) "The vegetative key of the British flora" which gives an immaculate description of a plant leaf. This book uses a lot of botanical terminologies and so you may have to look quite a lot in the glossary for the definition of a botanical term, however, I have found it very useful as it is extremely detailed at describing plant leaves even when they are just young shoots. I then download pictures of the plants from Google (I look for the plant with the Latin name to make sure it is the correct one) and create a folder that I name with the plant name. I then move the downloaded pictures in the folder. Like so in my phone gallery I have a lot of different albums each named with a plant. I look at them daily to memorize what the plants I have studied look like, however many pictures are zoomed and so they do not reflect the real dimensions. The best way is to go outside and look for them, however, I found that with this method I have started to spot many plants easy when I go out for a walk. This is just my personal method by the way. I completely agree with you to start little by little, to look for poisons alike, though I think it is worth studying them as well. Keep it up! and I look forward to more videos.
Great thanks for that. I might have to get a copy of the British flora book to learn leaves in more depth. A method that works well apparently (I haven't done it myself) is to collect leaves and dry press them and out them into a note book with notes. So you have a little book to ID from
Thanks for great advice! The knife is a problem though as I could find myself in trouble as you can legally only carry a folding, non locking knife with a blade less than 3 inches.
I went on my first foraging trip last weekend around my local woods. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years. I was specifically looking for violets, but I thought I’d just scope out as much as I could. If I found something of interest, I used the PlantNet app as a baseline to give an estimation of ID. Are these apps okay to give you a rough starting idea ? I followed up with the Colins pocket book and then researched what I thought I had further using videos and the WildfoodUK website. I’d obviously never rely on the app alone - just to use as a starting point. I didn’t pick or taste anything, but I’d like to get to that next step. Still just a little nervous though ! I’m positive I found Wood Sorrel - just need to be 100% that there aren’t any poisonous lookalikes.
Like you say apps can be ok to point you in the right direction and then do further research. I’ve used a few and found them to be about 50% accurate at best. Books, TH-cam and going for walks with experienced foragers is the best way
Watching your videos I've discovered that the UK and mountainous northern California closer to Oregon is practically identical! I just thought that was interesting. Thank you for your videos there great!(:
Thanks 😊. I don’t know much about that area but yes that is interesting. Maybe it’s because a lot of European settlers headed that way and brought the plants with them?
I'm in Willamette Valley, Oregon. I've noticed some of the plants he mentions are similar but different. Mushrooms are very similar. But the American Hawthorn is a tree not a shrub.
Just come across your videos. I've subscribed and will have to work my way through your other vids. Me and my kids want to learn about foraging. My friend recommended me the Collins gem book so aiming to get started with that. Also identifying trees too.
I would love to get into foraging but I know already that I will never be 100% confident and always have some doubts about the plants I find. So I guess it isn't really for me.
How do you find locations to forage? I feel afraid to go to places myself because woods etc have small fences around them. The only other option is public woods where people are always around and look at you weird when you're doing things out of the ordinary lol any tips on finding places that are ok to roam free without alarming people?
Hah yeah I know what you mean. People do give strange looks when you're foraging. I get even stranger looks when I'm foraging and talking to the camera out in the woods 😆. Just remember we've been foraging for millennia, it's only recently we've had to rely on shops for our food (even though there's plenty growing around us). So really us foragers are the normal ones
But generally I go to public woodlands, or look for vacant lots around industrial areas. They are often surprisingly good foraging areas. Also Google maps in satelitte mode has found me a lot of abandoned/unused local areas to forage from
I’m mostly self taught through books and learning in the field, but I’ve been on a few single day courses as each foraging instructor has their own personal knowledge and will always learn something new. I originally got into foraging from long distance hiking and not wanting to carry too much food so started to learn what I could harvest from the wild. Also I don’t like relying on food from shops, if for whatever reason they one day couldn’t supply.
hey, It's complicated when it comes to knives. E.G I live in Salford where someone recently got apprehended for having an inch and a half penknife for skinng apples. so is there anything else i can use to cut? my brother recommended a piece of very thin wire/cheese wire, but it doesn't get through much.
If, and it’s a big ‘if’ -if you’re not a hoody-wearing teen in a small gang - a police officer ask why you’ve got a knife in your pocket, there’s a correct answer and one that will at best cost you the knife, at worst lead to your arrest: good answer, ‘I carry it to cut leaves, flowers when I’m foraging, officer.’ Bad answer: ‘I carry it to protect myself, officer.’ You’ve just given him the reply he needs to confirm that you’re carrying an ‘offensive weapon’ which is an arrestable offence. Hope that helps.
