How To Get Started Foraging - Practical Guidance For Absolute Beginners

[@AtomicShrimp]

*Afterthoughts and addenda* *TOUCHING PLANTS* - you see me touching plants during the ID process here. There aren't many plants in the UK that are unsafe to touch (there are a few) but that doesn't hold true in all parts of the world, so... *look with your eyes only until you at least have a working knowledge of any irritant or unsafe-to-touch plants in your locality.* *USING AN APP* - there are apps you can get that will try to ID a plant from a photo. As a cautionary note, I tested one of these with a photo of Poison Hemlock and the top suggestion from the app was Cow Parsley (and Hemlock wasn't anywhere in the list). These apps may have a use in supplementing other references, or pointing you in helpful directions, but *an ID-by-photo app is not a substitute for the processes of identification I discussed in this video.* You should never rely solely on an identification from an app, if you cannot make the same positive identification by observing the detailed features of the plant.

[@OllieSMH]

Where I live in Canada we get lots of Poison Ivy and sometimes some crazy Cacti I’m more than familiar with dangerous to touch plants 🤣

[@Sepahe]

Stinging nettles and giant hogweed causes irritation when touched

[@richardeadon6396]

I fully trust AI to feed me hemlock

[@thymythymyth]

@@richardeadon6396 surely you must mean parsley

[@xander1052]

@@Sepahe hence why shrimp said that there are a few in the UK, though Stinging nettles are a lot less bad to touch and a lot easier to safely handle barehanded than giant hogweed.

[@Ididathing]

I would have eaten number 1 and number 2. I still might

[@vegancam]

Silly magpie

[@liserjones8465]

Wouldn't surprise me after watching you play with your bey blade - you have a death wish!

[@JeagerTv]

Don't do it. You would look silly in a casket with barefeet and an apron.

[@TheLuftpolsterfolie]

You here? Yay! Better not eat them, the dangerous amount is kinda low

[@tristanrichards8674]

@@liserjones8465 anything to get rid of that third leg

[@solchapeau6343]

I used to think I was "living off the land" when I would walk thru my grandma's yard and eat the plants straight off the stem. I was a kid and didn't realize her entire yard was full of herbs, fruits, and veggies.

[@thymythymyth]

Thankfully you didn’t eat poison hemlock or whatnot

[@GastropodGaming2006]

@@thymythymyth his brother wasn't so lucky.

[@aansherina4536]

I did that too, my grandparents have a little house on a remote mountain and they had a apple and mango tree and thought that hey you could probably eat the leaves too and so I did, I did this every weekend (I only visited the house in the weekends) for two or three months then one day decided to eat the grass too but before i could i got caught by my older sister and finally stopped eating leaves.

[@michaelgreen1515]

I was raised this way in the UK!

[@rptck]

@@aansherina4536 how did you not get burnt by the sap

[@Sleepless_Sam]

I probably wouldn't do this for food, but going about and staring at plants sounds like a good time.

[@miekekuppen9275]

It is! I hadn´t been out of the city for a year (blasted pandemic) when I went hiking a couple of weeks ago and where 20 years ago I would´ve just enjoyed being among all the pretty green stuff now it was like coming back to a group of friendly faces, almost all of which I could name or at least recognize.

[@justjess6636]

The reason I'm interested in this is because I kind of want to make a pollinator garden and I've seen multiple articles that say to not forget the native species of your area because that helps the native bugs also. I also wouldn't want to do this for food as it seems a lot of these wild edibles are incredibly bitter.

[@wolfnation100]

i would, flowers look tasty

[@Veronica.John10-10]

Have you ever tried shouting at plants? It's amazing.

[@foleydave26]

It's about the most addictive hobby. Lol

[@mericaman8877]

Haven't watched all this yet, but the fact he starts by saying "focus on learning to identify plants first before starting to learn to forage" tells me this guy knows what he's talking about

[@imtryingmybestbutitaintworking]

This is the most calming experience I've had all year, just vibing with some British dude looking at funky plants😊🌿

[@Madonnalitta1]

As a British non dude, your comment really make me laugh. 😊

[@MagicalxxMuffin1]

6:49 - Atomic Shrimp, you've outdone yourself here. I beg, nay, DEMAND, that you teleport and crash into more places in the future.

[@ster2600]

I love it

[@nateosborne7361]

I thought the same

[@kayagorzan]

Yes indeed

[@MrSharpshot]

Also when going back to Studio Shrimp would be fantastic!

[@rihardsrozans6920]

Right? The edit was so smooth. Better than what I've seen from some VFX focused KZbinrs

[@Dinki-Di]

As an artist, I’d also suggest sketching the plants you are trying to identify. Drawing is a fabulous way to train your observation skills. It doesn’t have to be great art- most botanical illustrations aren’t photographically realistic- the intention is to record the features that you see. Thanks for a great vlog!

[@KuraiLunae]

As much as I'd love to do that, some of us can't even draw stick figures without help. For those even marginally more art-inclined, though, this is a great tip!

[@SpoonOfDoom]

@@KuraiLunae I mean, you could train two skills at the same time with this method. And even if the resulting drawings are bad at first, it still forces you to look at the plants very carefully and pay attention to details. Overall, I think that's a great idea whether you're art-inclined or not.

