being more self sufficient from nature.

[itsasmallfarm]

hello everyone, sorry if a thread like this exists before.

okay i know there are a few threads like this, mainly the prepping and homesteading threads. but wondering if anyone here likes to be more self sufficient from wild foods? (meat and plants)

so i know a lot of people here raise there own animals for consumption, some of us how ever can not or wish not to. but still want to avoid that factory farmed steroid meat. and lets be honest where i live, natural or organic meat is not cheap so its really not an option, plus its more fun to go get your own food.

right now am thinking on becoming better at harvesting and gather food from the great wilderness. so i guess i will begin and lets see where this goes.

hunting, trapping, fishing and foraging are the main things am looking at getting into. even though i have fished for most my life, hunted the past few, just go into trapping last year and not even tried foraging. (besides picking wild berry's and hazelnuts)

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

hello everyone, sorry if a thread like this exists before.

okay i know there are a few threads like this, mainly the prepping and homesteading threads. but wondering if anyone here likes to be more self sufficient from wild foods? (meat and plants)

so i know a lot of people here raise there own animals for consumption, some of us how ever can not or wish not to. but still want to avoid that factory farmed steroid meat. and lets be honest where i live, natural or organic meat is not cheap so its really not an option, plus its more fun to go get your own food.

right now am thinking on becoming better at harvesting and gather food from the great wilderness. so i guess i will begin and lets see where this goes.

hunting, trapping, fishing and foraging are the main things am looking at getting into. even though i have fished for most my life, hunted the past few, just go into trapping last year and not even tried foraging. (besides picking wild berry's and hazelnuts)

Foraging is tough. Especially since poisonous plants can look similar to nonpoisonous ones. Id like to do this myself but i need a really good plant book with pictures. All i have is one with illustrations and it still worries me that i might grab the wrong thing. If you find a good one let me know!

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Foraging is tough. Especially since poisonous plants can look similar to nonpoisonous ones. Id like to do this myself but i need a really good plant book with pictures. All i have is one with illustrations and it still worries me that i might grab the wrong thing. If you find a good one let me know!

100% agreed the books i read only show drawings and am not messing around with plants that could kill you. i have watched some videos but still not brave enough to start.

 

[PirateGirl]

My mother in law is very good at this and has a vast knowledge of the plants that grow in her geographic region. I have had cider she made from crab apples she harvested, and tea made from some tree bark (birch maybe). She identified wild roses near my house and showed me which part was edible. I think it is two part with plants. The first is being able to accurately identify plants, and the second is knowing how to use them. For example there is sage in the field by my house, I know if I burn it, it keeps bugs away. I have yarrow growing in my yard, I know I have seen yarrow tea at the store, so I guess now that I've identified the plant, I need to learn how to make use of it. Is it the seeds, the leaves, the flowers, and/or the roots that are of value. It's not always about eating plants, but they can be valuable in other ways, fibers for rope or clothing, healing properties for wounds, etc. I find the whole thing fascinating and wish I knew more of the environment I live in. Sometimes there are field classes or clinics offered at the local community college that would be useful and that might be a good starting point where you live.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

never knew they had courses at community colleges for plant foraging. that is something to look into.

 

[PirateGirl]

Every year they have a special mushroom class here too and you actually go out into the woods with the instructor to gather and identify things. This one is privately hosted as part of a mushroom festival with food and music and the like as well.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Every year they have a special mushroom class here too and you actually go out into the woods with the instructor to gather and identify things. This one is privately hosted as part of a mushroom festival with food and music and the like as well.

that is both really awesome and would be very helpful. have a friend who hunts chantrelle mushrooms and where i camp there was a bunch of moral mushrooms and there was a frenzy to find them from a bunch of people. (i was too scared to pick any lol).

 

[itsasmallfarm]

right now am thinking about getting into snaring/hunting rabbits and hares.

have had rabbit only twice and both times they where really good. (but one was domestic farm raised other was a wild one) and there seems to be a lot of them around. so i think they could make a good food source.

and lucky for me we have no season or limit on them.

 

[EggWalrus]

When foraging be super extra careful. And don't just rely on pics in a book. Some colleges have foraging classes that an experienced instructor will take you out and teach you first hand in the field.
You may also be able to join and go with others in your area if you search social media.
There's a wonderful bounty in the woods just waiting for us all, that's if we know what to eat without killing ourselves with the wrong stuff.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

When foraging be super extra careful. And don't just rely on pics in a book. Some colleges have foraging classes that an experienced instructor will take you out and teach you first hand in the field.
You may also be able to join and go with others in your area if you search social media.
There's a wonderful bounty in the woods just waiting for us all, that's if we know what to eat without killing ourselves with the wrong stuff.

so true that there is a bounty in the woods for all of us, heck there is food to be found every where.

where i live we have had tons of dandelions found out they where edible and that you can make a type of drink out of there roots last winter, this last spring i went to go get some on our small acreage and there was like 5 i could find, there where none at all. which made me sad but overall it was really weird years before there where hundreds last year none.