Foraging Calendar

Latest Articles

Foraging Calendar
Page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4 Next

Downsizer Forum Index -> Foraging

Author

Message

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 08 5:35 pm Post subject:

woodsprite wrote:

Okey dokey, although I'm no forgaging expert. I was rather hoping you would tell me what to look for and roughly when and then I could report back when it shows up locally. I'll happily do whatever I can. I think this could be a nice little earner for Downsizer

. Be good to give summat back.

Okay, let me just start the first thread here in Foraging, shall we start with 'whats your top 20 plants to forage'...

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 08 5:38 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

BTW, just a reminder that Judy did something along these lines...
https://www.judyofthewoods.net/forage_uk.html

And an excellent resource it is too. I think it'll be fascinating to see how a combined list from here compares.

Barefoot Andrew
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 22780
Location: In the 17th century

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 08 5:40 pm Post subject:
A calendar would be a superb idea... and there are various folk on here who can do tantalising photography. A.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 08 5:46 pm Post subject:

Barefoot Andrew wrote:

A calendar would be a superb idea...

We'll need someone to help with layout, I'm naff at getting tables right online. If I turn it into an excell sheet can you convert it to something on-lineable?

Gavin Bl

Joined: 14 Jul 2006
Posts: 281
Location: Cardiff

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 08 6:18 pm Post subject:

gil wrote:

Seasonal/monthly foraging articles in the Articles section of Downsizer

thanks gil, but I was thinking more of a single sheet I could take arouund with me.

thinking about the regional differences, if a GANTT type chart was used the bars could show the full time range of availability.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 08 6:26 pm Post subject:

Gavin Bl wrote:

thinking about the regional differences, if a GANTT type chart was used the bars could show the full time range of availability.

*shudder*

Sorry, thats involuntary, I go funny every time someone says 'gantt'

Barefoot Andrew
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 22780
Location: In the 17th century

Posted: Fri Jan 18, 08 7:01 pm Post subject:

cab wrote:

Barefoot Andrew wrote:

A calendar would be a superb idea...

We'll need someone to help with layout, I'm naff at getting tables right online. If I turn it into an excell sheet can you convert it to something on-lineable?

I most certainly could. Would be delighted to help.
A.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 08 12:36 pm Post subject:

OK -- call me a heretic, but I think there are at least two projects here.

The one that seems to be getting the attention at the moment is a pretty encyclopaedic listing of **when** lots and lots of specific things might be hoped to be available.
Regardless of identifying them (and any implicit dangers).
Or suggestions for using them.
Which seems to me to narrow its appeal considerably.

HOWEVER -- IMHO the "mass market" (even the mass Downsizer market) would be much better catered for by :
-- giving a very few (3 maybe 4?) "targets" for each (and every) month
-- with habitat hints (no point seeking Samphire in Warwickshire...)
-- illustrating them and giving (as far as can ever possibly be done) CLEAR instructions for a *safe* ID
-- and giving some specific suggestions/recipes to use the foraged treasure

By paring it right down:
1 - it means that by the end of the year, the reader should have acquired the knowledge of ~40 things to forage for. And be able to go looking for them in future.
2- learning no more than one fresh item a week is an obviously achievable learning target !!

3 - there should be the possibility of doing it again (a couple of times?) in subsequent years
4 - being a more limited project, there should be a better chance of carrying it through to a successful completion!

Last edited by dougal on Sun Jan 20, 08 12:37 pm; edited 1 time in total

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 08 12:37 pm Post subject:
Heretic.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 08 12:39 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

Heretic.

Indeed, but am I a lone voice, crying in the wilderness?

Again?

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 08 12:41 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

OK -- call me a heretic,

HERETIC!

Okay, why?

Quote:

but I think there are at least two projects here.

The one that seems to be getting the attention at the moment is a pretty encyclopaedic listing of **when** lots and lots of specific things might be hoped to be available.
Regardless of identifying them (and any implicit dangers).
Or suggestions for using them.
Which seems to me to narrow its appeal considerably.

HOWEVER -- IMHO the "mass market" (even the mass Downsizer market) would be much better catered for by :
-- giving a very few (3 maybe 4?) "targets" for each (and every) month
-- with habitat hints (no point seeking Samphire in Warwickshire...)
-- illustrating them and giving (as far as can ever possibly be done) CLEAR instructions for a *safe* ID
-- and giving some specific suggestions/recipes to use the foraged treasure

Fair point. I think thats a natural extension to starting out with a moth by month list; I'll be relying on members here to point out which ones they need ID notes for, which ones are easy, most useful, etc. Its a big task, I started with the list approach 'cos it was on my mind first for whatever reason, so it came out as a 'brain dump' of plants/greens, then a similar list of fruit.

Quote:

By paring it right down:
1 - it means that by the end of the year, the reader should have acquired the knowledge of ~40 things to forage for. And be able to go looking for them in future.
2- learning no more than one fresh item a week is an obviously achievable learning target !!

Hows about...

While we're doing this, shall I (and others I hope) pick a 'FORAGE OF THE WEEK', with some notes and advice on finding whatever it is, how to ID it, etc? Those weekly thingies distil into a more comprehensive guide?

Needless to say the regional variation will make this a pain in the posterior, but its still maybe worth a go.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 08 12:44 pm Post subject:
I understand what you are saying Dougal. Maybe we could do two - Differentiation for different abilities with different learning outcomes - Where've I come across that sort of thing before?

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 08 12:44 pm Post subject:
Crossed post there Cab.

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 08 2:36 pm Post subject:

cab wrote:

...
Hows about...

While we're doing this, shall I (and others I hope) pick a 'FORAGE OF THE WEEK', with some notes and advice on finding whatever it is, how to ID it, etc? Those weekly thingies distil into a more comprehensive guide?

Needless to say the regional variation will make this a pain in the posterior, but its still maybe worth a go.

My (maybe simple-minded) thinking was that, by taking maybe 3/month (rather than 1/week) you'd be better covered against regional and year-to-year variation...
Again, I'm thinking that things needn't be in their peak season (otherwise August and September are going to be much more cramped for space than February) as long as there is a reasonable expectation that they could be found then, and heck yes, picked at other times too.

Hence a few things to look for/learn about and try, each month...

I was thinking that this should appeal way beyond Downsizer, and that such a printed publication could be a useful fundraiser/self-financing publicity vehicle.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 08 2:45 pm Post subject:
I think it should be free.

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Foraging	All times are GMT Page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4 Next
Page 2 of 4

View Latest Posts