[@KuraiLunae]

@@SpoonOfDoom I appreciate the optimism. And you're right, you could potentially train 2 skills at once. I didn't think about that. Personally, though, I can't even draw a straight line with a ruler, so I don't think it'd be much help for me, lol

[@SpoonOfDoom]

@@KuraiLunae I'm convinced it's a learnable skill. Sure, the later in life you start, the harder it might be to learn. But you'd probably be surprised how much you could improve if you followed a course or something, or even just practiced regularly. Forgive me rambling on about this point, but I truly believe that the idea that you need to be born with some undefinable talent to do some things is harmful, and has kept a lot of people from discovering new hobbies just because they didn't happen to start doing it as a kid and think they just can't. My intention isn't to force you to pick up drawing, of course :D

[@KuraiLunae]

@@SpoonOfDoom oh I'm sure it's learnable. Art does have inate talent that makes it easier, but it's by no means limited if you don't have that talent. My issue is, I have an inate talent at being *bad* at art. Literally got an F in it in school. Straight up flunked. I think I got like a 10%, and I didn't skip assignments or anything. I'm not exaggerating with the straight line and ruler bit either, I legitimately can't. I've tried

[@MedievalSolutions]

Me: Ah, number 2 looks kinda edible? Him: That's a murder plant, that will kill you.

[@EraidFreefire]

Lol I saw this on my home page just now. I totally would've died too! I thought 4 was iffy but ok. I guess my gut instinct would get me killed :(

[@lagggoat7170]

I thought 2 and 3 were sus... so half-right I guess. I HAD PLANT ID AT UNI! At least I knew it was Apiacea and that Apiacea is a bitch that has a bunch of very similar, sometimes deadly plants, so I woulda stayed away. Know 4 though, have a bunch in my yard and the guinea pigs love it

[@melkiecapella2998]

Same, lol

[@nimbusstormysheep9553]

Yeah at first glance it looks similar to cilantro

[@Rabid_Nationalist]

Same

[@user-vt1zr9fo2c]

I only just now realised how easy it is to poison someone. "Want some parsley to garnish your meal?"

[@somedudefromapharmacy]

Yeah just go find some suspicious plants and dump them in food

[@nurdytyrd3816]

Then you also have to concern yourself with which poisons are untraceable so you don't get caught

[@Sqk.]

The taste would be pretty fucking noticeable though

[@user-vt1zr9fo2c]

@@nurdytyrd3816 yeah. Easy to kill someone, less easy to get away with it

[@Madonnalitta1]

​@@Sqk. Not I'm the case of hemlock.

[@anyascelticcreations]

My family has been foraging for generations. We've studied, and learned from each other. One of the first things I learn is what not to eat and what looks like that. Like you, I don't eat the delicious plants that look like the deadly poisonous ones. The stakes are just too high for the possibility of making a mistake. But like you said, there are lots and lots of plants that are pretty hard to misidentify. Or at least close enough. Like blackberries vs raspberries. I don't care which they are aside from curiosity. They're all edible and have no poisonous look alikes. Anyway, I agree that we should start by learning not to poison ourselves. Learn the most dangerous ones. Don't eat what you don't know. When in doubt, leave it there. And enjoy the many, many very safe plants out there that we can identify. Thank you for an awesome video! I subscribed. 👍👍👍

[@LordBathtub]

Confidently said "ah number 2 is parsley" thank christ I'm not a forager...

[@kaiju42]

same, lol

[@theeffete3396]

Yup. I was like "Oh, #2 is wild parsley. Ooo, #3 is purple and hairy, it must be poison." Welp, I'm dead...

[@ginsederp]

@@anti-ethniccleansing465 cilantro is part of the parsley family, so you aren't wrong

[@dindixie]

I was pretty sure #1 was hemlock, but thought it was the water hemlock, and I also thought #2 was parsley. I am not sure that we have parsley-looking version hemlock growing wild in the USA. I also don't know if cow parsley or ground alder grows in the US. I was always taught to avoid anything that resembles Queen Anne's Lace (which hemlock does).

[@magencrisis1682]

I got them completely backwards. Didn't trust the cow parsley because of the hairs.

[@Zarglog]

Me having 10+ years of green thumb foolery: Yeah I got this. 1 and 2 looks like something I'd find in a salad. Atomic Shrimp: You may die now, AND later.

[@hajimehinata5854]

now all your muscles will contract before getting cut off from your brain

[@Zarglog]

@@hajimehinata5854 So I'll be super buff from eating a salad?

[@hajimehinata5854]

@@Zarglog No, all your muscles will activate at once or smth

[@BoleDaPole]

That's why u put some in ur mouth to taste it or rub it on your finger and snell the plant. Once yoy get the feel for them its easy once yoy get the feel for them

[@diemonder]

i figured it out. plant 1 makes your muscles very stiff, plant 2 makes them unable to move. so eat them both at once and theyll cancel each other out. this shit is too easy

[@titanspirit7238]

If Skyrim taught me anything it's just pick and eat everything and worry about any side effects later!

[@ketugrahagraha3673]

In Skyrim eating a plant is a good way to learn its effects (and make good money by creating and selling powerful potions), in real life it's a good way to bite the dust. LOL

[@lanceanderson8318]

Where will you respawn on Earth?

[@NuggetOG]

@@ketugrahagraha3673 no its the same for IRL, just that it takes generations/ sacrifices to learn which are edible or not

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

@@ketugrahagraha3673 I've not even touched the foraging side of Skyrim yet because it always felt so overwhelming to me! 😔

[@Sleepless_Sam]

@@lanceanderson8318 you don't respawn, you just load your quick save.

