View Full Version : Natural Scavenging on the Trail
What do you guys eat while on the AT that actually comes from the trail? For example, natural berries, maybe small game, fish, crayfish, herbs, etc. And if it was a animal how did you catch it?:-? Thanks
Nearly Normal
02-13-2009, 14:46
Possum
daddytwosticks
02-13-2009, 14:57
I bet some people caught crabs on the trail.....:0
WILLIAM HAYES
02-13-2009, 23:09
apples and blueberries
apples and blueberries
Same here, in Maine and raspberries and wild strawberries in Vermont.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but do you mean foraging rather than scavenging? :)
Tennessee Viking
02-13-2009, 23:25
For the summer, there are lots of berries on the Balds and open areas
Ramps are popular
Pine tea (from pine needles)
Dandilions
The person that would know is poseypicker. That is how he got his name. SUPER COOL GUY!
sasquatch2014
02-13-2009, 23:33
We were rolling in Morels this past spring in northern Virginia. I have also seen Chicken Of the Woods a few times. Apples in the fall, blue berries in the summer and both raspberries and blackberries. Also late fall wild grapes. I know a few people who have caught fish along the way. And then there are the occasional picnic baskets, Hey Yogi!
take-a-knee
02-13-2009, 23:40
Possum
On the half shell down south.
Arent possums one of those flat animals that live in the middle of the road?
They sure are. And if you ever get lost in the woods, there is no need for a map or compass. Just follow the possum and he will take you to the nearest road.:D
the only edible thing I find and use hiking is chives
sasquatch2014
02-14-2009, 09:45
Arent possums one of those flat animals that live in the middle of the road?
If you get them in the early spring up north they still have a bit of a salty flavor from the salt on the road. It also helps keep them preserved. I think the shelf life is similar to that of the twinkie.
Jayboflavin04
02-14-2009, 11:19
Arent possums one of those flat animals that live in the middle of the road?
That is why they are such good eatin they fit iin pita really well:D
4eyedbuzzard
02-14-2009, 11:26
I've heard this guy has an interesting diet:eek:
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh212/abbystefan/Hannibal.jpg
take-a-knee
02-14-2009, 11:38
Arent possums one of those flat animals that live in the middle of the road?
After a few days of southern sun those would be "sail" possums (an eco friendly, low VOC frisbee).
catfishrivers
02-14-2009, 12:59
I was hoping to come across some chicken of the woods, hen of the woods, chanterelles, or other edible mushrooms that I am comfortable identifying. I've spent about five years learning how to identify mushrooms, and feel confident identifying a handful of edibles which I have eaten many times already. I would not reccomend doingvso unless you know what you are doing tho. Getting poisoned in the woods is not a cool way to die.
Readers who got this far and are interested in a more serious discussion about foraging may want to consider clicking on Favorite Edibles for Northbounders (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=45926&highlight=black).
This thread should have been transferred to humor where it belonged long ago if there's a place for such discussions here at all, but it isn't humorous and may be helping to distribute bad information like many others, particularly when "stupid posts" go unanswered.
Some people really need to find something constructive to do with their time. Might I suggest Googling good information to post?
OldStormcrow
02-17-2009, 10:46
In late April to early May here in the southeast I like to gather some ramps while I am hiking. You cut them up just like onions or garlic and add them to whatever you are cooking....pasta, beans, etc. They add a good bit of "heat" to whatever you are using them in and probably keep 'skeeters away, too.
Ramps!!!!!
Be warned, they are addictive!!!!
Ramps!!!!!
Be warned, they are addictive!!!!
And you shall surely stink for several days after consuming :)
But yes, yummy!
Earth Worm Prretzels. You know how after a rain you see worms dried out on the sidewalk or driveway, pick one up and try it. They don't taste like anything. If you dig up live ones and season them with salt, and dry them out on rocks on a sunny day, you get earth worm pretzels. Don't rehydrate them, just snack on them like regular pretzels.
Jack Tarlin
02-17-2009, 13:20
Boy, I hate to be the one to rain on the parade, but there are any number of animals of all sorts........birds, mammals, reptiles, you name it......that need these foods a helluva lot more than hikers do, and this is especially the case during springtimeen the critters just got done with a long, hungry winter.
Every time you eat something out there like the foods described in the posts above, you are likely depriving some poor creature of a badly needed meal.
The occasional wild blueberry is one thing, but to actively and regularly seek out "wild" foods in order to supplement your diet is probably not a good idea. When we're on the Trail, we are essntially visitors out there, or to put it another way, we are uninvited guests in lands that constitute these animals' year-round homes. Going out there and eating up their food supply is the exact equivalent of a stranger coming into your house while you're away and devouring everything in your fridge pantry.
In fact, it's worse, as you can always go to a nearby store to find more food.
Animals don't have this option. Leave nature's bounty for the creatures that actually need it to survive.
Nonsense, that is way over the top.
