52 Plants In The Wild You Can Eat

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52 Plants In The Wild You Can Eat
52 Plants In The Wild You Can Eat. Photos – Wikipedia – lic. under CC 3.0, Pixabay (PD)

We all know our market vegetables and fruits are trusted edible species, but what about other wild plants? Here are a few common (North American) goodies that are safe to eat if you find yourself stuck in the wild… first of all, please note that you need to know with absolute certainty the identity of what you are finding and collecting as survival food. If you are not sure – leave it alone.

Blackberries:

blackberry-leaf-bsp

Many wild berries are not safe to eat, it’s best to stay away from them. But wild blackberries are 100% safe to eat and easy to recognize. They have red branches that have long thorns similar to a rose, the green leaves are wide and jagged. They are best to find in the spring when their white flowers bloom, they are clustered all around the bush and their flowers have 5 points. The berries ripen around August to September. Avoid berries grown in what could be post-industrial / polluted soil, also those close to roads have essentially been fumigated with engine fumes all year round.

Dandelions:

dandelion

The easiest to recognize is the dandelion, in the spring they show their bright yellow buds. You can eat the entire thing raw or cook them to take away the bitterness; usually in the spring, they are less bitter. They are packed with Vitamin A and Vitamin C, and beta-carotene.

Asparagus:

wild-asparagus

The vegetable that makes your pee smell funny grows in the wild in most of Europe and parts of North Africa, West Asia, and North America. Wild asparagus has a much thinner stalk than the grocery-store variety. It’s a great source of source of vitamin C, thiamine, potassium and vitamin B6. Eat it raw or boil it like you would your asparagus at home.

Elderberries:

elderberry

An elderberry shrub can grow easily grow about 10 feet and yield tons of food, their leaf structure is usually 7 main leaves on a long stretched out stem, the leaves are long and round and the leaves themselves have jagged edges. These are easiest to identify in the spring as they blossom white clustered flowers that resemble an umbrella. Mark the spot and harvest the berries when they’re ripe around September.

Elderberries are known for their flu and cold healing properties, you can make jelly from them and are very sweet and delicious.

Gooseberries:

red gooseberry

These are also common in the woods in northern Missouri, the branches are grey and have long red thorns, and the leaves are bright green and have 5 points, they have rounded edges and look similar to the shape of a maple leaf. The flowers in the spring are very odd looking, they are bright red and hang down, the berries ripen around late May early June.

Mulberries:

Stumped-Mulberry-tree-006

Mulberry leaves have two types, one spade shape, and a 5 fingered leaf. Both have pointed edges.

Pine:

pine-needles1

There are over a hundred different species of pine. Not only can the food be used as a supply of nourishment but, also can be used for medicinal purposes. Simmer a bowl of water and add some pine needles to make tea. Native Americans used to ground up pine to cure scurvy, its rich in vitamin C.

Kudzu:

kudzu_01

Pretty much the entire plant is edible and is also known for medicinal values. The leaves can be eaten raw, steam or boiled. The root can be eaten as well. (like all herbs, pregnant women and breastfeeding woman should consult a physician first before use)

Daylily:

daylily

You can find this plant in many parts of the country, These are not tigerlilys or easterlilys (which are toxic), a daylily is completely safe to eat. Daylilies have bright orange flowers that come straight out of the ground, their main stock/stem has no leaves so that’s your confirmation that it’s a daylily if you see an orange six-petal flower like this one that has a bear stem (no leaves) it’s a daylily. You can eat them whole or cook them or put them in salads.

Pecans:

Pecanss

The trees mature around 20-30 ft, some can grow up to 100 ft tall. The leaves are bright green and long, smooth edges and the pecans themselves are grown in green pods and when ripe the pods open and the seeds fall to the ground.

Hazelnuts:

Hazelnut

Hazelnut trees are short and tend to be around 12-20 ft tall, the leaves are bright green and have pointed edges, the hazelnuts themselves grown in long strands of pods and generally ripen by September and October.