[@grahamda1379]

You are a very rare variant of “KZbinr”. I can watch your videos in full without any boredom.

[@Lovelandmonkey]

“Ooh, a video on foraging, I’ll watch that!” “Hey, I recognize that intro…” Who would’ve thought scambaiting and foraging were two commonly shared interests for my suggested?

[@cakeisyummy5755]

Because both Videos were made by the same Person, and the same Channel.

[@fylthl]

@@cakeisyummy5755 wow

[@stephenlee5929]

Not sure but I think in both cases you need to be careful and have a good understanding of the risks involved.

[@africa_everyday]

Forage is an exciting activity. I love it. 😍

[@leea8706]

Hey Babatunde!!! So glad Atomic Shrimp brought attention to your channel!

[@michael2632]

@Henry Merivale this gets asked every reply of his. He's a friend of atomic shrimp so seemingly gets access before we do. You can upload videos unlisted and then share them before making them public to the wider KZbin audience

[@africa_everyday]

@@leea8706 me too.

[@sylviaxx3574]

@@africa_everyday Get well soon...

[@KatieM786]

@@michael2632 Hopefully people will learn how friendship and KZbin work before long...

[@ohmydinosare]

I love the "jump down to earth" shot there, that really caught me off guard. Now I know why there's been so many budget cooking challenges, he's been saving up for the effects budget to do that

[@BEAUTYnIQ]

right at the beginning .. ? yes that def was a great effect .. lol

[@Zogerpogger]

I lost it laughing when I saw that.

[@mnmlst1]

As someone who's been foraging for three decades and taught people about it in the past, this video is incredibly educational. Hope KZbin recommends it to people.

[@aizirtap05]

This got recommended to me for some reason. It ‘pleasantly’ reminded me of botany/pharmacognosy classes. Those were really tough especially the plants we studied were not native to our country. This video is comprehensive and just fun! It made me miss learning about these things which I thought I would never miss ever. 🌿💚 Plus, that drop-in on the field was 🤯

[@sovietbot6708]

I assume every plant is deadly until proven otherwise.

[@unnamedchannel1237]

And the only way to prove that is to rub it into somebody’s eyes

[@CorinnaAtHome]

Every plant can be deadly to someone allergic to it.

[@unnamedchannel1237]

@@CorinnaAtHome I am allergic to penguin meat

[@erindonut]

@@unnamedchannel1237 what

[@RatOfTheWoods]

@@unnamedchannel1237 I am VERY curious in how you discovered this, I don't know why it'd be on the typical swatch test or whatever it's called so I can only imagine you've had penguin meat before??

[@__-cd9ug]

You wake up in an empty room with white walls, white floor, white ceiling. You're tied to a chair. In front of you, a table with 4 different plant specimens numbered. A man is standing behind you. He instructs you to pick at least one to eat for yourself. The specimens you don't eat will be fed to your family. Welcome to the Plant Problem.

[@NuggetOG]

I take the one with the big leave and give the hairy plant to my brother, the rest can have the other species

[@jpthepug3126]

I would eat the poison plant but all the plants are poison

[@CorinnaAtHome]

😆😆😆

[@Heuhegeygeygeheu]

I'd just eat them all since I'd have no idea which is which

[@labibrashidinan9868]

I hate you.

[@HotelPapa100]

In school we had a field guide that took you step by step through identifying features, starting with flower color, then flower structure, leaf arrangement, leaf form, leaf edge narrowing down to the genus at least. I have never found anything quite as systematic again.

[@yeahsuredude7082]

that sounds amazing, do you remember the title?

[@HotelPapa100]

@@yeahsuredude7082 I know it was released by Klett Verlag. I have recently searched for it and it seems to no longer be in print.

[@HotelPapa100]

@@sfadf8234 Not DIchotomous, many branches were multifold, but yeah.

[@MathieusTheWalkingWitness]

Schools teaching how to survive without man made constructs? That's a first.........

[@CraftDoesIt]

i started with easy stuff like stinging nettle , elderflower, dandilion,clover , ect and then i kept improving and you atomic suggested me another channel on this , thx !! it really helped . im still a bit scared of mushroon picking but im getting better.

[@wissewester1276]

Atomic shrimp is like a friend that shows up with something completely random to do.

[@immortalhamster1645]

Can we all just appreciate the immense amount of effort this dude puts into his videos. I’m just noticing the vfx scene transitions and it’s like woah

[@leea8706]

I can’t believe people would be annoyed it’s not simple and you cant just Chuck the stuff in the basket. Learning, at least for me, is a huge part of the fun. I love learning new things. Plus you can appreciate the beauty of nature as you said, but also, you can make some lovely memories to cherish and you go out and have fun in the countryside.

[@benny_lemon5123]

When I started looking around my area (well before I ever began considering foraging) I was so disappointed to realise I know almost nothing about the plants around me. That realization became the impetus to identify things, which turned into the knowledge that a shocking amount of things were actually edible. You can never go wrong with learning about your surroundings!

