Wren's Rules: Information and Tips on Harvesting Wild Edibles

WREN’S RULES n Information and Tips on Harvesting Wild Edibles

by Wren Smith, Interpretive Programs Manager, Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest

This booklet was compiled from materials that appeared in the June-July 2016 issue of Edible Louisville® & the Bluegrass Region.

Copy Wren Smith

Interpretive Programs Manager Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest

Design Leslie Friesen

Art Director Edible Louisville® & the Bluegrass Region

CONTENTS Wren Smith Introduction Considerations for Harvesting Wild Edibles

American Water Lotus

Blackberries and Black Raspberries

Cattail Chicory Daylily

Curly Dock

Elderberry Lamb’s-quarters Mayapple Nettles Passion Flower Purslane

Pawpaw Yellow Sorrel

Additional Resources Lamb’s-quarters Salad

Wren Smith, Interpretive Programs Manager, Bernheim Arboretum &Â Research Forest

n Harvesting Wild Edibles for wild edible plants provides “ Foraging opportunities to be attentive to your surroundings.

Whenever we slow down enough to really see a plant, to take in its form or fragrance, that’s when we are likely to see the most amazing caterpillar, or find a warbler’s nest hiding in the thicket. For me foraging is as much about keeping my senses honed, my observational skills sharp; and in touch with the wilder, perhaps more primal part of myself, as it is about adding fresh, nutritional, and very local food to my diet.

”

Considerations for Harvesting Wild Edibles Be respectful! Harvest judiciously, leaving some for other people, and for wildlife.

Get permission if harvesting on other peoples’ property.

Acquaint yourself with the poisonous plants in your area,

especially those that may resemble something you may wish to harvest. Be especially cautious with members of the carrot family. Wild carrot (an edible) may resemble poison hemlock and water hemlock both can be deadly.

Make sure you positively identify any plant before eating any part of it. Just because it’s

“natural” doesn’t mean it’s safe.

Learn which parts of the plant you can eat. Many plants have

poisonous and edible parts.

Some like poke accumulate toxins as they mature. Read up before eating up!

Know how to safely prepare your harvest before you eat it. For

example, elderberries should be either cooked or made into wine before consuming.

Consider the area where you are harvesting. How safe is it?

Has the area been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides? Is the plant growing in polluted water or soil? Busy road sides are often contaminated.

Don’t eat too much of any new food. Some people are

extremely allergic to certain foods, and wild foods are no exception. Most allergic reactions are mild, but if you tend to have lots of food allergies your chances may be greater for an adverse reaction, including a serious one.

Don’t eat wild edible plants if you are pregnant or taking medications. Plants are

“chemical factories” and to be on the safe side, it’s best not to risk some unexpected chemical interactions.

Don’t rely on only one person, one book or one website for your knowledge about wild edible and poisonous plants. Enjoy the research and the search!

Don’t rely on common names when doing your research on plants you plan to harvest.

While you don’t need to start speaking “botaneze’ you will want the plants you investigate to be the same plants throughout your research.

Be cautious when presenting wild edibles around children.

Harvesting wild edibles can provide fun and food for the family, but be aware that very young children may not be able to make the important distinctions between similar looking plants.

Don’t assume something is safe to eat just because you watch some little animal eat the plant.

Many animals can handle toxins that we can’t.

(Nelumbo lutea)

Edible parts:

Dried flowers for tea. Peeled, sliced and cooked roots and young seeds (boiled). Older seeds should be parched or popped as they can be very bitter otherwise.

Harvest time:

Roots all year (best in fall).

Flowers, seeds in spring and summer.

Where found:

Lakes, ponds and slow-moving streams.

AMERICAN

American Water Lotus

WATER LOTUS

n Harvesting Wild Edibles

n Harvesting Wild Edibles Blackberries and Black Raspberries (Rubus spp.)

Edible parts:

Berries; some people make tea from the dried leaves.

Harvest time:

Blackberries are usually available July–August, black raspberries usually just a couple of weeks in early July.