Walnuts:

walnuts

Walnut trees are the most recognisable and the tallest nut tree in North America, they can range from 30-130 feet tall. The leaf structure is very similar to the pecan, the leaves are spear like and grow on a long stem 6-8 leaves on both sides. The leaves edges are smooth and green. The walnuts tend to grow in clusters and ripen in the fall.

Acorns:

acorns

Acorns can tend to be bitter, they are highly recognisable as well, they should be eaten cooked and a limited amount.

Hickory Nuts:

hickory

Hickory nut trees can grow about 50-60 ft tall, their green leaves are spear like and can grow very large, they have pointed edges. The hickory nut is round and ten to ripen in September or October.

Cattail:

CommonCattailXL

Known as cattails or punks in North America and bullrush and reedmace in England, the typha genus of plants is usually found near the edges of freshwater wetlands. Cattails were a staple in the diet of many Native American tribes. Most of a cattail is edible. You can boil or eat raw the rootstock, or rhizomes, of the plant. The rootstock is usually found underground. Make sure to wash off all the mud. The best part of the stem is near the bottom where the plant is mainly white. Either boil or eat the stem raw. Boil the leaves like you would spinach.

Garlic Mustard:

garlic-mustard-jack-by-the-hedge

Edible parts: Flowers, leaves, roots, and seeds. Leaves can be eaten in any season, when the weather gets hot, the leaves will have a taste bitter. Flowers can be chopped and tossed into salads. The roots can be collected in early spring and again in late fall when no flower stalks are present. Garlic mustard roots taste very spicy somewhat like horseradish…. yummy! In the fall the seed can be collected and eaten.

Chickweed:

chickweed-common-chickweed

These usually appear May and July, you can eat the leaves raw or boiled, they’re high in vitamins and minerals! (pregnant women and breastfeeding woman should consult a physician first before use)

Herb Robert:

herb-robert-bloodwort

Edible parts: The entire plant. Fresh leaves can be used in salads or to make tea. The flower, leaves, and root can be dried and stored using it later as a tea or herbs as a nutrient booster. Rubbing fresh leaves on the skin is known to repel mosquitoes, and the entire plant repels rabbits and deer which would complement and protect your garden. (like all herbs, pregnant women and breastfeeding woman should consult a physician first before use)

Beach Lovage:

LigScV191

Use the leaves raw in salads or salsas, or cooked in soups, with rice, or in mixed cooked greens. Beach lovage can have a strong flavor and is best used as a seasoning, like parsley, rather than eaten on its own.  Beach lovage tastes best before flowers appear, and is also called Scotch lovage, sea lovage, wild celery, and petrushki.

Plantain:

tdg-Plantago_major-lg

Is another one of those plants that seems to thrive right on the edge of gardens and driveways, but it’s also edible. Pick the green, rippled leaves and leave the tall flower stems. Blanch the leaves and sauté with some butter and garlic just as you would with kale or any other tough green.

Garlic Grass:

garlic-grass-0410-lg

Garlic grass (Allium vineale or wild garlic) is an herbal treat often found lurking in fields, pastures, forests and disturbed soil. It resembles cultivated garlic or spring onions, but the shoots are often very thin. Use it in sandwiches, salads, pesto or chopped on main courses like scallions.

Watercress:

watercress

Cresses (Garden cress, watercress, rock cress, pepper cress) are leafy greens long cultivated in much of Northern Europe. They have a spicy tang and are great in salads, sandwiches, and soups.

Lamb’s Quarters:

Lambs-quarters.Mature

Use the leaves raw in salads, or cooked in soups, in mixed cooked greens, or in any dish that calls for cooking greens.  Lamb’s Quarters are susceptible to leaf miners; be careful to harvest plants that are not infested.  Although Lamb’s Quarters are best before the flowers appear, if the fresh young tips are continuously harvested, lamb’s quarters can be eaten all summer.  Lamb’s Quarters is also called Pigweed, Fat Hen, and Goosefoot.