[@richardeadon6396]

Had no idea which were poisonous/edible, but I was thinking "these all look like celery leaves" so I'm not as dumb as I thought after all

[@GlitchedRed]

Same, but I was thinking parsley

[@devon371]

Me too! But what I thought looked like a wild parsley was one of the deadly poisonous ones so I guess I'd die 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@mrslinkydragon9910]

I tend to avoid apiaceae for this very reason! Except for the obvious ones like fennel and hogweeds, they all look loo similar to one another

[@mynickisnick8270]

Yeah, I was constantly thinking "plant" and I was right! I might not be as dumb as I thought

[@richardeadon6396]

@@mynickisnick8270 lol gj

[@jasminbaumer3775]

I have watched this video at least 5 times now and I keep coming back to it. I have always been interested in foraging and plant identification in general, but it always seemed too complicated to get started. And well, it is complicated, but you have given me a very good starting point! I just ordered some used copies of the two first books you mentioned and I can not wait to go out and start learning to identify and then, eventually, confidently foraging something! I really enjoy all of your videos btw. They are very calming to me and feel casually educational. Thank you so much for making this content. All the best from Brighton!

[@robbiegrant4977]

Hello Mr Shrimp. Been following your scam baiting escapades for years now. Nice for a change to see your other interests and actually put a face to the voice. My Wife and I forage, watching your video I have already learned some new things. keep up the good work. Robbie

[@bokchoi5081]

About these apps. There was an AI given the task of deciding if the photos shown to it were a dog or a wolf. After a great many photos and some success the AI had decided a photo of a chihuahua was a wolf. This concerned the researchers who went through the code in minute detail to work out why the AI was so badly wrong on this occasion. It turned out it had barely been looking at the animals in the photo but at the backgrounds and scenery. The chihuahua photo had been taken in the snow and that's how the AI identified it as a wolf.

[@HurtsEnd]

So honestly you just gotta research books and stuff? That’s scary! Imagine the app says a safe plant and you eat a poisonous one!

[@MakenaForest]

@@HurtsEnd these apps commonly misidentify hemlock water dropwort as cow parsley, which will probably lead to death soon if not already

[@AFAndersen]

So I "died" on the first go at 3 minutes.. I only picked one I felt looked safe, and that was the most deadly of them all... This is why I forage in stores ^^

[@anonymouse265]

Yep, I thought the hemlock water dropwort plant was very similar to parsley I'm already growing at home so it's the only one I trusted! I'd be dead in less than a day if I was foraging on my own. XP

[@purpleghost106]

lolsob I picked 'starve today' as I could trust any of them. The frist 3 look like wild carrot which is related to hemlock so I guessed one of them probably *was* hemlock, and couldn't tell which one. So that left the board leafed one as the edible candidate, but I didn't recognize it, and I'd never eat something I couldn't ID. Plants are beautiful, but terrifying

[@Madonnalitta1]

​@@purpleghost106 plenty of really easy to identify plants that are also edible. Daisy, dandelion, plantain, goose grass/cleavers. I bet you could identify at least two of those safely.

[@HaroldSeaman]

Probably worth mentioning that it is best to be aware of which verges or edging are sprayed by the council/land owner with weedkillers.

[@myld_panic4416]

for someone who does plant determination and species recognision courses for school, I can say this is a really amazing thing to learn. It is not really hard to whip out a book and regular practise in nature makes it easy to do automatically. I know about 170 different species that I learned over just 1 year and I am able to amaze all my friends with quite easy knowledge :)

[@SSDD_NYC]

This is the resource I've been looking for to teach me how to *think* while foraging. Brilliant! Thank you!

[@ChimeTunes]

I’m terribly sorry, did you just land out of the sky with a staff like a f***ing superhero? 6:50

[@AjiNoPanda]

That's his walking spoon.

[@zljmbo]

Yupp, it's magic

[@brianartillery]

Isn't that how he generally arrives at places?

[@BoggyTheAmazing]

Chime following Atomic Shrimp wasn't something I expected to see today, but I am very glad to see it. Love ya both!

[@SerenityM16]

*obligatory Harry Dresden comment*

[@amcconnell6730]

What a great, and in hindsight obvious, lesson. If you want to start foraging - don't start foraging. Start identifying and you will (1) Be safe, even if you're really bad and/or lazy at it and (2) enjoy the walking more, as the journey becomes more interesting than the destination.

[@alexniklaus6216]

something that's unrelated but worth noting is that ground elder/goutweed is not native to the U.S and is in fact considered a highly aggressive, invasive weed. so it would be worth while to get rid of it if you see any in your yard or garden or what not.

[@molybdomancer195]

In my old garden in the U.K. we had ground elder which is difficult to get rid of of. If only I’d known we could eat it

[@lizh1988]

@@molybdomancer195 we have stuff on our front yard we can eat. My mom refused to let us weed out the violets because of how they look in the spring. Found out later, the leaf and flower are edible.

[@Cherryblossoms110]

Good to know, sounds good to make some vegetable stock with

[@muhammadnursyahmi9440]

@@molybdomancer195 well, now you know you could eat it.

[@SMTRodent]

@@molybdomancer195 Nothing kills a weed quite as rapidly as deciding that you want it around as a delicious vegetable.

[@joeyburkhart6602]

I thought the title said "How to get started Forging" and I was like: wow this is really going to help me on my high school tests

[@leamonty2992]

Atomic Shrimp is the king of making any video in any genre. I respect you do what you want! It's cool to see how much you know

[@matthew4511]

What foraging level do I have to reach to unlock the fast-travel option at 6:51?

[@NuggetOG]

its only for foraging level 30 and above. also you must have the 'keen eye of the roots' item

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

r/outside

[@mark314158]

The right type of mushroom...

[@Narked1]

Dosent seem to be a hypixel skyblock reference...

[@99999bomb]

@@Narked1 it’s r/outside

[@emmalucas4177]

for anyone wanting to watch some videos on botanical identification, the channel Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't has some great videos about identification, as well as a ton of videos of info in the field (mostly in the US)

[@williamfullofwood7421]

I was just about to comment this.

