Foraging for favorites

[sverreef]

What's your favorite way to prepare/use the fiddleheads, @Senior Sea Kayaker?

 

I've been looking for a place to forage fiddleheads locally for a few years now, but I've only identified it in two locations, and unfortunately, both of them are questionable for human consumption because of close proximity to agricultural activity ☹️

 

If only male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas), which is found everywhere here, was edible too...

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

@sverreef

My favorite preparation for fiddleheads would be treating them like rapini.

Steam then saute in olive oil, garlic and either fresh chili or dried chili flakes.

 

[sverreef]

Thanks for that. Now I just have to stumble across another patch in a location with no (obvious) risk of contamination. The fully grown ferns are relatively easy to identify, so with a bit of luck, and strategic planning of where I go fly-fishing/mushroom foraging during the summer/early fall, it should be possible to find a location for future fiddlehead foraging.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

Out to scout today.

It's been an 'interesting spring': bone dry and unusually cool. I have not seen a single mushroom of any variety.

Some photos: Blueberries blooming.

 

 

Blackberry patch starting to fill out:

 

 

Saskatoon or Service Berries:

 

 

Firewood courtesy of Post Tropical Storm Fiona with brush in the background waiting until it's safe to burn.

 

 

Purple flowers.

 

 

An old cherry tree shared with the crows and starlings.

 

 

The view west towards Sydney Harbour.

 

Edited June 23, 2023 by Senior Sea Kayaker (log)

[ElsieD]

Do you have bakeapples and haskap berries growing there?

[heidih]

33 minutes ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

Out to scout today.

It's been an 'interesting spring': bone dry and unusually cool. I have not seen a single mushroom of any variety.

Some photos: Blueberries blooming.

 

 

Blackberry patch starting to fill out:

 

 

Saskatoon or Service Berries:

 

 

Firewood courtesy of Post Tropical Storm Fiona with brush in the background waiting until it's safe to burn.

 

 

Purple flowers.

 

 

An old cherry tree shared with the crows and starlings.

 

 

The view east towards Sydney Harbour.

 

Wow what a beautiful bounty of possibilities you have access to.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

37 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

Do you have bakeapples and haskap berries growing there?

 

From what I've read bakeapples or cloudberries are much more common in NF and L although they have been found here. My guess would be the Highlands and not so much the eastern side of CB. However I'm always on the lookout for anything new.

Haskaps and not, as far as I know, found in the wild here although there are haskap growers here and if I was interested I can certainly start my own. Pretty sure Vesey's carries them.

 

 

Edited June 23, 2023 by Senior Sea Kayaker (log)

[Darienne]

2 hours ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

 

From what I've read bakeapples or cloudberries are much more common in NF and L although they have been found here. My guess would be the Highlands and not so much the eastern side of CB. However I'm always on the lookout for anything new.

Haskaps and not, as far as I know, found in the wild here although there are haskap growers here and if I was interested I can certainly start my own. Pretty sure Vesey's carries them.

 

 

I've never even heard of either of these fruits.  Off to Google I went.  Wow!

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

I went out on a chantarelle hunt today (no luck) and scouted:

Some wild raspberry bushes (sorry for the poor focus).

Blueberries. I ate about half a liter walking and should start harvesting next week when they're thick enough to make it worthwhile.

The blackberry patch. By the middle of next month or later.

Saskatoon or service berries.

Also found on the trail. Blueberry coloured bear scat.

The hockey shooting practice area (with a bucket of pucks).

All I brought back was some wild spearmint.

And wild roses.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Senior Sea Kayaker (log)

[heidih]

The bear scat mademe smile   They know a good thing when they find it

[Smithy]

On 7/28/2023 at 11:59 AM, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

Saskatoon or service berries.

 

I JUST learned about Serviceberries (aka June Berries here, or even Funeral Berries in the Dakotas) last weekend. I've heard the name without knowing about the berries themselves, much less the provenance of the odder names. Now that I know about them -- and how good they are -- I've discovered that we have a tree of them in our yard, and many trees up and down our road. Oh, boy! More foraging!

