Wildharvesting natural materials

[rckymtnthuglife]

Awesome thread guys ....thanks for the info on the shrooms. Also to my surprise, stinging nettles grow right next to my outdoor plants...no wonder I never walk through with shorts on.

Thanks
Rocky

 

[CC_2U]

Also to my surprise, stinging nettles grow right next to my outdoor plants...no wonder I never walk through with shorts on.

Thanks
Rocky

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CascadeFarmer]

Sorry about my rant yesterday. Nothing to do with you guys as you're all very cool. I decided instead of kicking back and relaxing Sunday eve to go out and collect more pics and add more info...except I did the wrong thing at the wrong and got a nasty ticket...D'Oh! That hurts and there went my new Hanna soil pH meter. Was just pissed in general. Chalk me up for a nomination for the asshole of the week award.

 

[supermanlives]

great read. i cant identify anything in my yard yet except dandilions. lol

 

[CC_2U]

supermanlives

Dandelions makes a very effective 'nute' (for lack of a better term). I'm growing out an heirloom food variety just for making a FPE. Chop the flower stalk off to maximize leaf development - kinda like topping cannabis. LOL

Good stuff - Sulphur, Calcium (big time), Phosphorus, Potassium, et al. Well worth harvesting and using, IMHO

CC

 

[Scrappy4]

gaiusmarius

Here's another version of Horsetail Ferns - found easily in the Pacific Northwest - it almost looks like some strange form of bamboo. It's the one on the right obviously. LOL

This is the form that is easily sourced around here at any rate.

CC

Damn man, that's what we call joint grass around here. Good for the prostrate too, hmm........scrappy

 

[guest2012y]

Horsetail also helps the body to absorb more calcium,pretty useful plant to say the least.

This was the first thing I learned about horsetail after searching for natural ways to heal bones.

http://www.herbal-treatment-remedies.com/horsetail-herb.html

 

[supermanlives]

supermanlives

Dandelions makes a very effective 'nute' (for lack of a better term). I'm growing out an heirloom food variety just for making a FPE. Chop the flower stalk off to maximize leaf development - kinda like topping cannabis. LOL

Good stuff - Sulphur, Calcium (big time), Phosphorus, Potassium, et al. Well worth harvesting and using, IMHO

CC

thanks the only use i knew of was wine . my firend back east makes dandelion wine. good stuff

 

[heady blunts]

great thread idea! definitely sticky material.

i can add a little advice for urban gardeners and those of us that rent apartments and have no yards:

1. you can get great composting materials by raiding the vegetative waste piles at community gardens at the ends of growing seasons.

2. keep an eye on vacant lots. anything that's been neglected for multiple years and is now overgrown with weeds is a great place to source chemical free plant material. try to avoid collecting from next to road ways or where run off accumulates, as pollution can build up heavy metals in the soil, which in turn can be taken up by the plants.

3. craigslist: if you're looking for fall leaves or a certain type of vegetative waste, post it up on craigslist. you can be very specific, eg "looking for chemical free camellia blossoms." usually yard waste is free if you go pick it up.

4. grocery stores & farmers markets. ask about their vegetative waste (spoiled fruits and veggies especially). huge amounts of great composting material can be sourced this way.

that's all for now!

 

[jaykush]

a quick tip for those new to foraging for wild stuff. if you follow this you will be pretty safe. i got this from Green Deane of eattheweeds.

when wildharvesting plants you have to I.T.E.M.ize it first.

I - identification - is this the plant you think it is, does it have multiple traits related to the plant you seek, if you dont know this, do not proceed.
T- time of year - is it doing what its supposed to be doing when its supposed to be doing it. if its flowering in january when its supposed to flower in the fall, chances are you have the wrong plant.
E - environment - is it growing in a good healthy spot. free of pesticides, chemicals, herbicides, motor oil, car exhaust, etc....
M - method of preparation - know what to do with the materials you have collected, so that they do not go to waste.

ill add this to the first post to help.

 

[CC_2U]

Damn man, that's what we call joint grass around here.

Scrappy

Look up the various names for even comfrey and you can see the difficultly in suggesting plants without a photo to reference.

Something like that......................

