#BlackForager

[chillyfeetsteak]

from Alexis Nikole’s instagram

[templeofshame]

Alexis' tiktok about the cicely mary barker fairies is me with brambly hedge and the poortvliet gnomes, but like i always kinda wanted to get into those fairies

[mysteriouslyjellyfish]

two-part springtime foraging PSA!

1. for the sake of communication and preventing tummy no-nos: “fiddlehead” is not a type of fern!!!

the fiddlehead is just what we call the bit that is all curled up, like the scroll of a violin, in the spring. where I live you can eat the fiddleheads of ostrich fern. in other parts of the country there are probably other edible species, I dunno what they are. consult a few different sources when you’re learning to ID because even field guides can be wrong.

of course, if you’re just talking with your friend who also calls them “fiddlehead ferns” and you’re both adept at identifying the edible species, that’s probably fine and hey yanno that’s how common names happen, but please don’t go around telling people they can eat “fiddlehead ferns” bc they might eat the wrong thing.

2. if you are going to eat the fiddlehead of a fern, eat a bunch of the straight part of the frond too!

Pictures like this make me very sad:

if you are going to kill off that frond it is a shame to only make use of a small portion. the straight bit might not look as cool as the curly bit but it’s still tasty!

you should be able to feel how much of the stalk is still tender and would be nice to eat. also the plant will probably snap at the right part naturally when you go to pick it. finally, remember to harvest respectfully and only take a couple fronds from each rosette. and always say please and thank you.

that is all, happy spring foraging!

[gildedbearediting]

Read an Almanac Month: Do we need to use them, now?

From forums like Reddit to noteworthy sites like Scientific American, Almanacs are a frequently debated household item. Are they necessary or are they just clutter and junk? Is their accuracy actually as good as they say? Should they be a household item or not? Who could actually use them on a regular? Is it just for farmers and gardeners? Downfalls and Positives There are plenty of downfalls…

[eatfreeordie]

But you can tap sycamores? Are we just making fun of the person for calling it a maple when it's still a reasonable question and a reasonable thing to do?

[unstyleable]

@alexisnikole

If you need me i’ll be in this dress until fall okay byeeeeeee #aphroditecore

♬ original sound - Alexis Nikole

ok but This Dress

[my-t4t-romance]

afaik she’s mostly on tiktok (I’m not sure as I don’t have it either), but she also has a youtube channel!

hello!! I just found your blog and I think it’s hella cool, and I just wanted to ask - do you watch BlackForager? I love her channel and she does a lot of cooking with mushrooms

Thank you so much!!

I haven't heard of BlackForager. I assume that's a Tiktok? (which I do not have 😬) Maybe I'll steal a Tiktok-using cousin's phone and look it up over the holidays 😂

🤎🍄

[illnessfaker]

moments when i have to remember "sugaring" doesn't exclusively refer to the form of sex work instead of trying to figure out what "maple sap" and "tap a sycamore" is meant to be code for.

[elainemorisi]

it's been several days since I was made aware that common milkweed is edible, and Little Me is still sort of fuming about not knowing this

[turtlesandfrogs]

Things you can do to learn when you first start mushroom foraging:

Get to your library or book store and get a pre-ai era foraging guide. I recommend "All the Rain Promises and More" or "Mushrooms Demystified" both by David Arora. Pay attention to the lookalikes!

Join a local mushroom/mycology society/club, and/or follow their instagram/facebook.

Start following foragers on instagram and tiktok, like https://www.instagram.com/blackforager/, and then look up the mushrooms they talk about. Learn the defining characteristics, where they grow, what they grow on/in, and lookalikes.

Find blogs like https://foragerchef.com/category/wild-mushroom-species and read through them

Go to wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_mushroom) and use their list as a jumping off point to research edible mushrooms, and MORE IMPORTANTLY the lookalikes.

Learn to identify Amanita phalloides and then don't eat them. Or anything that looks vaguely like them. Don't eat any mushroom that you haven't 100% identified, because while A. phallodies kills the most, there are others out there that will end you.

Ask "what is this" and take good pictures (not blurry, showing the whole mushroom, showing the gills and the top of the cap, the stem, and the bottom of the stem, and ideally the stem broken in half) and post them to online foraging/mushroom identification groups (reddit, facebook, discord- there's a lot of options) to confirm your own id.

Go on mushroom walks without any intention of eating anything you see, and practice identifying both edible and non-edible species. Make the process of identification a hobby.  Become familiar with what edible, inedible, and poisonous species grow in your area. Practice a lot before you consider eating anything, and get it double checked by someone else, ideally in person, before eating it.

[slunkopunk]

JÍDLO Z LESA

část první

v biu mám, že jsem aspirující sběrač, tak abych se do toho pustila…

Vědět, co se v lese dá jíst a co ne, se v dnešní době nejeví jako zvlášť důležitá vědomost.

