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toadstoolgardens · 2 years

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Foraging for Self-Heal

Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) is a common, highly nutritious, highly medicinal herb. Also known as heal-all and woundwort, this herb has a variety of healing purposes and has been used extensively in traditional medicine.

Self-heal is often considered a weed. It grows abundantly making it easy to forage for, you may have even seen it growing in your yard! There are no toxic look-alikes making self-heal a great choice for all levels of foragers and herbalists.

Finding Self-Heal

Self-heal is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, growing in many different climates and in partial shade or full sun. It can often be found in disturbed areas, yards, gardens, fields, meadows, and along the edges of rivers and lakes. This varies by region but self-heal blooms in late spring, summer, & fall.

Identifying Self-Heal

Self-heal has purple flowers that grow in a square-shaped cluster at the top of the stem. It's a perennial in the mint family, but it doesn't have a scent like many other mints.

The stem is square-shaped and reddish in color. The leaves are oval-shaped that end in a point, dark green, with little hairs on them. Self-heal grows low to the ground and usually in large patches 2 feet or more in diameter.

Harvesting Self-Heal

Harvest self-heal when it's young and before it's gone to seed. Be aware that self-heal is considered a weed so be extra sure your foraging location is clean and hasn't been sprayed with anything! The leaves, stems, and flowers are all usable. Self-heal can be used fresh or dried depending on your needs.

Self-heal is also easy to grow (maybe a little too easy, it spreads quickly and can regenerate from shoot fragments so it can easily take over cleared areas. So keep in mind that you may want to contain it lol). When planted after the last frost in the spring it grows quickly and can be easily propagated. Mountain Rose Herbs (a trusted source for organic seeds) sells self-heal seeds for $4!

Self-Heal Look-Alikes

There are no toxic look alikes! Self-heal does look similar to purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum) and henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), but both are nutritious edible and medicinal plants too so you really can't go wrong, but as always please use additional resources to identify and only forage with 100% confidence!!

Edible Uses of Self-Heal

Self-heal is highly nutritious and slightly bitter with a sort of similar taste to rosemary. It can be eaten raw and is a great addition to salads. You can also cook your self-heal and use it like you would any other fresh herb like rosemary or sage, it's very good in dishes like soups and stews.

Medicinal Uses of Self-Heal

Self-heal is well known for being anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and beneficial for the immune system. You can take self-heal as a tincture or a tea during a cold or flu to boost your immune system.

Self-heal is also amazing for healing (minor) wounds, scratches, cuts, and a variety of skin ailments (like dry, scaly, red, chapped, or flaky skin). Turn it into a poultice or a salve to use for this purpose.

Be safe and happy foraging!🌿💖

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#foraging #wild edibles #herbalism #medicinal plants #gardening #solarpunk #cottagecore #herbs #plant medicine #self heal #self-heal #prunella #prunella vulgaris #eat the weeds

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rosielindy · 11 months

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Me, watching all y’all grown-ass post middle aged men lugging yo hoses around the yard to water the grass you just scorched with the mower during the hottest part of the day.

#food not lawns #toxic masculinity #stop the madness #lawns are not food #save the bees #eat the weeds

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journiland · 2 years

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9/3/2022

The sunchokes are huge. I know it doesn't look that big, but my five-foot-four head comes just to the bottom of that bottom window. (Upper window is second story, and they're reaching that.)

I'm go glad I let certain weeds grow. This lamb's quarters plant is as tall as the gutter, and it's making lots of tasty veg for me (it's hard to see, but if I zoom in, you won't see the height):

Each branch is enough for a meal. I clip one off, zip my fingers up and fry up leaves, seeds and all. Not a bit of sliminess or bitterness.

#big ass plants #eat the weeds

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levinletlive · 2 years

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Foraging and Cultivation: How to Eat the Weeds Without Bugging the Bees

All photos in this article are taken by me. You can view my gallery here.

Here's some information for adventurous eaters.

Some people are understandably wary about eating foods that they can't get from a grocery store. Between concerns about animal feces and pesticides to stories about mushroom poisoning and death, we can all agree that it's not wise to just go outside, grab a healthy-looking berry, and shove it down your gullet. There is a right way to forage, and as a foraging veteran, I'm going to take you through some of the most important information you need to start your own foraging journey.

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The Universal Edibility Test

The first, and maybe most important, thing I want to talk about is, of course, how to avoid poisoning or death. Even if what you eat is not inherently poisonous, you can also be allergic to things it would never occur to a doctor to test you for. So, let's discuss best practices for gathering wild plants to prevent injury/death. Luckily, those who came before you have developed a great process for not getting killed while foraging.

