Eating Wild Plants
By
Alan Detwiler
There are a number of
reasons you might want to use Some plants such as cattail
wild plants as food. tuber shoots and burdock root
can be boiled to increase
Wild plants have some unique tenderness or to reduce strong
flavors that can be among your flavors and then simply eaten
enjoyed favorites. Watercress as is.
with something sweet such as
pancake syrup in a peanut Be sure of what it is that
butter sandwich is one I you are going to eat and be
particularly enjoy. Dandelion sure that it is edible.
greens pesto mixed with Consult a good reference book.
spaghetti sauce is another. If possible have someone who
is familiar with a particular
plant point it out to you.
Since the taste of many wild Most photographs are not of
edible plants is so different high enough quality to be
from the usual cultivated relied upon to positively
vegetables, you likely will at identify a wild plant.
first not accept some of them
as a delicious flavorful Some edible plants have
food. Just about any food poisonous look-alikes. Some
flavor other than sweet, plants have edible parts and
salty, starchy, and fat are, I have poisonous parts. Some
suppose, acquired tastes. It plant parts are edible only
takes time for your mind to after being prepared in a
recognize an unfamiliar flavor particular way. It is common
as a 'tried and true' that a small quantity of a
favorite. Introduce a wild plant can be eaten without
food into your diet by eating problems but if you eat too
a small amount when you are much your digestive system
most hungry. Repeatedly doing will protest forcefully.
so can make the new food
one that you especially There's about 6 or 8 disaster
enjoy. scenarios that I can think of
that seem likely to happen at
The amount of vitamins, some time. Most of them seem
minerals and other nutrients unlikely to happen in my
in wild food, according to lifetime. But you never know.
many sources, is on the Isn't it prudent to be
average greater in wild foods. prepared, at least to some
Domesticated vegetables have extent, in the event the
been selectively bred for normal food supply is
looks, production quantity, interrupted. Examples of
taste, length of storage and disasters that seem likely to
other qualities other than happen are an asteroid hitting
nutrition. the earth, a massive nuclear
war, a global epidemic, and
The fruits and vegetables the failure of one or two
sold in the supermarket have major crops such as corn and
been chemically fertilized; wheat due to a widespread
exposed to herbicides, disease or climate change.
pesticides, fungicides, and a
variety of other chemicals; The gathering of wild foods
and they may have been is interesting and enjoyable.
genetically modified and/or Foraging for a favorite or new
irradiated. The safety of addition to your menu may
eating such produce is of take you through woods,
concern to many people. Wild through open fields and
foods for the most part, avoid meadows and other places of
those concerns. If you do beauty. It is a great way to
gather wild foods avoid taking get out into the natural world
them from along roadsides, and enjoy its complexity and
lawns that have been treated majesty. It adds to the
with chemicals or any other perception that the world is a
areas that may have been good place that is to be
treated. enjoyed. It is emotionally
pleasing to find something
There is the possibility that that seems free and of
supermarket food can be exceptional value.
contaminated with pathogens.
Dozens of diseases can be Making use of natural foods
spread by an infected person gives you greater awareness of
handling food anywhere from the inter-relatedness of
the time it is harvested until living things to each other
it is put into your grocery and to the environment. That
bag. Plants growing in the greater awareness helps us
wild are untouched by human more appreciate the weather
hands. and climate, the abundance of
nature, agriculture and the
Wild plants can be prepared food supply, and the
in many ways. Greens can be importance of protecting those
put through a food processor things.
or blender to make pesto. Add
just enough oil and/or water If you are interested in a
to let the mixture process few detailed recipes and a
well. The pesto can then be couple of other general
easily mixed with other preparation methods see
ingredients such as peanut www.bobcatswilderkitchen.com
butter, tomato sauce, or syrup
for flavoring. Some greens For more information on wild
such as lambsquarters, edible plants and recipes see
chickweed and purslane can be Foraging the Edible Wild
used anyway spinach is community.webtv.net/Taimloyd/FORAGINGTHEEDIBLE
prepared. Strong or bitter
tasting greens can be boiled For a list of links to more
changing the water once or informaion see
twice to reduce bitterness.
This is sometimes done with dmoz.org/Recreation/Outdoors/Wildlife/Plants/Edible/
dandelion leaves. Then other
ingredients can be added for For a few books on wild
flavoring and texture. edible plants see
theforagerpress.com/bookstore/plantguides.htm
Wild fruit can simply be
mixed with nuts or seeds such
as sunflower seeds or almonds.
About the author:
This article can be published in print or electronically, free of charge as long as it is substantially unaltered and contains the following author info and links (text or active):
Alan Detwiler is the author of several books about things to do for fun. The books are available at Amazon.com
His web sites are www.leisureideas.comand www.makegizmos.com
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