You could eat certain plants, but, in keeping with the principles of Leave No Trace (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/lnt), you probably shouldn't. Leave the wild blueberries and raspberries and blackberries of summer for the birds and bears. Resist the temptation to spice up your noodles with ramps in the spring. “Chicken of the woods” mushrooms should stay in the woods. Wild watercress belongs in a stream, not a salad. Rather than brewing your own ginseng or sassafras tea from wild roots, visit the supermarket in town. Many edible plants along the A.T. are rare and endangered, and harvesting them is illegal. Even when the flora are plentiful, remember that the fauna of the Appalachians have no option other than to forage for it; you do.
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.1080155/k.F2A6/Plant_FAQ.htm#sub4
catfishrivers
02-18-2009, 00:27
Boy, I hate to be the one to rain on the parade, but there are any number of animals of all sorts........birds, mammals, reptiles, you name it......that need these foods a helluva lot more than hikers do, and this is especially the case during springtimeen the critters just got done with a long, hungry winter.
Every time you eat something out there like the foods described in the posts above, you are likely depriving some poor creature of a badly needed meal.
The occasional wild blueberry is one thing, but to actively and regularly seek out "wild" foods in order to supplement your diet is probably not a good idea. When we're on the Trail, we are essntially visitors out there, or to put it another way, we are uninvited guests in lands that constitute these animals' year-round homes. Going out there and eating up their food supply is the exact equivalent of a stranger coming into your house while you're away and devouring everything in your fridge pantry.
In fact, it's worse, as you can always go to a nearby store to find more food.
Animals don't have this option. Leave nature's bounty for the creatures that actually need it to survive.
I found scores of edible mushrooms this past summer on my hikes. I ate the ones I was positive I had identified correctly, one of which was Laetiporus sulphureus, or "chicken of the woods mushroom". At first I gathered and ate whatever I found, but then I had the same thought...that I might be depriving one of the many deer I saw, a few with ribs very visible from being so thin. So I stopped gathering them for a while and to my surprise they remained in tact for most of the season and into winter. I watched several chicken of the woods mushrooms stay around for their entire growth cycle and then get covered with snow this past year. Here's one that paled with all the rainy weather it saw and then the snow:
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1821/0270811264em2.jpg
I'm not going to lose any sleep for the one or two times I might stumble across a wild edible I am comfortable identifying and eating, but mostly I am sure it will just be easier for me to just eat my ramen noodles and a pop tart instead.
Glad you left it in the woods. It wouldn't have made much of a picture to post otherwise.
Do you get morel mushrooms? We hunt them here every April. The only mushrooms we hunt, are easy to ID and wonderful eats. You can see one on my gallery, the first pic. They are hollow inside. If they are not hollow, they are false morels-not recommended. Some people eat the false morels, they are dense inside, but they can be deadly. Not recommended. True morels look just like my pic...symmetrical, honecombed pattern hood, hood attached to the body and totally hollow inside. They are white, grey or yellow. The other mushrooms here are so easily confused with the deadly littlle brown ones, no way for me at least. Even with the books, and paper tests and the rest, I am not comfortable with our looks like a Chanterrelle. We have even ditched half free morels since they are easily confused with poisonous little browns that we will not chance it.
We tried ramps we got at the Farmer's market in Asheville. Wonderful. We hauled them home...stunk up the car like you would not believe, but they are great with pototoes, eggs, etc.
The Weasel
02-18-2009, 13:06
Taking plants - of any kind, including berries and mushrooms - is prohibited in most national parks, most wilderness areas (which can include state/national forests) and many other state lands. While I sorta doubt that scarfing a handful of blueberries will get you busted, the reasons for those rules are solid, and we should honor them.
This probably even applies (sob!) to thimbleberries on Isle Royale. Well, just one is probably OK....
TW
OldStormcrow
02-18-2009, 13:18
You could eat certain plants, but, in keeping with the principles of Leave No Trace (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/lnt), you probably shouldn't. Leave the wild blueberries and raspberries and blackberries of summer for the birds and bears. Resist the temptation to spice up your noodles with ramps in the spring. “Chicken of the woods” mushrooms should stay in the woods. Wild watercress belongs in a stream, not a salad. Rather than brewing your own ginseng or sassafras tea from wild roots, visit the supermarket in town. Many edible plants along the A.T. are rare and endangered, and harvesting them is illegal. Even when the flora are plentiful, remember that the fauna of the Appalachians have no option other than to forage for it; you do.
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.1080155/k.F2A6/Plant_FAQ.htm#sub4
Geeez! Anyone can take something just too far. I'm sure that the handful of ramps that I might eat on one of my trips does much less to harm the animals' food supply and the environment than do the our actual drives to the trailheads.......consider the hydrocarbons emitted by your car, the oil and antifreeze and sulphuric acid run-off from the pavement, the birds and bugs and snakes that you squish while driving, the smog from coal powered electric plants after you wash and dry your favorite Patagonia top, the ethanol-laced fuel that you use in your vehicle that could have been served up as corn, the erosion from your Vasque boots with the fancy new "self-cleaning" treads, the perforations of the moles' tunnels with your rapidly clicking Leki poles, the moths that die in your campfire.....shall I go on?