Goose Tongue:

Goose Tongue

Use the young leaves raw in salads, or cooked in soups, in mixed cooked greens, or in any dish that calls for cooking greens.  Goosetongue is best in spring and early summer before the flowers appear.  Goosetongue can be confused with poisonous Arrowgrass, so careful identification is essential. Goosetongue is also called Seashore Plantain.

Pigweed:

pigweed-amaranth-amaranthus-spp

Edible parts: The whole plant – leaves, roots, stem, seeds. The Amaranth seed is small and very nutritious and easy to harvest, the seed grain is used to make flour for baking uses. Roasting the seeds can enhance the flavor, also you can sprout the raw seeds using them in salads, and in sandwiches, etc. Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked like spinach, sautéed, etc. Fresh or dried pigweed leaves can be used to make tea.

Monkey Flower:

MIMULUS GUTTATUS

Use the leaves raw in salads, or cooked in soups, mixed cooked greens, or any dish that calls for cooking greens. Monkeyflower is best before the flowers appear, although the flowers are also edible and are good in salads or as a garnish.

“Self-Heal” Prunella vulgaris:

self-heal-heal-all-prunella-vulgaris

Edible parts: the young leaves and stems can be eaten raw in salads; the whole plant can be boiled and eaten as a potherb, and the aerial parts of the plant can be powdered and brewed in a cold infusion to make a tasty beverage. The plant contains vitamins A, C, and K, as well as flavonoids and rutin. Medicinally, the whole plant is poulticed onto wounds to promote healing. A mouthwash made from an infusion of the whole plant can be used to treat sore throats, thrush and gum infections. Internally, a tea can be used to treat diarrhea and internal bleeding. (like all herbs, pregnant women and breastfeeding woman should consult a physician first before use)

Mallow Malva neglecta:

mallow-malva-neglecta

Edible parts: All parts of the mallow plant are edible — the leaves, the stems, the flowers, the seeds, and the roots (it’s from the roots that cousin Althaea gives the sap that was used for marshmallows). Because it’s a weed that grows plentifully in neglected areas, mallows have been used throughout history as a survival food during times of crop failure or war. Mallows are high in mucilage, a sticky substance that gives them a slightly slimy texture, similar to okra, great in soups. Mallow has a nice pleasant nutty flavor. One of the most popular uses of mallows is as a salad green. (like all herbs, pregnant women and breastfeeding woman should consult a physician first before use)

Miner’s Lettuce:

miners-lettuce

Parts: Flowers, Leaves, Root. Leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. A fairly bland flavor with a mucilaginous texture, it is quite nice in a salad. The young leaves are best, older leaves can turn bitter especially in the summer and if the plant is growing in a hot dry position. Although individual leaves are fairly small, they are produced in abundance and are easily picked. Stalks and flowers can be eaten raw. A nice addition to the salad bowl. The bulb also can be eaten raw. Although very small and labor-intensive to harvest, the boiled and peeled root has the flavor of chestnuts. Another report says that the plant has a fibrous root system so this report seems to be erroneous.

Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis):

sweet-rocket-dames-rocket

This plant is often mistaken for Phlox. Phlox has five petals, Dame’s Rocket has just four. The flowers, which resemble phlox, are deep lavender, and sometimes pink to white. The plant is part of the mustard family, which also includes radishes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and, mustard. The plant and flowers are edible but fairly bitter. The flowers are attractive added to green salads. The young leaves can also be added to your salad greens (for culinary purposes, the leaves should be picked before the plant flowers). The seed can also be sprouted and added to salads. NOTE: It is not the same variety as the herb commonly called Rocket, which is used as a green in salads.

Wild Bee Balm:

wild-bee-balm-wild-bergamot

Edible parts: Leaves boiled for tea, used for seasoning, chewed raw or dried; flowers edible. Wild bee balm tastes like oregano and mint. The taste of bee balm is reminiscent of citrus with soft mingling of lemon and orange. The red flowers have a minty flavor. Any place you use oregano, you can use bee balm blossoms. The leaves and flower petals can also be used in both fruit and regular salads. The leaves taste like the main ingredient in Earl Gray Tea and can be used as a substitute.

