Safety Rules

Remember these rules when you are "Free Range Shopping" (foraging).



1. Never attempt to use or eat any plant, seed, berry, root or bark that you are not 100% certain you can identify unless you are in a survival situation. Carry a good field guide with you.

2. If you are eating something for the first time:



*Do not pick plants closer then 50 feet from busy roadsides, near polluted water, on the edges of pesticide sprayed or herbicide sprayed farm fields, or or near dumpsites. (Isn't it amazing that all good books on foraging strongly suggest NOT eating wild edibles near farm fields that are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides but we all eat the vegetables grown IN those fields?)

• Smell plant, seed, berry, bark or root. The smell should be pleasant. Stay away from "bitter almond" smell.


• Break of a small amount of leaf, root or berry. Rub on the inside of your wrist. Wait at least 20 minutes. 1-2 hours is better! If a rash or redness appears - DO NOT go to next step.


• Crush a small amount and place it on your lip. DO NOT lick your lips. Wait at least 20 minutes. Again, 1-2 hours is better. If there is an urge to gag, swelling, itching or any other irritation - DO NOT go to next step.


• Place a SMALL amount on your tongue. DO NOT swallow saliva! If urge to gag, burning, excessive salivating, or any other unpleasant reaction occurs, spit out sample IMMEDIATELY - DO NOT go to next step. Wait 20 minutes or longer.


• Cook small amount of tested plant in water. Eat small amount. Wait several hours. If no side effects occur you may eat and enjoy.

Dinner...

Can you tell which leaf is from wild carrot (Queen Anne's Lace) and which is from the deadly poisonous hemlock? Wild carrot leaf will smell distinctly like carrot. The stem is hairy. The root will be white and a carrot-like single root. Hemlock may grow in the same area. The stem will be smooth, hollow and there will be little smell. The roots will be multiple. If in doubt....do not taste! Hemlock is the most potently poisonous plant in our area.

Stir fry tonight! Wild carrot, thistle celery, evening primrose root and some primrose leaves, all will be added to the "traditional" stir fry veggies. I love spring and "free range shopping".

Evening primrose- first year plant. Again, look for a basal rosette. Young leaves and roots are tasty stir fried or boiled. Root freezes well for winter use. If you would like some seeds or young plants to start your own primrose patch, I'll be happy to give you some! I will bring some samples of wild carrot and evening primrose to taste when we meet next time.

Off to cook dinner.

Pat

Spiny Treat- Thistle Celery

Remember this prickly plant from our first meeting? It is the common thistle. There are over 300 varities in North America. All have edible leaves, stems, and roots. Eating the leaves is only suggested if you have a lot of patience as all the spines need to be removed before a small amount of leaf can be enjoyed. It's hardly worth the effort!

The first year plant is a basal rosette and stays close to the ground. The second year plant grows to 3-4 ft on average. It is the pith of the stem of the second year plant that you will be able to eat and enjoy at this time of the year and throughout the early summer. It is known as thistle celery and can be snacked on "in the field", added to salads, soups and stews. Thistle celery, chopped, sliced or in chunks may added to anything you may wish to pickle.

Because of our unusually warm spring, the thistle plants are now about 8-18 inches tall. You will need a fairly large, sharp knife or small hatchet. Leather gloves are also handy for protecting your hands. Find some thistle stalks and carefully start cutting off all the leaves. Next, start slicing away the spines on the stem while it is standing. Cut the stem off at the base. Peel the stem much like you would any other vegetable. Eat and enjoy.

Thistle celery will stay in your refrigerator for several days. It also freezes well!

I found a video on the internet of some children in Louisiana eating thistle celery. Here is the link:

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20100411/ARTICLES/100409375?p=1&tc=pg&tc=ar

In the fall, the root of the first year plant is delicious cooked! The root is very white and crisp when it is first dug from the ground. It turns black quickly because of the large amount of inulin present. Eating the root uncooked will cause large amounts of gas in humans as the inulin cannot be digested. Wash in cold water, lightly peel and cook as you would any other root veggie. Cooked, the root is sweet and delicious. Try roasting in on a baking sheet with other late summer/fall veggies topped with olive oil and your favorite seasonings. Add braised thistle root to rice dishes, stews, stir fry...use your imagination!

Another great website with video!
http://www.wildfoodforagers.org/thistle2a.htm

Please DO eat the Daisies.....

Some of your grandparents, and maybe parents, may remember a movie titled "Please Don't Eat The Daisies" circa 1960. Well, I'm going to encourage you to EAT the daisy leaves. They are a delicious additive to salads, and as a flavoring to soups and stews. The taste is a concentrated celery flavor. Chewing on the leaves also freshens your breath.

The common ox eye daisy is believed to be another European or Russian alien species.It is now found world-wide. It can be found on the edges of lawns, grassy fields, roadsides and waste places. It is almost never found in pine forests where the soil is acidic. It can easily be cultivated in any flower bed or garden that offers plenty of sun and fairly fertile soil.

Ox-eye daisy is not only edible but it is said to have medicinal properties. The flower's medicinal herb property is said to be a muscle spasm reliever, diuretic, and other blood building claims. It was once used to relieve bronchitis, whooping cough and other lung ailments.

Daisy Tea: To 1 tsp. dried, crushed flowers add 1 cup boiling water, steep for 10 min. strain and sweeten to taste.