CC

 

[Rednick]

4. grocery stores & farmers markets. ask about their vegetative waste (spoiled fruits and veggies especially). huge amounts of great composting material can be sourced this way.

that's all for now!

I tried to get spoiled fruit/veg for target practice, but was turned down at the Kroger.
I think it was a liablility thing of people eating the rotten produce.

 

[mostnonymouse]

Do stinging nettles sting all season? I'm pretty sure I've got some but can't get em to bite me

 

[gaiusmarius]

they always sting if you touch them the wrong way. the stinging hairs are all facing one way toward the outside, so if you hold them with the hairs you will not get stung. but if they brush up against the back of your hand or your arm you will notice the sting. if it's got no sting, it's not a stinging nettle.

that patch of horsetail is growing quite near to me, the pic is from last year on the way to my plants. good to know it has to be made as a tea with boiling water. how do i harvest this stuff so it keep growing back? just cut some off the top?

i seem to remember seeing bracken on the list of useful plants for tea? anyone use it, if so what's it good for?

 

[Krshna]

i seem to remember seeing bracken on the list of useful plants for tea? anyone use it, if so what's it good for?

I was also wondering about bracken, as I have a lot growing around me. I saw it on a list of dynamic accummulators posted, mining K, P, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Co. But then I wiki I read:

Bracken fern is known to produce and release allelopathic chemicals, which is an important factor in its ability to dominate other vegetation, particularly in regrowth after fire. Herb and tree seedling growth may be inhibited even after bracken fern is removed, apparently because active plant toxins remain in the soil.

I would love to use some, seems like it would be an excellent for flowering.

 

[quadracer]

And when harvesting mushrooms, never just pull the mushroom up, cut it with a knife close to the soil so as not to disturb the mycelium. The mushroom is the fruit, the mycelium is the plant; destroy the plant and get no fruit.

That is true and it isn't true, depending on the species.

For example, there was a 10 year study done on chanterelle harvesting which found no decline in mushroom productivity regardless of the picking method. Other types of saprophytic fungi might have a harder time with taking the stem butt.

But if you are going to create more patches from a handful of stem butts, it's not going to do any long term damage and you are helping spread the species. For some species like Psilocybe woodlovers nearing the end of their food source, taking the stem butts and transplanting will ensure future mushrooms.

A few sources.

 

[quadracer]

Actually this link a good one for anyone interested in sustainably harvesting wild mushrooms:

http://bcmushrooms.forrex.org/ntfp/pages/sustainableharvest.html

 

[Scrappy4]

I was also wondering about bracken, as I have a lot growing around me. I saw it on a list of dynamic accummulators posted, mining K, P, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Co. But then I wiki I read:

Bracken fern is known to produce and release allelopathic chemicals, which is an important factor in its ability to dominate other vegetation, particularly in regrowth after fire. Herb and tree seedling growth may be inhibited even after bracken fern is removed, apparently because active plant toxins remain in the soil.

I would love to use some, seems like it would be an excellent for flowering.

I'm making a bracken fpe right now. As I understand, thanks to coot, using em 1 will reduce the fpe to it's bare elements, so those negative effects should be neutralized..... I hope........scrappy

 

[High Country]

I've been harvesting local wild plant material for quite some time now. I live in Australia and grow local native plants in my garden that attract wildlife. By using local plants I know they are suited to the environment and climate.

Most Australian native plants can be propagated from cuttings. Generally they take 6-8 weeks to strike. To do this I use a small commercially made propagation system, which is basically a small hothouse.

2 HIGH PRESSURE MIST JETS TO KEEP FOLIAGE COOL AND MOIST

A DIGITAL TIMER OPERATES THIS SOLENOID TO CONTROL THE MISTING FREQUENCY

THE HOTHOUSE HAS A HEAT BED, THERMOSTAT CONTROLLED

THE HEAT BED IS COVERED IN SAND TO PROVIDE A UNIFORM TEMPERATURE

By using local plants in my garden I know they are going to survive and attract local wildlife to the garden. When times are tough in the bush due to draught my garden attracts lot's of native animals and birds cos they know they can get a feed on my plants.

 

[bonsai]

Awesome thread is awesome. Taking notes as always, thanks all.