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cameal



Registered: 09/24/09
Posts: 449
Loc: PNW, Canada
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
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Wild Plant Hunting 1
#13634069 - 12/14/10 08:47 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
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I am an avid gardener, cook, and wild mushroom hunter. These interests blend to make me a wild food forager in general- including wild plants.
I would like to hear from you all about the delicious and wonderful wild plants you've found and eaten. I'd also like to help ID edible plants too, so post those here!
Good photos and recipes are encouraged.
Here's one of mine for example:
Ricotta Gnocchi in Creamed Stinging Nettle

Ingredients: 1/3 shopping bag fresh stinging nettle 3 shallots 2 tbsp butter 1/3 c cream
1/4 cup grated parm Salt and Pepper Chives and parmesan for garnish
PLUS:1 handful per person of ricotta gnocchi or other pasta
Directions:
1.Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil. Toss in the nettles (remember to use gloves as they sting!) and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Remove nettles from the water which we will reserve for cooking the gnocchi. Blend the nettles well and put aside.

2.Next, gently sautee the well-chopped shallots in the butter until they're very soft (about 10 minutes). Add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the cream coats the back of a spoon (about 2 minutes) then add the grated parmesan and blended nettles.

3.Allow to simmer while you cook the gnocchi for about 4 minutes in the reserved nettle water. If you're using frozen gnocchi, cook for about 2 minutes longer.

4.I really like saucy pasta, so first I ladle some of the creamed nettles onto a serving dish then I top with the pasta, more sauce, and the garnish.
-------------------- I advise any noob looking to identify mushrooms to fill out the ID form and provide clear photographs. Knowledge is a privilege and deserves respect. Let's give due props to the experts!
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2859558484
Growery is Better



Registered: 01/10/06
Posts: 8,752
Last seen: 3 years, 4 months
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: cameal]
#13634453 - 12/14/10 10:05 PM (13 years, 1 month ago) |
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tell us about Identification
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cameal



Registered: 09/24/09
Posts: 449
Loc: PNW, Canada
Last seen: 3 years, 8 months
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Um... what do you want to know about identification?
I can tell you that the stinging nettle I used in my recipe is native to North America but can be found in many other places. It's usually seen as a pest because it causes a rash if you touch it, but if you pick it wearing gloves and cook it or dry it out, nettle is a great edible and an excellent source of iron and can cure anemia. It's very good for women during their cycle.

Is that what you wanted to know? Do you have a plant that needs an ID? Show me a picture and we can go from there.
-------------------- I advise any noob looking to identify mushrooms to fill out the ID form and provide clear photographs. Knowledge is a privilege and deserves respect. Let's give due props to the experts!
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falcon


Registered: 04/01/02
Posts: 8,005
Last seen: 5 hours, 37 minutes
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: cameal]
#14699028 - 06/30/11 09:28 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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Plantago major Plantain, I like this stuff, I just pick it and chew on it.
I don't do much with recipes and wild plants, but this and a couple others I like to eat. Plaintain developes a mild liquorice flavor after you chew on it a while.
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snoot
look alive ∞




Registered: 01/30/05
Posts: 9,640
Loc: 45º parallel
Last seen: 3 days, 18 hours
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: falcon]
#14701567 - 07/01/11 12:13 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
falcon said: Plantago major Plantain, I like this stuff, I just pick it and chew on it.
I don't do much with recipes and wild plants, but this and a couple others I like to eat. Plaintain developes a mild liquorice flavor after you chew on it a while.
haha thats edible eh? that grows everywhere round here.
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∞ I am incapable of conceiving infinity, and yet I do not accept finity. - Simone de Beauvoir -
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falcon


Registered: 04/01/02
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Last seen: 5 hours, 37 minutes
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: snoot]
#14702373 - 07/01/11 03:16 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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Yah, ha, it is here pretty much too. Purslane is my favorite weed to eat these days. I eat it raw in late summer, but also freeze some for later in the year. Don't have any recipes for it either, but it's good chopped up and put in soups.
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snoot
look alive ∞




