Goosegrass (Galium aparine), also known as cleavers, sticky weed, sweetheart and a bunch of other names, is a useful plant for us in bushcraft. You can eat it as well as use it in firelighting. In this video I use a ferrocerium rod to ignite it and light a fire. Lighting a fire with goosegrass […]
I’ve said in previous posts that the ability to make cordage is really important in a wilderness environment. Here’s another plant to add to the list, courtesy of Billy Souter. We cover preparing cow parsley to make cordage on many of our courses, including the IOL Bushcraft Competency Certificate course, our 5 Day Bushcraft Course, and of […]
Dandelions are a great plant to forage in the spring. Watch this short video to find out a bit more about them, why they’re important and why you should eat them! You might also want to take a read of this detailed post on dandelions written by Nicola. We’re regularly out foraging for dandelions in […]
As Nicola and I were walking Willow along the Downs today, I shot this short video on foraging for Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum). Alexanders are a naturalised plant introduced from the Mediterranean and are often found near the coast. At this time of year the stems are probably the best part for eating, although the whole […]
Finding ember extenders in the winter can sometimes be tricky. Watch this video to find out about collecting clematis downy flower (or seed) heads in January. We talk about collecting clematis downy flower heads on our 2 Day & 5 Day Bushcraft Courses as well as the IOL Bushcraft Competency Course. You can see plenty of photos from all of […]
Winter foraging is easily overlooked. Whilst there aren’t as many species around, or indeed those species aren’t generally found in the same quantities, there are still plants around that we can forage. This video shows 8 plant species that I found within around 30 minutes in mid January. I easily found enough plants to make […]
