Re: Wild Foods for NRs and not yet released squirrels!
Many of the best wild foods for squirrels are fresh buds, etc. from trees. These are much less common in the middle of the summer.
Two wild foods that are readily available from spring through fall are violets (top) and dandelions (bottom).
Beyond not using any pesticides in our yard, I avoid harvesting near the street or sidewalk as well as in the very back portion of the yard where we do get some runoff from neighbors. While nobody appears to be using pesticides, it is best not to take any chances.
In the case of violets, there are (happily) so many in my yard that harvesting the entire plant is not a problem. I deliberately leave some dirt on the roots, as Guro is quite found of this and goes to it first.
With dandelions, I deliberately cut through the root in order to maintain a steady supply in my lawn. This gives Guro some dandelion root to go with leaves, flowers, etc. while leaving enough root in the ground that the dandelion will grow back.
This coming winter, I am going to try growing dandelions (and possibly violets) in a large container in our sunroom to get a fresh supply during the colder months.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by supersquirrelgirl
