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my foraging diary
- Thread starter willow and squiggles
- Start date
Horace the Bold
Alpha Buck
MightyMax
Banned
I picked two buckets of cow parsley. Also found dead nettle, sticky weed, dandelions, brambles and chickweed. Must be all the mild weather
Horace the Bold
Alpha Buck
Yes, I think so
I presume you are concerned you don't pick Hemlock. I must admit it's easier for me because I pick from my garden and so I know where the plants come up each year The main difference is in the stem. Cow Parsley is slightly ridged. Also a cross section of Cow Parsley stem is triangular, Hemlock is round. And although Cow Parsley stems are sometimes a bit pinkish, Hemlock is blotchy red.
Cow Parsley is also much more commonly found.
All I ever get is brambles, I'm so rubbish. I bought this book to help me although I'm still not confident
Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk
A lot of us have got that book :thumb: I think it's very good.
Don't belittle brambles. They are one of the best forage foods for rabbits' tummies. Also there's not really a lot of very much else around at the moment.
Once Spring starts you will find that there's loads of stuff to pick and then you can gradually get confident starting with just a few easy ones.
Also if you get stuck, just post a picture on this thread and there will usually be someone who can help out.
I am - it's one of only about half a dozen things I can reliably pick these days. And there's so much good young stuff around right now, it would be a shame not to feed it
Yes, I know that you are confident with it
I agree there's quite a bit of young stuff coming up. I find it's interesting how less robust it is compared to when it grows later in the year. It also seems quite hardy as we've had some quite severe frosts lately.
MightyMax
Banned
Yes, I know that you are confident with it
I agree there's quite a bit of young stuff coming up. I find it's interesting how less robust it is compared to when it grows later in the year. It also seems quite hardy as we've had some quite severe frosts lately.
Yes it's been frosty and icy here, so although it looks even more fragile than the herb parsley, it must be very tough
tlcwrites
Mama Doe
New Year's Resolution should be for everyone to feel confident in picking Cow Parsley
Cow Parsley is one of the things I've been confident with from the start. I first started dabbling in 2015, and cow parsley, garlic mustard, and plantain were the first 3 non-obvious ground ones I learned. I still check vigilantly but still. I've only ever seen hemlock twice.
I should really go forage but still been quite rough. Also not 100% steady on my feet right now so it's dependent on if OH can come with me.
MightyMax
Banned
Cow Parsley is one of the things I've been confident with from the start. I first started dabbling in 2015, and cow parsley, garlic mustard, and plantain were the first 3 non-obvious ground ones I learned. I still check vigilantly but still. I've only ever seen hemlock twice.
I should really go forage but still been quite rough. Also not 100% steady on my feet right now so it's dependent on if OH can come with me.
I have read that cow parsley and hemlock don't grow together in the same place. Is this generally true, do you know?
tlcwrites
Mama Doe
One was in a wooded bit near a lake, fairly young and quite isolated. Realised by the stink of it. The other was under some bramble near a supermarket - I'd picked cow parsley further up the street. I immediately identified it by the blotchiness, without picking that time. These are 2 areas I don't go often anyhow. The first, I no longer forage at ground level anyhow - there's definitely a wild population there. My more regular areas have no signs of wildies.
My main foraging routes tend to have tonnes of cow parsley, never seen any hemlock amongst it. Of course, it's better to err on the side of caution though!
Hello MightyMax,One of the fields that I forage in has cow parsley and hemlock growing side by side.On the other side of the field there is a ditch which has a continuous water flow which has both these plants growing plus Hemlock water Dropwort.I dont pick any cow parsley from here anymore as I end up confusing myself,which isnt that hard
MightyMax
Banned
Hello MightyMax,One of the fields that I forage in has cow parsley and hemlock growing side by side.On the other side of the field there is a ditch which has a continuous water flow which has both these plants growing plus Hemlock water Dropwort.I dont pick any cow parsley from here anymore as I end up confusing myself,which isnt that hard
Oh dear!
Thanks for that Maizey ... Hemlock favours watery conditions, yes?
When I first identified my cow parsley patch, I ate some the night before I gave it to the rabbits, just to be sure it was the right thing. But I did a lot of research as to the difference before stuffing my face
Oh dear!
Thanks for that Maizey ... Hemlock favours watery conditions, yes?
When I first identified my cow parsley patch, I ate some the night before I gave it to the rabbits, just to be sure it was the right thing. But I did a lot of research as to the difference before stuffing my face
How mad,I thought I was the only person who tried things before giving them to my fur babies.Hemlock water dropwort,only grows in watery places.Normal hemlock grows near water but not actually in the water.Hemlock Water dropwort looks very similar to celery.Please dont try this one as its very sweet tasting and many people have made the mistake and dont live to tell the tail.Its the most deadly plant in the UK xx
willow and squiggles
Mama Doe
Im feeling quite jealous that you can all still forage :lol: Mine are still on my dried reserves. I really need to get their VHD2 done but every time i save there is an emergency and with 10 buns i need to save a lot. Going to ring round loads of vets tomorrow and just choose the cheapest.
