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Bushcraft Foraging: Navelwort

Description

In this video we have a look at a Wild Edible Plant called Navelwort (Umbilicus Rupestris). An edible found in damper environments like Cornwall, Dartmoor and Wales.

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Video Transcription

either guys it's mike from mcq bushcraft ear and I've been out on a bit of a hike today I'm dying in near south of the British Isles on the North Cornwall coast and whilst I was out walking I've spotted this wild edible here which is incomplete abundant Stein here in this coastal environment and this wild edible here is called umbilicus rupestris or as commonly known as naval word naval Wert is a native plant to the British Isles it's very common along the southwest especially in Wales and Ireland as well you also find it in Scotland that's been documented in the southwest in Scotland but it's not too common up there but where you do find it it's usually very well established you can see that this particular plant is growing out of this old stone wall here and even in some of the coves of this old tree stump and it's a member of the stain crop family so the crass la CI family and it's fairly typical for those kind of plants to be growing on stony regions along the coastline but there's not a lot of soil so if we have a closer look at the plum you'll see why it carries the name naval work there's a depression there that looks a little bit like a navel and it sometimes carries the name pennyworth as well but the actual shape can differ sometimes they can be really crinkly other times they can be picture-perfect a little bit like these smaller ones just here this is a very succulent plant which is quite typical of the stain crop family you can see that it's quite squeaky in the leaves and the structure of the plan very very thick you can see the back of it there it breezes very easily as well holds a lot of water it kind of comes into a little trumpet there goes down the stem so that these leaves these circular leaves on the end we'll just tape it down into one stem and that will basically be its structure and then all come out of one root system and sometimes formulate little colonies like it's doing just here all over this wall if you look a little bit more closely at the actual plan you'll see these flower heads these old flower heads that have been shooting out the actual root structure that and these tend to come out later on in the year where they'll grow all the way up like this and lots of flowers that are like little tubes little green tubes or bells just hang off of the actual stem there and the appearance of the actual plants itself the leaves so on the structure they remain the same all the way throughout its life cycle and the actual flower head is really only main difference you see later on in the year but it's also worth mentoring that there are no poisonous look-alikes to naval work which is always reassuring to know when dealing with wild edibles there's a number of ways in which you can approach enable worth from an edible perspective and one of the ways I eat it is just how it is straight out of the ground just like that and you can eat the stem as well and it's quite a succulent plant so it's a bit like eating iceberg lettuce but it does have a little bit of a strange aftertaste which I don't find too Pleasant there are other ways of using it you can cook it you can make it into tease you can even make it into medicinal teas if you have sore throats which is one of the things that's been used for as being a bit of an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial there's also used on skin treatments as well for cuts and sores and various ailments to use on there also to treat cancer and bowel problems so if you are interested in some of the nutritional aspects attached to naval work it's definitely something worth looking into and it's quite a nice wild edible to find when you're out I know it's growing out of a stain wall here and it's not a completely natural environment but when I've been out in very wild places in the past I've actually found naval walk growing out of hulls and coves in the basis of trunks where there's very little soil and it's been pretty pleasant to take a whole batch of it put it into a tea and use it and drink it and then eat the actual leaves afterwards and it it does improve the flavor and just make it a little bit better and takes away that bitterness and I like a lot of wild edibles when you're eating them you don't really feel like you're getting much substance from them but with wild edibles like um naval worse and also see beetle wild spinach which is probably one of my favorites actually really feels like you're eating a meal it gives you quite a lot of nutrition as well and we'll see you again you get some calories from it but not a lot at all but it's it's really a lot edible that it's got quite a lot of substance

to it and you really feel like you're eating something which can be lacking if you're just eating greens roots are really where to where to aim for if you want a bit of substance but again its effort to dig them up but that's a whole different ballgame I really wanted to just share with you this wild edible here because at this time of year it's pretty prolific and it's absolutely everywhere so thanks again for watching guys I do appreciate you watching this video and if you're interested in of the gear that i'm using see the links below and also there's relevant social media below also and hopefully I'll see you very soon in another video so take care guys thanks again

About the Author

MCQBushcraft

MCQBushcraft

I'm a UK based outdoorsman who started hunting and fishing with my friends when I was young.

Educating yourself about your surroundings and having the core skills to sustain yourself using your environment is a lost curriculum in the United Kingdom. We are well provided for, so well that "why do anything if somebody else will do it for you". This lifestyle has drastically disconnected people from having the knowledge and skills required to spend even one night in the woods and not get hungry.

I love being outdoors and have never lost the desire to learn and practice skills that I get a sense of natural connection from. Hunting hangs controversy in the minds of many, but in my eyes there is nothing more natural if you choose to eat meat. I appreciate that not everybody hunts in moderation though.

Thanks for reading
Michael McQuilton

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