Note that this is NOT a safe method for testing the edibility of mushrooms, which are much more difficult to identify and require a lot of study and experience. I may write another article regarding mushroom foraging at a later date, but it's very dangerous so for the purposes of this article, we are only going to discuss plants.

Pink springbank clovers are a tasty and vivid addition to a fresh salad.

"The U.S. Army created the Universal Edibility Test to help soldiers identify poisonous vs. edible plants while out in the field. The test is a standard in the U.S. Army Survival Field Manual ATP 3-50.21, and it appears in the SAS Survival Handbook written by former British Army officer and survival expert John Wisemen." - From GreenBelly.co

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The "Universal Edibility Test" is, as the name suggests, a method for determining the safety of consuming a plant you are unfamiliar with. Here is a very good, simple explanation of the way test works, via Backpacker:

1. Separate the plant into its various parts—roots, stems, leaves, buds, and flowers. Focus on only one piece of the plant at a time. 2. Smell it. A strong, unpleasant odor is a bad sign, as is a musty or rotting odor. Keep a special lookout for pear- or almond-like scents, which can be evidence of cyanide. 3. Test for contact poisoning by placing a piece of the plant on your inner elbow or wrist for 8 hours. If your skin burns, itches, feels numb, or breaks out in a rash, wash off your skin and don’t eat the plant. 4. If the plant passes the skin test, prepare a small portion the way you plan to eat it (boiling is always a good bet). 5. Before taking a bite, touch the plant to your lips to test for burning or itching. If there’s no reaction after 15 minutes, take a small bite, chew it, and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. If the plant tastes very bitter or soapy, spit it out and wash out your mouth. 6. If there’s no reaction in your mouth, swallow the bite and wait 8 hours. If there’s no ill effect, you can assume this part of the plant is edible. 7. Repeat the test for other parts of the plant; some plants have both edible and inedible parts. Starting to feel sick? Time to bring it up.

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Plant Identification

I would also like to add that if you are unsure of the species of plant you are about to eat, make sure you keep some of it in case you need to have it identified in order to get treatment. Additionally, always have a friend or family member check on you after eating something unfamiliar or questionable so they can call an ambulance or poison control if necessary. Follow the instructions of medical personnel and do not try to induce vomiting or drink water or milk to dilute poison unless advised by a medical professional. Keep updated medical information in your wallet on your person for emergency personnel to reference.

A good identification photo contains as much detail about the plant as possible, including the shape/texture of the leaves, the flowers, stems, and fruit.

Of course, and as the article points out, the single best way to avoid poisoning is to make a positive ID on the plant before consuming it. Plant identification is a challenging skill, but one that is very fun to learn. Some plants look different depending on the season. Some look poisonous, but are perfectly safe. Some may just give you a stomachache or taste awful. Others might look gross, but taste quite good. I'll provide some examples of good eats that are common and easy to identify at the bottom of this article.

How should you go about identifying a plant, though? There are a lot of ways to do it. For my part, I recommend getting a second opinion as often as possible. Take a picture of every part of the plant; the leaves, flowers if there are any, and the roots. Take note of the color of the sap. The more mature a plant is, the easier it is to identify. Share the pictures on a platform such as iNaturalist to get opinions and identification assistance from experts in the field. You can also view thousands of pictures of plants, look up the species commonly found near you, and find out which plants are invasive and which are native to your area. Pl@ntNet is another similar platform. You can also download mobile apps to identify plants on the go. iNat has a particularly good one.

From there, it's pretty easy to Google the name of the plant + edibility. If the answer is 'yes', please make sure you confirm which parts of the plant are edible. It is common for some parts to be edible and for others to be inedible/poisonous, as with some nightshades (where the fruit or root is edible, but the leaves and stems are not; ex: potatoes, tomatoes). The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service provides this very informative guide. Masterclass also provides a handy checklist for plant identification.

In general, to positively ID a plant with the most possible accuracy, you need to make a note/take a picture of these things:

The location and season in which you found the plant.

Any distinct characteristics on stalks and branches.

The size, shape, and arrangement of the leaves.

The characteristics of any fruits and flowers on the plant.

Any barbs or hairs on the plant, known as trichomes.

The root system, needed to determine if the plant grows from rhizomes, bulbs, or tubers.

Get a second and third opinion whenever possible. With time and practice, you'll start to notice the otherwise subtle differences between many kinds of plants, and you'll learn about some surprising relationships between them.

