Foraging?

[sarasvati]

Being in dire financial straits (I've been unemployed for 7 months now and my employment insurance gives me all of $36 a week), I've been looking at ways to further cut back on expenses, and aside from cruising for sales and buying second-hand, I've started to give thought to the matter of foraging for food.

I'm lucky to live in an area where my choices are pretty decent when it comes to wild food. I know where I can get fiddleheads, rhubarb, rose hips, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, crab apples, chestnuts, and blueberries when the season's right, and though that may not be much, it helps me stretch my grocery budget just a little bit further. And that's really just what I know of off the top of my head. If I start looking around, I might find even more!

Does anyone here have experience with foraging? Interested in it at all? Tips and tricks you'd like to share? I'm a little nervous about starting to forage, mostly because I haven't done it before, and any encouragement is appreciated.

Comments

[jamethiel]

Yay foraging! Do avoid mushrooms unless you are really up on your species--too easy to mistake poisonous for good. The other thing you might want to consider is (if you have the space in your yard) dividing the rhubarb et al and bringing it home to your garden for future gathering ease.