[@EraidFreefire]

Lol I'm interested in just going around looking at plants! but most channels or books I used to find were all about out side the US or the wrong side. I'm in the NW side.

[@ltraina3353]

Yes! I love the Crime pays… channel! A heavily tatted guy with a thick Chicago/east coast accent, walking all over the place, happily identifying plants and telling us about them. There is just something magical about How he describes things in that accent, always generous with the curse words! He’s like the “cool” uncle who was always fun to hang out with, and taught you stuff too.

[@johnromero1029]

Your friend from Africa Everyday, is not very well. Hope he gets better soon, he's a nice chap.

[@justanotherviewer4821]

Same, hope he gets well soon.

[@ThePerradox]

Sending my thoughts

[@al3k]

Is that Mr. Babatunde?? What's going on? :(

[@lek0mania]

@@al3k he got malaria

[@al3k]

@@lek0mania aaah, crap.. hope he gets through ok. :/ thanks for the info.

[@Yobydobie]

Man… I will probably never forage anything in my life but I am so relaxed by this video. Soothed to the bone.

[@Yellowbanana2024]

This video is awesome! 🙂👍This should be the first video anyone interested in foraging should watch. Thank you

[@aabeceedeeeff6076]

I'm positive that Foraging Shrimp is just Gandalf in disguise!

[@riddlydiddlyimawantedmanin4442]

tom bombadillo

[@PlzTouchSomeGrass]

He’s cleaned himself up and is camping it out in Britain waiting for the Orcs

[@fromthegamethrone]

More like Gandalf is foraging Shrimp in disguise ahaha

[@Simontheoneeyedpirate]

''Oh. and look: there's cow parsley again!'' That made me chuckle to myself.

[@thisischris898]

I love how this turned into CSI: Foragables

[@julianmarsh7993]

Sorry to keep banging on......This has been one of your best youtubes yet, loved how easily you taught us the science or whatever studying plants is called.

[@Kasperhp7410]

Probably not the best advice, but growing up as a scout we were often taught that if animals and insects leaves something that looks edible be, so should we.

[@AtomicShrimp]

Yeah, but there are plenty of cases where animals can eat stuff that would kill a human

[@megasocky]

Like shrimp said its true. There are many nuts squirrels and birds can ingest thats toxic to humans. Same with certain greens cows eat that can harm humans (or humans who eat cows that ate said plants)

[@Kasperhp7410]

You're absolutely right. I had a memory in mind, when I wrote that, of seeing some berry bushes and we got told that. Then again, we also often picked and ate nettle leaves and some sour clovers that most animals didn't eat. So yes, not very reliable now that I think about it.

[@shaanp9796]

@@anti-ethniccleansing465 if a goat eats poison ivy, it’s milk is perfectly fine to drink, But if a cow eats milkweed (I think that’s it), I think that’s what Tom Jefferson’s mother died from since that was before pasteurization. Depends on the animal

[@shadowjewel]

While animals can help with picking out what is and isn't poisonous, it all depends. I heard a story that early European settlers to Australia made this mistake by trying to eat what birds eat when they should have watched the bats instead, to whom we are distant cousins by way of lemurs, then monkeys, then apes - if you are going to try and copy an animals diet, the closer related to us the better the odds it wont be a total disaster. On the flip side, there are foods we eat that most other animals cant; dairy (as adults), onions, hot peppers, tea (even goats wont touch tea), and I think grapes react badly to many animals as well (I know they toxic to dogs for example). There are probably others too.

[@catmuch4569]

Oh god, I recently decided that I want to start foraging and this comes out, the timing is perfect!

[@pauljerome01]

shrimp made a new comment warning about stuff make sure to read it since your comment is before he made it

[@catmuch4569]

@@pauljerome01 yes, very true, I always thought that touching plants you're not sure are safe isn't the best idea, so that comment is very useful reminder

[@ravenwolf2220]

Can I recommend finding a local nerdy biologist group to just go on walks with. They often know a hell of a lot about plants and it helps you learn IDing very quickly

[@berosist2197]

I've always had a morbid curiosity about deadly plants, it's sort of amazing how it's not really taught about as part of the school curriculum given there are so many plants around us that are deadly. It kind of amazing you don't hear about people being poisoned or killed by plant life more often. Great video.

[@thymythymyth]

Only kids and the homeless go around tasting rando plants

[@achicken21]

Me too, it's really interesting to learn about them and see what they look like and also how they kill you lol. Something I want to do that's on my bucket list is to get a tour of the Alnwick Poison Garden!

[@js66613]

True, true. But I suppose people don't go outside and pick at wild plants as much as before, and when they do, it's typically just the berries, or apples, and there's a pretty limited amount of species of fruit bearing plants growing in my area... so getting mixed up isn't much of a risk. And most people only pick blueberries, blackberries, raspberries... and by most, I just mean my dad and a handful of other people that do actually pick wild berries. When less people interact with plants, less people die at the hands - or leaves, flowers and stems - of plants. I do think we should be taught about this though. I recall being taught about a lot of things and this was not one of them. Which is unfortunate, given that kids pick at a lot of things and are the most likely candidates to eat or touch something deadly by accident.

[@js66613]

@@anti-ethniccleansing465 A murderer who kills people with plants would work really well in a crime novel, I think... you could probably build a whole characters and backstory behind their preference of killing with wild plants, too...

