Edible Wild Plants

These are the Basic Essentials to know about collecting wild Plants. I will try to keep it so i cover Canada & US.
But some plants only grow in certain areas, so, it's all good knowledge Smile

i will put one up once a day i have many Shocked

. So here we go, first up.

> This plant is found in, rivers,lakes,ponds,swamps. - Broad Leaf Cattail.

Description = Worldwide range. Long, sword shaped leaves; green flowers on tandem spikes, lower spike female, upper spike male. There are two species of cattails common to North America: broad leafed & narrow leafed.
The majour difference is in the wideness of the leaf.
Cattails are a versatile foodstuff. The roots, new shoots & flowering heads are edible. In the spring, simply find the shoots, reach down into the mud & pull. Peel off the outer leaves & underneath is the tender tongue of cattail.
Saute this delicate core for three to five minutes in butter. Season with a few drops of soy, and a pinch of wild ginger.
> ( Caution ! - before eating cattail shoots learn to distinguish young Cattail shoots from the poisonous look alike; Iris )

A bit deeper in the soil is the long root where the cattail was attached.
The root core is an excellant source of starch. Eat the starch raw as quik energy food. Or better yet, crush the roots in cold water & leach out the starch. The starch may be added to soups & stews as a thickener.
About mid June, the male flowering head of the cattail, located above the female flower spike, may be stripped into a plastic bag. This high protein flour extender will keep in your freezer for 8 months ... Or use it immediately.
> PREPARATION <
Add the male parts, the pollen, anthers & stamens, to your favorite pancake mix. About one cup of cattail parts to two cups of mix. Also, try pollen & male parts mixed with flour - in cookies, muffins, biscuits & bread recipes.
The young female bloom spike may be cooked like corn-on-the-cob. Simply boil or steam the female spike in lightly salted water. Cook till tender. Butter & eat hot. Very young spikes may be eaten uncooked.
Cattail pollen may be mixed with raw honey, 5 parts cattail pollen to one part honey. This is high energy food, quik to prepare & has a long storage life refrigerated below 40 degress F.
> Pharmaceutical Uses < as well, cattail parts have been used to treat gonorrhea, worms, & diarrhea.
The chopped root is also applied to burns & minor cuts. The Chinese use the plant to stop bleeding.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Awesome stuff, Drummer Dave Very Happy

eric

Good stuff, Dave. Cool

I look forward to reading some more. Very Happy

_________________
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. - Psalms 53:1

> WATERCRESS < found in; rivers,ponds,swamps.

- Discription: Grows in shallow, clear water; alternate leaves, leaves to 3/4" in width, ovate, simple, broad near base;
small white flowers with 4 petals.
Avoid contamination from pesticides & herbicides. Collect watercress ( and for that matter all edible water plants ) from clear water source. A highland stream or free flowing spring.
Watercress is a pungent spicy green, an important ingredient in V8 cocktail juice, & one of the most useful greens know to humankind. In the northern tier of states & Canada. watercress is available 10 months a year. South of the Mason Dixon line its a year around food.

- Cooking Tips: Scramble chopped watercress with eggs ... Stuff a PITA sandwich. Saute it ... add it to salad, or make watercress soup.
- Pharmaceutical Uses: Watercress is high in Vitamins C & A it is a mild diuretic.
A few Indian groups used watercress to dissolve gallstones.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Why do we even have grocery stores Confused

eric

^^

lol, good question Turd. Cool

Its just more for use ! Laughing

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Thanks Dave! I like your cattail piece. Its such a great plant, grows everywhere. It also tastes pretty good and will keep you alive

_________________
"There dosen't look like there's much shelter over in those mountains, but that's the only choice I got right now, this is gonna be a long week" - Les Stroud Arctic

Watercress...hmm...I'll have to keep an eye out for it when I'm out and about. Very Happy

Keep 'em comin'. Cool

_________________
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. - Psalms 53:1

Excellent job on the incredible edibles, keep them coming. Why do we have grocery stores? (whether a serious question or not, I felt the need to answer) Two reasons, convenience and because like he said in his commentary, collecting wild edibles should be done from highland streams and spring fed water sources. Around me, those two are hard to come by and most of our water sources are polluted by farm whatevericides, acid rain or other sources. Does it stop my from eating these things...no, but I do it in small quantities and wash things to give my body the ability to work out some of the stuff because then it only gets small doses. Not always the safest bet, but hey, I'm not gonna stop practicing my skills.

_________________
We only have one Earth, take care of her and she will take care of you. ~ probably someone else

This plant can be found in = lakes,ponds,swamps.

> DUCKWEED <

- Discription : One or two 3/16" oval leaves. Threadlike root hairs.
Floating, hydroponic plant. You've probably seen duckweed. It's the green slime completely covering ponds in mid summer.
Upon closer inspection, the green water cover is one of the smallest flowering plants. This plant is hydroponic,
the tiny root hairs siphon nutrients from the water.

- Cooking tips : Duckweed is edible. Intrepid foragers may blend it into their favorite soup recipe. More conservative folks use it sparingly - duckweed has an unusual, tough texture, pleasing to some, distasteful to others. Like all wild plants,
use this plant sparingly. If you have any food allergies, be especially careful.