Avšak její důležitost spočívá v našem vztahu k přírodě. Ztráta vědomostí o naší krajině je jednou s příčin, proč si lidé přírody neváží…

Takže pro ty, které by to zajímalo, zde je seznam několik méně známých jedlých druhů a jak je spolehlivě poznat:

1. PTAČINEC PROSTŘEDNÍ

- jedná se o nízkou plazivou rostlinu s listy s nerušeným okrajem. Má malé bílé kvítky

- je to plevel, takže ho nejspíš najdete na zahradě, ale nejlépe roste ve stinných vlhkých místech

- má chuť podobnou čerstvému špenátu, ideální do salátů, rostlina se dá jíst celá (teda kořínky vám asi chutnat nebudou)

2. PTAČINEC VELKOKVĚTÝ

- tato rostlina je na rozdíl od předešlého ptačince vzpřímená a roste hlavně v lese

- poznáme ji podle bílých květů a úzkých dlouhých listů v křižmostojném postavení (2 listy stojí vedle sebe a 2 listy nad nimi stojí otočeny o 90 stupňů oproti těm pod nimi - takže rostlina vypadá jako kříž ze zhora)

- jedlé jsou jarní vrcholové výhonky světle zelené barvy a hráškové chuti (později do jara a v létě jsou už listy moc tuhé a drsné)

3. ČESNÁČEK LÉKAŘSKÝ

- středně vysoká rostlina, rostoucí ve stínu či polostínu lesa

- poznáme ji podle tvaru listů, které jsou zubaté a na bázi srdčité (představte si lípu), důležitá je také jemná česneková vůně (pokud není patrná rozemněte list)

- jedlé jsou listy s mírně hořkou a česnekovou chutí

- pokud vám něco chutnat nebude nejezte to, chuť máme proto abychom poznali, co se jíst dá a co ne

Na závěr se loučím s překladem rozloučení mé oblíbené sběračky z Ohia (@blackforager) “Happy snacking, don’t die”

Dobré chutnání, bez umírání

[templeofshame]

when alexis says "indianapolis" and you're like wait the special guest isn't gonna be some random tiktoker, it's gonna be @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog !

[bekkathyst]

Hello! I just found your foraging videos and feel HUGELY inspired. 😍 Could you recommend any other blogs or resources about foraging? Even if it's not specific to my area (eastern-ish North America), just seeing what's out there would be an enormous help! 🥰✨

Hey! I'm so sorry it took me so long to answer this! I meant to do it way sooner but it slipped my mind.

I have a ton of recs though!

First of all, buying field guides about your specific region is a massive help! (But something I feel the need to warn about is if you're buying one from Amazon, just google the author first and make sure they're a real person with credentials bc there's been a huge rise in AI-generated garbage being published there and I genuinely think it's going to kill someone one day)

But since books with walls of text and scientific words can be intimidating, I think the best way to begin to learn and kind of just dip your toes into the foraging world is by learning from educators online! (Especially if you're a more visual learner like I am!)

Here are some of my favorites who are either US-based and/or whose content is in English. You can find these people on TikTok and most of them on Instagram and Facebook as well. Some also have books published!

Alexis Nikole aka BlackForager TikTok | Instagram

Samuel Thayer TikTok | Website

Gabrielle Cerberville aka ChaoticForager / Mushroom Auntie TikTok | Instagram

Whitney Johnson aka Appalachian_Forager TikTok | Instagram

Gordon Walker aka FacinatedbyFungi TikTok | Instagram

Jess Starwood (I took one of her mushroom classes when I lived in California and it was amazing! We even had a mushroom-centric feast in the forest at the end. She has a book about mushrooms out that I've been meaning to buy but I haven't had the chance yet) Instagram | Website

I feel like I'm forgetting some so I'll reblog with updates when I think of them!

Now that being said - when talking about foraging I want to note that it's important to listen to and follow the wisdom of the people indigenous to the land you're living on. They're always going to be the most knowledgeable about the land and how to protect it. Also if you can find a list or resource about which plants in your area are endangered and off-limits, it's good to have that handy.

And finally! You can check out my TikTok for more of my videos, if you enjoy them and like the perspective of a regular-schmegular person just foraging the things that are traditional to the area they're in and learning more as they go :) I'm finding that a lot of what I forage here in Austria is really similar to things you can find on the east coast of the US. I'm also going to launch my Patreon this week where I will have recipes, some foraging videos, and more stuff crystal-related (which is actually what I'm known for on here) haha!

I hope this helps! I think a lot of people feel overwhelmed when they first want to get into foraging but it's so human and normal and starting small and working your way up is the way to go. At the end of the day, it's all just knowledge that you accumulate over a long period of time!

[positivexcellence]

towwn: growing plants: cheaper than therapy or doctors *and* you get free food! 🥒

seriously folks, watch the reel for just a few good reasons to hang out in your yard or join a community garden. and here are some reliable resources to get ya started:

@dirtqueennyc for interior plant design + aspiring urban gardener advice

@sydneyplantguy for tips ‘n tricks on growing big plants

@blackforager for a plant-forward diet education, secrets of the forest + more

@gardens_illustrated for beautiful photo inspo, planting ideas & design tips

got a go-to gardening resource? share them in the comments pls! 🥬

[ames-draws]

Digital illustration of @blackforager featuring blackberries, burdock, sumac, mullein, nettle, dandelion, plantain, and violets.

[wistfulweaverwoman]

Anyone else follow blackforager for foraging tips in their fics? Just me? I'm a giant weirdo when it comes to research. I just read a 400 page book on folk medicine last night. Well, skimmed. Seems like most of the herbs help with a variety of ailments, most of them are rheumatism, kidney issues, digestive issues, "women's" issues... the prevalent coding for abortion seems to be to "bring on delayed courses". Seneca snakeroot was a popular plant (the root was used, steeped in water) used for a lot of things, including abortion. Another was copious amounts of red raspberry leaf tea. It's also used later in pregnancy to strengthen the uterus.