Where found:

Overgrown fields, and wood edges. Black raspberries seem to handle more shade.

BLACKBERRIES Botanical Illustration: Royal Charles Steadman, 1922. U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD

n Harvesting Wild Edibles Cattail

(Typha latifolia)

Edible parts:

Young shoots, inner older shoots, very young seed heads, roots and rhizomes (made into flour). Pollen added to pancakes and biscuits.

Harvest time:

The roots and rhizomes in fall, winter and early spring.

Everything else in spring and summer.

Where found:

Edges of lakes, ponds, slow-moving streams and ditches.

CATTAIL Botanical Illustration: Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 1885, by Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé, Gera, Germany. Wikimedia Commons.

n Harvesting Wild Edibles Chicory

(Cichorium intybus)

Edible parts:

Leaves, flowers and roots.

Harvest time:

Leaves in spring and early summer (while still tender) can be used raw or cooked. Roots can be dug and roasted for a beverage from late summer through early winter before ground freezes.

Where found:

Roadsides, abandoned fields and lots.

CHICORY Botanical Illustration: Flora von Deutschland, Ă–sterreich und der Schweiz, 1885, by Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm ThomĂŠ, Gera, Germany. Wikimedia Commons.

n Harvesting Wild Edibles Curly Dock

(Rumex crispus)

Edible parts:

Young leaves and shoots, cooked as you would chard or kale; and (milled) seeds, which are similar to amaranth.

Harvest time:

Leaves and shoots spring and early summer. Seeds in fall and winter.

Where found:

Gardens and disturbed areas.

CURLY DOCK Bontanical Illustration: Flora Batava, Volume 7 (1830) by Janus (Jan) Kops. Wikimedia Commons

n Harvesting Wild Edibles Daylily

(Hemerocallis fulva)

Edible parts:

Buds, flowers (fresh or dried), tubers. I like stir-frying the buds and serving them over rice. A dash of soy sauce, sesame seed oil and hot chili oil are great options. Garnish with a fresh blossom!

Harvest time:

Buds and blossoms, mostly in June and July.

The small tubers can be harvested any time the ground isn’t frozen. I recommend cooking them as you would very small potatoes.

Where found:

Roadsides, old farms and gardens. Beware that those on roadsides may be contaminated with sprays or automobile exhaust.

DAYLILY

Botanical Illustration: Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 1885, by Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé, Gera, Germany. Wikimedia Commons.

n Harvesting Wild Edibles

Elderberry

(Sambucus canadensis)

Edible parts:

Flowers, ripe berries cooked in jams and jellies or fermented (not raw). Do not mistake this plant for either water or poison hemlock, which are both very toxic!

The flower heads of both look superficially similar.

Harvest time:

Flower clusters for making fritters and for elderflower “champagne” in early summer. Berries, late summer.

Where found:

Old gardens, edge of woods and thickets and country roads.

ELDERBERRY Bontanical illustration: Medizinal-Pflanzen, Franz Eugen Köhlers.

Lamb’s-quarters

(Chenopodium album)

Edible parts:

Cooked young leaves and shoots. Remove any tough stems or large, tough leaves. The leaves have a gritty white layer that cooks off quickly in a bit of water. Use as you would cooked spinach — in quiche, perhaps.

Harvest time:

Spring and summer, for as long as you find tender leaves.

Where found:

Gardens and other places with disturbed soil, construction sites, etc.

LAMB’S QUARTERS

n Harvesting Wild Edibles

Botanical Illustration: Curtis, William, Flora Londinensis, vol. 2: t. 15 (1777-1778).

Source: plantgenera.org — illustration contributed by: Smithsonian Institute, Washington, U.S.A.

n Harvesting Wild Edibles Mayapple

(Podophyllum peltatum)

Edible parts:

The ripened fruit only and cooked if eaten in quantity. Makes good marmalade.

Harvest time:

Late summer.

Where found:

Woods, forest edges, and thickets.