[@EraidFreefire]

Looks like you arent Alone! I'm also fascinated! And a book about someone murdering others with plants would be a great read!

[@SEAWOLF815]

Thank you for this, I often have trouble starting a hobby like foraging (high risk of error) without a teacher or a solid foundation, this video gave me a foundation. its a great instruction on what someone is actually getting into!

[@codemiesterbeats]

My favorite wild plant from my area is "sheep sorrel" I only eat a small amount... apparently it can be poisonous in large amounts. I been eating it since I was a kid.

[@infinitelybanta]

The special effect ar 6:49 honestly looks pretty darn good.

[@filmecke2618]

@@anti-ethniccleansing465 maybe greenscreen

[@fonkbadonk2957]

Dear Shrimp, I am already thankfull for making me realize that some of the weeds in my small garden are actually wild garlic with certainty just in the nick of time of gathering them. (Gosh were those some tasty dips and butters!) And now you've set me up to look around a bit more. Thanks for your continued great content. Please don't ever stop doing it in this style and varity!

[@Zogerpogger]

*10 minutes after posting this comment*: Fronk Badonk is now dead due to consuming poison

[@Madonnalitta1]

I've yet to find any wild Allium ursinum (wild garlic/ramsons) but there is plenty of Allium triquetrum (three-cornered leak) where I live so the other must be around here somewhere...

[@mloxard-9321]

In my country "mushrooming" is literally one of the most popular activities to do in summer :D

[@emusaurus]

I see people doing it during winter, too. I’m interested because there are a lot of mushrooms on my property and I feel like I’m missing out by not eating them.

[@fudgethedog]

Are you in Poland by any chance

[@mloxard-9321]

@Smiya Coron Czech Republic

[@caller145]

In my country Finland too :D At least at the country side, for city people going in a forest seems to be a bit extra sometimes. I as a kid remember each mushroom seasons roaming the forests and bringing home all the goodies :)

[@mloxard-9321]

@@caller145 Yeah, people from cities usually go to their cottages in the countryside

[@Boltercon]

This is literally one of the most informational videos I've ever watched and still thoroughly enjoyed, so thank you!!

[@destraye]

This provides some incredibly useful concepts I've never before heard anyone explain

[@LindsaysWhimsies]

Thank you for this. I've been interested in plants for so long, but this motivated me to buy books and actually pursue my interests instead of just wondering. The books are fantastic. I identified the very annoyingly prevalent and persistent weed around my garden area as poison hemlock thanks to you. As a mom of two small kids that like to grab stuff we're growing and ingest it immediately, I am indebted to you. I've found tons of mushrooms to identify too! I can only identify maybe 15-20% of what I find, but man, what a rush! I have been outside more exploring, identifying, and just enjoying life. It's so exciting to learn about all these beautiful things in my surroundings. I feel a little happier when I'm doing that, and my kids are enjoying discovering new things with me too. Thanks again, Mike.

[@Madonnalitta1]

I've been identifying plants for a long time but have always shied away from mushroom foraging. Your comment made me think that it's about time I gave it another chance...tentatively!

[@ForestGramps]

Great Video! I’m not a forager by any means, but I pride myself on the fact that I can recognize wintergreen (or Teaberry as the guy in boyscouts told me) whenever I pass by it. I love being able to show people some random plant and to surprise them with the smell of root beer

[@testname4464]

If a plant smelled like root beer I'd prolly end up eating it lmao

[@michellesovereign4564]

I studied my UK wild edibles book and went out to forage. I came home with what I thought was cow parsley and when I checked the book ,I indeed had hemlock. That was my first time and it taught me to be super careful. This video is spot on and people should understand that it takes time and a lot of cross referencing. Thanks so much ☺ I'm looking forward to more.

[@k8eekatt]

The birds sound so lovely in spring!

[@chewbekah]

I’m only 10mins in and I’ve already learnt so much! This is an excellent and informative video, thank you!

[@UffUffsen]

The last weeks i kept thinking i should go out and forage more herbs and veggie on walks. And now you post this. youre a legend Shrimp

[@danielgray1104]

It's amazing to think that our ancestors discovered this knowledge, without books or videos but through most likely trail and error. I wonder if some of the ancient peoples would nibble on a plant, see that it made them feel ill and advise against eating it.Or if it was more tragic and they saw that this plant killed someone or did serious harm. Its astounding that people had made mental notes to avoid those plants, and to know what to look for, and to pass down what was harmful and what was beneficial. Great video btw.

[@NordicZafiro]

That half an hour SHOT by!! Very interesting and engaging! I found Wild Food UK has a pretty decent pocket foraging book that identifies common edibles and poisonous plants and fungi. Found it to be a good starter for me last year :)

[@mobius1965]

Your intelligence for a variety of topics is amazing.

[@tyler_o4936]

Watching this at 3am thinking, “should I have eaten that dandelion?”

[@moonstone6133]

i heard that some people eat fried dandelions so idk

[@tacrewgirl]

Dandelion and it's lookalikes are not toxic. You can saute the leaves (like I did with my scrambled eggs today), deep fry the flowers (fritters), use the root for medicine in the falll, and pickle the buds for capers.

[@a-s-greig]

Dandelions themselves aren't toxic, but I wouldn't eat them unless I had to. It's not worth the chance of weedkiller on them.

[@sweateryoshi4026]

People used to eat a lot of dandelions during times of war where food was scarce. Because of this there are many recipes you can try out. Ranging from dandelion coffee to dandelion jelly and many more.

