Best products from r/foraging

We found 68 comments on r/foraging discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 86 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/foraging:

u/6spadestheman · 1 pointr/foraging

Hey there friend! You've got plenty of responses and they're all good :). Just a quick few bits from another UK forager (wasn't too long ago I was in your shoes).

Might be worth investing in a book just to get a general idea of what's around in Britain. "Food for free" is great, but a little large to take around. Good for those cold cold nights and nothing's on TV/a good reference book.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Free-Richard-Mabey/dp/0007438478

The one I really like is River Cottage Handbook hedgerow which most of UK non mushroom stuff revolves around. Excellent read, funny informative and great photos. I've met John Wright and he really is an awesome and fun guy. Lots of great tips on what to do with the stuff you find. Also good combined with Jam and Preserve making book, which has masses of recipes to keep your foraged goodies lasting all year round. The hedgerow book you can just about fit into your jacket pocket - if it's a big one that is...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hedgerow-River-Cottage-Handbook-No-7/dp/140880185X


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Preserves-River-Cottage-Handbook-No-2/dp/0747595321/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=58P3VRK2HZ8Y4ZY2N43K

After that maybe check out any local foraging groups or classes? Depends how much you enjoy it. If you're anything like me, then you're in for a real treat :).

P.S the most important bit of any book is the dangerous/deadly section. Make sure you can recognise the nasties or at least not pick anything that looks remotely like them until you're 100% sure and confident!

u/bold_leather · 3 pointsr/foraging

Hi! I know I'm a bit late to the game as you posted this yesterday, but I split my time between Los Angeles and Boulder, CO and have done quite a bit of foraging in both!

I'd recommend picking an area or hike you love, and becoming your own personal expert on it. Return to it again and again all throughout the year, so you get thoroughly acquainted with what grows there and how it looks at each stage of its growth throughout the seasons. You'll start seeing familiar (plant) friends everywhere, and will be pleasantly surprised to constantly discover new ones, too! I even do this in my own neighborhoods and local parks--not just trails and hikes.

I'd also highly recommend this book, Foraging the Rocky Mountains. It's wonderfully written and has great photos; it's been a really helpful guide for me in CO. It even has some fun and creative recipes that will get you inspired.

Wishing you lots of success out there! If you want more specific tips on foraging in the Boulder area, feel free to PM me. I also have a ton of helpful links and reading if you're super into it.

u/OrbitRock · 2 pointsr/foraging

Thanks for the advice.


>You'll quickly learn what grows well in your area. I got all excited and ordered a load of heirloom seeds from a different climate zone. The insects, nematodes and fungi were overjoyed at many of my offerings (ha, ha) and the temperatures took care of many more.

I'm sure I'll run into this one soon, lol. All a learning experience though.

Also

>Join your local gardening and permaculture groups, and also learn about the wild edibles in your area. Once I began to appreciate edible "weeds" I never looked at my yard the same way, again!

Yeah that's good advice, I'll have to start looking around and learning from people in my area. I think it's a bit of a unique little climate zone. Also, I have been doing a little bit of learning about the local wild edibles. Last year I harvested wild Virginia ground cherries, prickly pear cactus pads and fruits, and buffalo gourd seeds.

Oh, also, the very last thing that I ate before typing this was dandelion leaves! Lol.

>aquias27 is absolutely right about the soil. Learn how to build healthy soil (my preference is hugelkultur), and you'll be golden!

Yeah that's what I'm attempting to learn now. I'm doing double-dug beds if you have heard of that, and have mixed in a lot of organic matter and earthworm castings, and planted some beans in each one for nitrogen fixing. The methods I'm learning are from this book, which teaches to also start making compost alongside your garden, so that's my next venture once I'm done with planting this year is to set up my first composting setup.

I've heard of hugelkultur, it is really interesting. I'll see how it all goes, hopefully I can start making a good amount of my own food!

u/wonderful_wonton · 8 pointsr/foraging

Sam Thayer's books, especially The Forager's Harvest.

It's not a huge guide, and only covers a dozen or so plants, but it's a real botanist-level course in beginning plant identification. Some people would say it's the best guide out there right now.

A great way to get started is with online resources, because there you can find a lot of different pictures of the same plant, to help you nail down an identification of edible plants. And you can't be too careful with edible plant identification. Steve Brill (who is also a good book author) has a wonderful website.