Registered: 01/30/05
Posts: 9,640
Loc: 45º parallel
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: falcon]
#14703722 - 07/01/11 07:59 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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ever do wild leeks or ramps?
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∞ I am incapable of conceiving infinity, and yet I do not accept finity. - Simone de Beauvoir -
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falcon


Registered: 04/01/02
Posts: 8,005
Last seen: 5 hours, 37 minutes
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: snoot]
#14703936 - 07/01/11 08:53 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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Yep. Ever transplant some? They take pretty well to any shady place.
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cryptic_pickle
Stranger



Registered: 05/22/08
Posts: 677
Loc: Australia
Last seen: 11 years, 1 month
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: falcon]
#14717577 - 07/04/11 08:50 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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Sweet I have some purslane in my garden, I thought it was a weed. Same with plantago. I find it fascinating that plants you walk by in urban areas, have a history of cultivation and use for hundreds of years but for one reason or another have been forgotten about. Suppose it shows how out of touch the industrialized culture has become with food plants and nature.
Do you know of any others falcon?
-------------------- "What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke that morning?" "He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'" "And why did that upset you?" "My name is Susan."
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falcon


Registered: 04/01/02
Posts: 8,005
Last seen: 5 hours, 37 minutes
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Ok, one more, Sheep sorrel. Don't go out of my way to pick this one, but if I run across it I'll eat it and pick some for later. Has a tart clean flavor when young. Ha, two more, the second though isn't wild, grape leaves off a vine that can be used to make stuffed grape leaves are good to chew on when they are past the bud stage a bit, about the size of the ones in my avatar.
Edited by falcon (07/05/11 06:33 PM)
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snoot
look alive ∞




Registered: 01/30/05
Posts: 9,640
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: falcon]
#14722731 - 07/05/11 09:26 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
falcon said: Ok, one more, Sheep sorrel. Don't go out of my way to pick this one, but if I run across it I'll eat it and pick some for later. Has a tart clean flavor when young. Ha, two more, the second though isn't wild, grape leaves off a vine that can be used to make stuffed grape leaves are good to chew on when they are past the bud stage a bit, about the size of the ones in my avatar.
yeah grape leaves are delicious, you need to boil them tho first I think just to break em down a bit in some nice salt water like pasta almost. then either blanch em or use em straight away.
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∞ I am incapable of conceiving infinity, and yet I do not accept finity. - Simone de Beauvoir -
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falcon


Registered: 04/01/02
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Last seen: 5 hours, 37 minutes
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: snoot]
#14723357 - 07/05/11 11:28 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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To make grape leaves with the mature ones, I steam or boil to make them more pliable to wrap around the stuffing tighter. The really young ones I'll eat without cooking, they're sour and a little astringent. Some varieties of grapes the leaves are very tough, and cooking without salt doesn't break them down, I'm going to try to precook some of the tough ones with some salt.
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trillby33


Registered: 07/08/08
Posts: 126
Last seen: 2 years, 7 months
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: falcon]
#14734508 - 07/08/11 01:40 AM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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I'm currently eagerly watching a stand of cat-tails. When they form the "tail" but before it actually blooms, they are delicious if you boil them in water and eat them with butter and a little salt. It's like corn on the cob. Three or four years ago, the university accidentally planted blueberry bushes along one walk instead of the swamp azalea that they've got growing everywhere else. I've enjoyed the fruits of this mistake ever since.
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snoot
look alive ∞




Registered: 01/30/05
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: trillby33]
#14751009 - 07/11/11 12:13 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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Quote:
trillby33 said: I'm currently eagerly watching a stand of cat-tails. When they form the "tail" but before it actually blooms, they are delicious if you boil them in water and eat them with butter and a little salt. It's like corn on the cob. Three or four years ago, the university accidentally planted blueberry bushes along one walk instead of the swamp azalea that they've got growing everywhere else. I've enjoyed the fruits of this mistake ever since. 
how are cat tails? Ive heard various things, some say they are really bitter some say they are really sweet. I'm suppose its all a matter of whne you harvest them.
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∞ I am incapable of conceiving infinity, and yet I do not accept finity. - Simone de Beauvoir -
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trillby33


