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my foraging diary

no, I don't forage at night. There are precious few places where you can get a decent amount now. Funnily enough many of the garden bunny edibles still provide regular nibbles but not in any quantity, more tasting platters. But you have 7 x as many bunnies as I
 
Very impressed with self as no longer can it be said I'm a fair weather forager! Although as it happens the sun did shine.

Got loads & loads of hogweed & geranium,plus some brambles & herb robert

Well done! I'm amazed that you found some Hogweed. We've got loads of it in the garden, but none that's producing leaves atm.
 
If you have just this minute got in from foraging I'm hugely impressed ;)

(To be fair, I'm pretty impressed anyway. I should forage a bit, my own plot isn't going to provide supplies for the next few months as I had anticipated *sighs).

Have you got wild areas? We have Red Campion, around the perimeter next to the hedges, and also Red Dead-nettle, growing profusely like a carpet inbetween the Kale. Both of them pretty much last through the winter.
 
Very impressed with self as no longer can it be said I'm a fair weather forager! Although as it happens the sun did shine.
Matt goes out all weathers for ours :love: I don't :lol:

Well done! I'm amazed that you found some Hogweed. We've got loads of it in the garden, but none that's producing leaves atm.
Still loads of hogweed by the canal here, in patches: today's frost won't last long enough to hurt it as well :)
 
On my last not so productive forage, I passed a hazel tree & took off 2 small branches ...wasn't expecting them to be interested. Well they all were. They weren't wolfed down immediately but over 2 days gone completely. Even Mousey. This is happy news for me as it means I can get them hazel twigs all year round
 
On my last not so productive forage, I passed a hazel tree & took off 2 small branches ...wasn't expecting them to be interested. Well they all were. They weren't wolfed down immediately but over 2 days gone completely. Even Mousey. This is happy news for me as it means I can get them hazel twigs all year round
That's great! Sounds like there will be more hazel twigs in their future! =) Sophie and Casper aren't big fans, which is too bad, because I can easily get them hazel twigs.
 
On my last not so productive forage, I passed a hazel tree & took off 2 small branches ...wasn't expecting them to be interested. Well they all were. They weren't wolfed down immediately but over 2 days gone completely. Even Mousey. This is happy news for me as it means I can get them hazel twigs all year round

That certainly is good if they eat them completely. Our Hazels will get pruned soon and so the 2Ts will get the prunings, but I don't think they will eat all of it unless it's very thin.
 
We're just starting a proper pruning regime on our garden. We prefer to do anything bunny safe, especially winter pruning, over a few weeks so the bunnies can chew what they want. No point chopping loads off at once when it'll just die and be unpalatable. Today we discussed the pear, hazel, currants and removal of the rogue honeysuckles, and started with a piece of pear and redcurrant. The pear was an instant hit, the currant will take some time to go :) They were SO excited about the pear :lol: Ours aren't hazel fans at any time of year TBH, it's always left until last!

We also talked about gooseberries. We need to clear a load of bushes before we can get to the one we want to keep, so we're going to wait until they've got leaves on so we can put the through the bunny stick processor :lol:
 
We're just starting a proper pruning regime on our garden. We prefer to do anything bunny safe, especially winter pruning, over a few weeks so the bunnies can chew what they want. No point chopping loads off at once when it'll just die and be unpalatable. Today we discussed the pear, hazel, currants and removal of the rogue honeysuckles, and started with a piece of pear and redcurrant. The pear was an instant hit, the currant will take some time to go :) They were SO excited about the pear :lol: Ours aren't hazel fans at any time of year TBH, it's always left until last!

We also talked about gooseberries. We need to clear a load of bushes before we can get to the one we want to keep, so we're going to wait until they've got leaves on so we can put the through the bunny stick processor :lol:

lucky bunnies. I think faced with a better selection mine would reject Hazel twigs but in these dark & wintery days they are better than nowt
 
lucky bunnies. I think faced with a better selection mine would reject Hazel twigs but in these dark & wintery days they are better than nowt
Yeah, that's what ours are like with currant moreso than hazel: try and feed them currant in spring/summer and they won't even touch the leaves!

Pear update: the word 'ravaged' is the best way to describe it I think :lol:

The forage around here is recovering after the cold spell, the cow parsely isn't looking any more limp and there's some recovery in the centres. Stickyweed/goose grass is still rampant, although not sticky!
 
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Mousey is certainly enjoying it. De-veined brambles, dandelions, sow thistle, herb robert & grass. I set off as it was just getting dark but no streetlights where i went. Got soaked too. Supermarkert veg & herbs tomorrow
 
Mousey is certainly enjoying it. De-veined brambles, dandelions, sow thistle, herb robert & grass. I set off as it was just getting dark but no streetlights where i went. Got soaked too. Supermarkert veg & herbs tomorrow

It does look very good and it's lovely that Mousey enjoyed it all :love: I must try to pick a variety of things here. It's lazy to just pick a handful of Red Dead-nettle day after day, with an occasional Brambles relief and a variety will provide more nutritional benefits. I also find it really interesting that things like Sow Thistle and Herb Robert are available where you live. I know there are lots here, but they're not growing yet. I did notice this morning that the Ribwort Plantain is starting to appear around the pond again. I must be patient and let it grow a bit :)
 
None of it is growing as such, it just hasn't died (or been picked) yet. Herb Robert does well as it grows in all the dry stone wall cracks which I'm guessing protect it
 
I must try to pick a variety of things here. It's lazy to just pick a handful of Red Dead-nettle day after day, with an occasional Brambles relief and a variety will provide more nutritional benefits.
The OH just gets them brambles every day, it's me who does any further foraging XD We've kept big swathes of herb robert in protected areas, very useful! We still have some chickweed springing up and other stuff actively growing, in our canalside microlimate :)
 
I did give J&B some too (but they have to share what Mouse has to herself). She has eaten it all & politely asked I go out in the nasty rain for more. I honestly don't know how I managed so much winter foraging for Rudey last year. I enjoy bringing goodies home to the buns but I don't enjoy the miles of walking for inferior picking. I was reading back over this thread & all being well decent foraging is only 2 months away
 
The OH just gets them brambles every day, it's me who does any further foraging XD We've kept big swathes of herb robert in protected areas, very useful! We still have some chickweed springing up and other stuff actively growing, in our canalside microlimate :)

Yes, we've got a small amount of Chickweed hiding amongst the Red Dead-nettle. Do you not get Dead-nettle where you are?
 
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