Mallow:

mallow_3

Mallow is a soft tasty leaf good in fresh salads. Use it like lettuce and other leafy greens. You may find the smaller younger leaves a tad more tender. Toss in salads, or cook as you would other tender greens like spinach. The larger leave can be used for stuffing, like grape leaves. The seed pods are also edible while green and soft before they harden, later turning woody and brown. I hear they can be cooked like a vegetable. I’ve harvested and eaten them raw, and want to try steaming, pickling, fermenting, and preparing like okra.

Pineapple Weed:

pineapple_weed

Edible parts: Pineapple weed flowers and leaves are a tasty finger food while hiking or toss in salads. Flowers can also be dried out and crushed so that it can be used as flour. As with chamomile, pineapple weed is very good as a tea. Native Americans used a leaf infusion (medicine prepared by steeping flower or leaves in a liquid without boiling) for stomach gas pains and as a laxative.

Milk Thistle:

milk_thistle

Milk thistle is most commonly sought for its medicinal properties of preventing and repairing liver damage. But most parts of the plants are also edible and tasty. Until recently, it was commonly cultivated in European vegetable gardens. Leaves can be de-spined for use as salad greens or sautéed like collard greens; water-soaked stems prepared like asparagus; roots boiled or baked; flower pods used like artichoke heads.

Prickly Pear Cactus:

prickly_pear

Found in the deserts of North America, the prickly pear cactus is a very tasty and nutritional plant that can help you survive the next time you’re stranded in the desert. The fruit of the prickly pear cactus looks like a red or purplish pear. Hence the name. Before eating the plant, carefully remove the small spines on the outer skin or else it will feel like you’re swallowing a porcupine. You can also eat the young stem of the prickly pear cactus. It’s best to boil the stems before eating.

Mullein Verbascum thapsus:

mullein-verbascum-thapsus

Edible parts: Leaves and flowers. The flowers are fragrant and taste sweet, the leaves are not fragrant and taste slightly bitter. This plant is best known for a good cup of tea and can be consumed as a regular beverage. Containing vitamins B2, B5, B12, and D, choline, hesperidin, para amino benzoic acid, magnesium, and sulfur, but mullein tea is primarily valued as an effective treatment for coughs and lung disorders.

Wild Grape Vine:

wild-grape-vine-riverbank-grape-vitis-riparia

Edible parts: Grapes and leaves. The ripe grape can be eaten but tastes better after the first frost. Juicing the grapes or making wine is most common. The leaves are also edible. A nutritional Mediterranean dish called “dolmades”, made from grape leaves are stuffed with rice, meat, and spices. The leaves can be blanched and frozen for use throughout the winter months.

Yellow Rocket:

yellow-rocket-wintercress-barbarea-vulgaris

It tends to grow in damp places such as hedges, stream banks and waysides and comes into flower from May to August. Yellow Rocket was cultivated in England as an early salad vegetable. It makes a wonderful salad green when young and the greens are also an excellent vegetable if treated kindly. Lightly steam or gently sweat in butter until just wilted. The unopened inflorescences can also be picked and steamed like broccoli.

Purslane:

purslane

While considered an obnoxious weed in the United States, purslane can provide much-needed vitamins and minerals in a wilderness survival situation. Gandhi actually numbered purslane among his favorite foods. It’s a small plant with smooth fat leaves that have a refreshingly sour taste. Purslane grows from the beginning of summer to the start of fall. You can eat purslane raw or boiled. If you’d like to remove the sour taste, boil the leaves before eating.