- Pharmaceutical Uses : The Chinese use duckweed to treat hypothermia, flatulence, & acute kidney infection.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

> REED GRASS < found in rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps.

- Description: Tall wetland grass; lanceshaped leaves up to 1" in length, flowers in tall dence plume, plants grow in dence cluster. Reed grassis found around the margins of streams & in wet lowlands. The root of the reed grass, like cattail roots, may be harvested, & leached of it's starch.

- Cooking Tips: The first shoots of spring may be eaten raw, but are best steamed until tender. Prepare the plant immediatly after picking, delays in preperation make for a tough, stringy meal. Simply chop the new shoots to a manageable size. Place them in a steamer. They are ready to eat in 5 minutes.
In fall, seeds may be stripped, crushed & cooked with berries. Or ground into flour. Also, try reed seed cooked in stews & soup.

- Pharmaceutical Uses: Chinese use this plant to clear fevers, quench thirst, promote diuresis & promote salvation.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Awesome, I know 3 of the 4 so far and where I can get some, I guess I will start trying some of these next summer Very Happy

I am not sure about reed grass, I think I have seen it, but am not 100% sure and you know the saying. Thanks for all of these D.D. Just out of curiosity have you tried these and if so, what is your personal opinion on them?

_________________
We only have one Earth, take care of her and she will take care of you. ~ probably someone else

Thanks Brian, so far just the cattail, and its good Shocked

really ! lol. The Duckweed is next & i know where to get some.
Im really into Botany & plants " edible " ones. And im a Naturalist at heart. I read as much as i can about plants.
When i go hiking its not just about the great views, its all the stuff around me and the why it's there, & can i eat it !? lol.
Mabye it stems from when i was a kid, i always was told not to touch that, dont eat that, etc. So it pushed me to try it when no one was around Wink

There are more that im putting in here that ive eaten so i'll let ya know later what there like. And i also enjoy learning what you CAN'T ! eat in the bush, its almost more important than what you can eat. Shocked

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

> WILD RICE <

- Discription: Tall, reedlike grass; long, narrow leaf blades, flowers in tall plume, upper flowers female, lower flowers male.
Wild rice is a tall grass found growing in shallow, clean water. The seeds may be harvested in August & September.
Timing is critical. Check your stand of wild rice often. Mature seeds drop off easily. Return every other day to maximize
the harvest. To thresh the husks from the seed use a rolling pin. Simply roll back & forth over the grain.
Use a fan or the wind to dispel the chaff.

- Cooking Tips: The simple way to cook wild rice is to boil 2 cups of water, lightly salt, enter a cup of wild rice, cover & simmer for 35 minutes. Makes an excellant stuffing for wild Turkey. Extend your supply by cooking it half & half with long grained brown rice.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

	Wikipedia wrote:
	Canadian wild rice is usually harvested from natural bodies of water; the province of Saskatchewan is the largest producer in Canada

eric

^^

Sweet Cool

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

> YELLOW POND LILY < found in; swamps, ponds, lakes.

- Discription: Disk shaped leaf, unfurls above water; yellow flowers.
The yellow flowers blooms through the summer, bearing a primitive looking fruit.
The friut pod contains numerous seeds, perhaps the only palatable part of this like an apple, but it's a bitter pill to swallow
even after cooking in 2 or 3 changes of water. Strickly a survival food, when nothing else is available.

- Cooking tips: The seeds may be dried & ground into flour. or prepare them like popcorn.
Place the dried seeds in a popcorn popper. Cover the machine so the small seeds don't become airborne.
The results are usually disappointing. Seeds simply pop open. But they're edible with salt & butter

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

Awesome, I will have to try some of these. I have eaten cattail and it tastes kinda like Cucumber. I don't think I can try the water lilies cause I believe they are protected here.

_________________
We only have one Earth, take care of her and she will take care of you. ~ probably someone else

> WILD ROSE < found in, ponds,swamp area.

- Discription: Bush; spiny branches; white, pink or red flowers, leaves alternate, compound, sharply toothed margins.
Common edibles found along the margins of waterways. There are several species of wild rose. Flowers give rise to the famous fruit, rose hip .. An excellant source of vitamin C, avaliable in autumn.

- Cooking Tips: Rose petals & rose leaves may be dried & used for tea. Petals are a sweet, aromatic, add to summer floral salads.

- Pharmaceutical Uses: Excellant Vitamin C source ... Used to prevent scurvy. The Chinese & Amerindians used rose tea to treat worms & intestinal disorders.

_________________
A Knifeless Man is a Lifeless Man
Canadian To The Core
Carry Less by Knowing More
Knowledge Weighs Nothing

I like rose hips. They taste like a pear/plum kind of mix to me and are very soft (technically these are overripe and have lost much of their vitamin C). There are a bunch of hard seeds in the middle so don't just pop them in your mouth.

Yellow pond lillies. Isn't that what made Les throw up on the first episode? I would definetly save that as a last resort since you'd have to get wet to get the tubers as well as possibly being unable to keep them down.

Reed grass- could you specify what variety? I've only seen references to phragmites varieties. I've heard to not even bother with reeds if there are cattail around. Roots are supposed to be tougher and more intermeshed with weaker yields of starch. Even the young shoots are supposed to be neutral at best. Don't eat any part of the plant if you are on MAOI antidepressants.