cab
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What kind of forager are you?I rekon that there are three basic sorts of forager, and they're the same three basic types of mushroomer.
You could be the Italian/French style. They're the foragers who go for only a few sorts of wild foods; they know a few sorts of shroom that they like, usually the higher value species, and they pick those to the exclussion of other kinds. Gourmet foragers. Usually the best ones to be asked to dinner by.
Then theres the Polish/Russuan style. You pick it 'cos you can eat it. If you can't eat it now you can store it till winter, when you can't pick anything much. You'll be needing that later, so get as much as you can. Does it need treating to make it edible? Fine, you can give that a go.
And then theres the sort of Scandinavian/American type. You always seem to be finding a new and exciting wild foods, you're always learning. Heck, sometimes you try a new wild food stuff that you don't like (rose bay willow herb cooked like asparagus was a bad idea!), but thats part of the learning process.
Which are you?
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sally_in_wales
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I suspect I'm a mix, I'm always looking up new things based on what I've seen growing, I'm ready to try almost anything edible, but in practice I'm very selective, mostly because my foraging opportunities are sporadic and I often leave things that I want to double check then never get back to them before the moment has passed. 
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judith
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I'm very much in the French camp. I normally pretty much know what I'm going out to find and stick to that. My range is extending, but its a very gradual process and wild foods have to earn their place in my foraging bag. With a few noble exceptions, I'm afraid I do find that most wild greens taste like grass!
I'm a firm believer in the principle that just because you can eat something, it doesn't mean that you have to.
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nora
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I pick blackberries, wild raspberries and sloes, also some types of mushrooms but am often not sure if anything else is safe to eat so leave it alone. I think if I was sure something was ok I would try it. I did recognise a prickley pear while on holiday in greece and picked it  but that was a mistake as I did it with my bare hands and spent the next few hours pulling prickles out of my fingers (I ate it though and it was lovely).
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cab
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Ooh, those prickly pears are surprisingly painful, aren't they?
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mochyn
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I'm with Nora on this one (apart from the prickly pear). Mainly fruit & shrooms, although I have been known to hunt out sorrel and take nettles from the clumps in our fields.
I'm limited though, because I can't often walk far enough to do much 'real' foraging, and there's often a bit of a time shortage here.
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tahir
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As kids we used to forage for blackberries, fat hen and black nightshade with our mum. Never really had the time since, I'll harvest any wild greens I can see near the veg plot, that's usually rape, fat hen and wild orach
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nora
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| cab wrote: | | Ooh, those prickly pears are surprisingly painful, aren't they? |
Yes, horrid....I had one from a supermarket before and expected it to be like that. They must de-spike them before selling them. Just as well really, imagine the shreeks and screams in the shops if they didn't 
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Kinnopio
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Probably closest to the French type - I'd like to expand my range but limited time means it is very difficult. It really is the time factor that dictates my 'foraging type'!
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Mrs Fiddlesticks
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I'm the very cautious type. I pick fruits only and then to fulfil a recipe so sloes for sloe gin or elderberries for wine. I'd love to know more and have Food for Free but do worry about picking the wrong thing (especially mushrooms) Ideally I'd like to go on a forage with someone experienced to show me what to look for - books can only tell you so much.
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frewen
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks wrote: | | I'm the very cautious type. I pick fruits only and then to fulfil a recipe so sloes for sloe gin or elderberries for wine. I'd love to know more and have Food for Free but do worry about picking the wrong thing (especially mushrooms) Ideally I'd like to go on a forage with someone experienced to show me what to look for - books can only tell you so much. |
Snap Mrs F!
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2steps
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I'm not keen on green leavy type things and don't know enough about mushrooms to pick any. I hate the mushrooms you buy in shops and don't know if I'll like others. I wouldn't like to pick something rare and waste it. Mostly I pick blackberries, elderberries & flowers, rowanberries and rosehips. I know of a few sloe and apple trees and will pick from them if I can but we get loads of apples from my neighbour. Would love to findmore wild fruit but no luck so far. Iwill pick lots of a thing to store as well, if I can use it. The first time I tried making wine it didn't work as I couldn't keep it warm enough so I tried again using some elderberries I had frozen once the weather was warmer and had no problems so I shall do it that way from now on
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bingo
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I suppose I'm the French/Itatian with a stroke of Scandinavian. I sometimes make money out of it, that would be my Jewish roots showing some entrepreneurism.
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cab
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I forgot to say, I'm mostly of the Scandinavian/American type. I enjoy searching for lots of different species, picking out something I don't recognise and working out its identity is part of the fun.
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dottyspots
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I tend to pick with preserving in mind as I don't really recognise many leafy greens (although I will pick nettles and dandelions and have fat hen in the garden - much to my amusement having had a discussion with a friend the night before finding it and saying there wasn't any here) and I'm not confident with mushrooms.
I'm not one for making lots of alcohol (unless it involves sticking things in vodka - a friend makes vodka with sweets) - although I do like wine, but would have to clear shed space for that (I remember things straining through muslin in the hallway and having to tread around it very carefully as a child - why my parents put it in the hallway I have no idea!) I also go for nuts too.
I'm always preoccupied when walking, looking at what might be edible (always thinking with my stomach  )
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BahamaMama
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I am a very cautious forager and stick to things I can positively identify.
How many of the braver foragers have had 'unfortunate incidents' as a result of mistakes. I don't really want the gory details maybe just to try and reassure us all that it is not that dangerous - or maybe it is 
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AnnaD
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I would class my self as the Scandinavian/ American forager type. If I happen to see something in the woods that I've never tried before I'll eat it. My most recent discovery was that horsetail is not too bad to munch on as long as it's young. Older ones are bitter. It does seem to have a funny texture to it as well.
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bingo
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| AnnaD wrote: | | I would class my self as the Scandinavian/ American forager type. If I happen to see something in the woods that I've never tried before I'll eat it. My most recent discovery was that horsetail is not too bad to munch on as long as it's young. Older ones are bitter. It does seem to have a funny texture to it as well. |
Is that a joke.
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wildfoodie
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I'm scandinavian/american to start with then turn french/ italian once I've decided if the flavour's worth it. But if I like something, then I'm definitely in the highly experimental camp. this year for example I tried out a couple of new elderflower recipes and made extra cordial so I can carry on experimenting. That's if OH stops raiding my stocks...
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AnnaD
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| bingo wrote: | | AnnaD wrote: | | I would class my self as the Scandinavian/ American forager type. If I happen to see something in the woods that I've never tried before I'll eat it. My most recent discovery was that horsetail is not too bad to munch on as long as it's young. Older ones are bitter. It does seem to have a funny texture to it as well. |
Is that a joke. |
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, only things I know are edible! I would never eat something I couldn't identify. I think the lack of sun is affecting my brain.
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Nick
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Um. The 4th type. Herefordian.
My daily dog walk takes me past a field of potatoes and a field of strawberries. Not ready yet, but I can forsee a time when foraging will happen on a daily basis.
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wellington womble
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The kind that somehow never seems to find anything that's actually edible! I can manage sloes, elderflower, rose hips, blakberries and wild garlic, and that's about it. I'm sureit's just a case of getting your eye in, but I've never seen anything else that looks even remotely edible!
Must try harder!
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lottie
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Definitely Polish/Russian-----must be my peasant genes 
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PeteS
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Cab,
Great thread.
I think that the Polish/Russian type, or in general the Eastern Europeans, are like this because not so long ago they had to pick and eat anything they could to avoid hunger and even starvation. The Italians/French have moved on from this. They have money and have developed a culture of fine foods. Hence they usually go for the higher value species. The Scandinavians/Americans have lost their foraging instinct and have never really had a fine food culture. However, they are trying to rediscover this which is why they are up for trying just about everything, experimenting etc. In time, as they get more wealth, maybe the Eastern Europeans will be more like the Italian/French type.
I am more of the Scandinavian/American type with a leaning towards the Italian/French. However, I only started last October. Before then the only thing that I had picked and eaten in the wild were blackberries. I started foraging because I had a dog and it gave me something to do while taking our twice a day walks. My first interest was mushrooms but how to learn? I did see if I could go on an organised forage but all the ones in my local area were booked up. So I got some books and taught myself. I would not suggest that this is for everyone but with a combination of being careful, an excellent season, a bit of luck and being close to some great mushroom country I have now picked and eaten at least 16 (that’s off the top of my head) difference wild mushrooms. I have never been ill from eating wild mushrooms or any other wild food and I hope it stays that way. How have other people learnt? The Eastern Europeans, Italians and French tend to learn from their parents. However in the UK this seems to have been lost, which I think will make most foragers in this country of the Scandinavian/American type.
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cab
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| BahamaMama wrote: | I am a very cautious forager and stick to things I can positively identify.
How many of the braver foragers have had 'unfortunate incidents' as a result of mistakes. I don't really want the gory details maybe just to try and reassure us all that it is not that dangerous - or maybe it is |
Nope, never had a foraging accident. I mean with what I've eaten. I've fallen into at least three rivers and out of several trees, though.
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mochyn
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| cab wrote: | | I've fallen into at least three rivers and out of several trees, though. |
How is it this just doesn't surprise me?
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Barefoot Andrew
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Not sure - Scandinavian/American type maybe? Being out and about in lovely surrounds would be the first priority; finding good things to eat by chance would be a bonus.
A.
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dottyspots
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| PeteS wrote: | Cab,
The Scandinavians/Americans have lost their foraging instinct and have never really had a fine food culture. However, they are trying to rediscover this which is why they are up for trying just about everything, experimenting etc. In time, as they get more wealth, maybe the Eastern Europeans will be more like the Italian/French type.
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Hmmmmm, I'm half Norwegian and grew up with a mother who made jams and jellies from all sorts of hedgerow fruits, we picked various nuts, she also recognises and picks various leafy plants and some mushrooms.
According to mum there are places you can go to get mushrooms identified and it's a popular pursuit where she is.
That's before you get on to the alcohol making - which appears to be quite a Norwegian pastime (unsurprising considering taxes and the religious contingent who picket outside of the Norwegian equivalent of an offlicence).
I've not met a Norwegian family who lives close to bilberries who doesn't go picking them to eat with sour milk. Fish is very popular, as is fishing (Norwegians being a rather outdoorsy lot) and by my mum deer are also on the menu (which is great because they get a share for allowing people to hunt on their land - no effort, free venison).
So my experience is that the Scandinavians I've met have not lost the foraging instinct - but that's perhaps just the people I've met, but I have gone foraging through the Norwegian countryside in a number of far-spaced areas.
As for 'fine food' - depends on your definition of fine food. There is a strong tradition of traditional foods (erm, not the best writing in the world there). My mother was (might still be) secretary of her local branch of the Slow Food Movement, was involved in organising a celebration of Scandinavian food (Orkney etc. were also invited) and has done radio (etc.) talks on Norwegian food - so the comment grates a bit because it appears that the suggestion of 'fine food' is put forward considering French cuisine (for example) as the definitive in fine food.
Stepping off my soapbox now
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PeteS
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Hello dottyspots,
Sorry if I rubbed you up the wrong way.  I was being a bit too general here and I am sure that you are totally correct about Scandinavians. Anyway, they must be much better than us Brits at foraging and food.
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dottyspots
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No offence taken - just like an opportunity to get my soapbox out (it's so sparkly clean and shiny getting so much use )
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jp
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Excellent thread!
I would classify myself as the French/Italian. Rather cautious in my approach, slowly learning new wild edibles. Like PeteS, I'm self-taught from books etc., & the odd forage with other people. It's also a good excuse to be tromping round the countryside.
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cab
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| dottyspots wrote: | So my experience is that the Scandinavians I've met have not lost the foraging instinct - but that's perhaps just the people I've met, but I have gone foraging through the Norwegian countryside in a number of far-spaced areas.
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I quite agree, but scandinavian foragers seem to go for a far broader range of foods than, say, Southern Europeans, and it isn't a culture of stocking up for survival such as there has been in Eastern Europe. I know its a heck of a generalisation, but I rekon that the inquisitive, almost opportunistic approach that you get from American foragers also typifies the Scandinavian approach.
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dottyspots
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I wasn't disputing that - rather that Scandinavians don't have a tradition of foraging and that they lack for a decent cuisine
I think living up north (especially the further north you get) makes for a particular approach to life. My grandparents come from right up north, past the Arctic Circle (and my grandfather's mother from even further north by the finnish/Russian borders) - they make 'em tough up there
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