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This is not just dinner........

Maizy

Mama Doe
Not long been back from a 'freeby food gathering' walk and I can't believe how much variety I've managed to get tonight. M & S version. Sad I should get excited by it, so I'm sorry if you've already nodded off with boredom, but just had to share!:lol:
So on todays gathering we now have the following on the bunny and tortoise menu..

Birch
Hazel ( green and purple)
Nettle
Fennel
Vetch
Trefoil ( 3 varieties)
Dandelion
Nipplewort
White clover
Cleavers
Bramble
Yarrow
Plantain ( broad leaved and rats tail)
Mallow
And back at home Raspberry, alpine strawberry leaves and fresh timothy.

Apart from the raspberry, strawberry and Timothy seed that I had to pay for it was all free and 5 minutes from my house. Bargain!:D
 
I love it ! There is nothing better than a good forage :) There is a back lane behnd me and each afternoon the dogs and I go foraging :)
 
I love it ! There is nothing better than a good forage :) There is a back lane behnd me and each afternoon the dogs and I go foraging :)

It's great isn't it? Think the neighbours must think I'm nuts, but I didn't care today, I couldn't believe my luck!:lol: Like a food lottery and there's bags more! I went a different route as I had pretty much exhausted my usual run so I'll be back there in a couple of days for some more! I feel all possessive over it now, don't want anyone else to find it!:lol::lol:
 
:lol: I can just imagine you, your eyes going wide then sprinting towards a bush ooohing with delight :lol:
 
Its all free and you get a great walk too :) You got a feast today though I dont get such a mix :lol: We are lucky as where we are there are loads of back lanes to peoples garages and the backs of the houses, perfect foraging country :lol: Im so glad Im not the only one who does it :oops: :lol:
 
Wow, thats great1 I wouldn't even know what I was looking for with all that! :oops:

Most of them probably grow in my back garden too, it's like a wild garden :lol:
 
awesome! I go to the woods/my mum's garden and get groundsel, plantain, blackberry leaves and dandelions...has reduced my veg bill. ;) you have a lovely wide variety :)
 
Just got really lucky i think tonight as it's usually plantain and dandelions, with a bit of yarrow and some birch. I just hope the local authority doesn't come and cut back the hedges any time soon, or it will be gone!:shock:
 
Oooh forgot to add Sow thistle. just been sorting it and found a load in the bag!:lol: Think I'll go back tomorrow and get some before the hedges get cut so I can dry it out for winter. Getting paranoid now, how bad am I!:lol::lol:
 
Oooh forgot to add Sow thistle. just been sorting it and found a load in the bag!:lol: Think I'll go back tomorrow and get some before the hedges get cut so I can dry it out for winter. Getting paranoid now, how bad am I!:lol::lol:


Not bad at all just using natures gifts :)
 
Wow that's amazing - wish I knew what half of those plants looked like :oops:

I'm doing a horticulture degree and love plants, so I have learn't to identify them, but I can recommend a good book which I picked up a couple of years ago, which is Green Foods for rabbits and Cavies by F R Bell. I got mine from the RWA so it was all in a good cause too. It has pictures with named common plants so it's a good place to start.:D
 
Sounds good :)
Will try and have a look - my garden is so overgrown I'm sure there must be some bunny goodies hiding somewhere :roll:
 
You certainly it the jackpot, Jacquie.....well done! :D :D I can only forage for plants when I go out by myself, otherwise my husband keeps telling me I am going to get arrested and he gets me so wound up that I don't dare pick anything!!! :roll: :lol:
 
Maizy, can ask how you dry stuff out (I am a bit dim), do you just lob it in an airing cupboard?

Our bunnies adore the dried plantain from Burns but won't touch the real thing that I have nurtured in the garden :? If I could dry it out it would save me a fortune!

Vanessa xx
 
You certainly it the jackpot, Jacquie.....well done! :D :D I can only forage for plants when I go out by myself, otherwise my husband keeps telling me I am going to get arrested and he gets me so wound up that I don't dare pick anything!!! :roll: :lol:

:lol::lol::lol: Yep my foraging walks are just me or sometimes with my daughter, but I think she gets too embarrassed as well. :lol: I don't see peoples expressions as I'm busy with my head in the grass :lol: but she's looking at them so cringes a bit! I have had a couple of comments but only from like minded people who think it's a good idea and some woman did say it looked like someone was going to be fed well that night!:lol: :oops:

Maizy, can ask how you dry stuff out (I am a bit dim), do you just lob it in an airing cupboard?

Our bunnies adore the dried plantain from Burns but won't touch the real thing that I have nurtured in the garden :? If I could dry it out it would save me a fortune!

Vanessa xx

I tried a couple of methods last year and failed miserably with trying to dry the stuff out by hanging it upside down in the greenhouse.:roll: But did get a really good success rate by laying it out in layers on cooling racks in the airing cupboard, so am doing the same again while there is loads of stuff about.:D This is what I did/am doing:

Couple of wire cake cooling racks, lay the leaves out, then cover them with sheets of paper ( greaseproof is fine ) then put another layer, cover, and so on. I then leave it for 3 weeks, checking it periodically and turning them to make sure there is nothing growing a fur coat:shock: or looking off at all!
Both the buns and tortoises loved it and I managed to dry enough last year to keep the buns in garnish and a broad range of leaves until Feb. I'm going to try to do a bit more this year, so I can get through the winter completely if poss. Hope that helps :D
 
Free greens are great..
we had a lot of huge dandelions in our garden..then my mother visited and did some weeding:shock: she wondered why I was put out that they had gone!:lol:
 
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