Foraging business?

[Lucil]

How long does one need to spend in the forest in order to find sufficient supplies???

Also any guides on different types of mushrooms how there?? any guide for safety and precaution???

Thanks

[liuzhou]

You need to tell us where you are, before anyone can answer.

[SylviaLovegren]

How long does one need to spend in the forest in order to find sufficient supplies???

Also any guides on different types of mushrooms how there?? any guide for safety and precaution???

Thanks

If you're asking on an internet forum about safety tips for foraging mushrooms you are in the wrong business. You could kill yourself and lots of other people if you don't REALLY know what you're doing. I hope I'm misreading what you're asking.

[gfweb]

Yes indeed. Lots of ways to get sick...wreck your liver...die from wild mushrooms. If you want to forage for greens and moss like Redzepi,( or Euell Gibbons if anyone remembers him) that's different.

[gdenby]

How long does one need to spend in the forest in order to find sufficient supplies???

As mentioned, don't even start till you have a clear idea of what is food, and what is not.

I'm assuming by forage you mean fruits, nuts, berries, herbs, and not wildlife.

Define sufficient. Enough for a meal? To not starve? To have enough to store?

It will depend a lot where you live. Where I am, there are few old forests, or fields that have not been cultivated recently. There is no single place with enough for more than a day. One needs to travel all over to find things as they appear.

It depends a lot on the season, and the vagaries of weather. Right now, where I live, there are a few roots under frozen ground or icy ponds. Some very bitter, dried crab apples. Even with a fire to cook the roots, one would most likely starve working all day.

Is tapping trees for syrup foraging? If so, there are still lots of trees that run sweet sap. Still, expect a lot of time boiling the sap.

From solstice on, there are weeks when there are berries everywhere. A few hours will make a meal.

I have a friend who is a good mushroom hunter, and after summer thunderstorms can usually find a couple of pounds of mushrooms in an afternoon. Myself, maybe 1 mushroom.

I know a few places where in the autumn I can gather a meal of nuts in an hour. A hundred years ago, the same time would have been enough time to fill baskets.

[Broken English]

How long does one need to spend in the forest in order to find sufficient supplies???

Also any guides on different types of mushrooms how there?? any guide for safety and precaution???

Thanks

If you're asking on an internet forum about safety tips for foraging mushrooms you are in the wrong business. You could kill yourself and lots of other people if you don't REALLY know what you're doing. I hope I'm misreading what you're asking.

This.

Please don't end up like these poor guys ... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/05/poisonous-mushrooms-death_n_1188202.html

[Tri2Cook]

During a good season, I have a friend who can go out for ~5 hours and make $150 or more. Sometimes I go out with her after work and we can double that. There are also seasons where you can go out for 5 hours and be lucky to make $50. She can do that as many days a week as she's willing to go out and obviously staying out longer than 5 hours would mean more $$$. She does it more because she enjoys it than as a business so she isn't out there every day but most years it could be quite lucrative for someone really dedicated to it. There's no danger of hurting anyone with her foraging though, she picks blueberries.