Wild Black Cherry:

Amerikaanse_vogelkers_bessen_Prunus_serotina

Wild black cherries are edible, but you shouldn’t eat a lot of them raw, only use the cherries that are still on the branches and are deep black in color, not red. If you see cherries on the ground leave them alone when cherries wilt they contain a lot of cyanide. It’s only best eaten when cooked, it negates or destroys the cyanide.

Sheep Sorrel:

sheep-sorrel

Sheep sorrel is native to Europe and Asia but has been naturalized in North America. It’s a common weed in fields, grasslands, and woodlands. It flourishes in highly acidic soil. Sheep sorrel has a tall, reddish stem and can reach heights of 18 inches. Sheep sorrel contains oxalates and shouldn’t be eaten in large quantities. You can eat the leaves raw. They have a nice tart, almost lemony flavor. (don’t take in large amounts, pregnant and breastfeeding women consult your physician before use)

Wild Mustard:

wild-mustard-sinapis-arvensis

Wild mustard is found in the wild in many parts of the world. It blooms between February and March. You can eat all parts of the plant- seeds, flowers, and leaves.

Wood Sorrel:

wood-sorrel-oxalis-oxalis

You’ll find wood sorrel in all parts of the world; species diversity is particularly rich in South America. The flowers can range from white to bright yellow and its greenery are clovers. Humans have used wood sorrel for food and medicine for millennia. The Kiowa Indians chewed on wood sorrel to alleviate thirst, and the Cherokee ate the plant to cure mouth sores. The leaves are a great source of vitamin C. The roots of the wood sorrel can be boiled. They’re starchy and taste a bit like a potato.

Fiddleheads:

fiddlehead_fern1

The term “fiddleheads” refers to the unfurling young sprouts of ferns. Although many species of ferns are edible as fiddleheads, Ostrich Ferns are the best. They are edible only in their early growth phase first thing in the spring.

Blueberries:

blueberries-main-m-m

Blueberries are familiar to most people in Canada and the USA. They do grow wild in many places, and the blueberries are delicious when ripe. The flowers are said to be edible as well.

Jerusalem Artichoke:

kikuimo

Jerusalem Artichokes have small tubers on the roots that are delicious. It is a native plant, with a very misleading name. It is not at all related to artichokes, nor does it grow in Jerusalem.

Mayapple:

Podophyllum-peltatum_Mayapple_medicinal-plant-garden-in-Chicago

Large deeply cut leaves. Single large white flower under the leaves. Single yellow fruit. One of the first plants to come up in the spring. They are found in the forest, their fruit is covered by their large leaves. The ripe fruits are edible. CAUTION: Do not eat the fruit until it is ripe. Ripe fruits are yellow and soft. Unripe fruits are greenish and not soft. They are slightly poisonous when unripe: green fruits are strongly cathartic. Mayapples are among the first plants to come up in the spring.

Trout Lily:

Trout Lily

Also known as dogtooth violet, adder’s tongue, these bright yellow flowers are the first to bloom in the spring, they have small pointy leaves. They are found in the forests, they are edible raw.

Wild Leeks:

Wild Leeks

Wild Leeks are onion-like plants that grow in the deep woods. They come up in the spring, usually before much of anything else has come up.
The leaves and bulbs are edible. Please only collect when abundant, and then only collect scattered patches or individual plants. Ill effects may be experienced by some people if large amounts are eaten. If they don’t smell like onions, they aren’t Wild Leeks.

Black Locust Flowers:

Black-Locust

Black Locust is native to the Appalachian Mountain area and is considered an invasive tree in other places. It grows quickly, and often in clusters, crowding out native vegetation and aggressively invading fields. The roots alter the nitrogen content of the soil. Most parts of the tree are toxic, causing digestive system problems. It is only the flowers that we gather and consume.

Violets:

Violets

Along the fringes of my lawn in the shady areas are violets-several varieties. Violets are cultivated in France for perfume. This is an incredible edible. The leaves are high in vitamin C and A. I use both the leaves and flowers in salads. Keep in mind that late-season plants without flowers may be confused with inedible greens. Play it safe. Forage this plant only when it is in bloom.

