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Bedford Ramblings
Steve Mills
Steve Mills and his wife have one daughter. They previously owned two coffee/ice cream shops, currently operate an internet sales company and teach classes, but his primary job involves the paper industry worldwide. Hobbies and interests lie in gardening, photography, recorded music and of course, their pets.
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How About Foraging? Foraging for food, and other things.

Posted Friday, June 7, 2013, at 11:12 AM
Wild Mint? Wild Oregano? Wild oregano mint?

Here was the first comment: "I know you keep a garden, but what about the free stuff that grows in the wild? Ever harvest any of that stuff?

I try to, within reason, as long as I am not trespassing or anything. Pecans, persimmons, walnuts and hickory nuts just to name a few, but sometimes I get lucky and find wild grapes, cherries or apples."

We have talked about some of this free stuff in our garden meeting. Tim and his wife seem to be quite knowledgeable about mushrooms, ginseng (Sang),persimmons and probably a lot more. Personally, I would love to know more about all of it.

I am not sure if he gets on the blogs but I will bring it up tonight and report back. We have black walnut and hickory trees and probably would not starve the squirrels if I shared some, but I don't know a decent way to crack and remove the meat.

I used to use walnut and butternut hulls as a dye for new traps. I don't trap anymore, but we used to boil the traps in these hulls to darken the steel, remove the oils from manufacturing and remove human smells.

When I feel like I can stand the chigger bites, I harvest wild blackberries, have harvested dandelion flowers for wine and their root for drying as a coffee additive. (like chicory, which grows wild as well) Some folks like the taste of dandelion leaves in their spring salad.

I've just recently mentioned plantain for a wide variety of medicinal purposes and my watercress came from down in the hollow.

I also have a wild mint (Pictured, 3" tall) that has the look of a creeping oregano out in our grass. We have avoided mowing it for the last 18+ years and it has multiplied in a few places. Probably time for me to move some to a garden spot to see how it performs.

I've got more, but what do you folks forage from the forest or fields.

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  • It has been my experience that if you can find an old homestead where the house is no longer there, you can find some interesting things that aren't being harvested by anyone. I have gotten apples, cherries, wild plums and several other things that way. Have to ask the property owner of course! As long as you are respectful, you usually don't have any trouble. Especially if you offer them a jar of home made jelly from whatever you have picked!

    -- Posted by SoldierMom on Fri, Jun 7, 2013, at 12:33 PM

  • Obviously you have not tried MY jelly. Turned out more like a drink.

    Those old homesteads are also good places to find heirloom plants and flowers. Same as you said about asking the homeowners though.

    I rescued trees and shrubs from a nursery that had gone out of business two years prior. When I contacted them they thought they were all dead (and they were close) but I put them in the infirmary and had enough to outline my half-acre lot in Murfreesboro.

    -- Posted by stevemills on Fri, Jun 7, 2013, at 12:53 PM

  • BY the way, the plant in the picture has a minty smell and taste but not as strong mint as my regular mints. Maybe it escaped from a previous owner's garden. I might like it better in the fall or dried.

    -- Posted by stevemills on Fri, Jun 7, 2013, at 1:27 PM

  • Here in Wisconsin, if you forage, it is for morel mushrooms. In the spring the morel sprouts from the earth from unknown places. Few know the secrets of the morel. If you should wander there, it could make the Hatfields & McCoys look like a cake walk. Wild Wisconsin morel mushrooms sell for about $30.00 per lb.

    That said, if I could forage in Tennessee, I would walk the Bell Buckle Lane, I would pick buttercups, I would go to an old friend on Central Ave. and there smell the honeysuckle that grew wild on the fence.

    -- Posted by moonwalker on Sun, Jun 9, 2013, at 9:56 PM

  • Sounds like you are foraging for memories moonwalker. Betcha don't forage for red-bugs (chiggers) but you probably have something similar up there, blackflies?

    Speaking of morels, you might want to check out this fellows page about fungi. He is from Wisconsin http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/

    -- Posted by stevemills on Mon, Jun 10, 2013, at 9:59 AM

  • Thanks Steve, I will ck that link. You are so right about the memory thing, seems the older we get the more precious our memories grow.

    As for that chigger thing, been there done that!

    I left Tn. in the 60's and I am still scratching. ;) Here in Wi. it's deer ticks, 'skeeters' that have their own landing pads, usually me, and carpenter ants so large they have formed a union.

    All things said and done, this beautiful state is second to none. But my Tennessee roots will be with me always.

    -- Posted by moonwalker on Mon, Jun 10, 2013, at 12:06 PM
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