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my foraging diary

Scrappy's Little Helper said:
I saw a lot of number 5 earlier this evening and a "ping ping ping!!" went off in my brain as I remembered seeing it on this thread but couldn't remember what it's ID was or whether it was safe. I'll pick some up on tomorrow's forage.

Oh and I didn't enjoy foraging today. Too cold, wet and windy :(
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Yes, very very much so :(
 
Gosh. North has stolen South's weather. Its been lovely here, have done collections for drying (geranium & vetch) & prepared a 20 forage feast for my trios supper (i'm just showing off these days, not that everyone is impressed :lol:)
 
joey&boo said:
Gosh. North has stolen South's weather. Its been lovely here, have done collections for drying (geranium & vetch) & prepared a 20 forage feast for my trios supper (i'm just showing off these days, not that everyone is impressed :lol:)
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I am incredibly impressed! Your knowledge of forage (and access to it) is impressive beyond belief :D

Lucky lucky bunnies :love:
 
Scrappy's Little Helper said:
I saw a lot of number 5 earlier this evening and a "ping ping ping!!" went off in my brain as I remembered seeing it on this thread but couldn't remember what it's ID was or whether it was safe. I'll pick some up on tomorrow's forage.

Oh and I didn't enjoy foraging today. Too cold, wet and windy :(
Click to expand...

Yes No 5 is Cut Leaved Geranium. Yes it is safe. It is also a massive favourite with my rabbits. We have a lot of it growing in the garden and I usually try to mix some in with the grass and other stuff. They always smell it and will push everything else out of the way to get to it. I must try to leave a lot to flower and seed so that they have some for next year. It's so nice to have an excuse for what 'non-foragers' would see as 'weeds' :lol:
 
joey&boo said:
Gosh. North has stolen South's weather. Its been lovely here, have done collections for drying (geranium & vetch) & prepared a 20 forage feast for my trios supper (i'm just showing off these days, not that everyone is impressed :lol:)
Click to expand...

I'm impressed :thumb:

We have lots of forage items (aka weeds) in the garden, but I would certainly struggle to pick 20, even at this time of the year.

Of course without photographic evidence I could say it didn't happen :lol:

Seriously, that is fantastic :) The fact that you find the time and space to dry so much too makes me envious.

Btw those of you who do dry forage, how do you 'serve' it? When I've fed some in the past I have always mixed it in with their hay, because I find it breaks up too much to just put on the ground like the fresh stuff.
 
Omi said:
I'm impressed :thumb:

We have lots of forage items (aka weeds) in the garden, but I would certainly struggle to pick 20, even at this time of the year.

Of course without photographic evidence I could say it didn't happen :lol:

Seriously, that is fantastic :) The fact that you find the time and space to dry so much too makes me envious.

Btw those of you who do dry forage, how do you 'serve' it? When I've fed some in the past I have always mixed it in with their hay, because I find it breaks up too much to just put on the ground like the fresh stuff.
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I do have photographic & video evidence :lol: Not that 20 types piled up on one tray would be easy to identify (they had sticky weed, grass, dandelion, vetch, grasses, hawthorn, blackthorn, bramble, raspberry, herb robert, willow, plantain, dock, elder, beech, hazel, strawberry leaves, bedstraw & rose). i wish my diet was as wholesome & varied. i feed dried stuff in a similar way to you i.e. mix it in with their readigrass.
 
Spooky here, had awful high winds and rain and as I got out the car to come in to work a small branch of willow was in my path :shock:
 
joey&boo said:
I do have photographic & video evidence :lol: Not that 20 types piled up on one tray would be easy to identify (they had sticky weed, grass, dandelion, vetch, grasses, hawthorn, blackthorn, bramble, raspberry, herb robert, willow, plantain, dock, elder, beech, hazel, strawberry leaves, bedstraw & rose). i wish my diet was as wholesome & varied. i feed dried stuff in a similar way to you i.e. mix it in with their readigrass.
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I presume you mean Ground Elder, as I think Elder is not considered safe. Also I don't feed Blackthorn, although we have loads here, as there seems to be doubt about it at certain times of the year. If you look at past threads, especially from thumps, it appears to be OK to feed it around Autumn leaf fall.

I do so wish there was more definitive information out there, but I suppose it's a minority interest area.
 
Omi said:
I presume you mean Ground Elder, as I think Elder is not considered safe. Also I don't feed Blackthorn, although we have loads here, as there seems to be doubt about it at certain times of the year. If you look at past threads, especially from thumps, it appears to be OK to feed it around Autumn leaf fall.

I do so wish there was more definitive information out there, but I suppose it's a minority interest area.
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ah yes, I read Thumps thread (well some of it) on the blackthorn last year but forgot the seasonal thing..I'm not worried. Twigs book says they prefer it in autumn but doesn't say no summer feeding. We don't have much so they don't get much. Yes I meant Ground Elder .

If I had to choose my bunnies fave I think it's good old dandelions, willow, raspberry, rose, geranium. they are really enthusiastic about it all though
 
Omi said:
Yes an impressive haul :D

Pic No 1 is a double-flowered pink Hawthorn. Was this growing in a wild area? I have not read anything to support this view, but I am nervous of any of the "bred for the garden" types introducing themselves into the wild and possibly outcompeting our native varieties (similar to Bluebells and Spanish Bluebells). Hawthorn is just so important to our native wildlife most of the year. The pink Hawthorn is double-flowered and I think it has fewer spines. Seeing this made me recall when I was ill and had just moved into my old cottage (not here), there was one of these pink-flowered Hawthorns in the existing garden. It was one of my coping strategies at that time to push myself physically as hard as I could (I know silly :oops:) and so I sawed it down as I hated it so much :D. Anyway I digress, yes pink-flowered Hawthorn and yes must also be safe for rabbits.

Pic No 2 - yes definitely Alder and have just compared it to a leaf picked from a tree in the garden here, which I know is Alder. It's on the rabbit safe list from the site I use. I have just never thought to feed it to mine.

Pic No 3 - Haven't seen it around here, but yes it looks like Poplar leaf from the online site I use. And the leaves are pretty distinctive. Also on the rabbit safe list I use. I have never fed it and, as I think I've said before, I have this niggle about Black Poplar. This could be unfounded though as I can't find anything to support it online.

Pic No 4 - Again I haven't see this around here (shame as the berries attract Waxwings in the winter), but looks definitely like Rowan and it's on the rabbit safe site I use.

Pic No 5 - This is the Geranium we have the most of in the garden and yes I think it is Cut-leaved. Definitely rabbit-safe and mine like it lots.

Your rabbits are in for a feast today :D

I fed mine with lots of long grass, Geranium and Lemon Balm about an hour ago. It never fails to bring an enormous smile to my face, as they know exactly what I'm doing and wait for me at the corner of the run where I place the forage. The nearer I get the more excited they get, binkying round in a very small circle, so as not to leave the spot, almost falling over themselves.

I think the Hawthorn blossom and the Cow Parsley flowers are really looking splendid this year :)
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we have pink hawthorn here now
 
joey&boo said:
we have pink hawthorn here now
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Yes, I have since noticed a small amount of pink in the hedgerows here. It's single-flowered though, like the normal white-flowered one. The one that willow and squiggles posted was double-flowered, which offends me so much more :)
 
I took a clipping...is it more of the double flowered impostor?

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Oh dear.. I won't say it's pretty then or tell you where it was growing :lol: To be honest most of the houses down here seem to throw garden plants on to the track. Not me though, I pay for garden bin to be collected...its just full of bunny stuff mind, I just let the garden grow:lol:
 
MightyMax said:
Yeah it's fine :thumb:

I remember Twigs saying 'not to much' as it can clog up the system. I feed it sparingly :)
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Ahhhh OK, I might not bother then as it's not nearby.

I was just about to go for a Nige and it started peeing it down grrrr
 
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