MAY APPLE “Podophyllum peltatum. (May apple).� The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1818 - 1825. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dc-4f b7-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

n Harvesting Wild Edibles Nettles

(Urtica dioica)

Edible parts:

Young leaves and shoots (harvest them with gloves!) Cook and use as you would spinach. Makes great soups.

Harvest time:

NETTLES

Spring and summer.

Where found:

Flood plains and wetland areas near creeks.

Botanical Illustration: Flora von Deutschland, Ă–sterreich und der Schweiz, 1885, by Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm ThomĂŠ, Gera, Germany. Wikimedia Commons.

n Harvesting Wild Edibles

Passion Flower

(Passiflora incarnata)

Edible parts:

Ripe fruit, sometimes known as a maypop.

Harvest time:

Late summer and early fall.

Where found:

PASSION FLOWER

Thickets, disturbed areas, unmowed fields and roadsides.

n Harvesting Wild Edibles

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) Edible parts:

Ripe fruit can be eaten raw or in baked goods.

Harvest:

Late summer.

Where found:

Forest and forest edge, especially moist woodlands.

PAW PAW Plate from The North American Sylva, 1819. François AndrÊ Michaux (book author).

n Harvesting Wild Edibles

Purslane

(Portulacca oleracea)

Edible parts:

Fresh flowers; leaves, stems, shoots can be eaten raw or cooked. Great marinated.

Harvest time:

All summer, but best before the flowers form capsules (the seeds in these add unpleasant grit to dishes).

Where found:

Sidewalk cracks, gardens, disturbed areas.

PURSLANE Botanical Illustration: Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz, 1885, by Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé, Gera, Germany. Wikimedia Commons.

n Harvesting Wild Edibles Yellow sorrel (Oxalis stricta)

Edible parts:

Young leaves, flowers and seed pods all can be eaten raw and added to salads. Never eat too much of this or any wild food.

See Considerations for Harvesting.

Harvest time:

As long as the plant is growing and tender.

Best collected in shaded areas.

Where found:

Gardens, lawns, sunny thickets, forest edge.

YELLOW SORREL Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. (illustration 1864)

Additional Resources Books on Wild Edible Plants Forager’s Harvest by Samuel Thayer

Nature’s Garden by Samuel Thayer — I’ve owned dozens of books on wild edible plants, but Samuel Thayer’s are among the best.

The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide by Linda Runyon — A very practical guide that includes a poisonous look-alike section.

A Field Guide to Edible Plants: Eastern and Central North America

by Lee Allen Peterson and Roger Tory Peterson — A good allaround resource that also includes some of the dangerous plants to avoid.

Books to Help with Plant Identification Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians by Tavia Cathcart and Dennis Horn — A great field guide complete with little stories!

Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb.

Weeds of Kentucky by Patricia Haragan.

The Olmsted Parks of Louisville: A Botanical Field Guide — Both of Patricia Haragan’s books are valuable resources.

Online Resources EatTheweeds.com by Green Deane.

WildEdible.com (website for Samuel Thayer)

Lamb’s-Quarter Salad Gather about 12 cups of lamb’s-quarters (wild spinach) leaves and growing tips. Pick through this harvest to remove tough stems and any spoilage. You should have 6–8 cups of lamb’s-quarters.

Place these in a large colander and rinse well with cold water.

Bring approximately ½ cup of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add a pinch of salt and toss in the greens and stir.

The leaves should turn bright green. Cook just 2 or 3 minutes, until tender. Lift greens from pan with a slotted spoon and toss them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Gently squeeze the liquid from the leaves (save for soup stock if you like) and place this lovely green mass of leaves in a medium bowl and add dressing.

Dressing:

Whisk together the following ingredients and adjust to taste.

1½ t ablespoons fresh lemon juice or rice vinegar 2–3 teaspoons soy sauce 1–2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce ¼ cup light olive oil ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil Drizzle some of this dressing over the cooked, drained and cooled leaves. Add toasted crushed peanuts.

The greens will cook down considerably.

This should be a nice side dish for 2.