The Weasel
02-18-2009, 13:22
Geeez! Anyone can take something just too far. I'm sure that the handful of ramps that I might eat on one of my trips does much less to harm the animals' food supply and the environment than do the our actual drives to the trailheads.......consider the hydrocarbons emitted by your car, the oil and antifreeze and sulphuric acid run-off from the pavement, the birds and bugs and snakes that you squish while driving, the smog from coal powered electric plants after you wash and dry your favorite Patagonia top, the ethanol-laced fuel that you use in your vehicle that could have been served up as corn, the erosion from your Vasque boots with the fancy new "self-cleaning" treads, the perforations of the moles' tunnels with your rapidly clicking Leki poles, the moths that die in your campfire.....shall I go on?
Yes, do go on. So far, it's a great list of things to avoid doing, along with not eating handfulls of ramps.
TW
Taking plants - of any kind, including berries and mushrooms - is prohibited in most national parks, most wilderness areas (which can include state/national forests) and many other state lands. While I sorta doubt that scarfing a handful of blueberries will get you busted, the reasons for those rules are solid, and we should honor them.
This probably even applies (sob!) to thimbleberries on Isle Royale. Well, just one is probably OK....
TW
So, how much of the AT goes through National Parks and Wilderness areas that prohibits me from eating ramps and worm pretzels?
catfishrivers
02-18-2009, 13:46
Do you get morel mushrooms? We hunt them here every April. The only mushrooms we hunt, are easy to ID and wonderful eats. You can see one on my gallery, the first pic. They are hollow inside. If they are not hollow, they are false morels-not recommended. Some people eat the false morels, they are dense inside, but they can be deadly. Not recommended. True morels look just like my pic...symmetrical, honecombed pattern hood, hood attached to the body and totally hollow inside. They are white, grey or yellow. The other mushrooms here are so easily confused with the deadly littlle brown ones, no way for me at least. Even with the books, and paper tests and the rest, I am not comfortable with our looks like a Chanterrelle. We have even ditched half free morels since they are easily confused with poisonous little browns that we will not chance it.
We tried ramps we got at the Farmer's market in Asheville. Wonderful. We hauled them home...stunk up the car like you would not believe, but they are great with pototoes, eggs, etc.
Sadly I currently lack morels... ;) I have not yet come across them in the wild, but they sure are tasty. They look like little alien brains to me. Mushrooms I have found while hiking and later ate are: chicken of the woods, hedgehogs, chanterelles, cinnebar chanterelles, hen of the woods, black staining polyphore, devils trumpets, eastern cauliflower, and king bolettes.
catfishrivers
02-18-2009, 13:50
Oh one thing about wild mushrooms, they usually have bugs. You can eat them I guess, but I soak my finds in salt water first to do away with any hidden beasties. Then I boil for five mind, and then saute. Haven't gotten sick yet, but I don't see myself going thru the whole process to clean and cook them on my thru hike. It would just take more time than it'd be worth...
Tipi Walter
02-18-2009, 14:23
Boy, I hate to be the one to rain on the parade, but there are any number of animals of all sorts........birds, mammals, reptiles, you name it......that need these foods a helluva lot more than hikers do, and this is especially the case during springtimeen the critters just got done with a long, hungry winter.
Every time you eat something out there like the foods described in the posts above, you are likely depriving some poor creature of a badly needed meal.
The occasional wild blueberry is one thing, but to actively and regularly seek out "wild" foods in order to supplement your diet is probably not a good idea. When we're on the Trail, we are essntially visitors out there, or to put it another way, we are uninvited guests in lands that constitute these animals' year-round homes. Going out there and eating up their food supply is the exact equivalent of a stranger coming into your house while you're away and devouring everything in your fridge pantry.
In fact, it's worse, as you can always go to a nearby store to find more food.
Animals don't have this option. Leave nature's bounty for the creatures that actually need it to survive.
There's very people out in the woods actively eating wild edibles. On the other hand, there are cash-hungry poachers wiping out the ginseng and galax, but that's a different story. I'd say the threat from development, air pollution, sprawl, road building, logging, and National Park RV-motor home camp-madness needs to be addressed way before any direct action against plant-eaters. And btw, a huge percentage of the wild edibles I see in the forest "goes to waste" when autumn comes--they just wither and die. I've seen huge patches of chickweed left untouched(except by me)for decades, despite a healthy deer population.
When you look at the extinction of animals in the eastern U.S., species like passenger pigeons, mountain bison, elk, and wolves, it wasn't from a mass of people eating the wild edibles.
I found scores of edible mushrooms this past summer on my hikes. I ate the ones I was positive I had identified correctly, one of which was Laetiporus sulphureus, or "chicken of the woods mushroom". At first I gathered and ate whatever I found, but then I had the same thought...that I might be depriving one of the many deer I saw, a few with ribs very visible from being so thin. So I stopped gathering them for a while and to my surprise they remained in tact for most of the season and into winter. I watched several chicken of the woods mushrooms stay around for their entire growth cycle and then get covered with snow this past year. Here's one that paled with all the rainy weather it saw and then the snow:
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1821/0270811264em2.jpg
I'm not going to lose any sleep for the one or two times I might stumble across a wild edible I am comfortable identifying and eating, but mostly I am sure it will just be easier for me to just eat my ramen noodles and a pop tart instead.
