Food savings - Foraging?

[Miamoo]

Does anyone know about foraging?  I'm trying to learn more about finding wild food eg:  since moving to a rural area we've learned that asparagus actually grows wild all over the place and so . . . head out in April with scissors and grocery bags in hand to comb the country back roads for the delicious fresh stuff - FREE - not counting gas for the vehichle.
They don't use salt or any other chemicals (shoot they don't even plow out here) so I'm assuming it's safe - we're not dead yet. 
Other than that, Lamb's Quarter (wild spinach), purslain and young dandelion leaves I'm totally ignorant.
What else is out there?

[Eristheunorganized]

Blackberries. :D Okay, okay. That's obvious I know. Nettles are edible, although I have never tried it. You need to harvest it with gloves and cook it before eating. Other than that, out where I live we have huckleberries, salmon berries and oregon grape.

[Rich M]

Interesting post.

I think it depends on where you are.  When I was in Washington last September, we gathered lots of blackberries and had terrific desserts every night.  When I hike around in my home Rocky mountains in the late summer, I enjoy wild raspberries (and it might be part of the reason the bears come down to town)

I have wild asparagus near my home that I keep meaning to grab and infact I was just talking about it the other day.  my mother used to have asparagus growing in the yard, along with green onion, basically as a weed.

Isn't cannabis a weed? ;):)

[Eristheunorganized]

I was going to mention this blog as having some interesting foraging posts:http://www.pennilessparenting.com/search/label/foraging

Also- Some cities and states have gleaning info available on the web. If it's public property and it has fruit trees, it is often very easy to go pick the fruit in season. We have a few parks around here that have apples.

[Mike Key]

How about foraging in a dumpster? <- This will blow you away, and I'm secretly very interested in trying it.

[kolorado]

Last year I foraged 6lbs of blackberries out of my own suburban backyard. I let the back tenth an acre grow wild for about 4 years and there they were. ;)
In South Jersey, wild blueberries, cranberries and teaberries are abundant in the Pinelands. I gathered all those last year.
Don't discount fishing. I can fish without a license here. Last year I caught free perch.

[Miamoo]

How about foraging in a dumpster? <- This will blow you away, and I'm secretly very interested in trying it.

Wow Mike, thanks for sharing that link - amazing.  Gotta watch some more of his videos . . .

And thanks everyone else for the responses.

[Guitarist]

Morels anyone?

[arebelspy]

Morels anyone?

The mushroom?

[Guitarist]

Yeah

[October]

Rhubarb grows wild around here.  If you can find a patch of morel mushrooms, don't eat them... sell those puppies!  They're worth 5 x their weight in gold.  And guard the secret of the location with your life.

[Guitarist]

Haha, great point October.
A guy I am acquainted with on facebook sells his services as a mushroom hunting tour guide.

I know there is absolutely no way he's giving away his best spots.

[velocistar237]

Unfortunately, every piece of dirt in my city has to be treated like a toxic waste site, so foraging is not an option. The best (only?) way to get food from the ground is to build raised beds and garden.

To whoever has tried dumpster diving: would you be willing to start a separate thread to discuss it? I find this idea... intriguing.

Edit: Didn't see this post before:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/dumpster-diving/

[AJ]

Its not foraging, per se, but check Craigslist in season. There are usually people trying to get rid of their mountains of zucchini :) Also, some people are willing to let you come pick from their fruit trees. If the fruit is unused (crabapples, in our area) it drops to the ground and creates a mess for the homeowner.

Also, another shout-out for blackberries. They are weeds out here, and they taste so much better than the ones in the store!

[kolorado]

Forgot to mention that last year I foraged dandelion root out of my own backyard and processed it for a coffee substitute. It was actually pretty good! Although I'd call it more of a spiced tea replacement than a coffee replacement. It had a spiciness similar to celery but with a roasted flavor like coffee.  I thought the idea of it was really neat but I'd rather give up coffee and tea I think than switch to the free substitute.