Free Wild Plant Identification eCourse
You are out in the forest and looking at the glorious plant life surrounding you. Whether you are a beginner and have never identified one plant, or a Botany professor at a university, you might appreciate this refreshingly simple approach to plant identification. I remember lovingly (and sometimes screamingly) that my college classes in Systematic Botany required me to become acquainted with that local Washington Flora that we plant dorks call “Hitchcock and Cronquist”. In addition, my observation skills as an ethnobotanist were refined , foraging for wild foods, fibers and medicine. What will I need? A combination of actual need for sustenance, curiosity and simple observation skills are almost all you need to start with plant identification. Wherever you are in this journey, the following activities and tips will add some elegant tools to your already blooming botanical basket. Meet a Plant Approach the plant of your choice and find a place to start.
Wildcrafting.net: Foraging Database, Edible & Medicinal Plants
Wild Edibles: How to Eat Common Milkweed
Disclaimer: Eating certain wild plants can be deadly!! Be certain to consult a professional (or a really good field guide) in order to positively identify this plant before trying this for yourself. The owners of this site will not be held responsible for any lapses in judgment or stupidity when handling or consuming wild plants. Milkweed is one of those plants that I have fond memories for. In my late teens and early 20s, when I was big into practicing wilderness survival skills, I would often use the outer fibers on the stalk to make a serviceable cordage (I still enjoy doing this) and I learned to use the seed down but it wasn’t until I was a bit older that I learned how wonderful this plant is as a wild edible. I always knew it was edible, however I never bothered trying it since all the books I had read on the plant indicated that to render this plant palatable, it required multiple (three or more) boilings in order to remove the toxins and “bitter” taste. How to Eat Common Milkweed
Cold-hearted Cattail Salads | Wild Food Girl
Cattail shoots ready for harvest outside Ithaca, NY, June 2013. After tugging a few from the pond, I went for the easier-to-harvest shoots in a dry area on the pond’s edge. The renowned forager and writer Euell Gibbons called cattails “the supermarket of the swamps,” and from that moniker other nicknames have emerged, among them “the Walmart of the swamps.” Although evoking Walmart doesn’t help me to connect with my joy for wild plants, the sobriquets are so given because of all the different plant food cattails (Typha spp.) yield—from the shoots (aka hearts or leaf cores) and flower spikes* to cattail pollen as flour, along with several underground parts, among which the rhizomes require a bit of processing to separate the edible starches. It is also often the case that cattails are quite plentiful where they occur, making them a good choice for a sustainable wild harvest. Perhaps easiest to collect and process are the shoots or hearts, also known as “Cossack asparagus.” Lookalikes
Identify That Plant: Master The Skill Of Plant Identification
Whitetop—A Wild Invasive Substitute for Broccoli | Wild Food Girl
Whitetop is a listed invasive species, targeted for eradication in areas of Colorado and other regions. I’ve been meaning to try eating whitetop, aka hoary cress (Cardaria spp., Lepidium draba or related Lepidium sp.)—an invasive plant targeted for eradication in parts of the Colorado high country and undoubtedly other locations too. Last summer, when Colorado wild edible plants expert Cattail Bob Seebeck gave me my first taste of whitetop flowers in a farm field in Mesa, it nearly burned my tongue off—a seriously spicy mustard. Whitetop mustard and fried rice underway. Whitetop Broccoli in Fried Rice Whitetop is an edible invasive plant that takes over large areas. Gregg enjoyed it prepared this way, which I served as a side dish to Tofu Cubes with Black Greasewood and sautéed oyster mushrooms. Gregg’s take was that the whitetop faux broccoli is somewhat like broccoli in texture, but with some of the bite of Brussels sprouts. Hydrogen Cyanide? Whitetop & Oyster Mushrooms Quiche Ingredients:
Herbal Directory: Penn State Univ.
Information on common herbs for cultivation and culinary purposes. Herbs are classified by their use - aromatic, cosmetic, culinary, decorative, dye, medicinal and ornamental. Important Disclaimer The information shared freely on these pages is meant for cultivation of the crops and for culinary use only. Other uses are simply noted, so that readers are aware that they exist. They should research these herbs on their own for risks, dosages, concerns, etc., particularly if these are intended for any medicinal treatments. Contact Michael Orzolek, Professor of Vegetable Crops The Herb directory was developed by Keppy Arnoldsen, Aimée Voisin and Jen Johnson under the guidance of Dr.
Wild Edibles: Sumac Shoots
Disclaimer: Eating certain wild plants can be deadly!! Be certain to consult a professional (or a really good field guide) in order to positively identify this plant before trying this for yourself. The owners of this site will not be held responsible for any lapses in judgment or stupidity when handling or consuming wild plants. In one of my earlier articles on wild edibles I wrote about how to make sumac lemonade from the Staghorn (or Smooth) Sumac. In this post I want to share another food source from this wonderful plant – the peeled shoots. How to Identify Staghorn or Smooth Sumac The first step before eating any wild edible is to positively identify it. Compound Toothed Leaves: Both species have pinnately compound leaves with serrated edges. Just to see the contrast, here’s a picture of poison sumac fruit cluster and leaves (notice they are smooth and not serrated). How to Eat Sumac Shoots (highly recommended btw).
Wildflowers & Weeds: Learn To Identify Wildflowers With Botany In A Day
Free Food in Your Yard: Edible Weeds!
Popular in Food & Drink Next time you're about to yank an offending plant from your immaculate garden of perennials, think twice: you just might be looking at dinner. Free dinner. Oh, I know what you're thinking: damn hippies! Well, my friend, I may be a bit of a hippie, but that doesn't mean that you too can't partake in the pleasures of foraged food. I love the idea of going out in the wild to find food. Japanese Knotweed This stuff grows like a forest in the lot next to my house, and occasionally pops up in my yard. Knotweed is a crazy plant. The neighbor who told me the name of the weed also told us that it was edible, but that only the shoots were really worth eating. It turns out that this isn't true — I mean, I'm sure it's invasiveness is awful, but you can eat it when it gets big. I did manage to get a few shoots that were young, growing around my rhododendron. Most of the recipes that I've found for knotweed compare it to rhubarb, and thus, use it like rhubarb (pies and such).