Wild Onions:

oniowild

Garlic-Chives

Wild onions and wild chives grow in fields or disturbed land. Relocate chives to your yard. It will come up faithfully year after year.

The whole plant may be chopped into salads, soups, chili, and stews. Likewise for wild garlic if you are lucky enough to find this elusive plant. There is some evidence that eating wild onions, wild garlic or wild chives may reduce blood pressure and lower blood sugar.

By Suntactics.com

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46 thoughts on “52 Plants In The Wild You Can Eat

  1. Awesome! Thanks for the comprehensive list!! Would you mind if I print this out for reference?

  2. Raw elderberries should never be eaten as well as the leaves, twigs , branches, seeds and roots. They all give rise to Cyanide as your metabolism processes it…highly toxic……. Only use flowers and berries when cooked…..

    1. Not true, We’ve eaten raw elderberries in the mountains for year and years. Never even a tummy ace, Eat the fruit spit out the seeds and leave the rest of the bush alone. The leaves are very toxic.

  3. Growing up, I ate wild onions, mushrooms, lambs quarter, Poke salat, sheep showers, huckleberries, mulberries, persimmons, hickory nuts, and we had wild garlic growing in our back yard. My mother also knew where to find sassafras – the roots are used to make tea. I did learn some things here too.

    1. I loved your comment..when I was in middle school,my boyfriend found a sassafras tree growing along one of the dirt roads by our school. he showed me when you peeled off the rough brown bark,you had sassafrass. he would show me how good that “root beer” flavor was when you sucked on that root part ,(the amber colored softer part of the bark) your grandma made that tea from that,I imagine.

    2. That’s why your children were born naked and no teeth, ha ha! People have forgotten how we used to live/survive. thanks

  4. Also – SUMAC. The red cone can be put in cheesecloth, and then leached out in water. I mix SUMAC “water” with SASSAFRAS “water” and make a great cold punch for the summer. SUMAC is acidic so can be used just like crabapple peels in place of pectin to help “gel” jellies…again, just use the SUMAC red cone “water” that is leached out. I saw DAYLILIES on the list – I like to clip off the open lily, batter it with egg, milk, and cornmeal and fry it…very tasty.

  5. Poke berries can be eaten if they are ripe, not green. They can be eaten raw, put in pies, or made into wine. If you are making wine or pie you should press through a sieve and get all the seeds out first. The seeds are toxic, but they are very hard and our digestive systems will not dissolve the outer hull to loosen the poison.
    When they are in season and ripe, I eat 10 to 15 ripe berries each day, swallowed whole and not chewed. This way, the seeds do not get broken and they are safe. They help a lot with arthritis and joint pain.
    The stalks and leaves should not be eaten after they are older and have red coloring on them.
    I have seen poke seed offered for sale on ebay. They won’t grow. The seed is very hard and the only way it will grow is if the berries pass through the digestive system of birds before falling into the soil. Birds have a strong acid in their digestive juices which can soften the outer hard layer of the seeds and enable the inner seed to germinate in soil.
    Young poke leaves are really good fried with eggs or fried in bacon grease with a bit of chopped onion.
    This is a good article. I have eaten most of the plants listed. Many of these plants are also medicinal. A good source for medicinal information on wild plants is Culpepper’s Color Herbal.
    There are many, many more wild plants you can eat or use medicinally and a lot of the information is available online or in print. It is a shame so many people go hungry when most of what is growing around them is not only edible but is usually more nutritious, less likely to be chemical or bacterial contaminated, and better tasting than the food found on grocery shelves.

  6. Queen Ann’s Lace is wild carrot. There is a poisonous look alike, so be sure to smell the root to see if it smells like carrots first before consuming. The roots are delicious, but have to bee cooked to tenderize.

    1. I love your comment about the Queen Anne’s Lace! 🙂 Do you know what the root’s color is? Is it White? Orange? 😐

  7. Death Camas does not smell like an onion. It is easy to identify an onion by the smell. Simple test. I agree completely about the cooking Elderberry first. I don’t think it is poison, just upsetting to the system. Never eat them before ripe.

