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Garlic mustard (lemmy.ca)

submitted 7 months ago by eezeebee@lemmy.ca to c/foraging@lemm.ee

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At least I'm pretty sure that's what it is. It has a nice garlic taste. I chopped it and put in some oil, salt and pepper for a nice little spread.

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[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 12 points 7 months ago (1 children)

For sure this is garlic mustard but please confirm the identity of plants before eating them!

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I checked it with the PlantNet app, and searched for images and description and look-alikes as well. Is there anything more I should do to confirm plant identities? Edit: forgot to mention smell test

[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Not necessarily, that all sounds like good practice, I was just going off of your comment which sounded uncertain. If you did your due diligence then it’s probably fine.

I was always taught that before eating anything you should be essentially certain of its edibility. But of course, some people consistently overrate their own certainty and some people consistently underrate it, so this standard does pose problems and it is worth self-reflection on which category you may fall into.

Getting community or expert input, as you’ve done here is also not a bad idea, though obviously we can be wrong as well. But the more layers of verification you have, the safer you are.

One thing to keep in mind as a novice forager is that there will be future opportunities. It’s perfectly OK to harvest a plant and then decide you aren’t certain and toss it. It’s part of the learning process, and you will find more of any foraged food that is ethical to harvest, almost guaranteed. After enough attempts and education you will feel confident and can enjoy it then!

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 6 points 7 months ago

I was always taught that before eating anything you should be essentially certain of its edibility. But of course, some people consistently overrate their own certainty and some people consistently underrate it, so this standard does pose problems and it is worth self-reflection on which category you may fall into.

Getting community or expert input, as you’ve done here is also not a bad idea, though obviously we can be wrong as well. But the more layers of verification you have, the safer you are.

One thing to keep in mind as a novice forager is that there will be future opportunities. It’s perfectly OK to harvest a plant and then decide you aren’t certain and toss it. It’s part of the learning process, and you will find more of any foraged food it’s ethical to harvest, almost guaranteed. After enough attempts and education you will feel confident and can enjoy it then!

Thank you for the concern! I think it will be wise for me to post finds here before consuming from now on.