[@bugsmith9751]

you will often find dandelion leaves in stores with other salad greens, the roots tho, arnt as easy to find without digging them up, they make a great tea when roasted

[@axelolord]

Watching the plant leaves. Number two shows on screen. "Oh hell yeah. This looks like parsley. That is 100% the edible one." Number 2 turns out to be the deadly one. "Guess I'll die then. "

[@KdosdaHegen]

Nature in your country looks beautiful. Plants are slightly different from the ones that grow in my country Lithuania.

[@karosasnn]

Tho I can't say ours is bad either! We've got some beauties too :DD

[@dustinsmith8341]

18:00 This plant feels like something that would evolve in a place with intermittant extreme winds. The wings help the plant grow a strong stalk while growing by catching any tiny amount of wind when the air is very still. Then, as an adult, when it encounters the strong winds it breaks up the gust and channels it away from the plant.

[@farjanaakhter7429]

The best foraging video guide I have ever seen. Thank you for taking the time.

[@armelliumthefulgent.6053]

12:55 Wow, that was some smooth recording. I thought I was in an adventure game by looking at it. Amazing!

[@marikabilska1382]

Delightful! I have been looking for a comprehensive guide just like this since coming to your channel, as your passion for foraging and use of it in your budget videos is contagious. Thanks so much, this is great :)

[@tareyus2977]

The first cave man who ate poison ivy: died painfully 2nd caveman who saw him die: interesting...

[@forgor4410]

I actually did that once with poison oak. I'm immune to it's allergy for some reason, and I lived

[@PoptartParasol]

@@forgor4410 take pride in that! Your body probably isn't able to digest it properly, I have the same thing with caffeine. I am completely immune to it to the point where I can drink as much coffee as I like and fall asleep not even 5 minutes later. Woohoo weird genes.

[@Szszymon14]

@@PoptartParasol Sounds terrible, If you ever be sleep-deprived for more than one day. If I would be forced to work night shifts without caffeine effects, that would suck terribly.

[@macroverbumsciolist]

"let's not squat in the grass, we can find somewhere nice to sit" *squats by bench while using it as a desk*

[@stephenlee5929]

That was weird, I didn't notice, I had watched it on a number of occasions. The main thing I did notice was he took time to focus on the bench's dedication, Thanks for that.

[@ahomestucker]

ok , this rly makes me wanna look more into plants and different species, whether it be gardening, forraging, whatever. theres just so much interesting stuff, like i never knew clovers were in the same family as peas, thats cool!

[@Shrimsour]

I have absolutely no intentions of doing this but i really just sat here for 27 minutes because it's just so interesting

[@holidayfish]

so errr, you gonna start a commune? youve got that wholesome attitute we need these days xD keep making these vids man, theyre always a pleasure to watch

[@loam6740]

I saw wild strawberries in your book, I had some wild virginia strawberries for the first time a few years ago and they tasted like candy. I usually forage berries because they are easier to identify like you said when they are flowering or fruiting, but I would love to get more into wild greens.

[@woadspiral]

Settled down to watch this... It turned into cake or death sketch reenactment by my kids. You have now entered new levels of cool by them, and I had to rewind several times!!!

[@somniad]

I used to spend time identifying bugs and sometimes plants as a kid, and this has reminded me of that a bit! It's the right time of year and I know a few good places in my city. I'll have to give this a go when I find the time.

[@tartartar23]

Man. I live in Singapore and foraging plants isn't that common. This is very interesting to see though.

[@AjiNoPanda]

Aren't there wild durian trees there in the park? With teeny tiny durians!

[@muhammadnursyahmi9440]

@@AjiNoPanda Wasn't durians in Singapore are imported from it's neighbour, Malaysia?

[@NotAWomble]

It’s probably illegal in Singapore XD

[@j.kaimori3848]

@@muhammadnursyahmi9440 I think not, this plant is in Indonesia too so it likely just live in the whole region. It's possible it had to be reintroduced to Singapore as a garden plant due to how dense Singapore is, but I doubt it wasn't originally there.

[@lol...]

@@AjiNoPanda there are quite a few in pulau ubin and bukit timah hill, especially in the durian loop part. However, you gotta go there in the morning during the durian season (june and december i think) for best results and be prepare to walk through difficult to reach places.The durians don’t taste too shabby, but they usually have a low flesh to seed ratio and you need to make sure the ones you pick are not eaten by squirrels or plucked by monkeys (you can see from the shape of the stem)

[@bensouthall2612]

