What are some edible plants, roots, mushrooms?

[SiuWonfung]

Because carrying one's own food on the trail can be a bit heavy, would it be feasable to find one's own food on the trail? my only experience with doing this was on a backpacking trip over in North Carolina where blueberries were a plenty and we ate them off the bushes.
wild blueberries are delicious, yet i do not believe that one could be sustained entirely on blueberries while hiking the AT.
what are some other options for food; edible plants, roots, mushrooms, etcetera.
any advice pertaining to this will be greatly appreciated..

[SGT Rock]

Ramps, but I wouldn't try to live off of them or anything else you find. Anything edible should be considered a treat to add to what you carry. Foraging for food isn't a realistic option if you are trying to make real miles.

[saimyoji]

The mushrooms with the orange caps are good, they taste like buttescotch. There are also red ones occaisionally. These are considered lucky if you can pick it (they are very hard to pick), and they taste like cherries jubilee.

[Tha Wookie]

The mushrooms with the orange caps are good, they taste like buttescotch. There are also red ones occaisionally. These are considered lucky if you can pick it (they are very hard to pick), and they taste like cherries jubilee.

Since many mushrooms are deadly, this is a pretty irresponsible and unfunny post.

NEVER eat mushrooms in the wild unless you are 100% certain what it is, and that it is not a poisinous "look alike."

The three-leaved ground cover in Vermont and NH is highly edible and tasty. What is it called? Sorrel? Someone help me out here!

[Bloodroot]

Sgt. Rock - Ramps! Mmmmm good, especially fried up in some bacon grease! Surely it can’t do anymore harm to the thru-hiker smell, or would it?

Saimyoji - “Mushrooms with the orange caps. Mushrooms with red caps” I am with Wookie on this. No offense Saimyoji but this is an ill-advised statement. There are many mushroom species out there that are true and false. The Chanterelle (mostly orange in color) have very similar characteristics with the Jack-O-‘Lantern, which can be severely poisonous. Amanitas have a red parasol-shaped cap with a white stem. Amanitas also contain one of the deadliest poisons (amanitin) found in nature. Even the rich tasting Morel has an evil false in the “Big Red Morel”, which has caused several deaths. If you really want one to try, go find a nice cow pasture and pick one that has a blue stain appearance. They are quite tasty!

Here’s some basic tips to follow:

1. Identify each and every mushroom you collect, and only eat those whose identification you are sure of. When in doubt, throw it out.

2. Strictly avoid: any mushroom that looks like an amanita (parasol-shaped mushrooms with white gills); all little brown mushrooms; all false morels.

3. Some people are allergic to even the safest mushrooms. The first time you try a new wild mushroom, it is important that you eat only a small amount and wait 24 hours before eating more.

4. 4As with other foods, rotting mushrooms can make you ill. Eat only firm, fresh, undecayed mushrooms.

5. Most wild mushrooms should not be eaten raw or in large quantities, since they are difficult to digest.

Like Sgt. Rock emphasized, foraging for food isn’t a realistic option. If you are interested in learning what is out there, pick up a Peterson’s Guide to Edible Plants and educate yourself.

Wookie- Yes, Sorrel is very tasty. Though I don’t think it is three leafed? I might have to look this up but I think it grows tall and slender and has alternating leaves.

[minnesotasmith]

The safe ones are mostly too hard to differentiate from the deadly ones (okay, except maybe puffballs) to be worth it. Too, there is so little nutrition in mushrooms, and they're not that expensive to buy in towns, I just can't see risking my hike by picking wild ones.

[Bloodroot]

The safe ones are mostly too hard to differentiate from the deadly ones (okay, except maybe puffballs) to be worth it. Too, there is so little nutrition in mushrooms, and they're not that expensive to buy in towns, I just can't see risking my hike by picking wild ones.

You just need to know what to look for, if you do they can be quite distinctive. Puffballs can also be mistaken for Amanitas (when young and haven't developed a stalk, gills, or cap). You are right about the nutritional value being little, but morels are as good as it gets (for those who like a rich mushroom taste) and can't be bought in a local supermarket.

[Brushy Sage]

Dandelion is safe to eat, although it should be rinsed off well -- you never know what residue it has on it.

[SiuWonfung]

thank you for the advice on mushrooms, but as i am basically ignorant in distinguishing between what is potentially edible or what will potentially send me to the hospital, i will most likley stay away from them.
dandelions are good though, what other plants could i eat?
what about eating grass?

[SGT Rock]

Poke Salad, bluberries, blackberries, wild strawberries, ferral apples, sassafrass tea. There are probably quite a few I am forgetting.

[art to linda]

never eat anything in the wild unless you know what you're doing. It may not kill you but you could find yourself with a very unhappy digestive system. Around here the sulfur shelf is a rare but great eating mushroom find... never take all that you find of any wild food, always leave enough behind so that it will be around for many years

[SiuWonfung]

What's Poke Salad?

[SGT Rock]

Here is a good explination: http://www.geocities.com/KindlyRat/PokeSalad.html

If SmokyMountainSteve were on regularly he could give you some good trail cooking tips for this.

[SiuWonfung]

What about eating insects like crickets and grubs and such? they have a better nutritional value than plants, right?

[SGT Rock]

Sure, if you want to and you want to spend the time foraging. You could save the time and just get a bunch of these: http://www.hotlix.com/larvets.htm



It has been a while, but I seem to remember the barbeque flavor was good.

[Bloodroot]

There is a endless list of edibles out there. Other than the ones mentioned here are some of my favorite:

Black walnuts
Hazel nuts
Persimmon
PawPaw
Artichokes

Poke salad comes from the pokeweed. Nowadays botanists are recommending not to eat any part of pokeweed because several toxins it contains.

[SiuWonfung]

If there are so many edibles out there, then back to my origional question, would it be feasable to find one's own food on the trail istead of carrying around ones own food?
Could I do this with supplementing my foods by occasionally dining in towns along the way?
just looking for ways to save some weight..

[Bloodroot]

Yes it could be done. But at 93 you might want to consider bringing along some additional supplements you might be missing out on

[SGT Rock]

It isn't worth it. Imagine if 2000 people per year tried to forage up the trail...

Food is the fuel that makes your body move. Plan to get stuff from towns that is calorie dense, is something you want to eat, and is as light as possible. A good rule of thumb is to get 2 pounds of food a day and try to make that food something that has about 100 calories per ounce carried. If you read a label while in the store this really isn't hard to do at all. Follow this advise and you can easily get up to 3200 calories per day for food intake. If you try to forage, that could take hours away from your walking and it would be hit and miss depending on the season, the plant, the geography, how bad the area has been picked over by critters, etc.

Best to keep the pack weight and body weight down and food weight up. At least the food weight diminishes as you walk.

[Bloodroot]

It isn't worth it. Imagine if 2000 people per year tried to forage up the trail...

Food is the fuel that makes your body move. Plan to get stuff from towns that is calorie dense, is something you want to eat, and is as light as possible. A good rule of thumb is to get 2 pounds of food a day and try to make that food something that has about 100 calories per ounce carried. If you read a label while in the store this really isn't hard to do at all. Follow this advise and you can easily get up to 3200 calories per day for food intake. If you try to forage, that could take hours away from your walking and it would be hit and miss depending on the season, the plant, the geography, how bad the area has been picked over by critters, etc.

Best to keep the pack weight and body weight down and food weight up. At least the food weight diminishes as you walk.

Top is right. Besides you digestive and excretory systems are not adjusted to this new diet. Good thing you asked about pooping because you will probably be doing it alot. Also there are alot of plants and wild edibles that are on the endangered species list.