Middle Earth Ranger Forum

A great morning in the yard.

It looks like you had a good time.

Try and learn about all the great properties of Dandelions.

I'm not sure where you are located but, if you are in tick country, make sure that you take proper precautions and do a tick check with a mirror when you get in. The nymphs are quite small.

Thank you Harper. It was a real peaceful morning. Wanted to share it with you Rangers. I'll definitely look into dandelions and check for ticks. We got both here in central Montana. Cheers!

Wow dandelions! Superfood! Nice! I'm definitely going to try them soon. Right on!

Dandelion will make you pee. One common name for it is Piss Weed. The name Dandelion means "Tooth of the Lion" and is a reference to the shape of the leaves.

It is also a potent cancer fighter. More and more studies are being done on Dandelion for this use. It is also great for things like anemia and liver disorders.

Tried them dandelions. I like em just ate them raw but I want to make some tea too.
What else is in the yard that I can eat? lol

TaylorSteiner wrote:What else is in the yard that I can eat? lol

If you Google for edible plant guides for Montana you'll probably turn up a few resources! There might even be some classes offered in your area - foraging is becoming hip. Some easy ones that might be around for you are clovers and acorns (with processing).

I've been known to use wild garlic and wood sorrel (lemon clover) to add a bit of flavor to dry goods while out and about, and make a tea from white pine needles to get some vitamin C. I don't know if those are out your way, though.

Foraging is great fun, be careful though. I don't know about where you are but here in the UK there are some edible plants they look almost identical to deadly poisonous ones.

You should try stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) The young tips make a good alternative to spinach , but also can be made into a refreshing light ale for a hot sunny day. I also make a tea , which is very pleasant.

Nettle is loaded with vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll. It has been used as food, fodder, cordage, cloth fiber and medicine since at least the Bronze Age. The Egyptians used it for arthritis, Hippocrates listed 61 medicinal uses, and it is though that the Romans brought Nettle to Britian for its healing properties. It was also popularly used as a Spring tonic. The stems and leaves can be soaked water and the water and used as an organic pesticide for plants with mites or aphids. Since it was a common weed, the plant was used a lot by poor people in all its roles.

Nettle can also be used to help seasonal allergies.

In some of the episodes of Outlander, you can see it being used in its roll as food.

Nettle is a good plant to know.

Here are a couple of graphics:

Iodo wrote:Foraging is great fun, be careful though. I don't know about where you are but here in the UK there are some edible plants they look almost identical to deadly poisonous ones.

Iodo is absolutely right.

You have to be careful about lookalikes. The better field guides will address that kind of thing.

Awesome. Thank you Rangers. I'll definitely be careful. Getting a guide is a great idea. I'll have to have a look in the library next time.

Funny, this just came out today: