EDIBLE WILD PLANTS

Click on any of these to find out more about their Botanical name, Effects and reported uses.

[Asparagus] [Blueberries] [Bracken Fern] [Cat-Tails] [Chickweed] 
[Cranberries] [Dandelions] [Elderberry] [Grapes] [Ground Nuts or Indian Potato] 
[Hazel Nut] [Hickory Nuts] [High Bush Cranberry] 
[Japanese Knotweed, or Mexican Bamboo] [Jerusalem Artichoke] [Lamb's Quarters]

When full grown, this perennial herb has a feathery, Christmas tree like appearance, often standing over six feet in height. The green branches form most of the photosynthetic areas as the leaves are reduced to scales 1/2 inch or less long. The small flowers, 1/4 inch in size, are greenish white, and the fruits are red berries. In the fall as the plants mature, they turn a conspicuous bright yellow.

However the plant is harvested in the spring and early summer when the young shoots break through the soil. the young spears do not differ from store-bought asparagus. (the plants are the same species) with pointed tips and small triangular scale leaves along the sides.

Wild asparagus tastes as good as cultivated asparagus and can be prepared using the same recipes. If the stalks are tough, peel off the outer 1/8 inch of the stalk and use the top portion for a tender vegetable; boil in salted water for eight minutes. The tough lower part of the stalk adds good flavor to soups. Asparagus freezes well after a two minute blanching.

Cut growing shoots 10 to 12 inches tall with a sharp knife at the ground level. the plants produce new shoots every week if there is some rain and warm temperature. Do not return to one plant more than four or five times, or the root stocks will become exhausted and unproductive the following season.

Blueberries are perennial shrubs found on sterile acid soils and bogs. They are much sought after for their flavorful fruit. They are often found in burnt over areas a year or two after the fire. The berries ripen from July through the first part of September, depending on the areas the are picked in. Blueberries are delicious raw as well as cooked in pies, jams, jellies, and syrup. for storage, simply bag and freeze the cleaned berries. Blueberries can also be dried on screening outdoors or inside on screens with a gentile source of heat beneath. Store when dry (about 36 hours) in a jar with a lid in a dark place.

Bracken ferns are the most common ferns in the forest of North America, as well as meadows, old fields, roadsides, and railroad embankments. The fern spreads by underground stems from which leaves arise at scattered intervals. The leaves, or fronds, are triangular in outline and are approximately parallel to the ground. This may occur in great abundance in drier sites and cover many acres. The growth may be so dense that sometimes it is impossible to see the ground. In the spring there are numerous dead fronds from the Previous season lying on the ground. The young leaves are easily recognized when they come up from the typically three-divided fiddle head. At the point of junction of the three parts are found two black shiny areas, on which ants can be frequently seen. The young fiddle head, which is the curled young leaf, is covered with shiny silver and brown hairs, giving it a silvery green appearance which is often flecked with brown. There is no harm done to the bracken population by collecting a few leaves as the young crosiers or fiddleheads are abundant.

Collect the young fronds in early to mid-spring when under ten inches tall. Cook in boiling salted water for about eight minutes. Serve with butter and salt or add to soups or casseroles. Bracken fern is eaten in the Orient, and the young shoots, preserved in a delicious soy mixture, can be purchased in Oriental food stores.

There is a report from Japan, however, which indicates that in feeding experiments with bracken fern cooked in unsalted water, rats often develop stomach cancer. When cooked in salted water, the frequency of cancer was much lower. Because of the report, use discretion in eating bracken. If you decide to eat this fern be sure to cook it in salted water. To preserve, boil in salted water for two minutes, drain, pat dry, place in plastic bags, label, and freeze.

Cat-tails occur throughout areas of marshes or wet open habitats, both in the wild areas and in town localities. They form large clones which may cover several acres. their strap-shaped, blunt tipped leaves spiral several times so that in sunlight they take on patterns of alternating light and dark bands. These round tipped leaves develop from a horizontal rhizome which lies buried several inches in the muck. the flower stalks arises centrally among the leaves and consists of very dense male and female inflorescences with the pollen producing male above the seed producing female. the flower stalks and some leaves persist through the winter and provide good clues to the presence of these plants.

