Wild Edible Plants

By Sustainable Home (Brenda Nolen)

Back in 1999 -2000, I was looking around Yahoo groups and stumbled on a group
focused on wildly foraged edible plants. I had joined, not for some esoteric reason but
strictly out of curiosity. I had been learning about medicinal plants and it never "clicked"
that many of these same plants could be used simply as food! They were talking about
this and that and I had no idea what they were talking about. So,

I started looking up the Latin terms they used for plants and discovered many that I had
here. Unfortunately, that Yahoo group is now defunct but I do have some of the
information posted on my website: http://www.wildforager.org, one Yahoo group that
was established in 2001 (http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/forageahead/) and I just
started a new Yahoo group (thanks to a suggestion thrown into my head by Tom Inskeep)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sustainablehome/ (which won't just be focused on wild
edible plants but other topics as well).

For me, the hardest thing to learn was the terminology. The Latin name for the plant
should always be used when looking for information or asking questions. Common plant
names, like pig weed, can mean two totally different plants, depending on which coast of
the U.S. you live on. In order to properly identify an unknown plant, certain terminology
must be understood and used when asking for help with identification (some websites
will allow you to narrow the search criteria by the characteristics of a plant). So, what is
this terminology? They are based on leaf shape and margin, leaf arrangements, and root
structure (for a more comprehensive piece on plant anatomy, go here:
http://www.dmturner.org/Teacher/Library/4thText/PlantsPart2.html).

The leaf shape is ... how the leaf is shaped! Is it lance-shaped, elliptical, egg-shaped,
oblong, wedge-shaped, triangular, long-pointed, or top-shaped? The leaf margins
describe the edge of the leaf: toothed, lobed (like an oak leaf), and toothless (or smooth).
There are photos starting on page 99 of FM21-76 (an older version can be downloaded
here) http://www.ar15.com/content/manuals/FM21-76_SurvivalManual.pdf or a newer
updated version can be purchased on Amazon
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0967512395/everthingshak06). Here is an
extensive discussion on how to identify plants (mostly wildflowers)
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/learning%20about%20plants.htm. Your best bet
is to take a detailed photograph of the plant in question and submit to a website/group if
you have not been able to identify the plant.

One of the websites I use the most for identifying plants is through UC Davis:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/weeds_intro.html. It can be time consuming, not
knowing the name of the plant, but I find the extensive picture collection helps
immensely. The pictures are by plant family, so if you see a picture of a plant that is
close to yours, you are probably within the correct family of plants. That helps narrow
the search a bit. For non-Internet plant identification, I suggest watching some of the
videos I have links to and purchasing some good books (listed at the end).