What if they grow like weed? Like there is a place with f ton nettles and brambles! Lot of the berries go to waste as well, coz no one seem to be foraging in this area 🤔😔 I also thought I could get nettles to put next to fences to get rat's away and for peacoke butterflies for my lil butterfly garden. 🤔😅
great video but i have a serious question!!! what if I get caught with a Mora Knife by the police will I get in serious trouble for carrying a fixed knife blade over the legal non locking 3inch blade? can anyone answer this with a straightforward reply!
Subscribe for more videos on wild foods 👇th-cam.com/channels/2ndLw12aLBdFfU7GlkTRNw.html
Thank you for a very useful video. One more tip I can add is, if you have any food allergies, be aware that those allergies can also apply to the wild varieties of those foods. For instance, I am highly allergic to aspirin and have been advised by foraging experts to avoid wild plants such as Meadowsweet as it contains salicylic acid, the active component in aspirin. This is why it is ALWAYS a good idea to learn from an expert! 😃😃👍
Ah yes that’s a good point thanks :)
Thank you for posting these videos... really helpful and informative. The other day we had our first foraged meal - wild garlic with nettle and rice. It was delicious!
You're welcome 😊
And sounds lovely. Very nutritious too
You foraged rice???
The foraging diary is an excellent idea.
Thanks. Yes it comes in handy :)
Thanks for that. My book Food for Free will be delivered today. I've been collecting nettle, dandelion, plantain, yarrow and rose so far and taking pictures so I can find the date next year. The diary is a great idea. Won't go near mushrooms as they are too difficult
Very nice 😊. Yes I avoided foraging mushrooms for many years
Great video with tips and advice. I will keep looking at your videos to learn more. I started with "food for tree" but I found that the plant or mushroom description was not detailed enough for me to be able to identify with 100% accuracy. I personally focus on plants and use three different books to learn a plant: 1) "Wildflower of Britain and Ireland" it is a bit dated and some family names have been updated but I find it still provides a good general description of the plant. 2)"The wildflower key" by Francis Rose which provides a detailed description of the flower. 3) "The vegetative key of the British flora" which gives an immaculate description of a plant leaf. This book uses a lot of botanical terminologies and so you may have to look quite a lot in the glossary for the definition of a botanical term, however, I have found it very useful as it is extremely detailed at describing plant leaves even when they are just young shoots. I then download pictures of the plants from Google (I look for the plant with the Latin name to make sure it is the correct one) and create a folder that I name with the plant name. I then move the downloaded pictures in the folder. Like so in my phone gallery I have a lot of different albums each named with a plant. I look at them daily to memorize what the plants I have studied look like, however many pictures are zoomed and so they do not reflect the real dimensions. The best way is to go outside and look for them, however, I found that with this method I have started to spot many plants easy when I go out for a walk. This is just my personal method by the way. I completely agree with you to start little by little, to look for poisons alike, though I think it is worth studying them as well. Keep it up! and I look forward to more videos.
Great thanks for that. I might have to get a copy of the British flora book to learn leaves in more depth. A method that works well apparently (I haven't done it myself) is to collect leaves and dry press them and out them into a note book with notes. So you have a little book to ID from
Thanks for great advice! The knife is a problem though as I could find myself in trouble as you can legally only carry a folding, non locking knife with a blade less than 3 inches.
Great video. Thank you for this.
Thanks 😊
Really appreciate you time and consideration
The diary seems like a really good idea! Need to go find an old calendar somewhere 📖
I just started keeping a diary using Google keep, really handy as you can keep photos and other bits and bobs too!
I went on my first foraging trip last weekend around my local woods. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years. I was specifically looking for violets, but I thought I’d just scope out as much as I could. If I found something of interest, I used the PlantNet app as a baseline to give an estimation of ID. Are these apps okay to give you a rough starting idea ? I followed up with the Colins pocket book and then researched what I thought I had further using videos and the WildfoodUK website. I’d obviously never rely on the app alone - just to use as a starting point. I didn’t pick or taste anything, but I’d like to get to that next step. Still just a little nervous though ! I’m positive I found Wood Sorrel - just need to be 100% that there aren’t any poisonous lookalikes.
Like you say apps can be ok to point you in the right direction and then do further research. I’ve used a few and found them to be about 50% accurate at best. Books, TH-cam and going for walks with experienced foragers is the best way
Watching your videos I've discovered that the UK and mountainous northern California closer to Oregon is practically identical! I just thought that was interesting. Thank you for your videos there great!(:
Thanks 😊. I don’t know much about that area but yes that is interesting. Maybe it’s because a lot of European settlers headed that way and brought the plants with them?