During the spring when you are collecting the young shoots, there is a potentially confusing plant, iris which is poisonous. However, in contrast to the round tipped leaves of cat-tails, iris has sharp pointed leaves. Later in the season as the plants mature, iris produces beautiful brightly colored flowers which are quite different from the drab spikes of the cat-tail.

Several parts of this plant can be utilized for food. Throughout the year the rhizomes contain starch covered fibers which can be washed out to make flour. It is messy and time consuming, but fun to try. Strip off the outer layer or skin and separate the fibers in a bowl of cold water. Dip them up and down to loosen the starch. Discard the fibers. Allow the mixture to sit for an hour and then carefully pour off the water. There remains a sludgy flour at the bottom. Mix the settled starch half and half with regular flour to make bread, muffins, or cake.

The Young shoots form in the fall, so throughout the winter these 2"-4" shoots can be eaten raw or boiled. In the early spring these shoots elongate and are good to use until they toughen. Cut the young (3' or less) shoots just above the root and carefully remove the outer leaves to reveal the tender core. The top green leaves will be tough so discard them. For a 2'long stem, you will have about 10" of usable inside. This inner core is quite bland and makes a good basis for a wild salad, as well as a boiled vegetable. Boil the shoots in salted water for 5 minutes. They are also good used as bamboo shoots or mixed with other vegetables and as a pickle (use bread and butter pickle recipe).

The young male flower spike is an excellent vegetable as it just emerges from its protective leafy sheath in mid to late spring. Wade into the marsh and cut off this male spike (usually about six inches long), leaving the female part behind (to save messy cleaning later). Boil the young spike until tender, about ten minutes. Dip in butter and sprinkle with salt. Eat like an ear of corn leaving the tough slender inner core.

If the male spikes are allowed to mature, the yellow pollen can be collected to use in bread. Hold a bag loosely over the spike and tap the plant gently. Blackbirds, which frequently inhabit cat-tail areas, will at this time be protecting their nest by diving frantically at any invader. The shoots and spikes freeze well after a two minute blanching.

Chickweed is a low herbaceous annual or perennial with small, opposite, ovate leaves. The leaves are petioled along the lower part of the stem and sessile in the upper part. The petioles are frequently pubescent. The flowers are white and usually five parted. Each of the petals is deeply split so that there seems to be ten petals. the plant forms extensive patches of bright green in lawns, weedy areas, and dumps. Do not collect in lawns which have been sprayed with weed killer.

Chickweed can be used any time of the year it looks fresh. I have found it growing abundantly even under snow. Since the leaves grow so close to the ground, they are often dirty, so wash them thoroughly in running water or by dunking them up and down in a pail of cool water.

Chickweed has a pleasant, distinct flavor and can be used fresh in salads or prepared as a boiled vegetable. It also freezes well after a two minute blanching.

Cranberries are found throughout northern hemispheres in open, acid bogs. They are very distinctive as a spreading, low, vining plant. The spindly reddish stem bears tough evergreen leaves smaller than the berry. These alternate stems are dark green above and whitish below. Cranberries often are pink and the fruit is dark red. the berries occur on one or two inch long peduncles.

The berries are ready to use in the fall after the first hard frost. Some bogs do not produce fruit consistently. The biggest berries are those which grow in full sun, often along the edges of the bog mat, near enough to the edge of the water to provide a cool dunking for the collector who ventures to close. Knee high rubber boots are probably the best foot attire.

Wild cranberries look and taste the same as cultivated ones, although they vary much more in size. To prepare, add water to cover and cook until the berries are soft. Strain through a sieve or food mill and add sugar or honey to taste. A squeeze of lemon juice brings out the flavor. Use this strained juice to make cranberry sherbet, cranberry sauce and jellies and juice. The berries keep well for several weeks in the refrigerator and can be frozen raw for year around use.

