Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Going With The Flow

I had such a great response to my previous flow diagram / mind map that I decided to make some more. They are designed to help you plan your own foraging format and manage the storage and processing of whatever you gather.

A Practical, Seasonal Plan Toward Easy Foraging
They are only a rough guide but they will help you to think about what to do, when to do it and how to fit everything in amongst your busy lives, families, work and relaxation. For me, foraging is relaxation; it is the time when I can shake off the burden of daily pressures and get out amongst nature with my kids.

It is very useful to become familiar with the various trees in the winter time too, it's often much easier to spot them when they are not covered in leaves. I have designed some id sheets to help with this, if you want copies, send me your email address and and a message; I will send them - free.

As You Develop Your Skills You Might Want to Get More Involved
In the same way, when Spring arrives (and it looks like it may be early this year) you can identify different trees by their blossom; plum is normally first, followed closely by the cherry trees, apples and pears. Once you can recognise the flowers, shape and bark of the trees, you will realise just how many of them there are, all over the cities, hedgerows and countryside. You can then plan when and how to harvest their bounty when the season arrives.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you, this is brilliant! It's a real prompt to think longer term, all year round, and mapping. JOan (@SherwoodForager)

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  2. Hi Joan
    I'm please you like them. I used flow diagrams extensively at work and found that they really suit my thinking/creativity style.
    I have now produced my tree id sheets too. If I can get them into a suitable format, I'll stick them up here too.
    Keep spreading the word...
    Alan

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