Foraging forumagers

There's a thread for mushroom foragers, but I like rooting out other stuff.

I'm waiting for a flock of pigeons to return to my garden at the moment, and I'm hoping to bag some.

If I do, I'll be cooking them with some preserved plums.

Anyone else into wild food?

And how will you "bag" these piges?

I am :)
I've done phesant once, pigeon tons! and this week venison

a very good friend of mine is a varitable bible of wild edibles and can happily forage a feast just about anywhere.
I'll introduce you sometime when you are down if you want a quick lesson :)

does this include dumpster diving?

Luci I have a cracking recipe for a good pigeon starter if you're interested I can stick it in the food thread.

does this include dumpster diving?

a.k.a freeganism, very popular daaahn London

please tell me you live in the country and aren't eating scabby, diseased London pigeons. Please. I can't think of anything worse than killing and eating an animal that has sustained itself almost exclusively on old kebabs and vomit it's entire life.

@george, I eat wood pigeons from the country, from sustainable woodland .. brought to the farmers market. Its not foraged, but it is wild.

Luci I have a cracking recipe for a good pigeon starter if you're interested I can stick it in the food thread.

I'd be into that clefty

a.k.a freeganism, very popular daaahn London

I used to do a lot of it in Totnes but then the stores worked out they could close the gaps in their walls with these 'gate' things. They sometimes drenched good food in bleach too.
Best haul we got was a bin liner full of Cadbury Flakes, we were all vegan so my gf took them to college and made a cast of her friends body from them.

Free food tastes better.

^ that's what's so messed up. Food that has not been purchased that can't be given to the needy for fear of legal reprucussions and places going out of their way to make it inedible. Why do they do that ? Its not like people would stop buying food and only wait for stuff to go off.

It's fucked up that they do that, but the Crisis shelter I worked at over Xmas was well stocked by Sainsbury's and some other supermarkets, and firms like Pret give away leftover food to the homeless as well. Balance, like.

My local sainsburys just sells the out of date and stale stuff as normal

so are these pigeons wild wood pigeons, racing pigeons belonging to a neighbor or the flying rat kind that frequents our cities?
only 1 of the above is good eating.

The pigeons roost on a farm that is over my garden wall.

As free range as you get!

I think this thread needs foraging recipes too - post your favourites!

THe pigeons I'm on about are wood pigeons - as big as chickens! Pigeon is one of my favourite foods.

The fat sods haven't returned, however.

The tool of choice is a standard air rifle.

Actually, racing pigeons are good eating.

I know a chap who keeps a loft, and any birds that don't cut the mustard for racing, he wrings their necks and gives them to an old Sunderland woman he knows. She roasts them filled with spelt, a primitive grain. Very old recipe, apparently.

I'm waiting for a flock of pigeons

talking of flocks, would these taste any good?!

dont come on here with your hipster haircuts

swan stuffed with wigeon ftw

^ that's what's so messed up. Food that has not been purchased that can't be given to the needy for fear of legal reprucussions and places going out of their way to make it inedible. Why do they do that ? Its not like people would stop buying food and only wait for stuff to go off.

One of the many contradictions in our society. We produce too much food and yet people still starve.

yes wibble. It's a crime.
If i was to put out poison meat for the neighbours "free range" dog and that killed the dog I would be done as a criminal. But bleaching food to poison people is ok? WTF? I mean, who would actually do that even if told to by a boss? I wouldn't.

(just before I get slammed I would like to point out that I would never poison an animmal, and the neighbour has no dog, it was only an example)

this is a girl I used to go to uni with, she makes preserves, chutneys and jams from produce foraged in peckam/camberwell. I bought a bottle of burgess park blackberry vinegar off her last week and it makes a mean salad dressing.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pickling-Peckham-the-urban-foragers-guide/138280866197105

also any other south easties. some friends of mine (sporuting 56) have a communal garden you can go dig in every saturday out the back of their house. free vegetables! all you gotta do is re-plant what you take, though i'm not sure they are running salons through the winter, I will keep you posted, but theres often BBQs and free beers in the spring - good times.

I've been making jams from foraged fruit all year.

I've done cherry, rhubarb, cherry plum, cherry plum and blackberry, blackberry and apple, and made loads of apple sauce. I've also got three gallons of plum wine in the loft!

I was treated to a good number of apple pies in the lead up to winter thanks to my nan having access to loads of cooking apples :)

an animal that has sustained itself almost exclusively on old kebabs and vomit it's entire life.

I think that is a type of Crowe you are thinking about.