Alternative food sources.

5946 Views 68 Replies 16 Participants Last post by animalspooker, 5 mo ago

Moroco Mole

Discussion Starter · May 19, 2022

I was asked to post a recipe for the Home made Baby Formula My mother used sometimes. That we also gave to our infant child. When my wife could not breast feed. We could not get the only formula at the time, that he was not sensitive to, on a regular basis.
Without it he would have starved.
So here is my mother's recipe as modified with recommendations from our
pediatrician.

Also encouraged on this thread is alternative food sources and recipes for them, for when stuff just runs out. Like nettles,Dandelions, ect.
Stuff that may not be absolutely nutritious, but will keep you alive .

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runfiverun

· #21 · May 24, 2022

2 seconds of looking at those leaves and they are 100% a not even gonna make it to October around here.

Elderberries are an absolute struggle here, and they have about a 10-20% chance of actually putting any berries on the Bush.
heck most Blue berries and any fruit tree that flowers before late June is in danger of not producing a crop 50-60% of the time.
I'm trying to get some Viking berries from Siberia to get over 3' tall, they are supposed to grow from the desert to a swamp type setting in zone-2 to 5.... yeah good luck,,, but maybe, they only been there for 3 years now.

service berries do good in the right spot, some raspberries do well, some just keel over.
forget black berries, it's super hit and miss with the Tayberries [cross between black and rasp]
the goosberry i just put in is looking fat and sassy, and some of the Current bushes seem to be doing well while the ones 3' away ain't so happy.
it seems anything that's sour or doesn't need the time to produce any sugars when ripe are a good bet here.

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neophyte

· #22 · May 24, 2022

for fun:

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shanebrews

· #23 · May 24, 2022

I've never had a taste for pawpaws. They have a texture reminiscent of barf.

I am fond of millet. I keep a sack of it in the pantry. I've also enjoyed poke salat prepared by my granny a few times (she is 77, so that's verification of what PaleHawk said about only the old folks knowing how to prepare it).

Ramps: from West Virginia/ Maryland on South they tend to sprout in the yard. At least until you get down to about I-20. A few go a long way for flavoring.

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PaleHawkDown

· #24 · May 24, 2022

Moroco Mole said:
We have pawpaws, but they're like Pale Hawk said. Eaten up by the animals as soon as they get ripe enough. They are quite good if you can find one ripe on the bush -tree. If the have fallen off, then they bruise easy, rot quick and are full of insects.
I managed to get some going by the creek. In the woods by the house. But it looks like the Racoons like them a little less ripe then I.

I have relatives in Kentucky, and every valley and empty lot was filled with the biggest pawpaws I've ever seen - apparently more abundant than the wildlife could eat. What are they like in your area?

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neophyte

· #25 · May 24, 2022

information:

The pawpaw is native in every North Carolina county, and from northern Florida to southern Ontario. The short, stubby trees once grew along many streams, creeks, and rivers. But as people cleared the land, they destroyed the taller trees that provided vital shade for pawpaw saplings

Moroco Mole

Discussion Starter · #26 · May 24, 2022 (Edited)

PaleHawkDown said:
I have relatives in Kentucky, and every valley and empty lot was filled with the biggest pawpaws I've ever seen - apparently more abundant than the wildlife could eat. What are they like in your area?

They seam to grow in groves. I have heard of trees two stories high.But never saw one that big. Most of the time they are just about 6ft.
They seam to prefer the deep woods. Rich, Rocky soil. Canyons, or about. They can be found as just One or two smaller bush like plants. Or a heavy grove
The area I am in is sandy ( called the Sandy Creek Water shed Because it is) so, they just do not seam to do that well. The couple I planted from seed. Well they are just runts and hardly produce. So the family of raccoons nearby usually get them before I do
However go to the old 1700's slate Rock quarry, at the sportsman's club. 5 miles away, they are thick and luxurious.
Kind of weird. The deers like the area for cover , but leave the fruits alone, so lower hanging ones are easy to get to in the groves.

However squirrels and raccoons
tear them up, they usually mangle the fruits near the tops of the bigger trees.

They have flowers but stink to high heaven like a dead rat or something when in bloom, especially around a grove. So probably a good thing I can not get them to thrive near the house.

Figure they just do not like Sandy soil.
The ones I have planted, only produce about 4 or 5 fruits each. Took 10 years to do that. The grove at the club is thick with fruits in the fall.

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Moroco Mole

Discussion Starter · #27 · May 24, 2022

shanebrews said:
I've never had a taste for pawpaws. They have a texture reminiscent of barf.

I am fond of millet. I keep a sack of it in the pantry. I've also enjoyed poke salat prepared by my granny a few times (she is 77, so that's verification of what PaleHawk said about only the old folks knowing how to prepare it).

Ramps: from West Virginia/ Maryland on South they tend to sprout in the yard. At least until you get down to about I-20. A few go a long way for flavoring.

Ok lost me. What are ramps???

neophyte

· #28 · May 24, 2022

information:

Ramps (which are sometimes called wild leeks or spring onions, adding to the confusion) look like scallions, but they're smaller and slightly

Image result for ramps vegetable grown

Ramps are a delicious wild edible food beloved by chefs and locavores. Also known as wild leeks (Allium tricoccum), they are a member of the onion family and are a perennial woodland wildflower native to the eastern deciduous forest from Canada to Georgia and west to the prairie states

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PaleHawkDown

· #29 · May 24, 2022

Apparently the nearest place they grow is Georgia. We don't have them here.