This herbaceous, perennial rosette is the best known of our weeds. The leaves are coarsely toothed and exude a milky latex if cut. The flowers are bright yellow and are borne on stalks which elevate them several inches above the rosettes. The shoot originates from a tough tap root. Dandelions are found throughout weedy places, fields and in lawns. The most prolific growth occurs in open areas, but these plants can occur in woods, where they rarely flower but do produce large leaves. Do not collect in lawns which have been sprayed with weed killer.

Collect dandelions in the early spring before the flowers bloom. Cut the rosette one to two inches below the ground level and remove in one piece. Do not separate the leaves from the root section until after cleaning. This avoids washing each leaf separately. To clean, hold onto the root and dunk vigorously up and down in a bucket of water, or running water. Clean thoroughly or they may be gritty. Cut off the root as close to the leaves as possible. Discard the root and boil the leaves till tender in a small amount of salted water. If the greens are too bitter, drain the water and boil them briefly in fresh water. Serve with butter and salt or add a little vinegar and a few bacon bits. Very young fresh dandelion greens make a tasty salad. Clean the leaves well and serve with vinegar and oil or any other salad dressing suitable for greens. Dandelions are high in Vitamin A. To freeze, blanch in boiling water for two minutes, drain, pat dry, bag, label, and place in freezer.

Elderberries are soft wooded shrubs of ditches, swamps, and their borders. The plants have opposite compound leaves, and their stems possess conspicuous white lenticels. The white flowers and dark-purple fruits are in large, open, and relatively flat-topped clusters. The fruit cluster tends to have a more rounded appearance than the flower cluster. If you cut the stem, the central region is filled with a white corky pith. The potentially confusing red-berried elder (Sambucus pubens), a poisonous relative, is easily separated by its conical flower and fruit cluster, its red berries and its orange pith. Both species have poisonous vegetative parts.

The plants are most conspicuous in early summer when they flower. Both the flowers and fruit are edible. Collect the flowers by cutting off the entire flower head with a sharp knife. To make elderberry fritters, separate the flower heads into smaller sections (about 1"-2" across) and dip into a flour, milk, and egg batter. Deep fat fry them and serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar.

The dried flowers make a fragrant tea. Discard the stems and place the flowers on newspaper to dry thoroughly in about 48 hours. Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid. to make tea, add a handful of dried flowers to cold water and bring the water almost to a boil. Steep five minutes and serve with honey or sugar.

The berries ripen in late August and are excellent in pies, jams, and jellies. They are usually too tart to eat raw, although if they are dried first, they taste something like blueberries.

Grapes are vining, woody perennials best recognized by their alternate simple leaves and tendrils opposite many of the leaves. The leaves may be highly lobed or conspicuously toothed. The fruits are several seeded purple berries borne in bunches. The greatest danger is to confuse grapes with either Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) or moonseed (Menispermum canadense). Both of these plants have poisonous fruits which resemble grapes. The Virginia creeper, unlike the grape, has palmately compound leaves and the branches of the fruit cluster are conspicuously red. The moonseed differs from grapes in that it has only a single seed per fruit and this seed is a flat semicircle. The leaves of the moonseed are smooth margined and slightly palate with the leaf stalk attached to the blade of the leaf, not at it's margin (as in the grape), but just inside the margin onto the leaf surface. The moonseed has no tendrils.

There are many species of grapes growing abundantly throughout the world. Some species grow in wet areas and some in dry places. Most of the vines are high climbers and can reach 50 to 60 feet in height.

Two parts of the grape plant are used for food, the leaves and the fruit. Very young leaves (under 2 inches) can be eaten raw in salads, to which they add a lemony taste. The leaves in late spring and early summer are excellent for use in wrapping a variety of stuffing's, such as those made of rice, mushrooms, and nuts. Collect 4 to 5 inch leaves which do not have deep sinuses in them, as the stuffing falls out through these cuts when you wrap them. Tie the leaves in bunches of 15 to 20 leaves and boil them in salt brine (1/2 cup of salt for each two quarts of water) for three minutes, then drain and chill. Place a spoonful of stuffing inside each leaf, fold over and put them on a rack over boiling water and steam for 45 minutes.

