Thought
your readers might be interested in this, Alan. Since the 2nd
of May I have been foraging about 70% percent of my food. Here
is a list of some of the plants I've been eating. If anyone
wants to try so this, I recommend getting a book on wild edible
plants. The plants I'm going to list are common lawn weeds and
are found nearly everywhere in the US.
Dandelion
I've eaten dandelions for years. The whole plant is edible.
I use the young leaves in salads and older leaves for cooked
greens. Some people recommend using the whole crown of leaves
but I've found there are bits of grit that are difficult to
get completely out when washing. In a survival situation it
wouldn't be a problem. The roots I peel with a vegetable peeler,
cut them into 1/2 inch pieces and boil them for about 10 minutes,
pour off the water, then I pour more boiling water over them
and cook until tender, about 20 minutes more. I add the flowers
and buds to soups.
Broadleaf Plaintain
The young leaves can be used in salads. The older leaves I
use for cooked greens. They sometimes get bitter so I use
two changes of water. I boil them for about 5 minutes, drain,
then about 5 minutes more with fresh boiling water.
Stinging Nettle
Nettles have fine stinging hairs filled with formic acid so
its best to pick them with gloves. Cooking in boiling water
for about 10 minutes destroys the stinging properties and
makes them very good greens. They are one of my favorites.
I pick the young plants up to about 8 inches tall and the
young leaves on the top of older plants.
Shepherd's Purse
The young leaves give a nice peppery flavor to salads and
soups.
Black Mustard
I like the leaves in salads and as a cooked green. Has a slight
peppery taste and works well mixed with milder plants.
Lambsquarters
The young plants up to 6 inches tall and the leaves of older
plants make great greens. Has a mild spinach-like flavor.
Wild lettuce
The young leaves can be used in salads and as greens. They
do have a slight bitterness and are best when mixed with milder
plants.
Sorrel
There are several varieties of sorrel. Here I use sheep sorrel
and woods sorrel. The leaves have a acid taste like lemon
or pineapple that goes nicely in salads. They can also be
steeped in hot water and a little honey or sugar added for
a lemonade-like drink.
Curly Dock
The young leaves can be used in salads and as a cooked green.
Another one of my favorites.
Burdock
The first year roots can be dug, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch
pieces and boiled for 10 minutes, drain and new boiling water
added, then cooked for 25 to 30 minutes until tender. The
second year flower stalks before they flower can be peeled
and added to salads or used as a cooked vegetable. I boil
them for about 10 minutes.
Mallow
I use the young leaves in salads and the older leaves as greens
or in soups as a thickener. They cook up with an okra-like
consistency. The round immature seed pods can also be used
salads and soups.
Amaranth or Redroot Pigweed
The young plants up to 4 or 5 inches tall make excellent greens,
especially with melted cheese over them. Boil for about 10
minutes. The older leaves can be used as greens or in soups.
Purslane
The young plants can be used in salads or as greens. The older
plants can be used as a cooked vegetable. I occasionally make
pickles from the larger stems.
This will give you a good start if you want to try a few
wild plants in your meals. I use thirty to fourty different
plants here in SD through the spring and summer when camping,
and I'm familiar with a couple hundred more. One thing you
should remember is that wild plants have more fiber than the
commercial varieties. At the amounts I'm using, I'm getting
about 5 or 6 times the fiber found in the average American
diet. I had four or five bowel movements a day until my system
got used to the high fiber level, about a week. I also eat
more often since this diet is very low in calories compared
to the average diet. One thing I've noticed is I get intense
cravings for sweets. I've been eating a few raisins or dried
fruit to help curb them and fresh fruit when I have it.
This is the first year I'm going to try to forage most of
my food instead of just doing so when camping so it will prove
interesting to see how long I can go at it. I plan on doing
regular updates and I'll make more lists of the plants I've
eaten over the summer.