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Moroco Mole

Discussion Starter · #30 · May 24, 2022

Shoot I think I may have had some in my yard I mowed over.

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ncnascarlady

· #31 · May 24, 2022

I'm back. The weather sorted itself out and all is well.

Herbs...

Container gardening is the best way to get the most out of your herbs and just about all of the "culinary " ones do well that way. On the other hand, more medicinal herbs need more room to grow enough to be useful. The problem with that is they can take over your yard if you're not careful.

Some are a monumental pain in the butt to start from seed like rosemary. Or it could be me; I have trouble keeping it alive even if I buy a nice big healthy plant. That's why I bought a 3lb bag of dried, have a small jar in the kitchen and the rest is vacuum packed and in the freezer.

I think this is going end up being a running post kinda thing. Life has gotten busy !

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shanebrews

· #32 · May 25, 2022

There's a town in WV that has a festival to celebrate the ramps. I can't recall the name of it but it's closer to the VA border than OH. I had them in my yard back in VA and would use them from time to time. There's a weed that closely resembles ramps. You can tell the difference by cutting them. The weed doesn't really smell like much but ramps absolutely reek of onion.

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runfiverun

· #33 · May 25, 2022

those ramps will be a bi-annual plant.
seed one year and producers the next from the fallen seeds.
many of the leek/onion family do that.
i have a few leeks going in the greenhouse that started when i was harvesting the seeds last fall, they are surrounded by garlic chives, and one fennel plant that got there the same way.

i can't figure out how to get a Beet to go to seed, but if i put one single plant in under the bench out there it will Bolt every single time.
i'm cool with that, i really love the way they smell when in flower, and you get about 500 seeds from the one plant.
i also plant a few carrots in late fall so 1-2 of them will flower [they don't quite get to the seed point before the fall freeze]
i really like their flowers too, so maybe i'll try a few in the green house this fall and see what happens.

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JamesAPrattIII

· #34 · May 25, 2022

Every year in May I go out and pick berrys.

There are people who pick, cook and eat mushrooms. I don't because i am not sure which are safe to eat.

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PaleHawkDown

· #35 · May 25, 2022

JamesAPrattIII said:
Every year in May I go out and pick berrys.

There are people who pick, cook and eat mushrooms. I don't because i am not sure which are safe to eat.

Yeah, I think the only edible mushroom around here is a morel, but we have maybe eight species of false morel that range from "will kill you" to "might kill you, but will definitely allow you to hold a conversation with God." It isn't worth the risk. We tried to grow shitakes last year, and about the time they got to size, about half seemed to dry up, and about half turned to slime. I don't know what we did wrong.

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Moroco Mole

Discussion Starter · #36 · May 25, 2022

How about pine trees. If you shave one to the inner bark (the first layer where you see white. It is quite edible and has lots of carbs.

Once cones have developed, they have good size seads inside, which are very delicious slightly roasted. They are full of vitamins and minerals.
The black for indians used to stone grind pine cones. Then mix with lard, and cook on a rock to make a kind of bread.
I have ate both pine nuts, which I thought were a great treat.
I have also ate dinner bark on a few of my survival outings. An acquired taste but fills the bellies, kinda has the effect of a big bowl of spaghetti. Energy wise. You can either lay down and take a nap afterword or push on and benefit from that carb high.

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Moroco Mole

Discussion Starter · #37 · May 25, 2022 (Edited)

PaleHawkDown said:
Yeah, I think the only edible mushroom around here is a morel, but we have maybe eight species of false morel that range from "will kill you" to "might kill you, but will definitely allow you to hold a conversation with God." It isn't worth the risk. We tried to grow shitakes last year, and about the time they got to size, about half seemed to dry up, and about half turned to slime. I don't know what we did wrong.

The only one I know how to check is the morel. So that is the only one I pick. Plus the false ones around here, are pretty easy to spot without cutting open, once you get the eye for them.

Moroco Mole

Discussion Starter · #38 · May 25, 2022

Good Morels are always completely hollow and the stem is attached to the base of the cap. If there is cottony substance inside, or the base goes up into the cap then toss it. I always cut mine in half lengthwise. To check this.
Also when harvesting cut off with a sharp knife just slightly above ground level. Then put some soil from the immediate area back over it. Then remember the spot You will get more Morels to come later.

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Moroco Mole

Discussion Starter · #39 · May 25, 2022

learn.freshcap.com

False Morels? Two Types To Look Out For - FreshCap Mushrooms

Worries about morel lookalikes? Learn about the two types of false morels that you need to avoid- Verpa Bohemica and Gyromitra esculenta.

learn.freshcap.com

learn.freshcap.com

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Moroco Mole

Discussion Starter · #40 · May 25, 2022 (Edited)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uEvZPtxHlzQ&ved=2ahUKEwi_heiTwPv3AhX9g3IEHVBsCVAQxa8BegQICxAF&usg=AOvVaw1FIa9LuRrr959wZ9CYoDXV
Link to show how easy pine nuts are to harvest. Just basically tap the cones on a rock. Then shell like sunflower seeds.

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