Reddit mentions of Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places

I can help with your plant identification part if you need it. A lot of people are very off put when they start learning plant identification and give up before they learn the basics.

If you're interested, here's a post I made on my failed subreddit which was to address what you are in your blog:

>Foraging is something that I've been doing now for a few years, it can have a somewhat steep learning curve to start out. I figure though if I can do it, so can anyone here. You'd be surprised at what's growing all around at any given time (well, except Winter).

> Getting into this is thankfully not expensive at all, especially when compared to other hobbies which tend to have a high cost of entry. What you'll need is a good book to start out with. I was lucky enough to have a friend help show me the ropes and he gave me his old book that he started out with. With that said though, you may not want to use this one in particular, while this features a lot of areas, it's pretty specific to East Coast USA (with the exception of Florida). You should choose a book that covers the local flora of your area. Yes you could find all of the information contained online, but when you're out trying to find this stuff in the wild sun glare, sweat, and other general yuckiness will make your searches and subsequent identifications difficult if not impossible.

> Also, whichever book you choose will help you learn some of the basics like leaf formations and what their characteristics are. I'll list a few here, but this is by no means a complete list:

> Basal Rosette: This formation is low to the ground with leaves and/or stalks that radiate outward. Here is a picture of a dandelion which has a basal rosette shape.

> Feather Compound Leaf- Which are leaves on each side (even with one another) and also having a terminating leaf. Staghorn Sumac has a Feather Compound leaf shape: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Rhty_002_lhp.jpg/800px-Rhty_002_lhp.jpg

> Palmate Compound Leaf- Leaf that has a set of leaflets radiating out from a center (similar to a basal rosette, but not on the ground) usually on a stem or vine. The toxic plant Virginia Creeper has this shape.

> Alternate Leaves: These are leaves that alternate from side to side and are not even like compound leaves. Spicebush has an alternate leaf shape.

> Another thing you want to look at which can help you identify a plant is to see if the leaf is toothed or not. For example, raspberry and blackberry leaves are toothed as seen in this picture of blackberry.

> Let's do a mock identification (to the best of my ability anyway). Let's say that you're walking along the edge of a forest and you happen upon this plant. Let's take a close look at its characteristics:

> The first thing you'll notice is the long oval shaped leaves. A closer inspection of the leaf and you'll notice that it has rounded teeth. Here take a closer look: http://i.imgur.com/Ep1eufX.jpg.

> Next you have the distinctive trumpet shaped flowers.

> Lastly, these's little nodules on the stem.

> This is where you pull out your handy-dandy guide and start skimming. As you go across picture after picture of plants you see one that has similar flowers and start to read. Matching each characteristic of the plant you discover (trumpets): Jewelweed which has a plethora of medicinal uses and is edible.

> Considerations and Warnings:

> You have to be 100% sure of your identification otherwise you could mistakenly consume a poisonous plant that will kill you. The worst part that is that it may not even be instant. Some Amanita mushrooms take 3 weeks to shutdown your liver. This is going to scare a few of you away, but don't let it. As long as you have your guide and the plant has met all the identifying characteristics you should be fine. But, if you're still unsure snap a picture or collect a bit and cross-reference it with a few sources.

> Don't worry if you don't get this right away. Like I said it has a somewhat steep learning curve and when I was starting out I almost threw in the towel a couple of times. I'm still seeing new things each and every time I go out. Take your time and start out with some easy stuff to acclimate yourself to being a plant detective.

> Two heads are better than one. Grab a friend so that they can help you out. They can grab the book while you look closer at the leaves. They may also spot something you missed.

> Know the pest/poisonous plants in your area. It's best to learn to identify and stay the hell away from poison ivy, poison oak, hogweed, virginia creeper as soon as possible.

> Have fun and once you get your foraging feet wet check out /r/foraging for more stuff.

> Here's some of my previous identifications if you're interested:

> http://imgur.com/a/RW3yG

> http://imgur.com/a/1u5Oe

> http://imgur.com/a/NyA1v

edit: My failed subreddit was called /r/collapseskills in case anyone was wondering.

Lemme just take a moment to promote my favorite foraging book: https://www.amazon.com/Identifying-Harvesting-Edible-Medicinal-Plants/dp/0688114253 It's great for anyone just getting into the hobby, super detailed and thorough, and steers you well away from anything that could kill you. :P The author also has a really awesome vegan wild-foods cookbook out.