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my foraging diary

The other one I struggle with is some kinds of willows (I can tell the normal weeping one) v eucalyptus.

Yes, I agree. I am amazed at how just how different the Willows are. My OH seems to be able to tell them apart just by looking at them, but finds it difficult to explain to me what criteria he uses. We have the weeping one in the garden and there are several different ones very close to the property, which I use for the rabbits, but I know them because I have learnt where they are growing, rather than by recognising key ID features :)
 
Im going to have a million plants that i need to find again to take photos of when they flower:lol:. ive brough 2 leaves home today and id them as hornbeam and lime tree. They had been in my bag a while though so i didnt take photos of them. From checking about they both sound safe when leaves are young but not 100% yet so will keep checking. I would love to have parsnipbun walking round with me for the day so i could point and say " what that, and that and that" :lol:
 
found some new things yesterday
1 think comfrey
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[/URL][/IMG] 2 think geranium type
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[/URL][/IMG] 3 not sure if its one of the mustard plants
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[/URL][/IMG] any ideas please are welcome if you have any xx going foraging again soon xx
 
Wow, you are the queen of foraging! I had my elderly parents over this weekend so they had to join me on my foraging trip this morning:lol:. I've not identified anything new in a while. I want to find milk thistle now! I love the names of bunny friendly weeds.

I had to bin my dried dandelions :( suspected mould !! Pleased I dried everything individually or it would all have had to go

Omi - you said you can find enough forage to feed your buns over winter, mainly trees. I'd love to be able to do this for mine when winter comes but only ever manage grass & a few dandelions. What trees can you forage autumn onwards?
 
Yes, I agree with the ID of 1 and 2. Btw I haven't tried it, but Comfrey leaves soaked in water are supposed to provide a good fertilizer for Tomatoes.

With 3, I think, looking through my book, that it is either Turnip or Rape. The difference between the two apparently is that with Turnip, the flowers overtop the buds and with Rape it's the other way round. Based on that, yours looks more like Turnip, but it's difficult to tell.

With tree leaves I feed Apple, Ash, Maple, Hazel, Hawthorn and Willow (we have all of these in the garden). I live in the South so they probably last a bit longer here than where you are joey&boo. I find they usually last until Nov/Dec. Then they have prunings, mostly of the same trees, during Jan/Feb. By March there is generally something weed-like they can have. I also grow the tall Parsley for them to have during the whole Winter.

ETA I think you will probably find Sow Thistle more easily than Milk Thistle. It's more common here anyway. Still a big favourite with the rabbits and still exudes a milky substance from the leaves and stem when broken.
 
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thanks Omi. You're absolutely right about the south enjoying a longer foraging season in the winter... all of those trees are gone a lot sooner up here
 
Love this thread. I bought the Twigs Way book and it came 2 days ago. I'm lucky to live near a wooded area and wasteland that I walk through to go to the supermarket. I took the book on my rounds and was delighted at finding several edible plants which I stuffed in a spare bag and have given some of to the buns.

Does anyone know whether forage that is safe for rabbits is also always safe for guinea pigs? I gave them a pile of clover cos I know they eat that but was a bit reluctant to give them rabbit-safe food in case I shouldn't.
 
Yes, I agree with the ID of 1 and 2. Btw I haven't tried it, but Comfrey leaves soaked in water are supposed to provide a good fertilizer for Tomatoes.

With 3, I think, looking through my book, that it is either Turnip or Rape. The difference between the two apparently is that with Turnip, the flowers overtop the buds and with Rape it's the other way round. Based on that, yours looks more like Turnip, but it's difficult to tell.

With tree leaves I feed Apple, Ash, Maple, Hazel, Hawthorn and Willow (we have all of these in the garden). I live in the South so they probably last a bit longer here than where you are joey&boo. I find they usually last until Nov/Dec. Then they have prunings, mostly of the same trees, during Jan/Feb. By March there is generally something weed-like they can have. I also grow the tall Parsley for them to have during the whole Winter.