Page 1 of 10
 Wild Edible Plants
By Sustainable Home (Brenda Nolen)
Once you have identified the plant, time to find out if it is edible. The easiest way is to
go to http://www.pfaf.org. They have one of the largest plant databases I have seen.

~~~NOTE~~~ Pay close attention to where you are harvesting plants. Do not harvest
plants that are known to be treated with (or exposed to) harmful chemicals. Examples
are: edges of farms (unless you know the farmer does not use herbicides/pesticides),
your neighbor's "perfect yard", along the side of roads (due to the toxicity from
exhaust and other chemicals, the consensus among those I have known is 15 to 20 feet
from the side of a well-traveled road is best). Also, never harvest (if that requires
killing) a plant if that is one of only a few (or the only one). It is best to make a note of
the location and re-visit that site next season.

In FM21-76, they detail the Universal Edibility test.

There are many plants throughout the world. Tasting or swallowing even a small portion
of some can cause severe discomfort, extreme internal disorders, and even death.
Therefore, if you have the slightest doubt about a plant’s edibility, apply the Universal
Edibility Test before eating any portion of it.

Before testing a plant for edibility, make sure there are enough plants to make the testing
worth your time and effort. Each part of a plant (roots, leaves, flowers, and so on)
requires more than 24 hours to test. Do not waste time testing a plant that is not
relatively abundant in the area.

You can see from the steps and time involved in testing for edibility just how important it
is to be able to identify edible plants.

To avoid potentially poisonous plants, stay away from any wild or unknown plants that
have—

 Milky or discolored sap.

 Beans, bulbs, or seeds inside pods.
 Bitter or soapy taste.
 Spines, fine hairs, or thorns.
 Dill, carrot, parsnip, or parsley-like foliage.
 “Almond” scent in woody parts and leaves.
 Grain heads with pink, purplish, or black spurs.
 Three-leaved growth pattern.

*Using the above criteria as eliminators when choosing plants for the Universal Edibility
Test will cause you to avoid some edible plants)

More important, these criteria will often help you avoid plants that are potentially toxic to
eat or touch. Learn as much as possible about the plant life of the areas where you train
regularly and where you expect to be traveling or working. This is especially important if

Page 2 of 10
 Wild Edible Plants
By Sustainable Home (Brenda Nolen)
you plan to bug out to a location with a different climate than yours. You must become
familiar with BOTH climates, since no two climates sustain the same wild plants.

Here are the details of the Universal Edibility test:

1. Test only one part of a potential food plant at a time. There are many plants out there
that have edible leaves or berries but poisonous roots (or vice versa).

2. Separate the plant into its basic components - leaves, stems, roots, buds, and flowers.

3. Smell the food for strong or acid odors. Remember, smell alone does not indicate a
plant is edible or inedible.

4. Do not eat for 8 hours before starting the test. That will allow you to isolate that plant
in your system. If you have any adverse reactions, you know for certain it's the plant and
not some other food you ate.

5. During the 8 hours you abstain from eating, test for contact poisoning (or
allergy/sensitivity) by placing a piece of the plant part you are testing on the inside of
your elbow or wrist. Usually 15 minutes is enough time to allow for a reaction.

6. During the test period, take nothing by mouth except purified water and the plant part
you are testing.

7. Select a small portion of a single part and prepare it the way you plan to eat it.

8. Before placing the prepared plant part in your mouth, touch a small portion (a pinch)
to the outer surface of your lip to test for burning or itching.

9. If after 3 minutes there is no reaction on your lip, place the plant part on your tongue,
holding it there for 15 minutes.

10. If there is no reaction, thoroughly chew a pinch and hold it in your mouth for 15
minutes. DO NOT SWALLOW!

11. If no burning, itching, numbing, stinging, or other irritation occurs during the 15
minutes, swallow the food.

12. Wait 8 hours. If any ill effects occur during this period, induce vomiting and drink a
lot of water.

13. If no ill effects occur, eat 1/4 cup of the same plant part prepared the same way.
Wait another 8 hours. If no ill effects occur, the plant part as prepared is safe for eating.

Page 3 of 10
 Wild Edible Plants
By Sustainable Home (Brenda Nolen)
Do not assume that a part of the plant that proved edible when cooked is also edible when
raw. Test the part raw to ensure edibility before eating the plant part raw. The same part
or plant may produce varying reactions in different individuals.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, what plants do I have in my yard and how do I use them? I will not cover
mushrooms. I do not know enough about them to be able to tell anyone about whether
they are edible or poisonous.

Cape Sorrel (Oxalis pes-caprae) has a refreshing, sour flavor. I used to pick the flowers
and chew on them all summer long. The flowers and leave are fantastic in any dish you
would normally use lemon juice in or add to a salad. Do not eat too many, or they may
upset your stomach (Cape Sorrel contains oxalic acid, which in large doses is thought to
contribute to kidney stones).

Page 4 of 10
 Wild Edible Plants
By Sustainable Home (Brenda Nolen)

Chickweed (Stellaria media) is an early spring plant. Once the temperatures reach
between 70 and 80 degrees F it starts to die. Chickweed is a good source of Vitamins A,
D, B and C, as well as containing minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium and zinc.
Chickweed's flavor is like a combination of raw corn on the cob and alfalfa sprouts. It is
excellent in salads, soups, steamed, lightly sautéed, etc. Chickweed can be preserved two
ways: dried or pureed then frozen (pour into ice cube trays, pop out into freezer bags).
The majority of information you will find online about chickweed refers to its medicinal
properties.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is the most prolific wild edible in my yard. All parts
of dandelion are edible (flowers, leaves, and roots). If you live in a part of the world
where dandelions actually go dormant during the winter (I'm in California and they grow
year round) the best time to harvest the leaves is before the plant flowers. Once
dandelions flower, the leaves become bitterer. If you like mustard greens, you will like
dandelion! Dandelion greens are high in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin
E, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Manganese,
Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper. Dandelion greens are also a wonderful

Page 5 of 10
 Wild Edible Plants
By Sustainable Home (Brenda Nolen)
diuretic. They can be cooked the same as any other green: added to a salad, quiche,
