my foraging diary

[Omi]

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

I've just read back over the same period last year and think you should be a bit more optimistic about the timing of good foraging. I think it will be here before the second half of March. I can appreciate the not wanting to go out in the rotten rain though.

Time to get to grips with the 'U' shaped stems of Cow Parsley perhaps

[dollyanna]

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

I sincerely hope so - the big guys are costing us a fortune in bought stuff and it so much harder to keep the variety day after day! We've been getting lots of baby cow parsley for th past month which is lovely, though the hard frost knocked a lot back into much. Also had herb robert throughout, I found a few secret stashes hidden undr hedges. But it is so demoralising to go foraging and come back with half a bag of mediocre stuff when it is so easy at other times!

Why do you de-vein the bramble leaves?

[joey&boo]

I've just read back over the same period last year and think you should be a bit more optimistic about the timing of good foraging. I think it will be here before the second half of March. I can appreciate the not wanting to go out in the rotten rain though.

Time to get to grips with the 'U' shaped stems of Cow Parsley perhaps

Do you know I've been thinking about CP - thats growing. Maybe I'll get some & you lot can help me ID (take responsibility for not poisioning my bunnies)

[joey&boo]

I sincerely hope so - the big guys are costing us a fortune in bought stuff and it so much harder to keep the variety day after day! We've been getting lots of baby cow parsley for th past month which is lovely, though the hard frost knocked a lot back into much. Also had herb robert throughout, I found a few secret stashes hidden undr hedges. But it is so demoralising to go foraging and come back with half a bag of mediocre stuff when it is so easy at other times!

Why do you de-vein the bramble leaves?

cos inside bunnies are silly & wear them as tashes

[IMG][/IMG]

I only used to de-vein for the disabled buns (now down to one) but J&B don't eat & bury them in carpet so I've just started cutting them all out now

[Omi]

Do you know I've been thinking about CP - thats growing. Maybe I'll get some & you lot can help me ID (take responsibility for not poisioning my bunnies)

Please do It's such a valuable forage plant and my bunnies wolf it down before anything else. I tend to pick it from the garden and I know where the plants are, but I find the stem the easiest ID feature if I am uncertain.

Dollyanna, how do you make sure it's CP?

[keletkezes]

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

We do, but in no quantity. We get a lot more white than red, and the white is much more susceptible (because it's bigger).

We're cow parsley/hemlock experts in this household, as both grow in abundance along the canal. We do it from shape of stems only because the leaves can be all sorts of weird, and the colour of the stems is sometimes misleading.

ETA J&B, looks like the about-an-hour of dry weather we just had is spinning your way, I hope you can get out during that!

[dollyanna]

Please do It's such a valuable forage plant and my bunnies wolf it down before anything else. I tend to pick it from the garden and I know where the plants are, but I find the stem the easiest ID feature if I am uncertain.

Dollyanna, how do you make sure it's CP?

Same as keletkezes, stem shapes mostly at this time of year, but also knowing my surrounding areas quite well after years of foraging for the ponies. Cow parsley is an immensely useful herb for them, so I've been foraging the same areas for some time, hemlock doesn't seem to crop up in those areas though it is found lower down the road.

[joey&boo]

Same as keletkezes, stem shapes mostly at this time of year, but also knowing my surrounding areas quite well after years of foraging for the ponies. Cow parsley is an immensely useful herb for them, so I've been foraging the same areas for some time, hemlock doesn't seem to crop up in those areas though it is found lower down the road.

Ponies! Is this why some are super friendly when I'm out foraging? They want my forage?

[dollyanna]

Ponies! Is this why some are super friendly when I'm out foraging? They want my forage?

Haha, well certainly if you went anywhere near my two when foraging they would be coming to help! I've foraged for them for years, but we also do forage walks together as well. It's fascinating to have chance to just watch and see what they choose on different days and times, when most people think they just eat grass. You should see their faces when I enter their field with a bucket and start walking around looking interesting, only to discover I am just harvesting plantain from their toilet areas for the buns!

[keletkezes]

You should see their faces when I enter their field with a bucket and start walking around looking interesting, only to discover I am just harvesting plantain from their toilet areas for the buns!

LMAO XD Brilliant