Also, there are people on YouTube with extensive wild plant identification channels.

u/BittersweetPast · 10 pointsr/foraging

Definitely pokeweed, as sprashoo said. Do not eat the berries, stems, or roots at all - cooked or raw. The leaves can be eaten like salad greens, but they have to be rinsed and boiled several times before they're safe. Not sure if this one is worth the trouble, although some may disagree.

As far as finding edible plants, there are lots of websites. Edible Wild Food is a good place to start.

I also really like the foraging books by Samuel Thayer: Nature's Garden and The Forager's Harvest.

I am in southcentral PA and have been able to find many of the plants in Thayer's books. He goes into great detail about each plant and mainly only covers ones that actually taste good.

u/BrandoTheNinjaMaster · 1 pointr/foraging

So here's the guide that I use. Also you have other options that you can use as well. You can download apps (or Google search) for use in the field to augment the pictures in your guide of choice.

The best method in my opinion would be to go out with my guide of choice and start with something super easy to identify like dandelion (because it's prevalent and there are no poisonous lookalikes). Look at your field guide and look how it describes the basal rosette leaf formation, the tooth shape on the leaves, etc. Once you have the easy stuff down you can move on to more advanced identifications.

I know for most of the new people this goes without saying, but I just wanted to say that you should always be 100% sure of your identifications, because there are poisonous lookalikes out there that will do stuff from give you the runs to kill you. Any field guide worth its salt will point out any these lookalikes.

Another thing I like to stress to new foragers is the rule of 10%. Basically this: Not all plants reproduce and spread like crazy. Some guys (like ramps, wild ginger, or ginseng) take a long time to get a good foothold in an environment. With that said you should only take 10% of what's there or only what you need (whichever is less). Now with all rules there are exceptions; exceptions for the above rule would be things that go nuts when it comes to reproducing and out competing everything else around it (most of the time because it's not from there). Examples of this would include dandelion, japanese knotweed, japanese stiltgrass, japanese barberry, mugwort, plantain, and others that are escaping me at the moment.

Also, I should mention that Ohio is pretty good for foraging. There's a lot of invasive plant life there (not so much as on the East Coast, but a great deal all the same) so you should be able to find a lot of good stuff.

u/readuponthat24 · 2 pointsr/foraging

buy a good field guide for your area and use "google lens" for more distinct looking plants and fungi. I am fairly new to foraging and have learned a few things that I can share. Nothing in this world will be as useful as going into the woods with someone else who knows what they are doing and what to look for. Your local area likely has some special things to look for and some things to look out for and a local guide will be well versed in those. Next is be curious about everything but don't overwhelm yourself either, concentrate on identifying a few things at a time and learn exactly what to look for in identifying/differentiating that particular plant/fungus. Be careful and have fun.

Here is the book I like to bring with me into the woods in the northeast:

Edible Wild Plants: Eastern/Central North America (Peterson Field Guides) Paperback – September 1, 1999

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039592622X/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/pollinate · 2 pointsr/foraging

What general area are you in? I can recommend an excellent starter book for the western u.s., and could try to remember a couple online resources for other areas. But also I have a habit of 1. picking one thing I know is in my area, trying to find it and learning all about it and 2. Intentionally noticing all the plants around me on my daily routine, once they become familiar you may begin to realize how much around you is edible. As you research the plants you are looking for you come across other ones that you thought were weeds on your trip to work. I started with just this book:
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West by Gregory L. Tilford http://www.amazon.com/dp/0878423591/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_YMTWtb0DC8J3Q
Google what the native tribes in your area ate and see if any of that is familiar/still flourishing. As for mushrooms I usually stick to chanterelles and a few other easy ones, that is just hat I do personally as they sometimes take a lot of work and microscopes, etc... that I dont have to identify. I picked and ate my first chanterelles without asking an expert opinion, but I had seen them many times before in restaurants and markets. Some stuff it is possible to identify without asking someone, if you have a good book or other resource, but if you are not sure, always leave it. Take a photo on your phone and research it later or upload it to /r/whatisthisplant. I found yerba buena on a hike once and now I know when I'm in a certain type of soil/plant community to expect it might be there too. Then I moved to a new house and it's growing with pineapple weed in the edge of the driveway. After a while you will start to see food everywhere.

u/Zooshooter · 2 pointsr/foraging

Mushrooms website

Mushrooms book

I picked up this book for my own area. I love the way it is laid out. All the best edibles at the front of the book, followed by all the worst toxics. Then they break it down by physical form: cap and stem with gills, cap and stem with pores, etc. Color photos, key ID traits are highlighted in green text. It's an amazing book for my area and it's perfectly pocket sized.

u/funknjam · 1 pointr/foraging

Happy to help.

