Top 5 edible plants

psy-ops

psy-ops

Joined
Sep 27, 1999
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alot of people get overwhelmed by the plant world. It is so huge that they give up. One way to combat this is by narrowing it down a bit.

These 5 are ones I am just learning and starting to use. They are wildely available around most of the US.

I started my top 5 edible plants list. This way I have 5 right off that I can identify and prepare. I am currently working on them this summer.

1. Plantian or plantago; chewed raw leaves or as a tea can stop diarrhea (sp?) the seeds that grow on the center stalk can be pounded into a flour haven't done that yet!

2. Dandelion; leaves and roots can be eaten or drank as a tea.

3. Pig weed; leaves can be eaten raw or cooked (I have not tried this one yet)

4. Stinging nettle; boiling destroys irritant, rich in vit. C & A, plus protiens and minerals. in process.


5. Lamb's quarters; in process.
 
Depends what criteria you're looking for. But I'd say almost any such list of "top five edible plants," whether you're looking for versatility, availability, usability, or quality, should include:

1. Acorns
2. Cattails
3. Day lilies

After that, I personally would add:

4. Purslane
5. Watercress
6. Milkweed

Just because I'm partial to those particular plants.

Interesting thread. I wish there was more discussion on this.
 
Cattail would be absolutely, hands-down the number one choice. It's useful all year round, all parts are useful, and it can provide food, tinder, clothing, shelter, basketry, and insulation to stuff your clothes with in cold weather.

My personal favorites below cattail are (in no particular order):
Nettle
Camas
Chokecherry
Elderberry
Yarrow
Amole
 
Care should be taken when you eat wild watercress, as there is a snail that may live on it that is a carrier of liver flukes. This is not something you want to pick up while living off the land!
 
It's always a good idea, if you have access to the materials, to soak it in salt water for a couple hours before you eat it. Should take care of any snails.
 
thanks for the warning about the snails.

some guy here had posted about his experience with liver flukes, sounded really nasty and almost died.


when I wrote "top 5" I didn't mean the best out there, just 5 that I am working on right now. mostly it was to spark a wild edibles conversation so people would share info and such.
 
I would definetely add cattails to the list. They are abundant, easily identified, and very usefull for a variety of things including firemaking, shelter, and food. A pretty good combination. Mac
 
How can cattails feed you?
and
How do you tell them apart form bullrushes (or doesn't it matter)?
 
In a desert environment, you can eat yucca root. Had some a few weeks ago in a dish, kinda starchy like potatoes.
 
I have sampled lots of wild edibles over the years, and have come to realize that most of them taste like the dirt they are growing in. There are notable exceptions, but I have resigned myself to the fact that, should I find myself in a survival situation, I would lose a LOT of weight. :D Just remember that edibility does not equal palatability.:barf: I also have a medical condition that makes my very prone to diarrhea. Many of the more popular edibles out there would take this fact and run with it.

That said, I seldom miss a chance to make sassafrass and/or sumac tea when I'm out in the woods. I also "browse" for wild black- and blueberries, beechnuts, and honeysuckle blossoms in season. I prefer to toast or roast most nuts and seeds (acorn, pine, hickory, groundnut) because it seems to reduce the acidity and thus, the odds of upsetting my "condition".
 
Where I grew up at in north Louisisan, the edible wild stuff (that I'm aware of) includes the following :

berries : dew berry(May), black berry(May-June), mulberry(MAy-June), winter huckle-berries(Nov-Dec), spring huckle-berries (May-Jun)

grapes : muscadine (August), small grapes (name?) (Sept)

acorns (fall): white oak supposed to be best, have to be boiled and tannin water drained several times.

plants : poke salad (summer), dandelion (spring), wild onion (winter)

trees (fall) : hickory nuts, wild plums (summer), wild pecans, black walnuts, persimmon, wild cherry (summer)

tea from sassafras tree root.

cactus - prickly pear (anytime for pads, fall for fruit) rare for this area.

Many of these items should be available thru-out most of USA, at least from Texas to the east.
 
Here are my favorites, and the ones I focused on when I used to teach.
Now these are region specific, but might help some of you.

Dandelion: This has already been mentioned, but it is probably the most common in my area throughout the year (excluding the high Cascades).

Miner's lettuce: Very common in the Coast Range and parts of the Cascades, and very tasty! I literally eat this stuff like a cow when I find it, but also try not to cause to much visual impact=overgrazing. It just tastes so good.

Cattails: Very common in the lower to mid elevations around here, it has also been mentioned. I used to refer to this as the super-market when I was teaching; such a valuable plant.

Camas: Fairly common, but declining in the valley. Very easy to find in the summer by the tall blue flowers. Ok raw but better roasted.

Ponderosa pine: Very common; makes a great tea from the needles (high in vitamin C) and the nuts are not bad in the fall.

Clover: Very common in the summer, and the flowers are very sweet, especially if you can find crimson clover.

Whooops, looks like I listed six...
enjoy,
Brome
 
An interesting book on this topic is 'Food for Free' by Richard Mabey ISBN 0002198657. I'm not sure how relevant it would be to other countries but for Brits its a really interesting guide book to wild food.
D.
 
Originally posted by chrisaloia
1. Plantian or plantago; chewed raw leaves or as a tea can stop diarrhea (sp?) the seeds that grow on the center stalk can be pounded into a flour haven't done that yet!

2. Dandelion; leaves and roots can be eaten or drank as a tea.

3. Pig weed; leaves can be eaten raw or cooked (I have not tried this one yet)

4. Stinging nettle; boiling destroys irritant, rich in vit. C & A, plus protiens and minerals. in process.


5. Lamb's quarters; in process. [/B]
Click to expand...

Damn , I am de-pressed. A Southern boy, and didn't even mention Poke Salat:(

I'd also throw in Jerusleum Artichoke too

Regards
Ravenn
 
I am allergic to dandelions so they are out.My choices would be number 1 cattail(very useful),Blackberry of course,plaintain,All the nut trees such as hickory and acorn,and all the fruiting trees found at old house sites,and Yucca plants.Also polk weed.
 
it has to be boiled twice or else it is poisonous!


I got a great tour with my in-laws who own a bunch of land here in the south. elderberries, pokeweed, day lilly's, paw paw.

so my list is growing. they knbow alot of the older ways before commercialization.


I also harvested some oak saplings to make my own bow, clubs, walking sticks and tool handles.


a great book to get is earth medicine has alot of indian recipes.
 
Not so chris,we always pick it when it is young and the shoots are small and then only use the leaves,boil once and it is fine.When it grows large it becomes somewhat poisonous part the berries but its killing power is somewhat over exaggerated.
 
I only have book knowledge and second hand experience.

EDIBLE WILD PLANTS says 1 to 2 changes of water for young shoots.
They make a cautionary note! it also says you must discard the water.


Thanks for the first hand accounts. how does it taste?
 
I will cook everything I forage to eat. There are just too many nasties out there to risk not doing so.

Besides, I know of no wild edible that becomes poisonous when it is cooked.*








* Sure enough, somebody is gonna come up with an example, and make me look silly. :p Come to think of it, I did have some meals in the army that I'm pretty sure were originally edible before our cooks turned them into poison.:D
 
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