Nice video, very thorough guide for those new. Although I take a bit of a different stance in that those foraging books can be really good for getting the skeptics or uneasy into the habit, by starting off with the really easily identifiable plants, and the ones that are the cousins of things we all recognise in the supermarkets. I'd always been brought up picking the blackberries when we went out for walks as a kid, but IIRC I myself only got into foraging when I started juicing windfalls I got from the streets near my house, where there used to be an orchard I believe, and then gradually diversified. As always it is the golden rule - don't ever put it in your mouth if you aren't confident you know what it is (and as you rightly say, bar nettles or maybe some fungi (never really found many) in the British isles it's usually safe to give it a good touch and smell but in the Americas or tropical regions this probably isn't as true), but there are a great many things that are very hard to mistake from anything else and can make excellent beginner's recipes - haws, crab apples, sea buckthorn, oregon grapes, things like sorrels and mustards - and I certainly began with plants that clearly look like plums, elder wine, and the sort. It is great to be able to identify lots of species and I would love to get to your level some day, but I also think there's some value for those who aren't so confident in just getting out there, and starting with what's really easy and unambiguously edible, plus the few really poisonous things to avoid - e.g. yew, the nightshades, and as you say, the carrot family. It serves as a good example to open with, but I think also people are frightened by things like mushrooms, because it's not that they're largely poisonous, it's that the differences between some poisonous and some edible are very subtle. But, equally like the fungi, personally I would advise someone new to be mindful of the risks and basic rules to follow, but not to worry too much about the botanical terms and the intricacies of identifying any plant they see and instead keep an eye out for things that are obvious and tasty and get their hands dirty from the off! After several years picking wild food when I can, I've still never bothered with those carrots, as any time I see them I don't have my book and no matter how many times I read I can't remember which has the mousey smell and which has the hairs - I remember those purple blotches are a no-go but never which plant they belong to. So I've just avoided the whole family, out of laze probably more than anything else. If you ever want some interesting recipes, let me know! I've come up with a couple of inventive variations over the years that aren't in the books, or not in quite the same way at least.

[@MartinAhlman]

When you can do this you'll be burned as a witch, if you travel back in time and always had something to eat. That's how we can tell someone is a witch! They can travel through thyme!

[@zljmbo]

Foraging Shrimp is a witch - confirmed

[@ceecee3339]

Your voice is very soothing , thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@olivem.5249]

What a cool video! I’m glad I knew enough about hemlock to be wary of the parsley-ish plants. I’m so glad to have discovered this channel. I wish I knew as much as you.

[@DaveMcGarry]

This has even put me off coriander! I've sometimes bought flat leaf parsley by accident at the market. I'm in South Australia now so couldn't even think about picking plants for food, it's totally alien to me. Thanks shrimp 🍤

[@shioramen9627]

My cousin came over one night wanting to 'borrow' some herbs. My mom was too busy to get it so I was told it was 'right beside the fence, you can't miss it.' It turns out I gave them weeds. Like.. actually weeds (as in not the drug, but the pest plants you don't want in your yard) Needless to say I've never been asked to fetch herbs again.

[@tartartar23]

Lol

[@freddieparrydrums]

😂

[@thymythymyth]

So long as it isn’t hemlock it might as well be herbs to some people

[@brianartillery]

You say 'weeds'. I say 'Plants growing in the wrong place'.

[@brianartillery]

@@anti-ethniccleansing465 - A lot of plants are somewhat tainted by being called 'weeds', and yet some of them are the most beautiful little flowers that you will find anywhere. Some, that are used as herbs, were brought here by the Romans, so that they could have a taste of home, whilst being stuck in a cold place at the end of the known earth. I like to see Daisies, Buttercups, Cat's ear, Jack-by-the-hedge, various clovers, etc. So long as it doesn't resemble a jungle, then that's fine. A lawn with no weeds might look nice - but it's damn boring.

[@aaronconnell2152]

I was 99% sure no.2 was flat leaf parsley. And thats why i'm 100% not foraging yet 🙃

[@fruitloops666]

same

[@oneoflokis]

Looks very parsley-like, doesn't it?! 😏

[@toneenorman2135]

Yep,me too!

[@Liliththelizard]

Fun fact, the flora guide in my country is organized by color, and then sub-catergorized by numer of flowers/leaves etc. So if you come across a plant with a purple flower that has small clusters of flowers, you just go to the purple chapter, look up plants with flower clusters and then look at the images until you find one that matches exactly. Leafy plants/grasses and other "non flowering" plants have their own chapter... it is 🥁 the green chapter

[@breckheck]

For those who don't have access to a handbook, the plant net app is a good tool to help identify plants alongside the handbooks. Not sure if I'd use that app to determine whether things are edible because it can be wrong sometimes

[@richardpowell4281]

I've definitely had fun foraging for wild edible. I need to do it more often.

[@minijimi]

I would have died having eaten a big salad of poison.

[@magiv4205]

I wouldn't have, since I knew ground elder and refused to take my chances on any of the other plants, I'll just stick to what I know, thank you very much😅

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

Same. There really are no shortcuts and my brain is not great at holding this kind of information with such specificity. When he showed that it's like identifying cars or Pokémon I knew immediately that I'd be screwed.

[@jpthepug3126]

@@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep that’s what the book is for

[@SombreroPharoah]

Eventually though you get an eye even on a glance. 4/4 on those. The lookalikes of Chervil (cow parsley) I always pay a bit extra attention to but as a whole after a time you can ID and notice things as your driving. FWIW cow parsley Imo doesn't taste that great anyway. Ground elder is much nicer and safer. Invasive too if its on your land. Like 3 cornered leek. So best control is to eat your weeds tbf. Which is a good website and book come think of it.

[@RainbowFlowerCrow]

Ok this video was so interesting and relaxing to watch! I'm stuck at work, so can't go for a nature walk, but I could immediately feel tension leaving my body while watching this! Thank you, Atomic Shrimp!☺️⚛🍤

[@drewski363]

Great information about hemlock water dropwort. Such a common yet deadly plant.

[@danielmorris5401]

Thanks for making this dude, i had no idea where to start

[@stopandlisten6070]

6:50 this is one of the most casually awesome things I've ever seen.

[@jasonharrison2434]

Me, living an hour out of Melbourne, Australia: ✍ Hairless, round stems.. splotches of purple.. bipinnate leaves..