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

WREN’S RULESn

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.

CopyWren Smith

Interpretive Programs ManagerBernheim Arboretum & Research Forest

DesignLeslie Friesen

Art Director Edible Louisville® & the Bluegrass Region

CONTENTSWren Smith Introduction

Considerations for Harvesting Wild Edibles

American Blackberries and Water Lotus Black Raspberries

Cattail Chicory

Curly Dock Daylily

Elderberry Lamb’s-quarters

Mayapple Nettles

Passion Flower Pawpaw

Purslane Yellow Sorrel

Additional Resources

Lamb’s-quarters Salad

Wren Smith, Interpretive Programs Manager,

Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest

“ Foraging for wild edible plants provides 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.”

n Harvesting Wild Edibles

Considerations for Harvesting Wild EdiblesBe 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.


AMER

ICAN

WAT

ER LO

TUS

American Water Lotus (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.


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.

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


CATTAIL

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.

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


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.

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


CURLY DOCK

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.

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


DAYLILY

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.



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.

ELDERBERRYBontanical illustration: Medizinal-Pflanzen, Franz Eugen Köhlers.


LAMB’S QUARTERS

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.

Botanical Illustration: Curtis, William, Flora Londinensis, vol. 2: t. 15 (1777-1778). Source: plantgenera.org — illustration contributed by: Smithsonian Institute, Washington, U.S.A.


MAY APPLE

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.

“Podophyllum peltatum. (May apple).” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1818 - 1825. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dc-4fb7-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

n Harvesting Wild EdiblesNE

TTLE

SNettles (Urtica dioica)

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

Harvest time:Spring and summer.

Where found:Flood plains and wetland areas near creeks.



Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata)

Edible parts:Ripe fruit, sometimes known as a maypop.

Harvest time:Late summer

and early fall.

Where found:Thickets, disturbed areas, unmowed fields and roadsides.PASSION

FLOWER


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 PAWPlate from The North American Sylva, 1819. François André Michaux (book author).


PURSLANE

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.


YELLOW SORREL

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.


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

Additional ResourcesBooks on Wild Edible PlantsForager’s Harvest by Samuel ThayerNature’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 all-around resource that also includes some of the dangerous plants to avoid.

Books to Help with Plant IdentificationWildflowers 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 ResourcesEatTheweeds.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 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

or rice vinegar2–3 teaspoons soy sauce 1–2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce¼ cup light olive oil ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame seed oilDrizzle 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.

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