# What wild plants are you "eating"?



## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

There has been much discussions in a large number of threads about the uses of wild plants. I thought it would be nice to have one thread strictly for listing the wild plants we "eat", giving their "common" name and "biological name", a picture if possible and a recipe for its use as an edible we serve our families. (If there is already a thread like this, please point me to it. Thank you.)

We are in the eastern USA and, at this time of year, we are seeing muellin ("verbascum thapaus"), plantain ("plantago major" & "plantago lanceolata"), curly dock ("rumex crispus"), "common" chickweed ("stellaria media") show up. So far I have steamed plantain as well as chickweed and have parboiled curly dock to serve as the greens portion of our meals. The chickweed turns out best if chopped and put in boiling water for only about a minute. The plantain works out well chopped and boiled as one ordinarily would regular spinach (just wilt it well). I usually add a touch of butter (no salt) and both taste sweet. The curly dock is also chopped up and taste more like mustard greens if only cooked down "once"; however, if that water is poured off and fresh water added, then the dock is brought to a boil for the second time and cooked approximately 2-3 minutes (or less), it has a sweet taste.

We have also found wild garlic in abundance (many the size of large marbles). Since the stems are hollow, I don't fool with them; however, the bulbs are nice and strong. I often chop them and sautee with a variety of dishes. I have also left them whole, placed them in ice cubes and frozen them; then packaged the frozen cubes into ziplocks for future use.


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## 45n5 (Jun 9, 2008)

wild garlic is the only one i'm comforatble harvesting so far

I thought something was wild mustard greens but a local said they werent'

in kentucky, a newbie, but love free produce


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

45n5, what we thought was wild mustard turned out to be 2 different types of dock (curly and broadleaf). Both are edible and delicious if parboiled. (I just put up 2 packages of this in our freezer.)


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

Poke salat and wild onions. Planning on harvesting some dandelion blossoms tomorrow if it doesn't rain to make syrup.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I cannot find enough dandelions do anything with.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I am new to wild foods. I am starting out with dandelions. I have been eating dandelions a lot in omlettes, fritters, as a side of greens, eating the flowers raw.


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Just recently found out that lambs quarter is edible, so I plan on starting with that. I recently pulled out a ton of the stuff from my flowerbeds, so I have to wait for the plants to grow again. :grin:


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## Jokarva (Jan 17, 2010)

I have tons of broadleaf dock in my yard, I don't know if I want to try it though - it just doesn't 'look' like it would taste good. `


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

No one eating nettles yet, we have been harvesting them for a few weeks already. We wash them and throw them in a big pan with a touch of olive oil and some garlic, wilt it just enough, tastes like spinich. sonshine - we need the dandelion blossom syrup recipe if you would please, please. > Thanks Marc


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

MDKatie, we're harvesting lambsquarter now too. The leaves and young stems are delicious. I'm letting much of it grow as I want it to reseed.

Jokarva, broadleaf dock is delicious; but you must parboil it (bring it to a boil, drain off water and add fresh water, bring it to a second boil and cook about 3-5 minutes). It is sweet then even without adding seasoning. 

springvalley, I'm still uncertain about nettles. We have several plants people in here are calling nettles that the ag lab in this county has identified as dock. We also have plants I would call nettles simply because they "do" sting when touched; but not sure enough yet to prepare it for a meal.

We recently found some "HUGE" leaves that the internet identifies as Burdock; yet I've seen it identified as "dock" in these forums. So we are waiting until it seeds to find out for sure what it is. I have not had an opportunity to send it to the county lab as yet.

David brought in 2 hand fulls of wild strawberries last night that were soooo sweet.  He also pulled a couple of leaves off a sasafras tree and we enjoyed that as well.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

Leeks (ramps).


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## ajaxlucy (Jul 18, 2004)

Honey locust trees are blooming now. My mother taught me to batter fry the flower clusters to make tempura. 
Also getting lambsquarters from the garden. I don't bother to plant spinach anymore since these reseed every year.
My mother is harvesting bracken fern fiddleheads now, but I don't have any growing around my place. Some say they can be poisonous, but she and other Japanese have been eating them for years. Mom is in her 80's now and goes up to the mountains to gather bracken fern every spring.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

ajaxluch, is your mom gathering those brackenfern fiddleheads in Indiana where you are? If so, what parts of the plant is she preparing and how?


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## Ellen West (Sep 17, 2010)

Elderberry blossoms are nice this year. I was taught by a German girl how to do pancakes - you ladle them out as usual, then put a blossom cluster down over the top. When it gets ready to turn, lift off the cluster & the flowers remain.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

Ellen West; were I fortunate enough to have Elderberries in bloom I'd be waiting for the berries! My locust trees are just past bloom here and I wanted to try making the battered blossums with them this year but I was so busy the ones I picked for this I never used.

Currently eating the Lambs Quarters and eyeing the Redroot Pigweed that is coming on strong. This looks like a fruit year..my wild brambles are blooming wildly.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I must try those battered blossoms. This year our elderberry bushes have just started; so it will take awhile before we see blossoms.

We, too, are eating lambs quarter as well as poke salet. I'm actually looking at all the sheepshire growing and seriously considering creating something out of it (pie or lemonaide); just not sure what or how. Any experience or ideas?


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Have been picking dewberries for jelly, but it's not been a good year for them. I'm not surprised, last year we had a huge crop of them. No wild plums this year either. It's just been to wet and cool.

I can't convince my hubby to try a lot of wild edibles and just convinced him this year to let me use wild plants in poultices, etc. He had a cyst/boil on the back of his hand and allowed me to put a plantain poultice on it. Cleared up in two days! He's also had a severe case of poison ivy and finally tried jewelweed. He was amazed how quickly it dried up and was able to avoid going to the doctor's office to get a shot.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Ravenlost, you might try serving him some wild plant "without" telling him. Let him find out for himself how delicious it is; then tell him how nutritious it is too. THEN let him know you picked it out of the yard .. a wild plant the Lord gave you.


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## EasyDay (Aug 28, 2004)

Jokarva said:


> I have tons of broadleaf dock in my yard, I don't know if I want to try it though - it just doesn't 'look' like it would taste good. `


I've never eaten the leaves, but the Italian immigrants recognized burdock as cardoon (which are similar, but not the same). So, in Italian fashion, I peel and eat the stems and use it in omelets or sauteed, etc. They also dip them in batter and fry them. Delicious! It reminds me of asparagus.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Jokarva, the "broadleaf dock" young leaves are delicious if parboiled (brought to a boil twice). I serve it often now; even brought it a boil "once" and froze it.

EasyDay, I'm still too uncertain about what "Burdock" is to try eating any of it. I think we have some; just waiting for it to flower to know for sure.


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## Ellen West (Sep 17, 2010)

I never use the blossoms from trees that will bear fruit - I love the berries too much myself. Most of the nearby places wild elderberries grow are dried off before they reach the bloom stage, much less fruit, but this year is a record-breaker for lots and late rain. I make pies and jam - oh! Here's a new trick I had to learn about getting the berries off the stem - use a fork to comb them off. No more squashed fruit trying to pull/pinch them off, and it goes so much faster.

What do you guys do with elderberries?



bee said:


> Ellen West; were I fortunate enough to have Elderberries in bloom I'd be waiting for the berries! My locust trees are just past bloom here and I wanted to try making the battered blossums with them this year but I was so busy the ones I picked for this I never used.
> 
> Currently eating the Lambs Quarters and eyeing the Redroot Pigweed that is coming on strong. This looks like a fruit year..my wild brambles are blooming wildly.


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