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I went foraging! Help identifying stuff?

nessar

Warren Veteran
I went foraging today and got bramble leaves, sticky weed, nettles and also some mint which was surprising! First of all, are all varieties of mint okay? And how do I de-thorn the bramble leaves, can I feed the stalks and branches?

I also got some other plants and I'm not sure what they are, can someone identify them for me?

I didnt get this one but there was a fair bit about, thought it might be yarrow? Most of them had white flowers, the ones on this one were actually less pink than they look.
IMG-20110623-00063.jpg



I thought this was plantain, am I right?
The plant in the ground:
IMG-20110623-00064.jpg


After I cut it:
IMG-20110623-00074.jpg



I thought this was sows thistle, but then I saw the one below and thought that was it instead! The first one is not actually spikey though, although it looks it.
IMG-20110623-00069.jpg

this next one IS spikey!
IMG-20110623-00073.jpg



And finally, I thought this was mint but I realised when I got home doesnt smell minty! Any ideas?
IMG-20110623-00065.jpg

IMG-20110623-00066.jpg



And finally, how do I dry them? At the moment they are all in cardboard boxes lined with newspaper in the kitchen.
Thanks in advance!
 
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Haven't got any idea what the plants are but..
From what I've read on some threads maybe you could hang the plants upside down on strings in a shed/ garage :)
 
Haven't got any idea what the plants are but..
From what I've read on some threads maybe you could hang the plants upside down on strings in a shed/ garage :)

I will only have one for another week and then I'm moving to a flat. Plus there is the washing machine in there, not sure if thats okay. And BIG spiders :shock:

I may hang them upside down inside instead, but I dont know what I'll do with the loose leaves I've got from brambles etc
 
The first one is not yarrow, looks more like Heracleum sphondylium (Cow Parsnip)

The next one is defiinitely Plantain (Ribwort) - delicious for buns and very high in fibre I believe :)

Not sure about the rest I'm afraid though will look them up if I get time.

I dry mine by hanging them in bunches from strings all over my house :) I don't think a washing machine will harm them unless you actually put them inside it ;)
 
I will only have one for another week and then I'm moving to a flat. Plus there is the washing machine in there, not sure if thats okay. And BIG spiders :shock:

I may hang them upside down inside instead, but I dont know what I'll do with the loose leaves I've got from brambles etc

You could try hanging up a transparent bag up with the plants in it so the left overs will be contained in the bag :/
Sorry if that makes no sense or doesn't work
 
The first one is not yarrow, looks more like Heracleum sphondylium (Cow Parsnip)

The next one is defiinitely Plantain (Ribwort) - delicious for buns and very high in fibre I believe :)

Not sure about the rest I'm afraid though will look them up if I get time.

I dry mine by hanging them in bunches from strings all over my house :) I don't think a washing machine will harm them unless you actually put them inside it ;)

is cow parsnip okay to feed?
 
I dry mine on trays. I just scatter them on the trays trying to avoid any overlaps and after a couple of days turn them. After about a week they are well dried out. :)

The only one I know is plantain in that lot and you already have an answer on that one :oops:
 
1st looks like hogweed

2nd ribwort plantain

3rd and 4th are both sow thistles at first glance - one smooth, one prickly variety.

No idea about last pic but looks very familiar indeed :?
 
1st looks like hogweed

2nd ribwort plantain

3rd and 4th are both sow thistles at first glance - one smooth, one prickly variety.

No idea about last pic but looks very familiar indeed :?

can both sow thistles be fed? Would the prickly one need to be de-prickled somehow?
 
I dry mine on trays. I just scatter them on the trays trying to avoid any overlaps and after a couple of days turn them. After about a week they are well dried out. :)

The only one I know is plantain in that lot and you already have an answer on that one :oops:

Thanks :) do you do them inside? Do you think small cardboard boxes would be okay stacked up? Would that allow them to dry enough do you think?
 
Thanks :) do you do them inside? Do you think small cardboard boxes would be okay stacked up? Would that allow them to dry enough do you think?

Yeah, Ive done mine inside. It's been too damp outside. I'm not sure about the boxes, I think you want airflow all around them.
 
can both sow thistles be fed? Would the prickly one need to be de-prickled somehow?

Yes they are the same species really just one is prickly and the other is smooth, you can sometimes find a sort of mid-prickly variety (I don't know if they cross pollinate or something?) Anyway, yes both can be fed but you'll find your bunny prefers the smooth variety! ;)

I can't say for sure from your pic that the first sow thistle is definitely a sow thistle - the plant is a bit limp and there are several plants that can resemble a smooth sow thistle. The 2nd pic is definitely a prickly sow thistle.

ETA Looking at that 3rd pic again - i'm not convinced that is a smooth sow thistle at all - it doesn't quite look right and could be something else. Did it have a milky sap inside the stem when you picked it?
 
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