Registered: 07/08/08
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Last seen: 2 years, 7 months
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: snoot]
#14753320 - 07/11/11 08:03 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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I've always found them to be delicious - kind of like corn on the cob taste-wise, except possibly a little less sweet. I wouldn't say bitter though. Of course, I've never harvested them in a temperate climate zone before, so we shall see when these ones are ready.
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Ghost
Chaotic


Registered: 06/27/11
Posts: 265
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: trillby33]
#14760123 - 07/12/11 11:17 PM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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Not exactly wild. Besides the obvious edible plants (oranges, plums etc.) that you might find in your neighborhood here are a few edibles you might find in an urban environment. I live in Southern California so keep that in mind when looking for these plants.
Fennel:


The bulbs foliage and seeds are all edible. The foliage and seeds have a strong anise flavor but the bulb is fairly mild especially when cooked. The bulb makes a good addition to soups. I usually see it along freeways or abandoned areas.
Pineapple guava:



The fruit and flowers are edible. The fruit has a nice tangy sweet flavor but is a bit mealy. The flower petals can be eaten when they are a few days old, soft and detach with a gentle tug. They have a nice delicate taste and texture. I usually see them in people's yards.
Tulbaghia violacea (society garlic)

The flowers are small and edible and taste strongly of garlic. I find it all over the place but it is usually intentionally planted not wild.
Tropaeolum (Nasturtium)

All parts of the plant are edible. The flowers taste a bit... waxy really more decorative than anything. The leaves and stalks have a peppery taste. Common in planters and as decorative foliage.
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PoC
Relax


Registered: 03/10/04
Posts: 2,142
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: Ghost]
#14765959 - 07/14/11 01:00 AM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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Wild edibles? You must check out Eat the Weeds with Green Deane if you haven't already.
Some stuff around here in the PNW to look out for are miner's lettuce, sheep sorrel, oxalis (in moderation), stinging nettles, cleavers, hairy bittercress/popweed/Cardamine hirusta, pokeweed (if prepared correctly), dandelions, salmonberry, red and blue huckleberries, evergreen huckleberries, elderberries, thimbleberries, oregon grape for jam, blackberries, raspberries, hawthorn berries, currants, gooseberries, marionberries, etc. And depending on the season always gotta keep those eyes out for the prized mushroom finds All kinds of edible fruits, leaves, and flowers up in the trees too.
EDIT: Also, I have two pineapple guavas planted in the garden here. They're a bit borderline plants here and I've read they probably won't get fruit but maybe I can at least get some flowers and I think they're lovely plants.
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Edited by PoC (07/14/11 01:04 AM)
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snoot
look alive ∞




Registered: 01/30/05
Posts: 9,640
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: PoC]
#14766107 - 07/14/11 01:56 AM (12 years, 6 months ago) |
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http://invasivore.org/
is another awesome website that details in edible invasive plants! cheers!
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∞ I am incapable of conceiving infinity, and yet I do not accept finity. - Simone de Beauvoir -
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hidenseek
loafter



Registered: 06/10/09
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: snoot]
#14889868 - 08/08/11 11:39 AM (12 years, 5 months ago) |
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this thread is 
i like to chew and spit out stag horn sumac- taste lemony
people make sumac-ade
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snoot
look alive ∞



Registered: 01/30/05
Posts: 9,640
Loc: 45º parallel
Last seen: 3 days, 18 hours
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Re: Wild Plant Hunting [Re: hidenseek]
#14889935 - 08/08/11 11:54 AM (12 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
hidenseek said: this thread is 
i like to chew and spit out stag horn sumac- taste lemony
people make sumac-ade

its quite nice actually, just make sure you know what you're doing first, as poison sumac will ruin your week.
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∞ I am incapable of conceiving infinity, and yet I do not accept finity. - Simone de Beauvoir -
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