The grapes are ready to use in late August and September. Most wild species are too tart to eat raw, but are excellent in pies, jellies, and juice.

To preserve the leaves, boil in salt brine as above, then you can freeze or can them. To preserve the fruit, make pies and freeze, utilize in jelly, or freeze or can sweetened juice. If the grapes are especially tart, they can be mixed with apples. 

These herbaceous vines have alternate, compound leaves often partly folded along the leaf axis. The plant bears clusters of maroon or chocolate flowers, most of which produce a few flat bean-like pods. As the pods weather, they turn brown and split open. In the winter, leafless vining remnants of the plant with a few open pods in the upper parts are often all that can be seen. Underground, the plants produce a series of tuberous growths along their widely spreading roots. The bead-like appearance of these tubers (1 to 3 inches in diameter) is diagnostic, and the cut surface of a tuber exudes a milky latex just within its periphery.

The vines are found in swamps in relatively open areas or along their borders, roadside ditches, or marshes. They can be harvested anytime of the year, including winter. Occasionally the tubers lie at the surface of the ground, but usually they must be dug with a shovel. Spot the vines and then dig carefully around them. Once you locate the first tuber, follow along the underground root to the next tuber. The tubers are at their best when freshly dug. Do not use the interconnecting roots, as they are tough.

Prepare them as you would potatoes, slice and sautéed in butter, boiled or baked. They are especially good served with a mustard sauce or sliced and added to other vegetables. Discard the skins as they tend to be tough. Although the tubers can be eaten without cooking, they are not very palatable when raw.

A similar plant, hog peanut (Amphicarpa bracteata), also has edible tubers. However, only one tuber appears at the root system, the vine is more delicate, there are only three leaves, and the flowers are pink.

There are two species of this medium sized shrub. Both form many basal branches and bear alternate coarsely toothed leaves which are somewhat elongate and heart-shaped. The nuts, which are developed in late summer, are encased in a distinctive husk which appears as a vase with a ruffled tip. In the beaked hazelnut, this lip is long and protruded, while in the common hazelnut, it is less prominent. The plants occur along borders of wet areas.

The quality and quantity of these nuts varies from shrub to shrub and year to year. In some years, there are especially heavy fruiting (mast years). Hazelnuts are easy to open, as the husk is fairly soft and can be cut or pulled off with a pair of pliers or a nut cracker. Some people are allergic to the fuzziness of the nut and need to wear gloves when collecting them.

The nuts can be eaten raw, or cooked whole or in pieces in cakes and cookies. Hazelnuts can be chopped finely with a knife or blender and sprinkled on baked goods or vegetables.

Squirrels and chipmunks make extensive use of hazelnuts, so collect conservatively with the needs of wildlife in mind. Often it is difficult to find very many nuts in early September when they are ripe, as the animals can be quite complete in their gathering. After extracting the nut meats, keep them in a refrigerator or freezer to prevent spoilage.

Hickory trees are major components of our drier forests. They also frequently occur along roadsides. The plants have alternate, compound leaves, and the leaflets are ovate to obviate. Two of our most common types, both of which have edible nuts, are the shagbark and the false shagbark hickory. These trees have scaly peeling bark, making them easy to recognize. The smooth bark hickories also have edible nuts, although some have a medicinal taste.

The nuts are ready to harvest when they fall to the ground in early fall. The outer husks of the nuts are easy to remove, but the nutshell is extremely hard and may require a vise for easy cracking. The nut is placed in the vise compressing it on the ends. Once cracked, the shell is further opened using a pair of good grade clippers. You can easily produce a pint an hour this way.

