I thought it might be fun (y'all can decide through participation) if those of us who harvest wild edible plants document what we are doing with them this summer. I'm pretty simplistic in the way I go about it, but I know some of you are quite elaborate with preservation and such. I think it might be fun and/or helpful for those who may want to get into it or (like me) those who do it but are always looking for new plants and/or techniques.
It is, of course quite early, but so far this year, I've had a couple weeks of munching on
Siberian Elm seed pods. I love these things, but they are only around for a couple of weeks before they dry out and fall from the trees. They make a great salad--much better than lettuce could ever hope to be. And of course, they are great just pulling them from the tree and eating them.
The
Common Mallow has been growing well. There aren't a lot of "donuts" forming yet, but the leafy greens are doing fine. These also make great salads or are good cooked (boiled or steamed). I know some folks don't like Common Mallow because it's slimy when cooked like okra, but this is exactly the reason I do like it. I've been planning to try to make "marshmallows" out of the boiled fruit (once they starts to form) water, which is possible according to Kallas' book. That will be a new experience.
I've tried some
Thistle stalk. The plants are still quite small... but they certainly have well-formed thorns already (ouch). Problem with the thistle that grows around here is that the variant tends to be rather bitter, not to mention having more formidable thorns. My references tend to say thistle is sweet, but not really the case here. I've been searching for some different varieties to try. Perhaps it will taste better.
I've been looking for
Wild Spinach (Lambsquarters, Goosefoot), but oddly, haven't seen any this year, yet. It's usually everywhere--maybe my old eyes just aren't seeing it clearly. Although I DID find what I think is Hairy Nightshade pretending to be Wild Spinach.
We'll see when it flowers.
Stinging Nettle also seems absent so far.
I see plenty of
Burdock out there. I haven't actually messed with it yet. Same with
Curly Dock. There is of course,
Cat's Ear everywhere (town and country).
There is always
Wild Lettuce growing all over the place. There are several variants around here. Some of it tasty, some not so much.
Some of the other common plants, I haven't had time to search for yet. I have trouble remembering my plants, so I tend to look for one or two varieties at a time, and keep only those in mind on that outing. Otherwise, I tend to become overwhelmed and I start mis-identifying. Not good.
My favorites are still a couple of months away:
Serviceberry bushes are doing well so far. It looks like the
Chokecherries (and Sand Cherry and Black Cherry) will be plentiful. And the
Oregon Grape is coming along (I just finished off my last jar of Oregon Grape jam from last year
). And my favorite
Wild Plum tree is coming along nicely.
Absolutely heavenly -- if you've never tasted wild plum, you HAVE to find a tree somewhere. And the ever-elusive
Wild Strawberry? Haven't found any growing this year.
And how about that
Water Hemlock?
Ahhh, yeah, just kidding.
(this was a joke. Water Hemlock is among the most deadly of poison plants)
Have you been munching on any wild greens in your neck of the woods this year? What kinds?
(notice that there is no sufficiency politics/philosophy infused into this post -- I'm proud of myself.
But it only saves more for the next post.
)