A Safe and Foolproof Way to Forage for Wild Edibles
I love foraging and I’m fortunate to have local experts available.
But I’m the first to admit that locating, harvesting and preparing wild edibles could be a daunting task to the beginner.
I have written about the availability of wild edibles in many farmers markets and specialty stores. This is a very good way to start. Once you learn these plants, you will find it easier to recognize them in the wild. My Wild Food Recipes page has my recipes and links to recipes from other sources.
For me, nothing beats fresh picked. But locally grown is a very close second. Wild plants are filled with nutrition, but as you should with any new food, always test a small amount to ensure edibility.
Here is a list of plants that you may find for sale:
Burdock root - available in spring, summer or fall, remove the outer part to reach edible core
Chickweed - tastes like corn, grows early spring and autumn, eat raw or cooked
Dandelion - early spring leaves for salad or steamed vegetable
Day lily - shoots good early spring, buds and flowers in summer
Fiddlehead ferns - very early spring, use only tightly coiled fiddleheads
Garlic mustard - excellent raw spring through summer, cook roots in autumn
Jerusalem artichoke - late fall or early spring is the best time for these tubers
Lambs quarters - eat raw early spring, cook larger leaves
Mint - includes bee balm, pennyroyal, spearmint, wild thyme, wintergreen
Morels - very early spring, short season, sold dried more often than fresh
Nettles - best in early spring - steam to get rid of the sting
Purslane - available in summer, good raw in salad or cooked
Ramp - wild leeks available in early spring, good raw or cooked
Sheep sorrel - refreshing lemon taste, I use in salad
Staghorn sumac - steep berries for a natural “lemonade”
Violet - leaves and blossoms in mid spring, leaves good in summer
Watercress - available in early spring and autumn
My Wild Recipe Page booklist includes many cookbooks. Where I have tested recipes, these authors have been reliable. I will continue to add my favorite recipes to this page.
Writer and naturalist JJ Murphy has been eating wild foods since her farmer parents pulled weeds from the veggie garden and she ate the weeds. JJ continues to forage and write in Harriman, NY, posting recipes and resource information at http://www.WriterByNature.com.
Tags: edible wild plants, farmers markets, find wild edibles, foraging, wild food recipesEdible Wild Weeds Spring Salad Recipe
Sharing wild food recipes gets easier as my favorite organic farmers and local specialty foods markets are now selling these “weeds” in addition to cultivated vegetables.
Most of my early wild edibles discoveries were by trial and error. As I got older, I discovered experts who published their knowledge and gave classes in some cases. My bookshelf contains a growing list of respected wild foods experts. The link to this information is at the end of this article.
The leaves of these early spring arrivals - and in some cases the roots - are all perfect for salad. Pick them now, in a few weeks they’ll need to be cooked.
Early Spring Green Salad
1/2 cup tiny plantain leaves*
1/2 cup wild onion grass
1/2 cup tiny dandelion leaves under 2″
1/2 cup trout lily leaves
1/2 cup tiny violet leaves
1 cup lambs quarter leaves
1 cup watercress
1 cup mustard leaves
2 cups wood sorrel
1 cup spring beauty flowers
1/2 cup violet flowers - purple, yellow and/or white
1/2 cup trout lily flowers
1/4 cup spring beauty tubers
1/2 cup trout lily tubers
Rinse leaves, tubers and blossoms in cold water - a light spray is best - and drain.
Tear or coarsely chop leaves and tubers - toss, then sprinkle blossoms on top.
I recommend you taste the salad before adding a dressing - you may find that you won’t need a dressing.
* if bigger than 1-2 inches, you may need to remove the stringy central vein to eat raw
Bon App
Tags: mustard leaves, onion grass, wild food recipes, wild greens recipe, wild salad greens