I was camped on a high ridge several months ago and found enough food to live for about 2 or 3 weeks: Acorns/rock tripe and some goldenrods for tea. There were billions of acorns becoming worm food. Below is my recent fotog of some healthy looking shelf mushroom. I ate a big camp meal with a Scandinavian backpacking lady who picked a bunch of chicken-of-the-woods and fried it up in her skillet. We ate heartily and then looked carefully and realized about a third of the meal was made up of tiny white worms.
Taking plants - of any kind, including berries and mushrooms - is prohibited in most national parks, most wilderness areas (which can include state/national forests) and many other state lands. While I sorta doubt that scarfing a handful of blueberries will get you busted, the reasons for those rules are solid, and we should honor them.
This probably even applies (sob!) to thimbleberries on Isle Royale. Well, just one is probably OK....
TW
This reminds me of a cartoon and the fact that national forests are getting logged and clearcut on a daily basis, but don't pick the violet leaves!! I wonder, when the next regulation comes up in an over-regulated Park or wilderness, something like a $10 nightly fee, or Day Use Only with no overnight camping, will you be so eager to describe it and support it?
Geeez! Anyone can take something just too far. I'm sure that the handful of ramps that I might eat on one of my trips does much less to harm the animals' food supply and the environment than do the our actual drives to the trailheads.......consider the hydrocarbons emitted by your car, the oil and antifreeze and sulphuric acid run-off from the pavement, the birds and bugs and snakes that you squish while driving, the smog from coal powered electric plants after you wash and dry your favorite Patagonia top, the ethanol-laced fuel that you use in your vehicle that could have been served up as corn, the erosion from your Vasque boots with the fancy new "self-cleaning" treads, the perforations of the moles' tunnels with your rapidly clicking Leki poles, the moths that die in your campfire.....shall I go on?
The voice of reason in a sea of Tent Police.
OldStormcrow
02-19-2009, 10:01
For those of you who are going to be thru-hiking this year and your drive takes you more than an hour to get to Georgia or Maine.....take a moment when you get to the trailhead to look at the critters stuck in the grill of your vehicle and the fur stuck in your undercarriage, or consider the quantity of small birds sucked into the jet's engines, or the shredded deer that were trying to cross your Amtrac rails.....then come back and talk to me about no trace. I'm still eatin' my ramps!
The Weasel
02-19-2009, 10:58
*** And btw, a huge percentage of the wild edibles I see in the forest "goes to waste" when autumn comes--they just wither and die. I've seen huge patches of chickweed left untouched(except by me)for decades, despite a healthy deer population.***
***
I was camped on a high ridge several months ago and found enough food to live for about 2 or 3 weeks: Acorns/rock tripe and some goldenrods for tea. There were billions of acorns becoming worm food.
This reminds me of a cartoon and the fact that national forests are getting logged and clearcut on a daily basis, but don't pick the violet leaves!! I wonder, when the next regulation comes up in an over-regulated Park or wilderness, something like a $10 nightly fee, or Day Use Only with no overnight camping, will you be so eager to describe it and support it?
Well, yes, I already do support such things. Fees pay for my use, into a system that lacks money. I think that's fair, and reduces the cost (called 'taxes') on those who don't spend the night.
As for 'going to waste,' none of those things were wasted, as your comment about "becoming worm food" admits. Mom Nature don't waste things: She recycles so things continue to thrive next year for the local life to make it then, too. When you remove some of that, well, you're playing a small part in the Humans versus Mom Nature fight. Who do you think's gonna win?
Bring your own food.
TW
randyg45
02-19-2009, 17:28
Piano-wire rabbit snares. Be stealthy. I've told people I saw a hawk drop his kill....
Piano-wire rabbit snares.
Not practical for someone who's through hiking or legal in many if not most locations and possibly trail-wide.
randyg45
02-19-2009, 19:24
Not practical for someone who's through hiking or legal in many if not most locations and possibly trail-wide.
Eminently practical, at least in the South, if you know how.
Did I mention the need to be stealthy?
Piano-wire rabbit snares. Be stealthy. I've told people I saw a hawk drop his kill....What is the significance of piano wire vs regular snare wire. Just curious, and I've only started dabbling in snaring and such.
I think foraging is a natural thing to do while hiking, not so much for serious calories, but mostly for the learning experience, and also flavours, and perhaps vitamins and minerals. I think it should be done ethically though, which to me means sustainability, not LNT, but I guess it depends on where you hike. In some places sustainability requires LNT, but thankfully not up here where I hike.
randyg45
02-19-2009, 22:49
What is the significance of piano wire vs regular snare wire. Just curious, and I've only started dabbling in snaring and such.
With the wire and an aluminum ring to pull the snare and its catch back thru I can cut their throat, and often actually decapitate them. Faster kill.