omelets, lasagna, or my favorite way to eat dandelion leaves is dried. I keep a "Greens
Jar" (well, that's what I call it but it's more like a bunch of Ziploc bags). I dry various
plant parts and herbs, crush them up, and add them to soups and herbed breads in the
winter. Do a search online and you will find tons of recipes that include (or feature)
dandelion greens (remember my website: http://www.wildforager.org). Here's different
one for you to think about: Dandelion Pesto! Take any pesto recipe and replace the basil
with dandelion greens. Dandelion flowers can be made into dandelion fritters
http://www.learningherbs.com/herbalbranch6.html (the entire flower head or just the
petals), dandelion honey (petals only), dandelion muffins (petals only), and many more
recipes. The dandelion root can be scrubbed then boiled and served with butter and
herbs, roasted at 350 degrees F until brittle then ground for use as an alternative to coffee
or you could make Roasted Dandelion Root Ice Cream
(http://www.prodigalgardens.info/dandelion%20recipes.htm)!

Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album) can be used just as spinach, since the flavor is
similar. It is also a good source of Niacin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and
a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin,
Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Page 6 of 10
 Wild Edible Plants
By Sustainable Home (Brenda Nolen)

Plantain (Plantago major) is mostly used medicinally but there are some who eat this
plant. Young plantain leaves can be added to soups or stews. Here's a recipe for Plantain
Leaf Rolls http://wildforager.survivalistssite.com/plantainleafrolls.txt.

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea, also known as Verdolagas) has a sweet-sour flavor, a

chewy texture, and is mucilaginous (slimy like okra). This green is rich in vitamin A,
vitamin C and magnesium with a fair amount of potassium and calcium. One-half cup has
about 10 calories. An exciting new health discovery is the high content of alpha linolenic
acid present in verdolagas or purslane, a type of the omega-3 fatty acids. Research is
finding these substances lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as helping to
prevent blood clots. I made a sweet relish with this. It had a great flavor but I couldn't get
past the slime. I now only eat it raw (the leaves only), sprinkled in salads. Here's a link
to Purslane with Cheese (Verdolagas Con Queso):
http://wildforager.survivalistssite.com/purslanewithcheese.txt

Page 7 of 10
 Wild Edible Plants
By Sustainable Home (Brenda Nolen)

Three-Cornered Leek (Allium triquetrum) is like wild garlic. You must be careful to
not confuse this plant with Lily of the Valley. They look exactly the same but Lily of the
Valley is highly poisonous. How do you tell the two apart? The Three-Cornered Leek
smells like a strong onion or garlic and Lilly of the Valley has no odor. I love this plant!
It has taken over half of my back yard but is a fall to spring plant here in California. The
plant is about the size of a small green onion, with a slightly larger bulb. Since this plant
is in the Leek family, the leaves are tough. They are best used as a flavoring, then
removed before eating but the bulbs can be used like garlic or onions. Three-Cornered
Leek has a stronger flavor, so the dried leaves retain more flavor than green onions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the Web
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/ Steve Brill is a wonderfully knowledgeable
naturalist.

http://foraging.com/ This website has too much information for me to list. You need to
pay attention to some of the pictures, which are listed incorrectly (like Turkey
mushrooms being listed under edible mushrooms ... they are not edible).

http://mimi54.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/weed-walk-march/ This is a perfect example

of how edible/medicinal plants can be found anywhere!

http://mushroom-collecting.com/ This site is about finding, collecting, identifying and

preparing the more safe and common edible and medicinal mushroom species of Maine,
New England, and Eastern Canada.

Page 8 of 10
 Wild Edible Plants
By Sustainable Home (Brenda Nolen)
http://www.efn.org/~bsharvy/edible.html Edible Landscaping and Gardening Plant
Descriptions, Cultivation Tips, Lore, Trivia, Cultivars by Ben Sharvy

You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/user/EatTheWeeds The most extensive video collection I have
seen about edible wild plants.

http://www.youtube.com/user/sunnysavage

And this gentleman has a few videos on Wild Edibles but has some other useful
information:
http://www.youtube.com/user/wildernessoutfitters

Books
The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find,
Identify, and Cook Them (Paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Edible-Plants-Mushrooms-
Fruits/dp/1592282881/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1249969100&sr=8-7

The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild
Plants (Paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/Foragers-Harvest-Identifying-Harvesting-
Preparing/dp/0976626608/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1249969100&sr=8-4

The Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild Plants by Department of the Army.

This seems to be a great book (mine has not arrived yet) and a bargain (new and used
copies selling for around $7)
http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Guide-Edible-Wild-
Plants/dp/1585746614/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c/184-9446319-7451725

Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not-So-Wild)
Places
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Books.Folder/I%20%26%20H%20Folder/Id%27g%2
0%26%20Hvst%27g.html

Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada

http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Medicinal-Mushrooms-England-Eastern/dp/1556437951

Page 9 of 10
 Wild Edible Plants
By Sustainable Home (Brenda Nolen)
Tools
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Purchase/WildCards.html A great tool that he sells is
a set of Wild Cards, with 52 different common wild edible and medicinal herbs and
greens. Each card has a picture, the common name, the Latin name, the area of the
United States this plant can be found, and details of their key identifying characteristics,
as well as their uses as food or home remedies. I am not sure if they come this way but
the picture of the cards shows the cards with a hole punched through them with a key
chain strung through them. This would be perfect to (once you have studied the cards)
throw in your bug-out bag or keep in your vehicle.

http://boyscoutsworld.us/Edible_Plant_Survival_Kit_Wilderness_Gear_Wild_Food.html
This deck of plant identification cards includes some of the more important edible and
poisonous plants of the west. The majority of the edible plants illustrated have been
selected because of their wide distribution and availability. Most of them are found
throughout the United States and Canada, and many are distributed throughout the world.

Page 10 of 10