Wildcrafters

[Smoky]

Any wildcrafters or wannabees here that live in the Middle Tennessee area? I like to get out in the woods in spring/summer to gather edible things or useful things like grapevine wreaths or to look for natural, spiral walking sticks.
We have a lot of botanical medicinals that grow here. I like to gather them for my own use or to trade/sell. It's a very usefull thing to know how to find them. Guidebooks are great, but learning firsthand is even better.
If you are wanting to do some wildcrafting and live in the area and are not a brand-new member of this board, gimme a holler and maybe we can team up this spring sometime.

[bookwormom]

have to pass, but would love to hear what you find when you go out.
now my mother in law used to pick "Salet" every spring and I wish I had remembered a bit better. she took some plants she called fuzzy petty coat, then speckled beet, mustard, creeses (heaven knows how that would be spelled). I know there was more, besides dandelion, but I just forgot.
I am very much interested in the medicinal plants, besides just learning what is growing.

[alma]

Boy, would i like to be in on this one.

A man living in nashville took my daughter and i out on a few treks a few years back, and it was so interesting.

You can check out a lot on altnature.com. It has lots of info and pics there and med use as well as herbs for food.

I printed up a lot of stuff from there this year to give to a church group, but am now doing it over again just for ME.

Can't go foraging now, but sure love to think and study about these things, especially the wild things in our own backyard, and always have my eyes open when i get to drive around once in awhile to see all the wonders of nature.

Please keep us informed, and tell us what you are finding around here. What a wonderful thing to be doing.

I've collected about a dozen things for my yard to enjoy, as well as the wild ones thap pop up all by themselves.
love, alma

[Smoky]

Alma, it's me! (Ivey) ;D
Got a new computer/screen name etc. I pass your house on occassion and I always think about you. Been so busy trying to dig my way out of a hole, so to speak. The property I had found turned out to be totally un-suitable in several ways, so had to sell it and move yet again. Bummer.
I read all your posts, so I feel like I'm keeping up with you. I should call. I still use those little bottles you gave me for seeds. We had fun on those trips, I know I did. I still have some of those Teasel tops in a gourd vase. What do you think of the new "mall" they're putting where the old mansion used to be?

[Smoky]

http://wildforager.survivalistssite.com/wildcrafting.html
This is a page I found accidently, it has a bunch of little tales about various forays into the wild/not-so-wild.

[alma]

Well, I'll be darned!
Hi "Smoky".
It's nice to know that you are around.
Hope we can all get together some time.
It sure was fun going with you and i learned so much and still have the lemon balm you gave me. The other herb never came back, but the lemon balm really took off, and then other people gave me a lot of different things that grew well and came up again by themselves.
I thank you for getting me started and giving me so many web sites to study.
I have passed a lot of this info on to a church group that studies these things.
My computer has long gone and i lost my favorites, but thanks for this new one.
I wish i had known this stuff a long, long time ago. It has given me such pleasure and i hope you can get a group to forage with. You were a great guide and teacher. Thanks a lot. love, alma
Sue is busy a lot and not likely to go foraging much this year, but give us a call anyway and maybe miricles will happen and she will go out once again. She is a hard nut to crack.

[Smoky]

Alma, I am looking forward to springtime when I can get out in the woods a little more. I see my daffodils coming up now, been so warm here. They are about where they would normally be feb 1st, just breaking thru. Jan and Feb are usually our worst winter here anyway, but the 7-day forcast for here doesn't even show a freeze, what's with that?