So do hikers get to decide themselves what's sustainable based upon their own notions about what's an acceptible level of resource degradation?
Did I mention the need to be stealthy?
Yes, you did. Perhaps you never read our terms of service before digitally signing them or maybe you don't give a damn about them either?:-?
With the wire and an aluminum ring to pull the snare and its catch back thru I can cut their throat, and often actually decapitate them. Faster kill.Good to know. Thanks. I'll look into that.
Wire snares on the AT are totally inappropriate. IMO they are inappropriate anywhere at anytime other than some extreme survival situation. Ever seen an animal caught by the snout or a limb? Ever seen a dog caught by one? Fox, coyote, turkey? Do you guys know what you are talking about, or just playing macho?
I wouldn't use one on the AT. I would snare rabbits though. I only set a few at a time while learning, and I then I take them down. I understand when its really cold, like below 5F or so, you have to make the loop bigger because our rabbits (which are actually snowshoe hares) ear's freeze. Now if I never looked into snaring rabbits I would never have learned that.
No wire snares on the AT! Use a blowgun! Someone's been watching too many late night reruns of Les Stroud "Survivorman" in an outback survival situation. Come on, it's the AT. Grocery stores located nearly every 20 miles!
The Weasel
02-20-2009, 02:35
For all those who are not survivalist wannabes and might actually consider doing this, most trapping - and snares are traps - requires a license. In Georgia, that's $30. Traps have to be tagged with the owner's name (stamped on the trap) and snares are generally prohibited. There's a short season - December to February. Violation of these (and other) rules is poaching and treated seriously. Similar rules exist in most states.
TW
randyg45
02-20-2009, 18:56
So do hikers get to decide themselves what's sustainable based upon their own notions about what's an acceptible level of resource degradation?
Do you swat mosquitos?
For all those who are not survivalist wannabes and might actually consider doing this, most trapping - and snares are traps - requires a license. In Georgia, that's $30. Traps have to be tagged with the owner's name (stamped on the trap) and snares are generally prohibited. There's a short season - December to February. Violation of these (and other) rules is poaching and treated seriously. Similar rules exist in most states.
TW
I also already knew this Weasel, but I strongly suspect those who are contemplating using snares on the AT while hiking Did Not! And, the laws from state to state sometimes do change and individual licenses are required from state to state.
Do you swat mosquitos?
Your strategy of introducing off-topic issues when your own actions are questioned is merely a way of trying to redirect the discussion and to avoid taking responsibility for what you posted. I see it every day and it is not uncommon on WhiteBlaze either especially when legal issues are discussed.
Snaring rabbits on the A.T. and swatting mosquitoes are not related issues. I am sure everyone else here can grasp the difference and the fact that you are off-topic even if you can't.
You are well on your way to being ignored as you are contributing little if anything of value to this thread. Maybe you should find another place to play.
I also already knew this Weasel, but I strongly suspect those who are contemplating using snares on the AT while hiking Did Not!
What gives with the non-standard Caps? Were you aiming for something more than lower case, but short of SHOUTING? Italics is an option if you really want to go there, but I can't see why either is necessary.
Some people don't seem to grasp the A.T. is about hiking and have no concept what's involved with hiking 2000 miles. Given the window of opportunity available in which to through hike it, there isn't time enough to be scouting, setting and tending snares even if it were legal. There would be few if any places this would be practical and the calories obtained would be less than those expended.
Were it legal, I'd love for someone to snare the rabbits or maybe squirrels destroying my azaleas and serviceberry seedlings, but given that a neighbor's cat might be snared and they'd not be pleased, I'd be better off employing a Havaheart trap.
randyg45
02-21-2009, 22:31
Get a pellet rifle.
To catfishrivers: those shelf fungi, we call oyster mushrooms/fungi-I have never tried them but hear they are good. It has taken me several years to find morels. Alot of hunting, bushwacking and alot of ticks after work. The sad thing is two weeks ago, I went out to check my sites, in the snow. Nice excuse for a winter snow hike anyway. Found bulldozers had eradicated most of my sites for a new interchange. Called my one friend who I hunt with and detailed the "morel tragedy." We are starting over from square one, again. We are not talking big haul here. Last year, we got about 25 total.
Tipi Walter
03-02-2009, 10:45
Yes, you did. Perhaps you never read our terms of service before digitally signing them or maybe you don't give a damn about them either?:-?
We're all stealth campers, the Tent Police just haven't gotten around to our campsites yet with the proper paperwork. Give them time, they're working on it.
For all those who are not survivalist wannabes and might actually consider doing this, most trapping - and snares are traps - requires a license. In Georgia, that's $30. Traps have to be tagged with the owner's name (stamped on the trap) and snares are generally prohibited. There's a short season - December to February. Violation of these (and other) rules is poaching and treated seriously. Similar rules exist in most states.
TW
Who eats meat, anyway? It's a worn-out concept. Let's go for the chickweed, violets, morels, solomon seal, nettles, burdock, plaintain, dock, sorrels, maple seed pods, mustard greens, ramps, square-stemed mints, indian cucumber roots, lambs quarters, chicory, bee balm tea, etc. There's hundreds more. Let's learn 'em and eat 'em.
