Oyster Plant or Common Salsify !

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
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Spotted this edible the other day...Oyster Plant or Common Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius-for Doc Canada ).
P6200008.jpg

For the interest of W&SS I decided to try it and give my verdict !

The roots are the the main food part of the plant and are actually quite easy to get to and pull out with the plant, no digging required !!!
P6250016.jpg

I peeled the outer and sampled the root itself. It is very fiberous and without much taste, it is said to taste like Oysters but I couldn't really taste much of anything. I would imagine that the texture would improve with cooking and that it would soften up a little.
The nearest Vegetable I could describe the taste and texture to would be Turnip but Salsify has much less taste.

To sum up...
would I eat Salsify in a Survival situation.....Most certainly !
Did I like it so much I took some home for dinner.....NO !!!
 
pitdog said:
Spotted this edible the other day...Oyster Plant or Common Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius-for Doc Canada ).
Click to expand...

I am very proud this evening! Sniff!! :D

All kidding aside, because we are of such varied locales, binomials are very important.

BTW, pitdog, I almost missed this. There was a ton of new posts to check out and I found this on the second page, where I wasn't sure if I had checked or not.

Great pictures, great lesson!

Thanks pitdog.

Doc
 
Oyster Plant, Salsify, Goatsbeard
I like to cook the tender buds before they open into a flower. They are great. They can also be eaten raw. The roots IMHO are best parboiled for a few minutes and then fried.
Oldman/Marty
 
Wow, I really don't know much about wild plants. Thanks for the lesson Pitdog, and the follow up from you other guys. I learn something new all the time on this forum. Makes me grateful to participate...
 
DOC-CANADA said:
I am very proud this evening! Sniff!! :D

All kidding aside, because we are of such varied locales, binomials are very important.

BTW, pitdog, I almost missed this. There was a ton of new posts to check out and I found this on the second page, where I wasn't sure if I had checked or not.

Great pictures, great lesson!

Thanks pitdog.

Doc
Click to expand...
I too noticed the post was slipping down at quite a rate, sad really when this stuff is probably more important than what knife ya carry !
I thought about suggesting a sticky where we post a review with pics on a particular edible plant or fungi but without anyone adding replies.In this way it would become like a reference guide. I know that you have tried similar posts in the past though and most people on here just aren't interested !!!:(
 
oldman/Marty said:
Oyster Plant, Salsify, Goatsbeard
I like to cook the tender buds before they open into a flower. They are great. They can also be eaten raw. The roots IMHO are best parboiled for a few minutes and then fried.
Oldman/Marty
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Marty what do the buds taste like ?
 
pitdog said:
I too noticed the post was slipping down at quite a rate, sad really when this stuff is probably more important than what knife ya carry !
I thought about suggesting a sticky where we post a review with pics on a particular edible plant or fungi but without anyone adding replies.In this way it would become like a reference guide. I know that you have tried similar posts in the past though and most people on here just aren't interested !!!:(
Click to expand...

I agree 100% except for the sticky part. First of all, I don't like stickies. Secondly, if somebody is interested, they need to copy and save it. I guess the problem is that this is a knife sub-forum first and a survival sub-forum secondly.

Maybe the answer is to include a knife with every plant picture. :D

oldman/Marty, thank you for the input, although I don't know if I (62) should be calling you oldman. :D

Doc
 
Guys, I would DEFINITELY be interested in posts like this! I agree with pitdog...this type of info is more important than what knife you're carrying today. Yeah, I know, that borders on "blasphemy" saying that here, but it is the truth!:eek:

If you know what types of plants are edible, you can stay alive, if necessary. And as our forefathers proved time and time again, you can get by with a common butcher knife!:thumbup::D

Just my $0.02 worth!

Ron
 
I love these types of post as I am trying to learn about wild edibles. I wouldn't mind the sticky, but I actually do copy and paste alot of threads that interest me.

Good job Pit.
 
I save most of them but I really suck at plant ID.:( I can tell alot of trees apart and can instantly spot common edibles (blackberry bushes, hazelnut, crab apples, wild plums and pears are all pretty common here) but flowers and stuff just doesn't process with me. I like these posts better than knife posts actually but I never really post about it because I never have a camera on me.
 
3wolves said:
I save most of them but I really suck at plant ID.:( I can tell alot of trees apart and can instantly spot common edibles (blackberry bushes, hazelnut, crab apples, wild plums and pears are all pretty common here) but flowers and stuff just doesn't process with me. I like these posts better than knife posts actually but I never really post about it because I never have a camera on me.
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Hey don't let me give a false impression, I know quite a few plants but I'm no genius, I try and take a small guide book in my pocket when I hike and when I see an interesting plant or flower I just look it up or take a pic and look it up when I get home.
I actually enjoy taking pics of plants the most as they make the best models and stay put while you take the pic !
Gaining an interest in wild edibles is just another way of making your hikes more fun as it gives you another aspect of nature to focus on !!!;):thumbup:
 
Doc-Canada,
After 40 plus years of teaching wild plants I still have a problem trying to tell people what certain plants taste like. Even Euell Gibbons said the same thing. However the young buds of Oyster Plant are sweet & mild & in my opinion taste something like Artichokes.
Many years ago Ron Hood called me oldman because I was about 1 year older than him and I started using that name on the Hoods forum and everywhere else. Whether you are younger or older than I am you can still call me oldman.
Oldman/Marty Simon
 
oldman/Marty said:
Doc-Canada,
After 40 plus years of teaching wild plants I still have a problem trying to tell people what certain plants taste like. Even Euell Gibbons said the same thing. However the young buds of Oyster Plant are sweet & mild & in my opinion taste something like Artichokes.
Many years ago Ron Hood called me oldman because I was about 1 year older than him and I started using that name on the Hoods forum and everywhere else. Whether you are younger or older than I am you can still call me oldman.
Oldman/Marty Simon
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Roger, oldman! :D

Doc
 
Hey Doc-Canada,
Seeing as you live in Southern Ontario, you're not that far away from us. How about coming to WAR in September. This is a personal invite, of course you will have to put up with Brian Jones.
Oldman/Marty Simon
 
oldman/Marty said:
Hey Doc-Canada,
Seeing as you live in Southern Ontario, you're not that far away from us. How about coming to WAR in September. This is a personal invite, of course you will have to put up with Brian Jones.
Oldman/Marty Simon
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Hey Marty,

Thank you so much for the personal invite. I always welcome the opportunity to learn. Unfortunately I will not be able to make it and not because of Brian, either :rolleyes:.

From all reports, your events are top notch so if it were possible I would be there.

Have a really fun, safe and rewarding weekend and take lots of pictures, of course. :)

Doc
 
oldman/Marty said:
Hey Doc-Canada,
Seeing as you live in Southern Ontario, you're not that far away from us. How about coming to WAR in September. This is a personal invite, of course you will have to put up with Brian Jones.
Oldman/Marty Simon
Click to expand...

HA! I missed this one! LOL!

:D
 
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