← Medicinal and culinary herbs
H16-04 · Module 4 of 7 · Pages: 23 · Worksheets: 7
Foraging and poisonous lookalikes
How to pick wild plants safely: the forager's rules, the deadly lookalikes of wild garlic, chamomile and the carrot family, protected species and first aid for poisoning
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In short
- Without 100 % certain identification, you do not pick. Not a single leaf. In doubt = leave it.
- Pick wild garlic leaf by leaf, never by the handful. Lookalikes: autumn crocus, lily of the valley, lords-and-ladies.
- Do not pick wild members of the carrot family (wild carrot, caraway, fennel, cow parsley) without an expert: the lookalikes are hemlock and water dropworts.
- Protected species (wild orchids, bluebell bulbs, American ginseng, goldenseal and others) are not picked. Check the rules where you live.
- Do not uproot any wild plant without the landowner's permission, and do not forage in nature reserves without checking.
- If you suspect poisoning, call for help straight away, even if there are no symptoms.
What's inside
Chapters
- The forager's rules
- Where to pick and where not to
- How much to pick, and protected species
- How to learn identification
- Wild garlic and its deadly lookalikes
- The carrot family: wild carrot, caraway and hemlock
- Chamomile and its lookalikes
- Other dangerous mix-ups
- Poisonous plants to know
- First aid for plant poisoning
- From the field to the kitchen
- Common mistakes
- Printable checklist
Worksheets
- Foraging log
- Identification card
- Foraging and lookalike calendar
- Fresh herb calculator
- Foraging site map
- Contacts and emergency numbers
- Labels for foraged plants
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