RE: How to Forage to Ensure Food for Next Year
Great article, especially for the time we live in @fernowl13 More people are waking up to some facts and are beginning to question the "what if" the supply trucks aren't running and store shelves are depleted. Foraging for me is an automatic as seasons change.
It is good to learn what medicinal plants are available in a person's area as well. These should be harvested with the same thought process, always leave your mother load to replenish.
Mushroom harvesting is another one that many people do not consider how the fungus actually grows when gathering. A mushroom stand is dependent on the mycelium system of roots. Mushrooms should be cut not pulled. Pulling destroys the delicate system of roots and harvesting can destroy an entire bed of mushrooms when this is not taken into consideration.
Thankyou for adding this information about mushroom harvesting. This is an area that I am very interested in. I had not thought about this aspect of foraging before. I often question at what phase it best to harvest mushrooms. Im sure it is very different for each type of mushroom but I am thinking about making sure you take them after the spores drop. Also do you know how you can tell if polypores have dropped spores? We harvested some reishi and I feel like we kept took too much but my friend said they were done releasing spores.
I am not a big lover of mushroom hunting, however there are two species I do collect every year @mangoinspace and those are morels and shaggy manes. Both are easy to identify. Getting a reliable book on mushrooms is a good investment. Just as wild plants, many varieties of mushrooms are poisonous and/or can cause distress. There again, spores are important but the master is the mycelium that must stay in tact. I have collected and used reishi for tea and tinctures.
Wild mushroom harvesting is something I have never learned. I never had the time when I was younger and now that I have the time, I'm 3/4 blind and afraid to try to learn by myself.
You are 100% correct about the food supply. My husband was a trucker for 30 years before he passed. He spent a lot of time delivering to food warehouses and distribution centers. There is literally only a 3 day supply of food in the stores and the chance of getting additional deliveries when society breaks down is very slim.
Did you know in some places there are laws against stockpiling food? Plus there is a federal law that in an emergency, the government can confiscate any food, medical supplies and weapons you have in the name of "protecting" the citizens.
Those that know how to forage and/or grow food will be in big demand.