Plants you didn't you know you could eat

a reply to: CynConcepts

Dandelion and burdock is a fizzy drink now here in the UK, but originated as a fermented "root" beer a long time ago.

a reply to: Gargoyle91

The only wild mushrooms I have eaten are the morels and my Mom used to always slice up those giant white puffball mushrooms and cook them up like eggplant. They had to be fresh and firm.

Any others do scare me too. Guessing it is a benefit when one is shown exactly what to look for and avoid, rather than trying to look at descriptive words, pictures or drawings, all on your own.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Duckweed (specifically Wolffia).

If you want something simple and sustainable:

www.eattheweeds.com...

Let’s start with Wolffia globosa which is used as a vegetable in Burma, Laos and Thailand. Its flavor is similar to sweet cabbage. Wolffia, which has the smallest blossom in the world, reproduces quickly making it a sustainable crop if the water is wholesome, which is a significant problem. In the wild, duckweeds tend to grow in poor water. Wolffia is 20% protein (more than soybeans) 44% carbohydrates, 5% fat has vitamins C, A, B6, and Niacin. Also called Khai-nam (eggs of the water) and Mijinko-uji-kusa, Wolffia is naturalized in California, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida. Unfortunately it is tiny, about 1/32 of an inch or the size of the eye of a needle. It’s a floating tiny disk with no root though it can have little hairs on its margin. It is so small it looks like meal floating on the water, hence its name watermeal. The tiniest and the tastiest. Best to raise your own in good water while keeping out lesser species.

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: Bluntone22
I dont care what anyone says, kale is an inedible plant...

I have to agree with you on that.
I tried kale chips once, It almost killed me.

I'm not exaggerating, it literally almost killed me. I took one bite, and it was horrible and dry, and got stuck in my throat and I started full on choking! How do people love that stuff?

We have a few large kale plants on the outside of the house... you can harvest them frozen in the winter for a nice bit of greenery.

To me kale chips are oven-dried or dehydrated kale leaves. Done right they are crisp, crunchy and delicious.

Rub a little olive or sunflower seed oil on them and oven-dry them with a little garlic.

After you can ether leave (pun intended) them as something to use as a dipper, or crush them up and use in salads, as a spice or with a juice.

The best way to eat kale to me is wilted, or keeled.

Here's some recipes to try that may change your opinion on the hated kale...

Kale Recipes

Store-bought kale "chips" are inedible, I give you that.

originally posted by: Kurokage
a reply to: CynConcepts

Dandelion and burdock is a fizzy drink now here in the UK, but originated as a fermented "root" beer a long time ago.

As a kid, we had sassafras trees all over the farm. My mom would make sassafras tea from the roots. It wasn't fizzy, but definitely tasted like root beer.

Is it the dandelion root or the burdock that gives your drink above the root beer flavor?

a reply to: JAGStorm

You can eat pine trees raw.

survivaltopics.com...

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Pine nuts? i need to research this more, i have been thinking about collecting sap and resin to make lollipop sticks to chew on, they have awesome properties, antifungal among other things if i remember correctly, also i think i could stop smoking tobacco if i trade it to pine resin... better breath too..

originally posted by: solve
Pine nuts? i need to research this more...

A crucial ingredient in pesto sauce.

Here in Washington state we have Camas root, Ive heard only the purple ones are edible and the white ones will make you sick.

Basically you dig up the root ball, it looks like a small onion or garlic clove.

We cut ours in half and grill or fry them with a little butter and garlic. They are pretty bland and have a texture like garlic does. Not very exciting but in a survival situation I’d imagine it’s a great meal.

Funny the white camas is called “death camas”
en.m.wikipedia.org...

originally posted by: scraedtosleep
a reply to: JAGStorm

You can eat pine trees raw.

survivaltopics.com...

We knew that from we were kids . A commercial on US TV during cartoons on Saturday morning for Grape-Nuts cereal.
"You know some parts of a pine tree are edible" - Euell Gibbons

I like the plantain, it is similar to spinach when cooked. I have used it cooked in an omlet. Raw, it can cause some increased risk of blood clots for some people, and like spinach it does have lots of oxylates which can increase kidney stone problems. www.digherbs.com...

I do add some tender young dandelions to a salad in the spring, Dandelions are a medicine though, consuming them all the time can result in some side effects, and because they are potent nutrition, you do not need much in your salad to boost the nutrition of a salad.

Dried birch tree leaves make some pretty decent tea.

The oyster mushrooms are pretty tasty, they grow around here on dead poplars. We have hen of the woods here too. Those are the ones that are common on my land, there aren't any morrels here on my land and I do not know who bought the land I used to pick them on close by us anymore. I am not going to go somewhere and pick on someone's land without getting permission. I knew the old owners, but not the new ones who acquired it a few years ago.

We have lots of marjoram taking over the yard, and also many hazelnut trees in the yard and along the driveway. There are wintergreen berries certain times of the year, and lots of Raspberry bushes in spots, blueberries and blackberries within a mile and a half of our house in multiple directions. I like the sugar plums too. There is a lot of stuff that is good to eat in our yard and on the sides of the roads. I like stream fishing too, fresh brookies or rainbows sure warm the belly.

a reply to: Ahabstar

Haha, true, but for the sake of balance, i must point out that a single cut in your finger when prepping a hunted wild rabbit for example can kill you in less than 24 hours. The body can have a wild reaction to almost anything that ingested or has contact with your blood.

Poke Sallet (pokeweed, a very certain way)

originally posted by: CynConcepts

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
Im a fan of dandelion. I prefer it raw in a salad, but it wilts nicely and can be mixed in with spinach and/or arugula.

And pine nuts. No one harvests pine nuts, and they are fantastic.

Honestly, I can only stomach dandelion flowers when they are doused in batter and fried. Then they taste like battered dipped mushrooms! Yum. The leaves though just seem to bitter for me, though if one is starving, I would stomach them.

The dang squirrels and birds seem to get to the pine nuts before I can in the wild. For now, I have only enjoyed them from the store.

You eat the leaves of dandelions on salads. Young ones, the older ones are bitter. The flowers make great wine. The roots are edible too, but I am not that fond of dandelion root teas.

a reply to: rickymouse

Anything could taste good saute'd in bacon grease or budda. Mmm Mmm

When I was taking a survival training course in the Escalante Canyon area (Utah), the sagebrush plant was extremely useful, and we made tea from it. According to Native American tradition, sagebrush has medicinal properties, but I was just grateful for something to drink other than straight water.

a reply to: Quantumgamer1776

Link

I learned how to tell the difference as a child in both scouts and during a one year long survival course I took in 69/70.

Triangle means poison, round means safe to eat. If the leaves are still there, cut them and the same applies.

Oh you can eat pretty much any plant that exists. You just won't have a good day in many cases.

I am a fan of wild violets as a spring salad. Leaves, stems and flowers are all edible raw. Flowers can be turned into a jelly but I have never had it. Leaves can be cooked, but I have them straight raw after washing with Italian dressing. High in vitamin A and C.

Wood Sorrel is another favorite.

When I was in Texas as a kid walking to school I would always pass this Bush/vine that had bell like flowers on it , But you could pick the flowers and drink the nectar it was very sweet and delicious , I always thought it was Honey Suckle but have never came across it again even plants AKA called honey suckle it was a Morning Glory type of flower .

Any Texans know what plant that was ?