Free Food: IDing Plants Now to Forage Next Year

by wide eyed lib

John Kallas, a Portland-based forager, recently published Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate. Although the book only covers 15 edible greens (all of which are widely distributed), it does so in the greatest detail I've ever seen. (Left: Milkweed Flowers (Asclepias syriaca) by wide eyed lib. This plant has edible parts, but unfortunately it closely resembles toxic spreading dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium).)

Every entry features plentiful photographs so each plant can be recognized at any stage of growth. Kallas also gives detailed harvest and preparation methods, including numerous recipes and tips on how to grow these plants in your own garden.

An experienced forager might find the level of detail unnecessary. But this book is geared toward beginners; it's perfect for those who may have been intimidated by plants guides in the past. It's a personal trainer for foragers, filled with extremely explicit step-by step instructions and lots of encouragement. I highly recommend it.

Covered: white lettuce & salsify

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Free Food: What Not to Forage

by wide eyed lib

People frequently ask me if I'm concerned that I might someday eat the wrong plant. I'm always nice about answering that no, I'm not at all worried. I know the plants I harvest, and if I can't ID a plant with certainty, I won't eat it. Some people, though, almost can't believe that someone can easily distinguish between individual species. That's sad enough, but then they want to project that inability on to me as well. (Right: Golden Alexander Flower (Zizea aurea) by wide eyed lib. Tea made from the root of this carrot and parsnip relative has been used to reduce fever.) There's also a misconception among some people that you have to know every plant out there before you can forage. That's like saying I would need to know every word before I could read, or like saying that I'd need to see every face out there in order to recognize my dad. Sounds kind of absurd when I put it like that, doesn't it? Covered: poison hemlock

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Free Food: Foraging Sometimes Means Waiting

by wide eyed lib

One of the frustrating things about foraging is how dependent it is on timing. You might notice blackberry blossoms (Rubus fruticosus) in May but then find the berries bug-eaten in August. The shorter the harvest period, the more likely you are to miss the window. Black locust blossoms (Robinia pseudoacacia) are at their peak for just about a week; a heavy rainfall at the wrong time can shorten that window by half. Then there's the heartache of happening upon a huge crop of mushrooms just a little too late. (Left: Chicken Mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus) by wide eyed lib. They're more common in Fall, but I found this one yesterday.) Some foraging successes are dumb luck, but others are the product of months or even years of careful observation. Once you've identified a particular plant, the waiting begins. Every bit of color on an unripe fruit whets my appetite for the harvest to come. Join me for a peek at 10 fruits that will be ripening in the coming months. Pictured: redbud, mulberry, juneberry, raspberry, cherry, cornelian cherry, apple, peach, hackberry & mayapple

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