The Northwest Forager™

Wild Food of the Pacific Northwest.

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Author: Henry Holly

A tool is only as productive as its user. The Northwest Forager has been designed to be used as a tool. Its function is simple. To promote and inspire the knowledge of wild edibles while connecting the community. Now with this tool in your hand, fulfill its purpose! Read it at home, carry it in the field, take notes, get dirty, share what you've learned and start it all over again. Only once you've thoroughly exhausted your desire to learn will this tool deserve to be retired. It is my sincere hope that you may one day master this tool no longer needing it, at which point you shall become... The Northwest Forager. -Henry (Hank) Holly
January 15, 2022January 14, 2022Henry Holly

5 Great Foraging Books for the Beginner

January 8, 2022January 7, 2022Henry Holly

10 Wild Roots You Can Forage During Wintertime

June 30, 2020May 5, 2022Henry Holly

*Currently Unavailable* Pocket Guide to Wild Edible Plants

February 10, 2018February 10, 2018Henry Holly

Chickweed – Stelleria media

February 3, 2018February 3, 2018Henry Holly

Field Search, Simpson Park – What’s growing in January?

January 22, 2018February 1, 2018Henry Holly

Field Search, Sulphur Springs – What’s growing in January?

August 16, 2017August 16, 2017Henry Holly

Bull Thistle – The mini Artichoke

June 1, 2016June 1, 2016Henry Holly

Prevent Weeds with a Weed: Lambsquarters by Suburban Homestead

May 31, 2016May 31, 2016Henry Holly

Survival Food: Japanese Knotweed Shoots by Animal Man Survivor

May 27, 2016May 27, 2016Henry Holly

Stinging Nettle Soup – 18th Century Cooking Series by Jas. Townsend and Son

May 26, 2016May 26, 2016Henry Holly

Survival Medicine – Hawthorn (Crataegus) by Survival Lilly

May 25, 2016May 25, 2016Henry Holly

Harvesting and cooking Morel Mushrooms by GuideYouOutdoors

May 23, 2016May 23, 2016Henry Holly

Roasting Wild Carrot on a Camp Fire by The Northwest Forager

May 22, 2016May 22, 2016Henry Holly

Wild Field Mustard: How to Pick & Process by Haphazard Homestead

May 21, 2016May 21, 2016Henry Holly

Survival Medicine – Birch Leaves by Survival Lilly

May 20, 2016May 21, 2016Henry Holly

How to video: Wild lemonade style tea

April 18, 2016May 21, 2016Henry Holly

Foraging Fiddleheads from the Lady Fern.

redwood forest the northwest forager
November 8, 2015November 8, 2015Henry Holly

The Redwood Forest

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015Henry Holly

Dock Seed Flour – Recipes

August 14, 2015August 20, 2015Henry Holly

Dock Seed Flour – How to make

the 4 basics by the northwest forager featured image
August 10, 2015August 10, 2015Henry Holly

The 4 Basics – August

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Foraging a Hearty Winter Meal.

Maple blossom experiment A. I'm experimenting with Maple Blossoms. There's something sweet and something savory in the works. These were taken from the big leaf maple which are currently super abundant. If you haven't tried them yet, go ahead and snap one off and pop it in your mouth. If the bract still has unopened buds then it will be fresh enough to try. You'll find they are reminiscent of a floral broccoli. I'll share more pics of my experiment 🤓 Scotch thistle taproot steamed till soft, seasoned with salt and field onion, garnished with wild chervil and purple dead nettle. How did it taste? Choice! The flavor and texture was just like a mild tasting artichoke heart. Creamy, savory and a tad sweet 😋👌 This now ranks higher than bull thistle for my preference. Such a delicious "survival" food. It's too bad it's noxious because I'm tempted to grow it 😉 Meet the Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium) the wooly cousin of the Bull thistle. Scotch thistle is very well adapted to the arid climate of the high desert and have a strong presence east of the cascades in Oregon. They have enormous taproots that allow them to pull moisture deep below the surface. I broke this one off which easily could have been 2 feet long. The root is edible but this will be my first time trying it. The seed is very high in oil which once upon a time was used for lanterns and cooking. Unfortunately these are a noxious weed, fortunately that means it's free game eating them up. The last two pics is a comparison with Scotch and Bull thistle.
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