83 replies to this topic

[Stonegod]

Just wondering if any of guys do any foraging for tasty edibles when your out hunting/scouting or fishing? Here in Ohio I forage for ramps(wild leeks), morels and other mushrooms, cattails,spice bush,pawpaws,march mallow,may berries,Jerusalem artichoke, arrowhead(duck potato), black berry, black raspberry, wild plums and wild potato......just to mention a few. Atleast three weeks a year I have a "forage week" where I only eat things I've caught(fish), shot or foraged from the woods and fields......and I never go to bed hungry!

[prairiewolf]

Thats pretty neat, but I think I would starve.. I dont know enough about whats edible and not. Always wanted to learn but havent found anyone around here that has the knowledge.

[youngdon]

LOL yeah me to PW I know there are edible things in the desert but just getting all the stickers off of them is a challenge. I've eaten prickly pear fruit several times and had nopalitos more than once and even eaten a few mesquite beans (bitter), but making a diet out of them for even a week would not be pleasant.

[Mattuk]

Lots of fruit for homemade wine. Mushrooms too.

[Scotty D.]

I know they're around but I've yet to find a Pawpaw tree w/ ripe fruit on it...I really would like to try the fruit....

[fr3db3ar]

I'm with the ones who would either starve or be poisoned in the first 2 days.

[knapper]

In Kansas we used to pick sand plumbs, they are wild plumbs and are a different color than normal ones. Also make chock cherry jelly, it took lots of sugar. Up here it could be tough to find the plants.

[Stonegod]

I know they're around but I've yet to find a Pawpaw tree w/ ripe fruit on it...I really would like to try the fruit....

hey if we meet up this fall for a hunt, I'll show you a few tasty things to eat, including pawpaws.....there's even a big pawpaw festival in southern Ohio.....the part you eat looks like/taste like banana custard

[Scotty D.]

Sounds good, bud!!!

[Ruger]

Rasberrys, strawberries, gooseberrys, chokecherrys, rose hips, acorns, wild onions and puff balls are what I can think of. Lots of mushrooms, but puff balls are the only ones I can positively identify and feel safe eating them. They're great fried in butter.

[hassell]

hey if we meet up this fall for a hunt, I'll show you a few tasty things to eat, including pawpaws.....there's even a big pawpaw festival in southern Ohio.....the part you eat looks like/taste like banana custard

Pawpaw festival, is that sponsored by the spca!!!

[bones44]

Pawpaw festival, is that sponsored by the spca!!!

Yea, they bring the meat ! LOL

[MountainCoyotes]

Just wondering if any of guys do any foraging for tasty edibles when your out hunting/scouting or fishing? Here in Ohio I forage for ramps(wild leeks), morels and other mushrooms, cattails,spice bush,pawpaws,march mallow,may berries,Jerusalem artichoke, arrowhead(duck potato), black berry, black raspberry, wild plums and wild potato......just to mention a few. Atleast three weeks a year I have a "forage week" where I only eat things I've caught(fish), shot or foraged from the woods and fields......and I never go to bed hungry!

I like a lot of that stuff

[Stonegod]

The good thing about learning how and what to forage for is most of the things we find tasty, the deer find tasty. So if you know how to find a patch of spice bushes and you time it right in the fall when those little bright read berries are ripe......you'll find deer for a day or so......turkey also love them. And the berries when dried and taste like allspice when you grind them......though I rarely beat the deer and turkey to them!!! Same goes for other edibles. Coons love ripe pawpaws....the riper the better.

[knapper]

OK, I have not heard of Pawpaws, we don't have them up here and was not as much of a gatherer when I lived in Kansas. We have lots of blue berries and others, but to my knowlage no pp's. One of the best meats I have had is speed goat that has been eating sage.

[220swift]

breif description.......(not a very good picture of the fruit)

PAWPAW


Asimina triloba


Annonaceae

Common Name:Pawpaw, Paw Paw, Papaw, Poor Man's Banana, Hoosier Banana, etc. (In Australia the tropical papaya, Carica papaya, is also known as Pawpaw).
Related species: Asimina incarna, A. longifolia, A. obovata, A. parviflora, A. pygmaea, A. reticulata, A. tetramera, A. X nashii. These eight Asimina species grow in the southeastern United States.
Distant Affinity: Cherimoya (Annona cherimola), Soursop (Annona muricata), Custard Apple (Annona reticulata), Sugar Apple, Sweetsop (Annona squamosa), Atemoya (Annona squamosa X A. cherimola).
Origin: The pawpaw is native to the temperate woodlands of the eastern U.S. The American Indian is credited with spreading the pawpaw across the eastern U.S. to eastern Kansas and Texas, and from the Great Lakes almost to the Gulf. Fossils prove the pawpaw is indigenous to the U.S.
Adaptation: The pawpaw is adapted to the humid continental climate of its native habitat. It is seldom found near the Atlantic or Gulf coasts. It requires a minimum of 400 hours of winter chill and at least 160 frost-free days. Pawpaws appear to be sensitive to low humidities, dry winds and cool maritime summers. It has been successfully grown in parts of California and the Pacific Northwest that meet its growing requirements. It has grown well in the San Jose area (USDA Climate Zone 9 or Sunset Climate Zone 15). The climatic conditions of Southern California make growing the pawpaw there more difficult. The deep winter dormancy of the tree makes it highly frost tolerant, withstanding temperatures of -25° F or lower (hardy to USDA Climate Zone 5). Pawpaws can be grown as container specimens, although this is not often practiced. A deep pot is needed to accommodate the root system.

[bones44]

Thanks for that as I didn't know what it was either. Very interesting. I have blueberries, red and black raspberries, mayapples (sour but will feed you if your lost) puff balls, and morels. There are also many insects and worms that you can survive on too. Grubs being a top one (I have eaten them) another is grasshoppers,crickets and earthworms. I'm not up on all the stuff to survive but like stonegod said if you see the prey eating it's a pretty good indication. Least that's what I'm told.

[youngdon]

I think if i see the prey eating it....I'll be eating the prey.

[Mattuk]

A lot of animals eat toxic plants and food stuffs which would cause harm or even death to us but they neutralise the toxins by then consuming minerals from the earth, particularly clay. So be a little careful out there!

[youngdon]

Always take an acquaintance...problem solved