  8. I was thinking the same thing…cultivating some of these in your own yard? Meaning to dedicate spaces for each one. This way the area can be kept clean from any wandering pets too.

  9. Well if you want something good to eat that is meat you should check out vension

  10. Hi,
    The photo you have labelled as ‘Herb Robert’ is not Herb Robert. Herb Robert has palmate leaves, with deeply cut margins. Whilst the flowers look similar, at least in my country they have blunt petal-tips and 3 white line markings on each petal.

    1. One good book is “Wildman” Steve Brill’s “Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants – in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places” (Harper Collins Publishing, 1994, ISBN 0-688-11425-3). It is an “8½ x 11” size, about an inch thick, paperback. While it has only a few photographs, on the covers, it has beautiful and accurate drawings by Evelyn Dean, but more to the point, it has greatly detailed descriptions of the plants, where you will find them, and their properties, whether medicinal, edible, or both. You may not want only one book, but this should be among your collection. He drew some of his inspiration from Euell Gibbons and his books, “Stalking the Wild Asparagus”, “Stalking the Blue-eyed Scallop”, and “Stalking the Healthful Herbs”. These are available on Amazon.com. These books include both detailed descriptions, drawings, and wonderful stories from Gibbons’ life. Happy harvesting!

  11. I am looking for this information in book form. Is it available out there anywhere?

  12. Great stuff,can’t put it down ,better then what I learned in the Militaryvery good Medical info,wish you had more info on antibiotics,#1 killer during a breakdown in society is infection

    1. Garlic, plain old garlic, one of the most potent food medicines out there. And yes, it is an antibiotic 🙂

  13. Where can i get a book with this information in it? Also herbs, etc.., and how to make jellies or jams out of wild berries, as well as information on plants used for medicinal purposes. Thanks, Wanda Kelly

  14. I have been reading about wild plants and weeds on the internet for survival and knowledge purposes, most websites state that pokeweeds are extremely poisonous for humans and animals and that it could be fatal if only eating just one berry. The pokeweed that I found on our property looks extremely wicked and quite scary. Also my friend has a young cat that was dying of parasite infestation but she fed him garlic w\ food and he lived. To my belief the cat would have died, garlic saved his life.

    1. You boil poke weeds twice before frying with bacon and egg. It’s very good

    2. I eat pokeweed all the time in the spring. Boil the leaves with a spoonful of baking soda and pour off the water. The cooked leaves can be mixed in with scrambled eggs or used in an omelet. I’ve never eaten the berries, always believed them to be poisonous, but I read that they can be swallowed whole for medicinal purposes.

    3. Garlic is usually poisonous to cats. A great de-wormer is food grade DE (Diatomaceous Earth) which farmers use to de-worm their livestock and I use it all the time as a flea treatment for the cats and dogs which is a wonderful thing..it just takes 3 days to kill the fleas and 2 application a week apart to get rid of them for quite some time–until the next infestation comes along.

  15. Daylilies, -not *just* the flower and buds can be eaten, but the potato-like TUBERS attached to their root are edible too! These have a light nutty flavor, can be eaten raw, sliced into salads, or boiled.

    And yes, always be sure to delineate DAYLILIES from tigerlilies or easterlilies .

    I love, love LOVE Purlsane salad! That weed grows EVERYWHERE and a handful of that and you’re not hungry (wilderness survival, etc.) Purlsane (pigweed) is a close relative of quinoa, btw…

    A good list you have. I am quite familiar with over half of these, and somewhat familiar with some others.

  16. Surprised I didn’t see Chokecherries one of my favorite. I look forward to picking and
    making jelly from chokecherries. The can be a little bitter right off the bush but put in a drink or jelly is oh so yummy. I can find along the lanes in Utah in early to mid August.