ETA I think you will probably find Sow Thistle more easily than Milk Thistle. It's more common here anyway. Still a big favourite with the rabbits and still exudes a milky substance from the leaves and stem when broken.

thanks omi ive googled the turnip and rape side by side and i still cant tell which it is :lol: are they both bun safe if i cant tell between the two. ive been again today and found some other plants. It was a really long walk so will only be doing that on a sunday. i will post the photos. you are a mine of information xx
 
todays findings sorry about my filthy hands1
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2
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3 no flowers for this so i dont know if its a flowering plant
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4 this grows around everything
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thanks omi ive googled the turnip and rape side by side and i still cant tell which it is :lol: are they both bun safe if i cant tell between the two. ive been again today and found some other plants. It was a really long walk so will only be doing that on a sunday. i will post the photos. you are a mine of information xx

I have certainly fed Rape to mine. It's grown commercially here and so some of it escapes. Turnip is OK to feed - it's on the RWAF safe list. Also looking at the wiki page for Brassica rapa, I see that one of its cultivars is one that I grow here (both for us and the rabbits, which is Komatsuna. My rabbits have this. I tend to give small quantities of most types of Brassica though because of the possibility of tummy problems (none evidenced) and also the issue of Oxalic Acid, which I don't fully understand :oops:

Pic No 1 is Green Alkanet, I think. Wow, I've never seen this growing in the wild :) It's in Parsnipbun's book on foraging as being safe, so a treat for your rabbits.

Pic No 2 I think is Prickly Lettuce. This is one that I think you should check, as Parsnipbun says in her book that it can be confused with Teasel before it flowers.

Pic No 3, I think is Yarrow. Please check this though as the plant is not fully mature.

Pic No 4 I think is Hedge Bindweed, which is a favourite of my rabbits. Read what Parsnipbun says about the difference between Hedge and Field Bindweed though.

I am impressed by the variation of plants that you are finding. You must have some very good spots :)
 
thanks omi im surrounded all four sides with different places to forage and each one has different things growing its amazing. Im loving it. I really do appreciate all your help xx
 
This thread is indeed ace, it's helping me loads. I'm happy to announce the blackthorn tree now has leaves, one of my bunnies favourites (my sloe gin however turned out pretty nasty :) Found a big expanse of Herb Robert yesterday so might get a stash to dry . Interested to see what you've found Kara
 
Just wanted to show part of where I go which is opposite my work :)

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:lol:
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1, any idea?
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2, ?
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Number 2 is a right pain to get rid of in the garden, it is in fact the reason I no longer bother to weed (good excuse) . My neighbours call it Horses tails but they are a bit weird round here :lol: I've seen our bunnies chomp on it occasionally
 
I have certainly fed Rape to mine. It's grown commercially here and so some of it escapes. Turnip is OK to feed - it's on the RWAF safe list. Also looking at the wiki page for Brassica rapa, I see that one of its cultivars is one that I grow here (both for us and the rabbits, which is Komatsuna. My rabbits have this. I tend to give small quantities of most types of Brassica though because of the possibility of tummy problems (none evidenced) and also the issue of Oxalic Acid, which I don't fully understand :oops:

Pic No 1 is Green Alkanet, I think. Wow, I've never seen this growing in the wild :) It's in Parsnipbun's book on foraging as being safe, so a treat for your rabbits.

Pic No 2 I think is Prickly Lettuce. This is one that I think you should check, as Parsnipbun says in her book that it can be confused with Teasel before it flowers.

Pic No 3, I think is Yarrow. Please check this though as the plant is not fully mature.

Pic No 4 I think is Hedge Bindweed, which is a favourite of my rabbits. Read what Parsnipbun says about the difference between Hedge and Field Bindweed though.

I am impressed by the variation of plants that you are finding. You must have some very good spots :)

Just to add a snippet to Omi's impressive post here:

Yes we found Rape on Sunday and it's OK to give. As Omi said, when commercially grown it can escape, and this is what it looks like to me.

I also grow Komatsuna, for us and the rabbits :)

We also found Alkanet on Sunday, and I have a specimen. I had never even heard of it!
 
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