Posted on 05/22/2008 7:53:08 AM PDT by djf
Ok. I don't mean Cannabis.
These days, with the rising prices everywhere, it should be noted that there are a whole lot of edible plants that grow naturally. Of course everyone is familiar with the good old dandelion, which was originally brought to America as a food crop. But there are many other plants which are at least edible, even if not delicious, so I thought I would start a thread.
And while many wild plants aren't too easy on the tongue, the first one I will mention is quite good. And just about overflowing with vitamins and minerals.
So... without further adieu...
The best jelly in the world is MayHaw, (it grows wild in East Texas).
“Polk Salad here in Tennessee.”
Looks like it is toxic if not prepared properly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokeweed
Dandelion greens are at their best in the first weeks of spring, very tender and much less bitter than they are through the warmer months.
“What part of a dandelion is edible?”
And a lovely golden wine can be made by pinching the very tips of the yellow blossoms in the spring. A fine old gentleman in So.Dak. gifted us with Dandelion Wine that was impressive.
Lambsquarter
My grandaddy had us kids pick dandelions for wine every spring.
The tasty [but spectaculary wicked] stuff he brewed would put grown farm boys into a coma.....:))
My dad made my watermelon and banana wine.
Banana wine could easily double as drag race fuel.
[needless to say, I detest all wines to this very day]...LOL!
Get GOOD field guides if you’re going to attempt “foraging”, folks.
http://www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotany/foraging/asparagus.php
It’d be a tragedy to mistake wild parsley for poison water hemlock.
Dude! That garden is out of hand! Is that Ivy?
Originally imported as a ground cover to prevent erosion.
When left unattended, aka several days of neglecting to use a flame thrower attachment for your weed eater, it can grow to cover houses, cars, trees, telephone poles and lines, and immobile or slow-moving animals and government employees.
My father always said that a weed was just an unwanted plant. Since he didn’t give a crap what grew in his yard, he never had a weed.
During the rainy season in the South, the kudzu can grow 12-18 inches per day.
Too funny!
Yep. The highway crews here in GA occassionally use flamethrowers on the stuff. Seriously. They also control burn it.
Hi Bert,
What’s the name of the plant in the picture? The reason I ask is because I’ve got it growing all over my yard. My mother used to swear by it’s medicinal properties. She would say that if you ever have an abscess on your skin, pick a leaf, wash it, place it on your skin, and tape it down. By the next day, the abscess would be gone. Don’t know if it works, I never tried it, but she was from the old country and pretty good with healing herbs.
We used to pick wild asparagus about this time of year when I was a kid back in South Dakota. It was probably seeded from domestic plants but was very abundant back then. We would get literally bushels full. I don’t think it is quite as plentiful now because of the use of herbicides on the farms now. It was quite a treat either parboiled with butter or pickled with dill.
My father-in-law used to make dandelion salad and scrambled eggs and dandelion. I thought it was pretty good.
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