Not a site, a book. I literally had it sitting within arm's reach when I saw your post so I grabbed and transcribed. Published in 1982, my edition was purchased circa 1995, but here's a link for the same book, newer edition it looks like, on Amazon.

I live in FL and like the rest of the Eastern US and Canada, we've got plenty of it. I've tried it. Nothing to write home about for sure.

u/arbutus_ · 2 pointsr/foraging

[Plants of Coastal British Columbia: Including Washington, Oregon and Alaska by Jim Pojar]
(https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1551055325/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1977604502&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1594853665&pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_r=ZE56QP0A00SH8K6G23SM)This book here is my holy bible for foraging and IDs. I know you are in Oregon, but I'm on Vancouver Island which is practically in the US and as west coast as it gets. Many of the plants growing where I am grow in parts of Oregon too. Consider fining this book or one similar. IMO a good Id book with images is the most important thing to carry with you (aside from gloves and a pocket knife).



Here are a few books I do not own but have read or heard people recommend.

Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West by Michael Moore

Pacific Northwest Foraging by Douglas Deur

Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt to Plate by John Kallas

u/Cantholditdown · 2 pointsr/foraging

Here are the 2 guides I am using to research foraging. The plant guide is pretty good. I give it a 8/10. It just needs a few more pictures because it doesn't show all stages of growth. The mushroom guide is pretty incredible! 9/10. It has a subsection specifically for edible mushrooms and specifies poisonous look alikes side by side. I use these in conjunction with youtube to research foraging. The mushroom guide is very pocket sized. The plant guide is larger and would require a small backpack to comfortably hike with it, but it isn't by any means bulky. It is like 6x8 with 120 pages or so.

Jusy FYI, I am mostly and armchair forager so far. I have foraged for wineberries and raspberries in NJ but that is about it. PM me the area you live in. Might be able to explore with you.

Plant foraging
https://www.amazon.com/Northeast-Foraging-Flavorful-Wineberries-Regional/dp/1604694173/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491754003&sr=8-1&keywords=northeast+foraging

Mushrooms
https://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Northeast-Simple-Common-Mushroom/dp/1591935911/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491754115&sr=8-2&keywords=mushroom+guide+northeast

u/goatasplosion · 2 pointsr/foraging

Found this online: http://www.nativeventures.net/shopexd.asp?id=26

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Edible-Wild-Plants/dp/039592622X

And this article: https://medium.com/@youngerpants/edible-foraging-9fcc68f6d784

I can definitely relate, I've had to learn on my own. Practice! Go out into the wild and start identifying. Eventually you can get really good at it by yourself. I hope you find someone though!

u/Nicaara · 3 pointsr/foraging

If you want an entertaining as well as an informative read, try Stalking The Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons. A bit less of a purely ID guide, and more about application of what you find, as well as personal accounts that are interesting to read.

Oh and I should mention this one too as it is a guide that is specific to coastal areas.

u/Dadswag123 · 1 pointr/foraging

Thanks for so many responses. Anyone have thoughts on this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Northeast-Foraging-Flavorful-Wineberries-Regional/dp/1604694173/ref=pd_aw_sbs_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9B1YSDMRW0SXYYH4M8KR

I’d love to know what the “go-to” book is for foraging in New England.

u/CalmEnthusiasm · 17 pointsr/foraging

This is a copy/paste of one of my comments...

I always recommend this; is to contact the local agriculture extension office or local community college of the area you live in. These local experts either personally know or they personally know who to contact regarding foraging info. Books by Samuel Thayer and Euell Gibbons are excellent, but they cover a very large area to be able to sell to a large audience. (Which is fine...)

But, most people spend 99% of their time in just one local area. Learn to key and classify the local plants here, and then all the sudden the other books in other areas start making more sense. https://www.amazon.com/Botany-Day-Patterns-Method-Identification/dp/1892784351 is a good book.

