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Foraging for things NOT to eat
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cab



Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 10:42 am    Post subject: Foraging for things NOT to eat Reply with quote
    

A couple of posts elsewhere have prompted me to mull over what plants and fungi we can pick and use for things other than to eat. Off he top of my head, here's a start at some categories.

Dyers plants, e.g. nettle, evergreen alkanet.

Construction and craft materials, e.g. hazel.

Medicinal plants, e.g. coltsfoot

Fibre and papermaking, e.g. cow parsley, nettle

Tools, e.g. razor strop fungus (birch polypore)

Insect repellants, e.g. elder.

Scents, e.g. rose, elderflowers.

Containers for other plants and forages, e.g. butterwort, dock, chickweed

Childrens 'play' plants, e.g. burdock, chickweed.

So as a starter, there are already a whole load of categories. Does anyone want to add in other ideas, or contribute to a list of species that can be utilised in any of the above?

dougal



Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent
PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 11:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Impractical and humdrum, but you should add simple decoration...

cab



Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 11:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

dougal wrote:
Impractical and humdrum, but you should add simple decoration...


Well, yes, I'm embarrassed I didn't think of that

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism
PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

How do children play with chickweed?

There's some good categories there, something like the medicinal plants is a vast area.

cab



Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Treacodactyl wrote:
How do children play with chickweed?

There's some good categories there, something like the medicinal plants is a vast area.


We used to do all sorts of things with chickweed, that normally involved picking up great big handfulls of the stuff and wearing it as a wig. We also used to do something similar with goosegrass, which was of course stickier.

mochyn



Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales
PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

From Cab: "We also used to do something similar with goosegrass, which was of course stickier."

I agree, goose grass is huge fun: I still catch out the old chap every year with handfuls of it stuck all about him. But we call it Sticky Willy. Perhaps we need a thread or something about regional names, legends, etc.? Something like Grigson's Englishman's Flora?

cab



Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 1:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

mochyn wrote:
Perhaps we need a thread or something about regional names, legends, etc.? Something like Grigson's Englishman's Flora?


Are you familiar with Richard Mabeys seminal work 'Flora Britannica'?

mochyn



Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales
PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 1:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have that volume (c0ndensed) in my library. Lovely, isn't it? Shall we compile a book list?!

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45389
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 1:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Book lists/recommendations are always good. There's supposed to be a sticky of recommendations at the top of every forum.

Joey



Joined: 03 Nov 2004
Posts: 191

PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Amadou fungus for drying trout flies (and for tinder too, I think??)

Joey



Joined: 03 Nov 2004
Posts: 191

PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Amadou fungus for drying trout flies (and for tinder too, I think??)

Firewood now that I mention tinder.

cab



Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

tahir wrote:
Book lists/recommendations are always good. There's supposed to be a sticky of recommendations at the top of every forum.


And I've SO been meaning to get round to that. I'll get on it.

nettie



Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk
PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 5:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Nettle and comfrey for nitrogen fertilisers?

Silas



Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 6848
Location: Staffordshire
PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 5:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Anything for bumping off an irritating neighbour?

Lloyd



Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

PostPosted: Mon Apr 11, 05 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

My dentist!!...Ouch, ....hurts to talk!

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