A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Sunday 22 November 2015

Trekking Finds. Foraging. Fire, Food & Drink.

We left early this morning on a scout, it was overcast but I saw no immediate threat of rain. We travelled up over Dragon's Tol & went as far as Hazard Valley, the latter named for a close family friend who went under before he could get his cabin built in that valley. These attached images are from this scout.
This is a Polypore Bracket Fungus, likely a Lietiporus Portentosus or Ryvardenia Cretacea, they can be difficult to tell apart, but both make excellent tinder & are worth collecting if you are getting low on tinder.

This is another Polypore Bracket Fungus that grows in the North, America & England I believe. This is Piptoporus Betulinus or Birch Polypore.


An Australian Native Bee hive in a dead tree (New England NSW). Honey is a good food, can be added to water & keeps for years, & it has antiseptic properties & can be used on open wounds.



These native bees have no sting.

Goonagurra/Grass Tree, Kangaroo Tail, or Yacca. There is a similar plant that grows in America known as Yucca. This Yacca plant cant be used for making spear shafts, you can suck on the nectar or put the flowers in water to make a tasty drink. Natives have been known to let this ferment to make an alcoholic drink. The ends of the leaves once pulled can be eaten & the sap can be used as a glue. When the flower stems have dried, the inner core makes good tinder. Dried leaves makes excellent light kindling.

6 comments:

Gorges Smythe said...

I used to keep bees, but mine had stingers!

Keith said...

I have often thought of keeping bees myself Gorges. A bee hive took over my workshop & is still there in a cupboard. They did not mind me being there, but it made it rather difficult working around them, so I moved everything out. We are having a new workshop built.
Keith.

Anonymous said...

Do the stinger less bees produce honey?

Keith said...

Yes sharpenedaxe, they produce honey.
Keith.

Unknown said...

That pic of bees is not native bees.
They are escaped honey bees

Keith said...

Hi Paul. Similar I will grant you, but the native bee is smaller than the introduced honey bee.
https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/animal-industries/bees/diseases-and-pests/asian-honey-bees/identifying-asian-honey-bees/asian-and-european-honey-bee-comparison
Regards, Keith.