Foraging Safety

I know now a days anyone can walk into a shop and buy a book on foraging or google any wild plant, but there aren't enough websites that stress the dangers of some poisonous species. Of course I am talking about the Apiaceae (otherwise known as the umbellifers) family, predominantly. I was shocked to see so many wild food books promoting the use of plants such as wild carrot and Alexanders. Now I'm not saying that we should be afraid of nature or be put off foraging if you are a beginner, but it is important to stay away from these species of plants until you have gained years of experience and are beyond a shadow of a doubt sure that you are not picking a poisonous species (which can be much harder than the books make it out to be). 

Even I feel that i haven't done enough research on the plants yet to be able to identify them and so will continue to stay away from them unless I am foraging with a much more experienced wild food expert. For me, it just isn't worth the risk. 

Of course there are other poisonous species around, especially ones that look like their edible counterparts, but I will get on to that and explain to you why I am more comfortable with those species than I am with these. 

You can observe the similarities for yourself:

Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) - Edible

Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) - Edible shoots, and commonly appraised as the most delicious flavour of wild plants in the UK

Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) - Phototoxic

Hemlock (Conium maculatum) -  Toxic

Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) - Edible

Water Dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) - Toxic

Water Hemlock (Cicuta virosa) - Toxic