High bush cranberries are shrubs found in low, wet areas and are easily recognized when in fruit by their drooping clusters of bright red berries which have flat white seeds. these plants have paired three-lobed, maple-shaped leaves and multiple stems, which usually do not exceed ten feet in height. the branching is opposite, and in the winter when the berries are ripe, there are conspicuous large smooth buds.

The European high bush cranberry (V. opulus) closely resembles the high bush cranberry. It is frequently planted ornamentally, but is unfortunately inedible because of its persistent bitter taste. there is no reliable, easy method of discerning the two types, except to try small amounts from moist, wild looking areas. the cultivated species will never attain proper sweetness.

The wild berries are collected any time after the first hard frost. They have a bitter, medicinal taste when raw. To prepare them, cover the fruit with cold water and bring to a boil. A slice of orange peel cuts the bad odor. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the berries are soft. Put the juice and the berries through a sieve of a food mill. Add sugar of honey to taste. After cooking and then cooling, these berries resemble regular cranberries in taste and can be used for sherbet, sauce, jelly. and juice. The sieved mixture can be frozen in plastic freezer cartoons

This is a perennial herb which grows to six or seven feet height. The young shoots resemble asparagus when they emerge from the ground with their large, thick succulent shoots. The older stalks have a reddish color and the leaves are simple, heart-shaped, and alternate. Associated with every leaf is a small sleeve of plant tissue which actually encircles the stem for a short distance above the point of attachment of the leaf. In the spring, the old growth from the previous year is frequently still standing and resembles a small forest of stiff, upright rattles. These old shoots have a hollow, empty clothes-hanger-in-the-closet sound when you brush into them. The plant is a weedy escape and is found around old home sites and in disturb areas.

The time to collect Japanese knotweed is early spring just as the spring wildflowers are at their peak. The harvest season for each locality is only two to three weeks, during which time the young shoots are tender. Cut the young growth under 10 inches tall with a sharp knife. Take as many as desired, as the plant quickly produces new shoots. Return in three to five days when another batch will be ready. If the locality is extensive, the whole year's supply can be gathered at one time.

Japanese knotweed makes a good pie which tastes similar to rhubarb, a good sauce (stewed with the addition of sugar or honey) or a good vegetable when cooked 10 minutes in a small amount of boiling, salted water. It can be frozen by blancing for two minutes, patting dry before placing in freezer bags, labeling and freezing.

The Jerusalem artichoke is a species of sunflower and is a tall perennial herb. The stem has opposite leaves basally which become alternate in the upper parts of the stem. The leaves are simple and coarsely toothed. There are usually three prominent veins (the mid-vein and two laterals) extending into the blade from the base of the leaf. The leaves and stems are covered by stiff hairs which make it difficult to freely slide your hand along them. The yellow-orange flowers blossom in September and are small sunflowers, being only two to three inches across. There are a number of species of sunflowers, but this is the only one with large conspicuous tubers. Examination of the tubers shows opposite buds along the swollen segments. Until you learn to recognize this plant you will find yourself examining numerous related species which lack the tubers. Jerusalem artichokes often form dense stands along roadsides and in garden sites. They reproduce quickly, as the tubers are viable even when cut into small pieces. The plants are easiest to spot in mid to late summer when they may reach ten to twelve feet.

Collect the tubers in the fall, winter, or early spring before the vegetative growth begins. Once the young shoots have begun to grow in the spring, the tubers become mushy and insipid.

The tubers range in size from that of a thick pencil to a large chunky carrot. Dig around the base of the plants with a shovel. The tubers spread out and down from the stalk. In dense stands, the larger tubers often occur on the periphery of the patch. The tubers clean easily by dunking them up and down in a bucket of water or by scrubbing with a vegetable brush.

The tubers are crisp and tasty and can be eaten raw in salads or served with appetizer dips. Rub the cut slices with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. For a boiled vegetable, cook the tubers about eight minutes in boiling salted water. Serve hot with melted butter or a mustard sauce. The skins tend to be a bit tough and can be removed prior to cooking.

The tubers will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. It is best, however, to collect them as needed. Freshly dug tubers are very low in calories.

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