I'm in Willamette Valley, Oregon. I've noticed some of the plants he mentions are similar but different. Mushrooms are very similar. But the American Hawthorn is a tree not a shrub.
this has been helpful thank you!
Great, thanks 😊
Great video, Lewis - thanks for posting 👍
Great video & advice. Video shared with "newbies". Thanks.
Thanks 😊
Just come across your videos. I've subscribed and will have to work my way through your other vids. Me and my kids want to learn about foraging. My friend recommended me the Collins gem book so aiming to get started with that. Also identifying trees too.
Great thanks 😊. It’s a great hobby especially to do with kids. I’ve got a series of videos on tree identification
Very helpful and informative. Thanks
Cheers 😊
Not sure I’ll chance hanging around my local woods with a nice and gloves
Do you lead any foraging classes? Where are you based? Cheers for the tips! Great vid :)
Thanks 😊. I don’t do foraging classes yet but I plan to one day. I’m near Bristol
I would love to get into foraging but I know already that I will never be 100% confident and always have some doubts about the plants I find. So I guess it isn't really for me.
How do you find locations to forage? I feel afraid to go to places myself because woods etc have small fences around them. The only other option is public woods where people are always around and look at you weird when you're doing things out of the ordinary lol any tips on finding places that are ok to roam free without alarming people?
I mean, are woods with fences around them private? I don't know where is ok to go.
Hah yeah I know what you mean. People do give strange looks when you're foraging. I get even stranger looks when I'm foraging and talking to the camera out in the woods 😆. Just remember we've been foraging for millennia, it's only recently we've had to rely on shops for our food (even though there's plenty growing around us). So really us foragers are the normal ones
But generally I go to public woodlands, or look for vacant lots around industrial areas. They are often surprisingly good foraging areas. Also Google maps in satelitte mode has found me a lot of abandoned/unused local areas to forage from
@@UKWILDCRAFTS Thank you! I'll look out for those areas and google maps is a great tip.
How did you get into foraging? Did you do any workshops or courses?
I’m mostly self taught through books and learning in the field, but I’ve been on a few single day courses as each foraging instructor has their own personal knowledge and will always learn something new.
I originally got into foraging from long distance hiking and not wanting to carry too much food so started to learn what I could harvest from the wild. Also I don’t like relying on food from shops, if for whatever reason they one day couldn’t supply.
hey, It's complicated when it comes to knives. E.G I live in Salford where someone recently got apprehended for having an inch and a half penknife for skinng apples. so is there anything else i can use to cut? my brother recommended a piece of very thin wire/cheese wire, but it doesn't get through much.
Yeah that’s difficult. Maybe a pair of scissors? I often take a pair with me for snipping plants. Maybe just a small pair would be ok to carry?
You could go for plant trimmers/secateurs, perhaps? I was thinking the same thing, honestly
what the hell a guy got arrested for carrying a knife? that's kind of fucked up
If, and it’s a big ‘if’ -if you’re not a hoody-wearing teen in a small gang - a police officer ask why you’ve got a knife in your pocket, there’s a correct answer and one that will at best cost you the knife, at worst lead to your arrest: good answer, ‘I carry it to cut leaves, flowers when I’m foraging, officer.’ Bad answer: ‘I carry it to protect myself, officer.’ You’ve just given him the reply he needs to confirm that you’re carrying an ‘offensive weapon’ which is an arrestable offence. Hope that helps.
Is the food for free book good for the area of USA that Indiana is in just curious because it is in app store for $0.99 usd just wanna know b4 I buy
What if they grow like weed? Like there is a place with f ton nettles and brambles! Lot of the berries go to waste as well, coz no one seem to be foraging in this area 🤔😔
I also thought I could get nettles to put next to fences to get rat's away and for peacoke butterflies for my lil butterfly garden. 🤔😅
Gowannn my guyyyyy
I forgot to mention I brought that food for free book on your recommendations! ❤
Great 😊
im always scared that what i pick is masquerading as the thing i thought it was, but when i eat it makes me sick xD
great video but i have a serious question!!! what if I get caught with a Mora Knife by the police will I get in serious trouble for carrying a fixed knife blade over the legal non locking 3inch blade? can anyone answer this with a straightforward reply!
Where can we forage in London where a dog hasn't done a pee?
Ťhank ýou ❤️