wild foods in Maine (gated, live, garden)

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by moughie

Didn't know you could eat the little red berries of the wintergreen, maineah. How do you prepare them?

I just eat them as I find them. I've never seen anyone do anything special with them. Thay are kind of scarce and even at my secret spot you'd be lucky to pick a couple of cups of them. There are some berries that look like them that are supposedly poisonous.That's what we were told as kids. We just knew the difference and never picked the "poison berries" I'd have to think they could have been used as flavorings in some dishes but I don't know any specific ones . They just taste good!

[Bydand]

I love wintergreen berries. Have found a few spots that have them, but not every year. They are a surprise and special treat when you do come across them.

[msina]

Remember Teaberry gum?

[juststoppinby]

Oh my God msina that was one of my favorites!

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by msina

Remember Teaberry gum?

Teaberry msina? Yum yum yum! What about Black Jack and Clove too? They were usually displayed together in the same rack as the Teaberry.

[Maine Writer]

That was my mother's favorite! She didn't chew gum often but when she did, it was teaberry.

[dancingfirebrenda]

There are so many but burdock is a great one
burdock is a delicious, nutritious, and even healing root vegetable.

For the Iroquois, burdock was an important winter food. They dug it in the fall, dried it, and then ate it throughout the long cold months of winter.

In addition to being used as a food item for millennia, many cultures have used burdock medicinally. Early Chinese physicians treated colds, flu, throat infections, and pneumonia with burdock preparations. India’s traditional Ayurvedic healers use it similarly. The medieval German abbess Hildegard von Bingen used it to treat cancerous tumors. Herbalists in Russia and India still prescribe burdock for patients with cancer. In the United States and Europe, herbalists often recommend burdock for arthritis, sciatica, indigestion, ulcers, and blood cleansing. Recent research has isolated chemicals in burdock that are antibacterial and antifungal, and others that are tumor-protective and desmutagenic. (Desmutagens are defined as substances that inactivate mutagens [cancer-causing agents] by reacting with them and taking them out of action.)

Burdock can be termed a health food simply by virtue of its high fiber and low calorie content. It is also a very good source of potassium and a moderate source of iron and calcium. In 100 grams (2.5 ounces or about H cup) of the fresh root there are 180 mg of phosphorus, 50 mg of calcium, 58 mg of phosphorus, 1.4 mg of iron, 0.03 mg of thiamin, and 0.05 mg of riboflavin. But perhaps the most unique aspect of the root is its very high amount of inulin, a naturally occurring phytochemical that mimics the actions of insulin. According to one source, from 27 percent to 45 percent of the root is inulin and some people have found it an effective food to control hypoglycemia and prediabetes conditions.

I make no claims for specific healing properties of burdock, but know that once you get over the way the root looks — tough, fibrous, dirty brown — and taste it, you will want it more and more. The crop is dug in the late fall and into the winter. In the frigid predawn of autumn, my brother bundles up in layer upon layer of clothing and drives down to the black bottomland. He parks in front of the gobo-hole, leaving the headlights on, and begins digging. Gobo is the Japanese word for burdock, which is considered an intensely "yang" vegetable. One of the characteristics of yang is heat generation and my brother periodically sheds layers as he carefully extricates the long taproot that goes down three to four feet in a good year. Burdock keeps well, so look for it at winter pantries and farmer’s markets. You may also find it in dried form at health food stores.

Burdock’s flavor is subtle and very much its own. Descriptions of flavors invariably fall short, but I have heard burdock described as "a combination of salsify and artichoke," or as having "a sweet, earthy flavor with a tender-crisp texture," or, my favorite, "it tastes just like burdock." I have done extensive experimentation and come up with all sorts of burdock recipes, ranging from soups to burdock chips. For novices, I recommend starting with the tried and traditional — simply add burdock chunks to stir-fries or your favorite soups and stews.

[Kracer]

"Stalking the Wild Asparagus" by Euell is the bible for wild foods.

Lot of menu items that will gag a skunk but then again you need a old time grandma to make some of these old fashion 'wild' reciepes any where near palatable. If you can do jellied pig snouts or have the least clue what to do with a hazlet you are indeed the sought after old grandma cook.

My favorites are pigweed/lambsquarter leaves and daylily buds.

Lambs quarter has more iron than spinach and the young leaves are very tasty in a salad. You can take a small leave and eat it as is, like eating lettuce or arugula.

Pick daylily buds and toss them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Like corn on the cob, do not cook it for more than two minutes in boiling water. Pleasant taste and texture. You could probably roast or stir fry these buds.

Many flower petals like wild violets are good garnishes. Makes a wild colored purple jelly.

My all time favorite is spearmint. I fill a 2 quart container with stripped off leaves loosely packed. Fill with hot tap water set on the counter or even in the fridge overnight. Strain the next day and add a bunch of honey. Wonderful mint tea is the result.

Last fiddlehead trip we picked 23#s along the ................

[tcrackly]

Don't tell your best fiddlehead spots...they are fast disappearing as more habitat is altered every day!

I had to can a lot of the frozen mushrooms from last season when our power was out in Jan. I found I like them better canned. Texture suffers but flavor is enhanced.
There are lots of spring holes near us...I think there is watercress in some of the pools. I've got to confirm this spring.

[Submariner]

We still have a lot of frozen fiddleheads from last season.