While they might not know the name of it, if you describe Cleavers or Goosegrass to someone, they’ll know exactly what you mean. “That long green sticky stuff that kids stick on people’s jumpers or coats and think it’s really funny”. The sticking is due to little hooks all over the plant. They may have …
Yes, it’s still winter but there are signs of things to come and a good few things for the forager to look out for at the moment, some for now, some for the future. Velvet Shank I’ve seen quite a few of these fungi this winter. Found on dead Elm, Gorse, Beech and other trees …
There have been several mushroom identification apps / web sites around for a while. Some are: Digital versions of an established key – for example the key in Roger Phillips’ Mushrooms book moved to a web site and an app with photos and descriptions. Roger’s app was around for many years but has disappeared. Visual …
Mushroom poisoning can be life-threatening. If someone has eaten a poisonous mushroom (or plant), don’t try to treat them yourself – seek medical help immediately. If someone has accidentally consumed poisonous mushroom, please see this information at the end of the blog post. Disclaimer. I do not have a medical background so this blog post …
The below great quote on mushroom identification is saying that there is no easy way of telling poisonous from edible species. “A toadstool has a cap and a stem and you can’t eat it; a mushroom has a cap and a stem and you can”. If you want to pick and eat wild mushrooms, the …
If someone has accidentally consumed a poisonous plant, please see this information at the end of the blog post. I don’t want to scare you or put you off but I’ve heard a few foraging horror stories recently. These are cases of mistaken identity, people consuming a poisonous plant thinking it was something edible. In …
I like soup, a lot. I probably have soup for lunch two or three times a week. When I had a “real” job, I regularly took soup to work to heat up in the microwave and other users of the office kitchen were always keen to know what the “weird” soup of the day was. …
When I ask a group of guests on a seashore foraging course “who has eaten seaweed before?” it’s usually about half that put their hands up. I ask if it was crispy seaweed and for most it was. However, on most occasions, it’s not seaweed that they were actually given but deep-fried spring greens – …
Yes, it’s February as I write this. These wonderful plums, also known as Mirabelles, are ready to pick in around August, but there is good reason for mentioning them now – they are in flower. The pretty blossoms are distinctive, there’s nothing else to confuse them with at this moment and you can spot them …
It was very saddening to read a recent newspaper report of the deliberate taking of the rare Bearded Tooth (formerly Lion’s Mane) fungus from three locations in The New Forest. This is one of four species of protected fungi listed under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act as they are endangered. Most offences are punishable …