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

7 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

I JUST learned about Serviceberries (aka June Berries here, or even Funeral Berries in the Dakotas) last weekend. I've heard the name without knowing about the berries themselves, much less the provenance of the odder names. Now that I know about them -- and how good they are -- I've discovered that we have a tree of them in our yard, and many trees up and down our road. Oh, boy! More foraging!

 

Not surprised they have other regional names. Locally they're called Indian or wild pears.

 

[Darienne]

9 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

I JUST learned about Serviceberries (aka June Berries here, or even Funeral Berries in the Dakotas) last weekend. I've heard the name without knowing about the berries themselves, much less the provenance of the odder names. Now that I know about them -- and how good they are -- I've discovered that we have a tree of them in our yard, and many trees up and down our road. Oh, boy! More foraging!

I know about them but have never encountered them.  I must Google this and find out what the tree/bush looks like.  We do have unidentified berries on the farm...wild varieties of cherry I guess...but I am too hesitant to try any of them in case they are poisonous.  Where's a field naturalist when you need one????  For instance, we had all these plants each year which I think might be Fiddleheads but I can't tell for sure.  Or what about the various wild plants/weeds/herbs we could use or eat?  We really need a field naturalist for a friend.....hmmm.....

[Alex]

On 5/29/2023 at 1:25 PM, sverreef said:

What's your favorite way to prepare/use the fiddleheads

 

This recipe was my introduction to fiddleheads: Morel, Asparagus, and Fiddlehead Gratin.

 

Pete Peterson was the chef/owner of the dearly missed Tapawingo (1983-2009), in northern Michigan.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

2 hours ago, Darienne said:

I know about them but have never encountered them.  I must Google this and find out what the tree/bush looks like.  We do have unidentified berries on the farm...wild varieties of cherry I guess...but I am too hesitant to try any of them in case they are poisonous.  Where's a field naturalist when you need one????  For instance, we had all these plants each year which I think might be Fiddleheads but I can't tell for sure.  Or what about the various wild plants/weeds/herbs we could use or eat?  We really need a field naturalist for a friend.....hmmm.....

If interested I'll recommend a few field guides that your library may carry. You never know what they have.

 

[Darienne]

44 minutes ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

If interested I'll recommend a few field guides that your library may carry. You never know what they have.

 

We have quite a number of field guides in our lives already.  Twenty-eight years on a farm in the middle of nowhere will do that to you.  I know that some items would be safe to eat and indeed we do eat a number already...puff balls, River Grapes, Morels (well they are gifted to an aficionado), and the myriad of apple trees of all kinds ...but as long as I know there's a possible toxic version of some plant, then I don't feel safe enough to try the one we have.  I have collected Butternut nuts in the past but alas they went mouldy before we could eat them.  (We have about 5 Butternut trees on our land.  Don't tell the Ministry.)

 

I am going to look up the cherry plant today.  We've just gotten back to the house and I brought the plant's leaves with me.  Wonderful Peterson guides...

 

Thanks for the offer.  I do accept because you no doubt know of some resources we have over looked.

 

The most painful loss is my late Father-in-law's tree book from the Ottawa Experimental Farm.  Ed's sister has a sentimental attachment to the book and so we had to give it up.  (I should never have told her that we had it.)

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

@Darienne

Not surprising that you've plenty of field guides.

One I would suggest is 'Edible Wild Plants' by Thomas S. Elias and Peter A. Dykeman. Published in 1990 and re-issued in 2009 it's a North American field guide to edible foraged plants, has good photos, and as a bonus is good winter reading.

 

[Darienne]

54 minutes ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

@Darienne

Not surprising that you've plenty of field guides.

One I would suggest is 'Edible Wild Plants' by Thomas S. Elias and Peter A. Dykeman. Published in 1990 and re-issued in 2009 it's a North American field guide to edible foraged plants, has good photos, and as a bonus is good winter reading.

 

Will look into this one.  Am currently looking at Edible Wild Plants by Lee Allen Peterson, son of the Peterson Field Guides originator.  

 

Our library does not carry that title, but just found: Feasting wild : in search of the last untamed food by Gina Rae  La Cerva,  Will reserve it.   Looks interesting if not entirely useful for my purposes.  

Edited July 30, 2023 by Darienne (log)

[Smithy]

@Darienne, now that I've reread this latest discussion I realize it may not answer your question...but I've been looking at and learning more about Serviceberries / Juneberries and want to share a bit of information about them.