Also check MeetUp for any local groups in the area too.

u/Techi-C · 1 pointr/foraging

Northeast Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Beach Plums to Wineberries (Regional Foraging Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1604694173/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Ckm3Bb7NN4Z17

I have the Midwest version of this and I love it! It’s wonderful to just sit down and read, but also good to use as a field guide!

u/stubacca83 · 2 pointsr/foraging

This is the book and website I use(d) in tandem to study and learn intro level botany. Its been incredibly helpful in my journey to learn plant ID of the southern Appalachian but is not region-specific. They both encourage the learning of plants by families.
http://www.amazon.com/Botany-Day-Patterns-Method-Identification/dp/1892784351
http://www.botanyeveryday.com/

u/BeamTeam · 1 pointr/foraging

"All That The Rain Promises and More" is pretty much THE pocket sized mushroom foraging book. Its technically not specific to the US west coast, but in reality it's very west coast oriented.


All That The Rain Promises and More

u/pdoubletter · 2 pointsr/foraging

The Forager Handbook by Miles Irving is very thorough in it's number of edibles, but not fantastic to carry around or for ID. I combine it with The Wild Flower Key by Francis Rose. I pick a couple plants from the Forager Hand book at a time and look for them on a walk.
Another book is the River Cottage Hedgerow by John Right, in fact all three of his book are well done; Mushrooms and Edible Seashore.

u/CountingSatellites · 1 pointr/foraging

I’ve got a number of mushroom books, some geared towards general identification, others specifically towards edible mushrooms. I really like my Audubon field guide for general identification, but my favorite for edible mushrooms is The Complete Mushroom Hunter by Gary Lincoff.

u/bluebuckeye · 4 pointsr/foraging

Deja vu! I just posted this the other day. But I love Euell Gibbons book Stalking the Wild Asparagus.

u/passivelucidity · 7 pointsr/foraging

Pick up a copy of the Peterson Field Guide for Eastern US (https://www.amazon.com/dp/039592622X/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_zlTIub0TPCHW2).

If you know someone with the knowledge, spend some time with them learning, but the Field Guide can help you identify a number of edible plants in PA.

Edit: Spelling

u/BaleZur · 3 pointsr/foraging

Other's have been rather rude about this whole thing. If you are putting low effort into questions we can give you low effort responses--instead of being a toxic community. You'd think as a community we would be able to identify toxic stuff since a huge part of "can I eat this" is "should I be careful of anything that looks like this, but I really REALLY shouldn't eat".

In any case look into a few books.I've got https://www.amazon.com/Edible-Wild-Plants-American-Natural/dp/1402767153 and would recommend it as both a place to start, and reference material. There's a region guide to point you at specific plants to look up online. Once you know a specific plant, find a video ID guide of it online and watch a few, then use the book as reference material when in the field. I recommend https://www.youtube.com/user/EatTheWeeds for videos. He does stuff that's in Florida, but 60-70% of his stuff applies in the "mid-west" states.

You could also use https://www.amazon.com/Edible-Wild-Plants-Foods-Adventure/dp/1423601505 which only covers ~10 plants, but they are plants that can be found almost everywhere.

Before you eat anything, look up "poisonous look alikes *plant name*" where plant name is the name of what you think you've got in your hands (so likely a phone in a field with cell access)

If you need help ID'ing specific plants, come back to this sub.

u/thomas533 · 2 pointsr/foraging

Many of the edible weeds in N. America are also found (or have edible counterparts) in Europe also. Things like dandelions, dock, chickweed, and amaranth are all common.

Most seaweeds around the world are edible if you are going to be on the coasts.

I'd take a look at these books from Amazon's UK site as many of the plants will also be found on the mainland too:

Self-sufficiency Foraging

Food For Free

Hedgerow

Edible Seashore

u/Rosindust89 · 1 pointr/foraging

The most readable one I know of is "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" by Euell Gibbons

http://www.amazon.com/Stalking-Wild-Asparagus-Euell-Gibbons/dp/0911469036

u/snowmantackler · 2 pointsr/foraging

The book I used to get me started was Petersons Field Guide for Wild Edible Plants found here http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Edible-Wild-Plants/dp/039592622X

u/that_cachorro_life · 1 pointr/foraging

This is my favorite mushroom guide! all the rain promises and more

Make sure you learn the deadliest mushroom types so you can avoid look alikes, and remember to positively ID each mushroom type you find from a guide and to make sure it is not a similar looking type that may be poisonous. For example, the shaggy parasol and green spored parasol look very very similar, but one will make you very sick. You could also look into joining a local mycological society.