Wild edible plants

So i wanted to share some basic wild edible plants that are abundant in most parts of north america and many other parts of the world. I will list the names of these plants and then try to provide links to sites that will provide photos and info on these plants.

I should mention that wild foods are vastly superior in nutrition to even the most nutritious cultivated foods. I have been a full-time organic gardener for the last 5 years and i know that whatever i may grow in my garden is nothing compared to the wild plants that grow among and around the cultivated plants and required no effort at all on my part to grow.

Nuts

Nuts will provide you with large amounts of fat and protein as well as many other essential vitamins and minerals. Here is a good link to a site that provides information on all these different types of nuts:www.motherearthnews.com...

Acorns

Acorns have always been a staple food for indigenous cultures around the world, they are extremely nutritious but may require a little preparation to remove the bitter tannins.

Pecans

I have many full grown pecans on my property yielding hundreds of pounds of nuts in the fall. These trees were intentionally planted but here in the south you will find them growing wild everywhere whether they were intentionally planted or spread there seed naturally.

Walnuts

I also have a few of these here on the property. They can be tough to crack and the taste of the black walnut is a little strange in my opinion but they are extremely nutritious.

Hickory Nuts

Very similar to walnuts these trees are about as common as the oaks that produce acorns. We have many of these on our property as well. It can be difficult to fish out the nut-meat inside of the shell but i have read that the natives used to smash up the entire nut, shell and all, and throw everything in some boiling water. After awhile the shells sink while the good nut-meat floats and can be skimmed off.

Beechnuts: American beech (Fagus grandifolia)

"Beechnuts have a thin shell that you can peel off with a fingernail. The flesh is sweet and nutritious: nearly 20% protein! Fresh nuts spoil quickly, though, so dry them in full sun for a day or two (you or the family dog will have to stand guard over them), or roast them in a slow oven."

Chestnuts and Chinquapins

"Your chances of coming across a nut-bearing American chestnut (Castanea dentata) are almost nil, but no article on edible wild nuts is complete without mention of this once-great tree. Less than 100 years ago, stands of majestic chestnuts, some specimens measuring in excess of 120 feet tall and six feet around, covered a range of more than 200 million acres east of the Mississippi, from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Gathering bushels of sweet, fresh chestnuts—which were reportedly far superior in taste to the Italian and Chinese chestnuts we eat now—was a traditional autumn activity. Today, except for a few isolated specimens, all the great trees are gone, the victims of chestnut blight, a fungus carried to this country at the turn of the century on planting stock imported from the Orient."

Pine Nuts

"What the West lacks in deciduous nut-bearing trees it more than makes up for with nut-bearing pines. Among the different species native to the West that produce delicious edible nuts are ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Coulter pine (P. coulteri), sugar pine (P. lambertiana) and Digger pine (P. sabiniana). Some of these produce enormous quantities of edible kernels; the sugar pine, for example, produces huge cones up to 18 inches long and four inches across, packed with seeds."

Hazelnuts


"You will find American hazelnuts along the eastern regions of the United States and Canada from March through September. Search and gather edible hazelnuts in shady wooded areas, along the borders of forests, alongside streams and in open fields and prairies."


Berries www.motherearthnews.com...

Blackberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Mulberries
Strawberries
Elderberries
Huckleberries
Hackberry
Service Berries
Choke cherries
Autumn Berries(Eleagnus)
Hawthorn Berries
Cranberries
Wild Cherries
Bunchberries
Rose hips
Sumac Berries

Fruit

Wild plums
Apples
Pears
Peaches
Persimmons
Grapes
Maypops(passion vine fruit)
crabapple

Vegetables

Greens:

Lambsquarters: Greens and seed
Amaranth( Pigweed): Greens and seed
Dandelion: Every part- root,greens, flowers and seeds
Chicory:greens and roots
Wild Garlic/onions/chives: Greens and tubers
Plaintain: Greens
Sheep Sorrel:Greens
Wood Sorrel: Greens (Very good. tastes like sour candy)
Stinging Nettles: Greens
Wood Nettles: greens
Dock: Roots and greens
Burdock: Roots and greens
Salsify: Roots and greens
Wild lettuce
Wild carrot: Roots and greens
Parsnip: Roots
Greenbriar: shoots and roots
Cattail: Every part depending on time of year.
Wapato: Tubers, grows around water
Cactus: Flowers, pads, and fruit (after removing thorns and glochids)
Thistle: greens, stalks,root


These are just some of the basics. Of course you should always make a positive identification before eating any plant as some are very poisonous. I just wanted to provide a basic list of plants that each of you can look up and learn more about on your own.

Here are some books that i highly recommend:

'The Foragers Harvest' and 'Natures Garden' by Samuel Thayer
All of Euell Gibbons' books
Steve Brill has a few good books
Peterson field guides are good books to help identify plants
'The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America: Nature's Green Feast'

Some good websites:

www.eattheweeds.com
foragersharvest.com...
foragingpictures.com...

I tried to keep this thread short and basic but i welcome any other info you would all like to contribute to this thread and hopefully we can all work together to learn more about the gifts of nature all around us.

Just a reminder some poisonous berries can look a lot like yummy ones. So make sure you know what your popping in to your mouth!! Great list OP!

reply to post by jrkelly77


Absolutely. This is why i say do your research first. I just wanted to compile a short basic list to make getting started easier.

wanted to put a link to another very good thread on edible plants by Asktheanimals:

Wild Edible Plants - A guide to safe gathering and usage

Meant to mention Violet greens as a very abundant and very nutritious green

You can just get a regional hiking guide and it will give you all the info you need. What you will find in Arizona is not going to be what is around in Washington.
Good to look up mushrooms in your area too and find out what grows and what you can eat.

It appears this thread was accidentally offered twice, the original being Wild edible plants.

As the other thread has garnered more replies I'll close this one.