  17. American Nightshade is not listed. I eat the berries and leaves raw, they are very tasty. I also boil the leaves and make tea and then I eat the boiled leaves. It grows like crazy on our property, I will start saving seeds. Mexico uses the entire plant for medicinal purposes. Clover is not listed. They have a tangy lemon favor, delicious. And Purslane is awesome, many benefits, love the taste and it is also growing everywhere here. Pokeweed, I will look at other Pokeweed plants around here because some people are saying that they eat Pokeweed, and if I like it I will save the seeds.

    Two great and amazing true stories I personally witnessed about garlic.

    My roommate has two small children that were sick with two different illnesses so she took them to the doctor. The doctor treated one illness at a time, he gave her medicine for the first illness and told her to come back in four days to treat for parasites. She fed her children fresh raw garlic clove chips for those four days. When she went back to the doctor her children had no signs in their stool that they even had parasites. The doctor asked her, “what did you do?,” her reply, “I fed them garlic.”

    My friend told me her cat was suffering from parasite infestation. Her beautiful black and white long haired very playful one year old cat was losing his hair, getting very skinny, had no energy or appetite and had parasites in his stool. She had no money to take the cat to the vet. I told her about my roommate’s issue with her children and parasites. My friend decided to try the garlic on her cat, less than a week later the cat was becoming his old self again. If it were not for the garlic I believe the cat would have died in less than two weeks, he was very sick.

  18. American Beauty Berry is not listed. Again I am finding out that some people are saying that they are poisonous and others are saying that they are not poisonous. There are some plants growing here so I will try them and let you know what I think. If I like them I will save the seeds.

  19. Pingback: 5 Plants With Nutritional And Medicinal Value
  20. If you are a ‘newbe’ you should make sure you KNOW what you are doing. There are so many look alike plants that sometimes you need a good hand lens or even a microscope to decipher the difference! You may need to find a very good botanist/forager to get you started. I have botany and taxinomic experience and I am very cautious – if in doubt, leave it out! I had, however, have an excellent professor to steer me in the right direction if need be – and still I am cautious! I would suggest finding botanical sites from Universities for you questions about species.

  21. PS. There are some very good comments here. I am just recently looking into the medicinal part of native plants! However, if you are indeed a good forager and eat healthy, you may not need much of the medicinal side of plants – as you will be eating them already!

    1. True, you need to know what you are finding and collecting as survival food, if you are not sure leave it alone. I am very careful in what I post. American Beauty Berry taste bland, berry very small and some people make jelly and jam with them.

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    posted at this site is actually nice.

  23. Wow! Thanks for this info. Such valuable and essential knowledge for living of the wild and appreciating the outdoors with bushcraft skills!

  24. Thanks for this! Appreciate it and am very grateful for this knowledge! Very valuable and essential for “Outdoorsmen, Bushcrafters & Survivalists alike..” Keep those awesome posts coming Off-The-Grid… 🙂

  25. Concerning a comment I read from 2014 about the poke leaves and stalks. I am 44 yrs old and have been eating poke leaves and stalks since I was first eating solid foods as a child. We gather them from 2 inches above the ground, all the way into the berry bearing stages. However, the misconception of the red leaves & bark being unsafe to eat or poison are unjustified. I have cleaned & cooked the red backed leaves for years and have had no problems. The stalks after a certain age should be peeled regardless of boiling, baking, or frying. I prefer the leaves and stalks rolled in flour with salt & pepper and then fried in vegetable oil. As with any fresh greens, you should only eat in moderation as they tend to give a person diarrhea due to being a fresh natural green.

  26. You’ve a great plan. Thanks for sharing this with us. I appreciate it.

  27. I really like this stuff, and I think we will need this knowledge sooner than most people think. Thanks for sharing.
    Do you know about Purslane, it is also edible loaded with vitamins and minerals, but it has a poisonous cousin, ,look exactly alike. The difference is in the liquid in the stem. You can easily cultivate it too. Find and grow that, for vitamins.

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