The Quick Guide to Wild Edible Plants: Easy to Pick, Easy to Prepare

Nature’s Storehouse of Edible Plants

21 there are many examples of edible plants that the novice can easily identify and collect by simply walking through forests and fields, paddling lakes, rivers, and streams, or perusing your backyard. Before going out into the field, water, or woods, learn as much as you can about plants you intend to find as food and their unique characteristics. If you have to eat something and you are on the move, survival foods can make a big difference when you are away from modern conveniences, even your camping area. It is good to know that these edible foods, while they may not be tasty, can provide enough energy to keep you going in situations such as being lost or other emergencies. Many plants are edible only during certain times of the year. The authors have struggled with the idea of preparing a treatment for a simple meal or snack from the smorgasbord of easily available edible plants that individually or collectively would make a downright great salad! This will take practice and a working knowledge of a plant’s regional availability, identification, and abundance. Most of the plants we recommend in this section are found ready for collection in early to late summer. Walking along the edge of a hardwood forest could yield a bounty of young Common Greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia) tendrils. They grow in late spring to early summer and are crisp and appealing to start munching on as is. This is a great survival snack or, if enough can be collected, a standalone meal. Usually occurring in open fields, you may also encounter Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) leaves, along with discovering Field Garlic (Allium vineale) bulbs, a sprig of Yellow Wood Sorrel (Oxalis europaea) flowers, and the Common Blue Violet (Viola papilionacea). With little or no preparation you have a wonderful, nutritious salad with these early summer plants. As you continue your foraging adventures, you can may find many other plants on a tree, growing as a vine, or waiting to be pulled from the ground. The leaves of Curly Dock (Rumex crispus) can be eaten raw. Curly Dock leaves are found throughout spring, summer, and fall. Along Nature’s Storehouse of Edible Plants 22 the quick guide to wild edible plants 22 Field Garlic (Allium vineale) bulbs. Blue Violet (Viola papilionacea) flowers. Yellow Wood Sorrel (Oxalis europaea) flowers. 23 23 Nature’s Storehouse of Edible Plants Chickweed (Stellaria media). Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) flowers—our absolute favorite. 24 the quick guide to wild edible plants 24 Redbud (Cercis canadensis) flowers. Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) flowers. (opposite) Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) fruits. 25 the quick guide to wild edible plants 26 roadsides and in fields and waste places you will find the tender stems and leaves of Chickweed (Stellaria media), which can also be eaten raw along with the leaves of Yellow Sweet Clover (Trifolium officinalis). In the same habitat, do try a few sprigs of Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) for good measure. As you advance into the hardwood forest, throw in the fruits of Patridgeberry (Mitchella ripens). Along the trail or at the margin of the forest, don’t forget to add something sweet to complement your salad, such as the ripe berries of the many species of blackberries and raspberries (Rubus spp.) and Mulberry (Morus alba). Wow! We are now the huntergatherers of the new age! Many edible flowers are found along roadsides in the spring and summer. For example, those of Day Lily (Hemerocallis fulva), Redbud (Cercis canadensis), and Black Locust are welcome additions to any meal. Black Locust flowers are slightly crunchy and sweet, with a pleasant aroma. You will see the pendulous Black Locust flowers hanging in great American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) seeds. 27 Nature’s Storehouse of Edible Plants masses from the tree in spring through midsummer. Closer to the edge of rivers and streams look for the flowers of Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) and Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris). These flowers are just delicious. Both of these plants yield edible flowers in midsummer. During your late fall exploration you can pick the fruits of Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) from the low-hanging boughs of trees along the banks. Persimmons are best eaten immediately after the first frost. In still water in lakes, freshwater estuaries, and marshes you can find the...