High Life
03-02-2009, 10:49
There are mulberries all over PA in mid- late june , those things are so yummy
on the AT is the first time i ever had them .. someone gave me this thing , i think it was called Indian cucumber it was pretty good too . oh and the pork BBQ at the doyle aint bad either ..
randyg45
03-02-2009, 12:44
Who eats meat, anyway? It's a worn-out concept.
A few tens of millions of years of evolution is sooo yesterday.
Tipi Walter
03-02-2009, 13:25
A few tens of millions of years of evolution is sooo yesterday.
200 million Hindus couldn't be all wrong.
This thread is ridiculous. Someone shoot it it with a pellet gun.
Who eats meat, anyway? It's a worn-out concept. Let's go for the chickweed, violets, morels, solomon seal, nettles, burdock, plaintain, dock, sorrels, maple seed pods, mustard greens, ramps, square-stemed mints, indian cucumber roots, lambs quarters, chicory, bee balm tea, etc. There's hundreds more. Let's learn 'em and eat 'em.
That's quite a list you have there Tipi. I've heard it said that Man's view towards nature is an indication of his view towards women, and vices versus. ;)
They sure are. And if you ever get lost in the woods, there is no need for a map or compass. Just follow the possum and he will take you to the nearest road.:D
You get the award for the comeback of the day !!!
randyg45
03-02-2009, 21:38
This thread is ridiculous. Someone shoot it it with a pellet gun.
Never bring a knife to a gun fight :)
wrt mustard greens - specific mention should be made about garlic mustard, http://www.invasive.org/browse/subject.cfm?sub=3005 an invasive exotic that can be found along many parts of the AT - botanists in the national parks would appreciate people eating this particular mustard green just to help combat the spread of this one plant - I have personally helped the SNP park botanist to pull up this particular plant.
Tipi Walter
03-03-2009, 10:46
wrt mustard greens - specific mention should be made about garlic mustard, http://www.invasive.org/browse/subject.cfm?sub=3005 an invasive exotic that can be found along many parts of the AT - botanists in the national parks would appreciate people eating this particular mustard green just to help combat the spread of this one plant - I have personally helped the SNP park botanist to pull up this particular plant.
Now if we could just get rid of the invasive non-indians invading the park. Not to mention the exotic automobiles.:) While the rangers night-hunt the wild pigs and pull out the mustard, they remain oblivious to the wide open road access, excess car traffic, and air pollution as bad as Los Angeles. Are not the rolling couch potato-tourists also invasive? I heard one blurb that the reason dogs are not allowed in the park is because they are not "indigenous", and it got me to thinking. Aren't the european newcomers also not indigenous?
berninbush
03-03-2009, 12:50
Of if you want to take a really broad view, the "Indians" a.k.a. Native Americans were also "invasive." All indications are that they came across the land bridge from Asia. Most flora and fauna got their start somewhere else and were an "invasive" species at some point.
I don't believe in the broad view in this case.
Native Americans are indigenous, in North America. The rest of us are not.
10,000 years is essentially, forever, relative to our current rate of destruction.
When we start living sustainably, then we might argue we are indigenous.
One might argue that some folks, like the Amish, are now virtually indigenous.
Sustainability is what is essentially important, when we talk indigenous vs invasive.
Whenever I consider the origin of this war and the necessities of our position, I have a sure confidence that this day, and this union of yours, will be the beginning of freedom to the whole of Britain. To all of us slavery is a thing unknown; there are no lands beyond us, and even the sea is not safe, menaced as we are by a Roman fleet. And thus in war and battle, in which the brave find glory, even the coward will find safety. Former contests, in which, with varying fortune, the Romans were resisted, still left in us a last hope of succour, inasmuch as being the most renowned nation of Britain, dwelling in the very heart of the country, and out of sight of the shores of the conquered, we could keep even our eyes unpolluted by the contagion of slavery. To us who dwell on the uttermost confines of the earth and of freedom, this remote sanctuary of Britain's glory has up to this time been a defence. Now, however, the furthest limits of Britain are thrown open, and the unknown always passes for the marvellous. But there are no tribes beyond us, nothing indeed but waves and rocks, and the yet more terrible Romans, from whose oppression escape is vainly sought by obedience and submission. Robbers of the world, having by their universal plunder exhausted the land, they rifle the deep. If the enemy be rich, they are rapacious; if he be poor, they lust for dominion; neither the east nor the west has been able to satisfy them. Alone among men they covet with equal eagerness poverty and riches. To robbery, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire; they make a solitude and call it peace.
- Calgacus
I don't believe in the broad view in this case.
Native Americans are indigenous, in North America. The rest of us are not.
10,000 years is essentially, forever, relative to our current rate of destruction.
When we start living sustainably, then we might argue we are indigenous.
One might argue that some folks, like the Amish, are now virtually indigenous.
Sustainability is what is essentially important, when we talk indigenous vs invasive.
