Carbohydrates?

[happybonzo]

What do most of you do for gathering Carbohydrates? I know about Mace roots but they are a B****r to harvest so any other suggestions?

[Mang]

The spongy pith inside a Soft Rush is carbs but it's like eating polystyrene!

[AdrianRose]

A couple of good sources of wild carbs are Burdock Roots, Dandelion Roots and the central core of Rosebay Willowherb. Also Pignuts (Conopodium Majus) in May/June.

Although as a word or caution, carbohydrates and starch absorb a lot of water when inside the intestinal system, so ensure you keep your fluid intake up.

Ade.

[Marvell]

The middle bit of the stem of Alexanders if you like the taste.

[luresalive]

Celandine roots, cattail roots and stems, burdock roots, silverweed roots, penduolus sedge.. remember sugars are related to carbohydrates so don't ingore berries, rose hips,wild plums, crab apples and lots of other wild fruits!

[AdrianRose]

Celandine roots, cattail roots and stems, burdock roots, silverweed roots, penduolus sedge.. remember sugars are related to carbohydrates so don't ingore berries, rose hips,wild plums, crab apples and lots of other wild fruits!

Just be a little careful with Celandine roots as they are a member of the Ranunculus family and contain toxic Saponins and therefore need to be rendered inert by cooking/roasting.

Excellent tip on the sugars in fruits and berries mate.

Ade.

[Marvell]

I agree, we tend to think of the word "carbs" representing starches and head straight for the roots & tubers and forget the fruits, seeds & nuts. Of course, we only get the latter in the autumn (ish), but the tubers are about in the winter. Not sure about the nutritional content of flowers and pollen. Nectar is gonna be a bit sugary I suspect. Roots, grains and sap too. Crumbs, plants are just riddled with carbs!

[comanighttrain]

uhh I seen RM harvest Kale root from the see side one time...looks like a big potato?

[happybonzo]

I believe that Sea Kale is a protected plant* and that RM had to get eprmission to harvest the stuff.

I asked because, as a society, we have come to rely on spuds, rice etc. We need need "slow burning" sugars to give us energy. So did the Hunter/Gatherers just subsist on meat like a glorified Atkins diet?

* Sea Kale is a protected plant under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act

[comanighttrain]

Huh... I wonder why is it protected?

Actually, the atkins diet is a glorified normal diet. It is perfectly healthy to get energy from only protein and fat. I believe the (re)discovery of that diet actually came from someone who was studying natives of North America who were existing on a pretty much all seafood diet...

I hate atkins. Whenever someone clocks me eating a meal without potatoes they are "ahh you're doing atkins". Brr!