Don’t Die in the Forest

By: Ella Winthers

What is wild foraging and why do it?

Wild foraging can be a way to be more familiar with your surroundings, a fun afternoon activity, a survival tool, or even just a fun way to show off.

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What is wild foraging? Wild foraging is when you would go outside and find edible plants. You could forage for mushrooms, berries, or even flowers.

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This slide show will go over

• How to forage
• Edible plants
• Plants that can be eaten straight out of the ground
• Plants that should be cooked first
• Poisonous Plants to avoid
• Recipes and hacks for how to add these plants

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How do you forage?

When foraging you want to take from as many plants as possible. You also want to make sure you leave enough leaves for the plant to survive once you leave.

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Edible plants

These are plants that you could eat straight out of the ground.

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Bearberry- Kinnikinnick

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Bearberry

Bearberry is commonly found by the mountains and in the foothills. The plant is low to the ground and has glossy oval leaves, that turn red in fall. It flowers in June with urn (upside down bell) shaped flowers. The berries will start out green and then turn red for all of the growing season. This plant is edible but it is not recommended to eat in high amounts as it can cause headaches and nausea. This plant can be dried, made into tea, smoked, or b used as an antiseptic. This plant has a long history of human use and has been seen in many texts throughout history, and has no dangerous lookalikes.

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Thimbleberry

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Thimbleberry

Often found in the woods, thimbleberry is a delicious snack. Sometimes called the wild raspberry, thimbleberry will grow red berries that have the same shape as raspberries. This plant will have big, green, fuzzy leaves that resemble those of the maple tree. The plant itself is a bush that can grow up to 6 feet in height. Along with that, when blossoming it will have white flowers. Salmonberry, a common look alike, that is also completely safe to eat will have deep pink flowers. The berries will come in late July and have a fragrant sweet smell. When ripe they will be bright red and slightly tart.

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Edible cooking plants

These are plants that have to cook first

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Stinging Nettle

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Stinging Nettle

Stinging Nettle is extremely common all over North America. In Colorado these plants can be found at the base of rocky slopes, river beds, and in the foothills. Never touch a raw Stinging Nettle without gloves on. They have small burs all along their spine filled with irritating chemicals that get stuck in the skin extremely easily, but don’t let that deter you from this incredible plant. It will have finely toothed heart shaped leaves that taper to a point. In summer the plant could be up to six feet tall and you can harvest from the same one year after year. When harvesting only harvest the young leaves for the best taste. If you are cooking you don't have to worry about removing the burs .

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Poisonous plants

These are plants that you should avoid and not touch.

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Death Camas

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Death Camas

Death Camas often grows by streams, meadows, or mountain clearings. These plants look and smell extremely similar to wild onion. They have grass like, linier, v-shaped, parallel-veined leaves that come from a bulb in the ground. This bulb is almost identical to one of a wild onion. The main difference is that the leaves/stalks are NOT hollow. Wild onion would have hollow leaves/stalk. Some signs of ingestion are muscle weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, tremors, and slowed heart rate. If ingested, immediately seek medical attention.

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More photos of Death Camus

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Red Baneberry

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Red Baneberry

This plant typically grows in shady areas with moist to wet soil, open forest or dry slopes. This plant will produce 1 to several branching stems. Each stem has either three leaves that branch near the top, or three compound leaves and one flower stalk from the main central stem. The plant will grow to be about 2 feet tall. The plant will have compound leaves which are many leafs on one offshout. Each compound leaf has 2-3 deeply lobed and coarsely toothed leaflets (the smaller leafs) and hairy veins on the underside. If berries form they will be waxy, shiny, and elliptical in shape.

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More photos

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Of Red Baneberry

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Recipes

Wonderful recipes and hacks

Stinging nettle pesto

• 6 cups raw nettle
• ½ cup pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ parmesan
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 1 Lemmon
• Salt and pepper to taste

• Wash off nettle and boil in a pot for 1-3 minutes
• Strain out nettle and dry off squeezing the stems to get out any remaining water
• Chop up the nettle
• Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend adding extra oil or water until desired consistency is reached

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Fried Dandelions or Daylily

• 2 cup Dandelions or Daylily buds
• Oil for frying
• 1 egg
• 1 cup carbonated water
• 1 cup flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp. Cornstarch

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• If using dandelions make sure to pick them from an area free from pesticides and look for bright yellow blooms on short stems.
• Remove all but a quarter inch from the stems, and then wash the flowers laying them on a towel to dry.
• In a deep skillet heat 1-2 inches of the oil until hot but not smoking .
• Whisk egg, carbonated water, flour, salt and pepper together until frothy.
• Toss flowers in cornstarch and then dip in batter.
• Fry in oil until golden brown, drain on paper towels, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Tea Leaves

• Harvest leaves, flowers, or berries.
• Thoroughly wash off all of your plants.
• Set them outside in the sun for 2-3 days (for berries I recommend going for a week).
• Bring the plants in and put them on a baking sheet.
• Bake the leaves for 20 minutes at 250 degrees.
• Store in an airtight container.

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Syrup

• ¾ cup water
• ½ cup sugar (or more for desired sweetness)
• 2-4 quarts of infusion(berries or flowers)

• Wash off infusion.
• Combine water and sugar in a saucepan, stirring constantly, and cook over medium high until the sugar is dissolved.
• Add infusion and boil for 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until it becomes thick -you might need to add more sugar.
• Strain out infusions and store in an airtight container in fridge.

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Cookies Hacks using Syrup or Flowers

• Pick your desired cookie recipe - works best with sugar cookies and shortbread.
• For sugar you can blend up equal parts sugar and desired flowers to make a flavored sugar to substitute in the recipe.
• For shortbread add ¼ to 1 teaspoon of flavored syrup (made in previous recipe). The ending texture of the recipe should resemble playdough.
• With any other recipes, you can play around with adding flavored sugar, flavor infused water, syrup, or even flower petals or berries.

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Thank you for looking through my slideshow, now go outside, have fun, and please don't die.