A Foraging We Will Go!

This post contains Affiliate Links, but most of them are not. 

'Every thing we need to survive is in nature. Knowledge and effort are the only other thing required.'

-Sean O'Hair (A friend in UNITY) 

So What Exactly Is Foraging?

'Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce.^[1] Foraging theory is a branch of behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavior of animals in response to the environment where the animal lives.' -Wikipedia

     A very important and often neglected skill for survival is foraging. Being able to find edible food in the wild will be a must in a SHTF scenario. I want to be able to provide for my family in any situation, and for my children to also be able to find food for themselves! Times are already tough. Foraging is a wealth of FREE food found in your area just waiting to be picked! 
     In today's times, people think you are nuts if you forage for food. Why when there is a grocery store on every corner? It was not always this way. For thousands of years people foraged for their food. It was not until grocery stores became so popular that people stopped looking in their gardens and in their yards for their daily meals. So why has this time old tradition become lost? Well think on this, when grocery stores opened they did not carry items you could find in your yard. Why would they sell something you could gather for free? As time went on and people became so dependent on shopping at grocery stores alone, they began to forget about the items in their yards. Convenience replaced what we used to do naturally. 
     While on our quest for self sufficiency and eating more natural, we discovered Wild Crafting and Foraging. (Those are affiliate links to help you understand what I am talking about, they are also on my 'wish list') We are also learning about healing herbs and how to be healthy naturally. In February, we will start taking herbal/medicinal classes at StarDragonFly Herbal Company. They are in a town about 20 minutes from us. Zoey and I visited one day when my mom had an appointment in the same town. I wish I had gotten pictures. The little shop is absolutely amazing! I will get photos next time for sure! We are excited to start learning with them! Our family friend from Time to Thyme sells some of her wonderful soaps and products in there. I squealed when I found them beautifully displayed on a table. 

Here are a few of our favorite wild foraging plants in our area.
(Okay, there is only 1 right now but there will be more soon!) Wild Onions

Here are some pictures of some of the plants we have found on our property..

Day Lillies 

Wild Violets

Honey Suckle

Dew Berries

White Clover 

Canna Lillies

Lichen

Heal's All

Henbit

Sheppard's Purse

 We have found a few others as well. At my mom's, I found these in her yard. Working on identifying them. Do you know what they could possibly be? 

Some sort of plantain or dock?

Great sites to learn about foraging, herbs, wildcrafting and useful recipes:
(I have not been paid or compensated for endorsing these sites.)

http://learningherbs.com/

http://herbalacademyofne.com/

http://www.foragingtexas.com/

http://melissaknorris.com

http://survivalathome.com

http://gnowfglins.com

http://survivalsherpa.wordpress.com

http://learningandyearning.com

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