 

This picture comes from Teresa Marrone's Wild Berries & Fruits Field Guide -- Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). In my ramblings I've noticed several of the local serviceberry trees have different serrations and sizes on their leaves, and she states that the serrations are different for different varieties of serviceberry (the Saskatoon berry being one variety). The other thing I noticed is that they have a distinctive end where the blossoms used to be. Cherries, plums, elderberries and a number of toxic berries don't have that. You can see what I'm talking about in the photo. It looks like a little explosion at the blossom end.

 

 

The other good thing -- this is what I especially needed to look up -- is this sentence in the fruit paragraph: "There are no toxic lookalikes."

 

You had said that you don't have serviceberries on your farm, so this may be all unnecessary, but I'm sharing it anyway in case someone else is interested. These berries are delicious!

[TicTac]

It's cool that the book goes above and beyond to suggest no poisonous lookalikes as that is the first thing I research after finding something that appears to be edible (more so with mushrooms, there are very few 'berries' that one can eat here that is not easily identifiable.

 

Someone told me choke cherries were edible, many around here - tried some, but oh man are they astringent / tannic - no clue how people eat those.

 

From a foraging perspective, I found some snow ear mushrooms which I am now learning more about - but at this time of year, its all about starting to dry and preserve for the year to come - mainly things for tea's and extracts;  (all young shoots of) - plantain, raspberry leaves, strawberry leaves, heal all (which I have fallen in love with to treat mosquito bite); pineapple weed; mints - just to name a few.

 

Pretty sure I have identified horse mushrooms nearby, which I may try.

 

@Senior Sea Kayaker - all those fallen trees, while a shame - will make great firewood, or an awesome border for your most beautiful trail.

 

 

[chromedome]

26 minutes ago, TicTac said:

Someone told me choke cherries were edible, many around here - tried some, but oh man are they astringent / tannic - no clue how people eat those.

 

You need to get them when they're dead-ripe, past purple and almost black. They'll still be tannic, but sweet enough to balance it out. Even at that stage they're not to everyone's taste (as, indeed, is the case with big red wines), and there's a lot of variation from one tree to another. On our favorite walk in the old neighbourhood we'd pass hundreds of chokecherries, but a few trees were much better eating.

 

They do make very nice not-too-sweet jams and jellies, and surprisingly good wine.

 

ETA: There's a lookalike which has its berries spaced out a little further on individual stems, as opposed to chokecherries which tend to hang in clusters. Those are seriously bitter/astringent, though apparently some people still make jam out of 'em.

Edited August 3, 2023 by chromedome (log)

[haresfur]

On 7/29/2023 at 3:15 AM, heidih said:

The bear scat mademe smile   They know a good thing when they find it

 

You should see what a Samoyed looks like after they roll in it 

[heidih]

13 minutes ago, haresfur said:

 

You should see what a Samoyed looks like after they roll in it 

I am more familiar with a labrador in hot steaming green horse poop at dusk! Learning abut scat can be interesting to foragers from what I've heard. Gives you a clue. Round here it is more "oh that is what happened to the missing cat (via coyote)  

 

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

I went for a long walk yesterday and managed to return

with about a L. of blueberries. This is not shaping up to be a good year for those berries. They're bloated with water and squish when touched

I also picked a pail of crab apples from one of the trees in the back pasture. They're small, very sour and very tannic. I'll be making another batch of the apple habanero jelly soon.

 

 

 

[chromedome]

11 hours ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

I went for a long walk yesterday and managed to return

with about a L. of blueberries. This is not shaping up to be a good year for those berries. They're bloated with water and squish when touched

I also picked a pail of crab apples from one of the trees in the back pasture. They're small, very sour and very tannic. I'll be making another batch of the apple habanero jelly soon.

 

 

 

A friend gifted us with a large quantity of those from his own trees. We canned some whole, and cooked down most of the remainder to make jelly. I ran out of time before leaving for NS (I'm down visiting my mom) so we just poured the juice into Mason jars, refrigerated the ones that didn't self-seal, and the rest can wait until I get home.

 

I suppose this could/should have gone under "unexpected food gifts"...