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Ethical Foraging Guidelines

Of course, just because we've found a tasty weed outside doesn't mean we should run out and pick every instance of it we find. There is an ethical--and, importantly, legal--way to forage. If we just go around picking every plant in the hopes of eating it, we're robbing wildlife of their meals. Many pollinating species of bees, beetles, and butterflies rely on specific plants for eating and hosting their eggs, so we need to minimize how much of that we take from them. The USDA NRCS also has a good guide for protecting pollinators when farming and landscaping, but the rules are a bit different when it comes to foraging, since we're going into their habitats and messing with things rather than the other way around.

When foraging, it is important to be considerate of pollinators that help the plants we eat grow and propagate.

First and foremost, learn about your local environment. You can learn a lot about your area using this handy tool from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Next, learn from the experts by asking staff at local regional and state parks about the legality and availability of foraging foods. Many have free educational events and classes that explore the subject and help you broaden your understanding of the environment in general. You can pick up a lot of good local wisdom from these events. If you do not have access to these services, however, you can also do some online classes here, here, and here.

Plan ahead. Chart a course and make sure you have everything you need. I always bring water, a small cooler, a pair of sharp, clean plant shears, a spade, a pocket knife, a small garbage bag for cleaning up litter, and an extra battery for my camera. Dress appropriately for the weather. Make sure your phone is charged and people know where you are and when to worry if they don't hear from you. Carrying bear spray on you doesn't hurt either, although do please remember to consider the direction of the wind so you don't accidentally spray yourself instead.

Do your due diligence in identifying the plant and investigating its status before just picking it. Ideally, you should choose a couple of species you already know to be edible and just pick those while you are out. It is wasteful and damaging to the environment to pick plants you don't recognize, only to find out you've pulled a rare native plant that certain species rely on to survive.

Harvest conservatively. Take only what you are certain you will eat, because every plant you take means many meals fewer will be available for local wildlife.

Leave the place better than you found it. If you notice trash, pick it up and dispose of it in the proper receptacles. Do not litter, do not attempt to alter the landscape (chopping down trees, burning or clearing "undesirable" plants, taking rocks, etc.), do not disturb dens or nests, and don't drive or walk off of the path. Soil compaction is a real thing.

Know the law regarding what is legal to pick and where it is legal to pick from. Some state and regional parks only allow foraging at certain times, and many do not allow it at all.

Devon Young goes into a little more detail on Learning Herbs.

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Transplanting Wild Edibles

When it comes to ethical foraging though, perhaps the single most ethical thing you can do is just grow these plants yourself. You can easily order seeds online that you can plant and grow in a pot or in your yard. Some of them are quite beautiful and most are very easy to grow. If you don't want to order them online, consider collecting seeds instead, but please remember to limit what you take so that the plants are able to properly propagate in the wild. You can learn how to harvest seeds from this article by Michigan State University.

I strongly encourage anybody interested in foraging to

It is also possible to transplant weeds. You may find a weed you like on a neighbor's lawn, and with their permission, you can dig it up and plant it in your own yard. Here's a cool video from Youtube that shows you how to do just that.

Avoid doing this with weeds from parks and other wild areas, however, because the further the plants have to travel before they are planted the less likely they are to survive, and that is wasteful. If you bring a pot and some soil, they may travel longer if you replant them right away.

Also, do be aware of the environment you are taking them from, as you obviously do not want to eat any plants that have been serving as a neighborhood dog or cat's latrine. A good place to take them from is your own backyard, provided you follow the above guidelines. Gathering and growing seeds wild circumvent this issue.

Always wash plants thoroughly before consumption. That will also help you avoid accidentally consuming any bugs.

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And that's it! That's how you can forage and eat adventurously without making a mess and disrupting your environment.

If you're from the east bay area/northern California, I can share some of my favorite weeds to eat.

Broadleaved Pepperweed

Bull Thistle

Cobwebby Thistle

Common Chickweed

Creeping Woodsorrel (limit due to oxalic acids)

Crane's Bill/Wild Geraniums

Fireweed

Hairy/Purple Vetch

Miner's Lettuce

Wild Mustard

Wild Radish

You can even find some recipes here.

Enjoy responsibly. ❁❀✿✾

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moshi-tehkitty · 1 month

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I used to have these same weeds all over the back yard but not anymore! The girls really managed to eat them all. It’s just about their favorite forage. It’s crazy because they’re so prolific, I can pulls them from the front yard in bucket loads when summer hits. They’re weeds but they have pretty white flowers that the bees love so I don’t really mind when they take over the front yards. Unfortunately my neighbors don’t seem to agree so I have to make the front yard at least somewhat presentable or else I get a citation from the government. So it’s a balance between “having treats for the chickens” and “obeying local ordinances”. They’re called spanish needles or Bidens alba, if anyone is interested in the scientific name. They’re technically edible to people too, but I’d much rather feed them to the chickens and eat eggs.

