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Preparation for an uncertain future
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Philip Churchill's email response
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.


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