10,000 years is just a blip in the history of the universe and our world.
Tipi Walter
03-03-2009, 17:05
Man, I can take the Cooking And Food forum and turn it into this.
10,000 years is just a blip in the history of the universe and our world.Yes, but relative to our current rate of destruction, its forever.
Man, I can take the Cooking And Food forum and turn it into this.
Easily, you might consider staying on-topic.:rolleyes:;):)
Tipi Walter
03-03-2009, 17:54
wrt mustard greens - specific mention should be made about garlic mustard, http://www.invasive.org/browse/subject.cfm?sub=3005 an invasive exotic that can be found along many parts of the AT - botanists in the national parks would appreciate people eating this particular mustard green just to help combat the spread of this one plant - I have personally helped the SNP park botanist to pull up this particular plant.
Hog On Ice got me going with the words "invasive exotic" and it got me to thinking. What exactly constitutes an invasive exotic and who decides? Another topic perhaps but relevant to plants in the parks. Does anyone remember the chestnut blight?
What do you guys eat while on the AT that actually comes from the trail? For example, natural berries, maybe small game, fish, crayfish, herbs, etc. And if it was a animal how did you catch it?:-? ThanksThis is what I have eaten on the Fundy Footpath, and while in the woods of New Brunswick, which is just a few Blue Blazes away from the AT.
Blueberries
Raspberries
Cranberries
Crab Apples
Mountain Ash Berries
Cat Tails
Fiddleheads
Wood Sorrel
Yellow Birch tea
Spruce Needle tea
Eastern White Cedar tea
rarely...
Varying Hare
Spruce Grouse
would like to try squirrel someday
would like to try bugs someday
Tipi Walter
03-03-2009, 18:01
Has anyone eaten Azalea gall? It's a whitish edible fruit that grows on azalea bushes and tastes like watermelon rind. I always look for it in the summer. Locals ate it and called it June Apple or Hog Apple. See link:
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0942/
What exactly constitutes an invasive exotic and who decides?
If you were to Google instead of incessantly posting, maybe you could answer your own question!
Tipi Walter
03-03-2009, 19:36
If you were to Google instead of incessantly posting, maybe you could answer your own question!
If we all Googled there'd be no discussion or forum.
If we all Googled there'd be no discussion or forum.
Imagining an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of computers googling randomly.
Tipi Walter
03-03-2009, 19:51
If you were to Google instead of incessantly posting, maybe you could answer your own question!
BTW, I did go ahead and Google invasive species and found this on Wikipedia: "Non-indigenous. . .animals that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically." So I guess the non-indian humans who invaded the North American continent would qualify as an invasive species. The question I have is, would their cars also be considered a non-indigenous "species", sort of like a mechanical parasite attached to the main invader?
Farr Away
03-03-2009, 22:05
Back on topic, please.
-FA
Tipi Walter
03-03-2009, 22:11
So, who's eaten the azalea gall fruit? It's very watery and bland tasting.
Farr Away
03-04-2009, 13:40
Didn't sound very appetizing to me.
Up here I am not sure I have the gall.
ragincajun
03-25-2010, 04:14
just tell me where the crayfish can be found up north if at all plz
I know of a group of thru-hikers who found a road kill dear. With the help of a local they brought the dear to his house and made chilli out of it. Just goes to show you, thru-hikers will eat anything.:rolleyes:
kdidorek
03-26-2010, 03:27
Has anyone tried the MRE's ....I haven't heard anyone talking about bringing them?...I'm just curious as to why?
Hikes in Rain
03-26-2010, 06:09
They;re heavy, have a lot of waste packing material you need to pack back out. Some folks have reported, er, digestive upsets of one sort or another, as well.
Crayfish are found in the northern parts of the US and the southern parts of Canada. We used to find them in small streams in Quebec when I was young, but I think they are smaller than the ones you like to cook up down south.
I think that if you want to eat the foods of the country, you would be wise to consider a mostly veggie diet. There are many edible plants in Carolinian forests, and many can be gathered rather easily in season. However, many are rare enough not to be suitable forage on a heavily used trail like the AT. Also, much of the thru season is relatively barren of sustaining edibles. The early summer was actually the famine time in gatherer cultures, because the starchy plants had not yet refilled their energy stores. However, there are a lot of spring greens. So, it is probably not entirely practical to depend on forage during a thru, unless you were very skilled at exploiting a lot of species according to microclimate and season, and also used to fasting when necessary, and willing to slow down or stop occasionally to replenish your own energy stores when a suitable food becomes available in abundance. Hunting for animal foods also takes time to set traps, hunt, dress and cook, so it would also slow you down. In the north, the traditional methods involved storage of travel food, like pemmican, for rapid travel. I think similar methods were employed in the south, but maybe more grains and fruits. A very high degree of skill was involved. I don't think many AT thrus would be skilled enough, or would be willing to undergo the privation, digressions and effort involved. Nor, for the most part, would it be legal to forage in this way in the park lands etc. And I suspect that you would have to be rather circumspect in what animals you took, and by what means.