#backyard chickens #Eat the weeds

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redhawkridge · 5 months

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Plantain

Today’s One Moon Herbal Study post is completely free! But you can still subscribe here if you are interested in the extra goodies on the other posts. Common Plantain, Plantago major, is the most common (no pun intended) that is talked about in herbalism; however, there are many other varieties of Plantain, including Broad and Narrow-leaf, Ribwort, and Greater Plantain. They all work about the…

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#eat the weeds #herbalism #Medicinal Plants #natural medicine #natural remedies #One Moon Herbal Study #plantain #shtf #survival #Wildcrafting

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sourxcinnamon · 1 month

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If You see this post, its your sign to drink water! 🩵💦

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skittledeedoo · 1 year

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Eat the Weeds

#Eat the Weeds

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lady-book-trash · 10 months

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Meet 'Angry Red', our older Rhode Island Red hen. We may have a rooster but she's who's in charge! One of the few originals left.

While not everyone is in a position to take on chickens, this is a friendly PSA on how easy it really is- especially if you raise or train them to forage. Currently in progress to convert ours to 100% greens and leave commercial feeds behind for good!

#chickens #solarpunk #solarpunk aesthetic week #homesteading #farmcore #nature #photography #cottagecore #naturecore #animals #gardening #nature aesthetic #eat the weeds #forage #foraging

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konigsblog · 2 months

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what if… ghost was our boyfriend’s older brother or dad🫦

LOVE this idea :3

cw: cheating, non-con, weed use, blackmail.🍃

your boyfriend's older brother is an asshole - you can sense that his intentions aren't pure whatsoever, his perverted gaze lingering on your body when you sleep over at your boyfriend's house. he tells you, you need someone older - someone that's experienced.

simon is currently visiting, and seeing your presence was causing his hung cock to throb and ache inside his tight boxers, gripping his bulge whilst staring at you, tutting quietly to get your attention.

you had only come downstairs to get a glass of water, exhausted and ready to go back to sleep in your boyfriend's arms. through your tiredness, you decided to comply not to upset or anger simon, and perhaps your perception of simon was wrong - perhaps you were judging too soon. his hands began wandering, watching you fight sleep, barely able to keep his filthy and grimey fingers from exploring as he growled at you for squirming away.

“c’mon, stay still-- jus’ tryna have a conversation...” his voice deepened, became husky and gravelly. he offered you a hit from his joint in an attempt to relax you, watching you take a few hits as the smell of marijuana assaulted your nostrils and your body quickly became relaxed, whimpering quietly. you felt relaxed, breathing out quietly, and through your drugged state, you couldn't keep simon off of you.

he slid your panties down, admiring the way your slicken cunt glistened as he ran a finger through your folds. you bit on the two calloused digits he'd forced into your mouth to muffle your moans, chuckling as he grinded his bulbous and weeping cock into your wet pussy. you didn't even notice the flash on his phone as you threw your head back and gasped at the sensation of his tip against your cervix, bruising you with each thrust.

you cried out through pleasure, too drugged and high to realise what you were doing and its impact. simon's sturdy hips and muscular thighs pressed against your ass as he threw your supple legs over his shoulder, fucking even deeper into your warm, drooling pussy. you gripped simon's hair firmly in attempt to stabilise yourself as you became light-headed, breathing in his spicy and musky cologne as he fucked you stupid on his fat dick, tight and heavy balls pressed against your ass, your moans coming out broken and stuttered as he brutalised your cunny.

the realisation set in the morning after, as you came downstairs, realising what you'd done. guilt and shame hung in the air and churned your stomach, and you prayed that he'd keep quiet about this, understand that it was an accident - that it wasn't supposed to happen !

...only to be pulled aside, his large hand over your mouth as he wrapped an burly and strong arm around your neck, forcing you to watch the video recording of him fucking you, his veiny dick thrusted into your slicken pussy repetitively, and your facial expressions shameful and perverted in hindsight. you didn't even realise, a drugged mess getting fucked relentlessly.

he'll keep it a secret, yeah? with the promise that you'll suck him off and let him corrupt your mind every time he sees you.

and what choice do you really have? you either break up with your boyfriend who you claim to love so dearly, or pleasure your boyfriend's older brother in the hopes he'll keep quiet about this mess.

#orla speaks #tw: non con #dead dove fic #dead dove do not eat #tw: dark content #tw: age gap #tw: age difference #cw: weed #simon riley #simon ghost riley #ghost simon riley #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley smut #cod ghost #ghost call of duty #ghost headcanon #mw2 ghost

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