Cooking with 'weeds'

wild roadside fennel? i've always wanted to try this stuff, it grows everywhere and i want free food! lots of nasturtium around here too, how about wild garlic? i read that it's no good because it's too leafy/planty [sic] the bulbs don't develop like 'proper' food garlic? what else can i eat? there's a park/bush walk nearby where they've felled some trees, it took about a month for the clearing to FILL waist high with deadly nightshade, which i will try not to eat...

although you can eat most things I would not eat anything I picked from a roadside as it may have weed spray or petrol fumes in it. Perhaps gather some seeds and grow your own weeds, then I would eat them.

Yes, i would say the same. Used to go blackberry picking many years ago, but not so keen now due to this problem

no darwinian jokes yet?

that homemade yeast looks interesting

Although herbicide is still as nasty as ever, petrol residue is no longer dangerous.Lead from petrol used to be a hazard but the benzine it's been replaced by doesn't accumulate in roadside vegetation.

Lead's a poison and a nasty one - benzine is a carcinogen and a nasty one.

It's probably too late by now but walnuts can be pickled around December/January.

Lol. I have always had to restrain myself from picking watercress out of roadside ditches. We lived in Laingholm and the roads were like rural roads with lovely ditches, rampant with watercress.

However, I always stop at a spot on the Coromandel that is slap bang on the side of the road with bush running each way, and pick bags of the stuff when going camping. It goes fantastic with my 'free' gathered seafood.

And I'm not shy about stopping to pick ripe plums, peaches and quinces off trees along the verge side (not farmer's) country roads.

Another, unheralded, but totally amazing free food, which should be coming on line soon, is totara berries. We used to gather these for my mother who made batches of what we call jelly - boil up then drain through a cloth overnight, add equal quantities of sugar to liquid and boil till it has reached setting point.

IMO that was and still is the most exotic and delicious tasting jam, ever invented.

And I wonder if anyone has ever heard of something we called 'chow chow'. It was the very tender part of the stalk of the growing flower stem on wild Watsonia (from which Gladioli are bred). Loved that.

puha and watercress:) For the puha, ask your friends if you can help weed their gardens!! hehehehe

(barloo)

this chow chow/watsonia stuff tastes a bit like apple right? i've eaten that.
can humans eat puha?! we fed it to the guinea pigs and rabbit as kids, and milkweed?

Many towns and cities in New Zealand are now planting trees for free foraging.Nelson City, as well as the more obvious apples and plums, has olives for the taking, and pinenuts before long - those trees will take a little longer to produce ;)

pork bones, puha and dough-boys!!

(barloo)

Totora berries. Mind you, they are small and you don't eat the green bit on the end but they are very very sweet!! Along with the new growth from cabbage trees.there are lots of plants you can eat here. Its knowing which ones and what part and how to cook!!

(barloo)

I have an old video here somewhere about identifying and using wild herbs and weeds in NZ. I must look it out and watch it again.

Fuschia berries ares supposed to be good.I've tried some largish ones from garden fuschias that were a little bland, but apparently the ones from the native fuschia are small and tasty

that would be handy

Someone I worked with years ago says her fathers hobby was propogating fruit trees of all sorts peaches plums apples etc etc then driving around northland and West Auckland he would pull over to the side of the road randomly and just plant fruit trees along the boudary fences. Hundreds of them over several decades cool EH!

Have you tried dandelion root coffee its very nice much much nicer than the commercial ones.

I use wild onions as spring onions in salads or soups quite often they are very nice.

Have you seen this:

http://www.indymedia.org.nz/article/77459/urban-foraging-auckland-and-christchurch

don't know why op has been removed but just read about this on stuff;For information on where to forage and what you may find, go to urbanforaging.manukadesign.co.-
nz or join the Otautahai Urban Foraging group on Facebook.com.

Hmmm odd OP has been moderated!

He'll be missed in Computing.He was always generous with advice.

Although herbicide is still as nasty as ever, petrol residue is no longer dangerous.Lead from petrol used to be a hazard but the benzine it's been replaced by doesn't accumulate in roadside vegetation.

Lead's a poison and a nasty one - benzine is a carcinogen and a nasty one.

It's probably too late by now but walnuts can be pickled around December/January.

Lol. I have always had to restrain myself from picking watercress out of roadside ditches. We lived in Laingholm and the roads were like rural roads with lovely ditches, rampant with watercress.

However, I always stop at a spot on the Coromandel that is slap bang on the side of the road with bush running each way, and pick bags of the stuff when going camping. It goes fantastic with my 'free' gathered seafood.

And I'm not shy about stopping to pick ripe plums, peaches and quinces off trees along the verge side (not farmer's) country roads.

Another, unheralded, but totally amazing free food, which should be coming on line soon, is totara berries. We used to gather these for my mother who made batches of what we call jelly - boil up then drain through a cloth overnight, add equal quantities of sugar to liquid and boil till it has reached setting point.

IMO that was and still is the most exotic and delicious tasting jam, ever invented.

And I wonder if anyone has ever heard of something we called 'chow chow'. It was the very tender part of the stalk of the growing flower stem on wild Watsonia (from which Gladioli are bred). Loved that.

puha and watercress:) For the puha, ask your friends if you can help weed their gardens! hehehehe

(barloo)

pork bones, puha and dough-boys!

Good Maori food!

(barloo)

Cooking with 'weeds'

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