Plant ID and general forage help please!?

[PoppyRabbit]

We moved house a month ago and literally across the road from us is a huge country park with grassland meadows, woodlands and a beach at the end <3
I know a lot of you go out and collect forage for your buns and feed it freely/dry it and ive been thinking that maybe i should be doing that too now it's on my doorstep!
Im in South Wales (not far from Cardiff) which is also a new part of the country for me (i know its not that different from Yorkshire!) but im seeing a lot of new plants (and my first real live oak tree!) and bushes.
Where do i start?
Is there a book people use to identify the plants?
Or a website with pictures i could save? What are absolute no-nos?
When should i start?
How do i dry them (Poppy doesn't do well with fresh)?
How do i store them?
Am i too late this year to start?
So many questions!
My computer won't allow me to search past posts so i can't look for any!
Thankyou

 

[Silverleaf]

Gosh, how did you never see an oak tree in Yorkshire!

I don't have this book myself but I plan to get it because it looks really good. http://shop.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/product/foraging-for-rabbits-by-twigs-way/

My advice is to start with a handful of types (maybe 5 or so) that are easy to identify that Poppy likes, then as you get more confident you can add more. Maybe brambles (leaves and stems, she won't care about the spikes), hawthorn, dandelion, clover, daisy, plantain (there are two types, broad-leaved and ribwort, but they are both very distinctive), hazel, willow? More than 5 there, sorry! Bramble is definitely a great one to start with because blackberries are familiar to a lot of people, can't be mistaken for anything else, are really good for rabbits and very tasty too, apparently!

I'm still foraging now, and I've been drying for the winter too. I dry inside so my plants don't get rained on and I can keep an eye on them better. The trick is to have good airflow so they dry quickly instead of going mouldy - I made a temporary rack using a couple of old x-pen panels balanced on bits of wood, so the plants are in a thin layer on the mesh and there's a gap underneath. I turn the plants over every few days until they are dry and crispy (in a week or two) and then store them in an old pillowcase or cardboard box. I suppose you could hang stuff up in bundles to dry too.

I really enjoy it, and my rabbits are pretty keen too.

 

[Sarahbun]

I dry herbs (so far mint, dandelions and rosemary) in our airing cupboard. Tie the bunches together hang in the cupboard and then once they're dry and crisp I put them in newspaper and pop them in a cardboard box.

Should have also said I rinse them well before starting the drying process and only collect from safe (free from pesticides) places.

 

[Bunny Buddy]

This is a really good source of information too:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/the-benefits-of-leafy-green-plants

 

[sunnibunny]

Gosh, how did you never see an oak tree in Yorkshire!

I don't have this book myself but I plan to get it because it looks really good. http://shop.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/product/foraging-for-rabbits-by-twigs-way/

My advice is to start with a handful of types (maybe 5 or so) that are easy to identify that Poppy likes, then as you get more confident you can add more. Maybe brambles (leaves and stems, she won't care about the spikes), hawthorn, dandelion, clover, daisy, plantain (there are two types, broad-leaved and ribwort, but they are both very distinctive), hazel, willow? More than 5 there, sorry! Bramble is definitely a great one to start with because blackberries are familiar to a lot of people, can't be mistaken for anything else, are really good for rabbits and very tasty too, apparently!

I'm still foraging now, and I've been drying for the winter too. I dry inside so my plants don't get rained on and I can keep an eye on them better. The trick is to have good airflow so they dry quickly instead of going mouldy - I made a temporary rack using a couple of old x-pen panels balanced on bits of wood, so the plants are in a thin layer on the mesh and there's a gap underneath. I turn the plants over every few days until they are dry and crispy (in a week or two) and then store them in an old pillowcase or cardboard box. I suppose you could hang stuff up in bundles to dry too.

I really enjoy it, and my rabbits are pretty keen too.

I thought daisy's were not good for bunnies???

 

[keletkezes]

I thought daisy's were not good for bunnies???

There's a lot of ambiguity in the foraging community, especially around the non-toxic but potentially problematic stuff. I have fed dock before but many sources say it's no good.

 

[Bunny Magics]

There's a lot of ambiguity in the foraging community, especially around the non-toxic but potentially problematic stuff. I have fed dock before but many sources say it's no good.

Yeah.. I stay away from Dock and Daisy because of the mixed opinions rating both of them.. I've found it's the best way..to do one's research and stay with the tried and tested, occasionally adding a new 'recommended' or two. Mind you, my buns have accidently eaten things they shouldn't, luckily to no ill effect, but anything with a 'maybe' I would never feed regularly or save for winter forage x


Reminds me of a day last week when I was out.. I found hemlock! ... it scares me, how similar it is to other safe plants like Cow Parsley and Sweet Cicely !!!!!
If I am ANY doubt at all, I keep right away X

And PoppyRabbit... Twigs Way book from RWAF is a fantastic insight.. get it

 

[Silverleaf]

I've fed daisy with no problems, but to be fair I never manage to get very much of it as the plants are so tiny.

I was under the impression that it was fine for both humans and rabbits (although it doesn't taste good to me!), but if in doubt there are loads of other plants you can pick.

 

[PoppyRabbit]

Thankyou everyone!
Looks like i wi have to wait til payday to buy the book and then go out and have a forage in the country park to see what i can find
Only thing ive ever given her was dandelion, bramble and grass right after her spay as she has a runny bum anyway!
Should i ask the park owner/local authority for permission before i go or is this not necessary?
Im going to look really odd carrying a basket full of plants home with me!

 

[chelle]

Ive got the book and its great - i think youd find it useful if not sure....
i found that I picked stuf...put it into a cardboard box and into my airing cupboard..then turned it once a day - in no time its dried and i store it in the loft in cardboard boxes..lasts well.

The juicy plants like ribwort etc I lay on tissue paper and dry flat - they dry quicker that way - also in the airing cupboard.

your new place sounds beautiful...

 

[PoppyRabbit]

Thanks everyone for your help! I will be buying the book asap and trying to figure out how to dry things
Only problem is that we don't have an airing cupboard or anywhere warm and dry to store them? And im guessing i can't lay bunches on radiators lol!

 

[Silverleaf]

I have a low-tech drying rack in my utility room - it's a couple of old puppy pen panels lifted up on bricks! Haven't had any heating on in there at all yet and everything has dried just fine.