Having said all that, it is obviously possible to live off the land as you travel. That is what our ancestors, both indigenous to North America and to other continents, did before we became dependent upon our industrial foods and such. But just because they did it doesn't mean that it remains practical for us, or even acceptable
Harvesting and comsuming enough wild edibles to fuel a Georgia to Maine hike while hiking it is an unrealistic concept argued unsuccessfully here annually.
Jonnycat
03-27-2010, 08:51
I've eaten thru hikers before, but the meat is kind of stringy and tough. Easy to catch, though.
fiddlehead
03-27-2010, 09:13
This is what I have eaten on the Fundy Footpath, and while in the woods of New Brunswick, which is just a few Blue Blazes away from the AT.
Blueberries
Raspberries
Cranberries
Crab Apples
Mountain Ash Berries
Cat Tails
Fiddleheads
Wood Sorrel
Yellow Birch tea
Spruce Needle tea
Eastern White Cedar tea
rarely...
Varying Hare
Spruce Grouse
would like to try squirrel someday
would like to try bugs someday
Finally, 75 posts before someone mentioned fiddleheads.
The obvious answer that i thought would be in the first 3 posts at least.
And you are right with your last line too JAK.
Insects have the highest source of protein and the easiest to catch of all listed in this whole thread.
They taste better fried though if you have a little oil.
I don't believe there's a law against fiddleheads or insects outside of National Parks either mr. TW.
Jeez people. Lighten up a little and learn something from a thread rather than diss those who try to offer advice.
just tell me where the crayfish can be found up north if at all plz
The Appalachiian Brook Crayfish, a Maine native species, is primarily found in the far north of Maine but can be found in places along the AT. The creature appears to prefer cool, rocky bottomed streams, but is also found in littoral areas of lakes and ponds.
Eight species of crayfish have been identified in Maine, most are rare, but a few can be found most everywhere. They are a favorite food for some fish species and an occasional human.
Weary
Garlic Mustard...........makes a great salad............eat all that you can harvest.........dehydrate it and use as seasoning.
Tipi Walter
03-31-2010, 08:33
Garlic Mustard...........makes a great salad............eat all that you can harvest.........dehydrate it and use as seasoning.
This reminds me of the pretty little Coltsfoot. You can burn its leaves and crumble them over food as a salt substitute. Very good.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8415&d=1270038626
ragincajun
04-02-2010, 01:44
oooh now i feel better i knew maine was famous for lobster saw crayfish seemed reasonable its crayfish season now wich ends in may starting from maine in june so il be on lookout
Garlic Mustard
For those who weren't aware, garlic mustard is an exotic considered by plant scientists invasive along portions of the A.T.
Maybe we need a Through hikers against invasives! campaign. We could turn them and their appetites loose on the least wanted.
http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/fact/alpe1.htm (http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/fact/alpe1.htm)
For those who weren't aware, garlic mustard is an exotic considered by plant scientists invasive along portions of the A.T.
Maybe we need a Through hikers against invasives! campaign. We could turn them and their appetites loose on the least wanted.
http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/fact/alpe1.htm (http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/fact/alpe1.htm)
That was my intent but in a low key way, invasive doesn't sound too inviting;)
We should give thought to others plants which might be added to this proposed list of abundant and nourishing food. I'd suggest dandelion and plantain.
I've seen dandelion greens for sale at my local supermarkets, but I've found another, more convenient source, my lawn. I eat my plantain and violets too! My native violets in my beds are well-behaved and never escape into my lawn. I can't say the converse is so.
Nodding Wild Onion, Wild Hyacinth tubers.
Anybody interested in foraging might enjoy this guys site. their are more edibles out there than you would think.
WILDMANSTEVEBRILL.com:sun
GalHikingTheGap
04-12-2010, 08:59
Garlic-Mustard is invasive and plentiful, you find it on roadsides or where the earth's been disturbed and use it like mustard greens (just make sure to pull the plant, roots and all). Wild onion isn't eaten by much of anything. I wonder if we could get a list going of what the non-native ones we SHOULD be eating are?
Just a few of the fundamental problems with what I proposed in jest are laws and regulations as well as plants deemed to be invasive vary over the length of the A.T. and resource management agencies and trail clubs should be involved with any such effort promoted publicly. Any list we would create is for entertainment or educational purposes only and would have little actual impact.
If the issue of invasives on the A.T. is to be taken seriously, it would require a coordinated effort led by A.T. resource management agencies involving many groups of people and go far beyond anything we could hope to accomplish here.
There are people making headway with invasives in certain targeted areas every day, but it takes a sustained commitment of resources.
Pedaling Fool
04-12-2010, 09:25
You'll never eat them all, won't even put a dent in the problem. That reminds me of seeing some publication (forget the organization the produced it) that wanted hikers to wipe their boots clean at trailheads before starting their hike, the idea being that you'll slow the spread of invasive plants...What a joke:rolleyes: That doesn't even rise to the level of "every little bit helps"
This will give one an idea of just how difficult controlling invasive species really is, but it's also a little overstated problem in most cases, not all. http://www.invasive.org/