Eating Wild Plants

There are a number of reasons you might want tosimply eaten as is.Be sure of what it is that you are
use wild plants as food.Wild plants have some uniquegoing to eat and be sure that it is edible. Consult a
flavors that can be among your enjoyed favorites.good reference book. If possible have someone who
Watercress with something sweet such as pancakeis familiar with a particular plant point it out to you.
syrup in a peanut butter sandwich is one I particularlyMost photographs are not of high enough quality to
enjoy. Dandelion greens pesto mixed with spaghettibe relied upon to positively identify a wild plant.Some
sauce is another.Since the taste of many wild edibleedible plants have poisonous look-alikes. Some plants
plants is so different from the usual cultivatedhave edible parts and have poisonous parts. Some
vegetables, you likely will at first not accept some ofplant parts are edible only after being prepared in a
them as a delicious flavorful food. Just about anyparticular way. It is common that a small quantity of
food flavor other than sweet, salty, starchy, and fata plant can be eaten without problems but if you eat
are, I suppose, acquired tastes. It takes time fortoo much your digestive system will protest
your mind to recognize an unfamiliar flavor as a 'triedforcefully.There's about 6 or 8 disaster scenarios that
and true' favorite. Introduce a wild food into yourI can think of that seem likely to happen at some
diet by eating a small amount when you are mosttime. Most of them seem unlikely to happen in my
hungry. Repeatedly doing so can make the new foodlifetime. But you never know. Isn't it prudent to be
one that you especially enjoy.The amount ofprepared, at least to some extent, in the event the
vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in wild food,normal food supply is interrupted. Examples of
according to many sources, is on the average,disasters that seem likely to happen are an asteroid
greater in wild foods. Domesticated vegetables havehitting the earth, a massive nuclear war, a global
been selectively bred for looks, production quantity,epidemic, and the failure of one or two major crops
taste, length of storage and other qualities othersuch as corn and wheat due to a widespread disease
than nutrition.The fruits and vegetables sold in theor climate change.The gathering of wild foods is
supermarket have been chemically fertilized; exposedinteresting and enjoyable. Foraging for a favorite or
to herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and a variety ofnew addition to your menu may take you through
other chemicals; and they may have been geneticallywoods, through open fields and meadows and other
modified and/or irradiated. The safety of eating suchplaces of beauty. It is a great way to get out into
produce is of concern to many people. Wild foods forthe natural world and enjoy its complexity and
the most part, avoid those concerns. If you domajesty. It adds to the perception that the world is
gather wild foods avoid taking them from alonga good place that is to be enjoyed. It is emotionally
roadsides, lawns that have been treated withpleasing to find something that seems free and of
chemicals or any other areas that may have beenexceptional value.Making use of natural foods gives
treated.There is the possibility that supermarket foodyou greater awareness of the inter-relatedness of
can be contaminated with pathogens. Dozens ofliving things to each other and to the environment.
diseases can be spread by an infected personThat greater awareness helps us more appreciate
handling food anywhere from the time it is harvestedthe weather and climate, the abundance of nature,
until it is put into your grocery bag. Plants growing inagriculture and the food supply, and the importance
the wild are untouched by human hands.Wild plantsof protecting those things.If you are interested in a
can be prepared in many ways. Greens can be putfew detailed recipes and a couple of other general
through a food processor or blender to make pesto.preparation methods see more information on wild
Add just enough oil and/or water to let the mixtureedible plants and recipes see Foraging the Edible Wild,
process well. The pesto can then be easily mixeda list of links to more informaion see
with other ingredients such as peanut butter, tomatodmoz.org/Recreation/Outdoors/Wildlife/Plants/Edible
sauce, or syrup for flavoring. Some greens such asFor a few books on wild edible plants see
lambsquarters, chickweed and purslane can be usedtheforagerpress.com/bookstore/plantguides.htmAlan
anyway spinach is prepared. Strong or bitter tastingDetwiler started the web site Leisureideas. Visitors to
greens can be boiled changing the water once orthe site are encouraged to use imagination and
twice to reduce bitterness. This is sometimes donewhatever happens to be available to discover new
with dandelion leaves. Then other ingredients can beways to enjoy themselves.Alan writes books on how
added for flavoring and texture.Wild fruit can simplyto pursue playfulness and a sense of wonder. His
be mixed with nuts or seeds such as sunflowerbooks are available in digital format and can be
seeds or almonds.Some plants such as cattail tuberpurchased and downloaded on the eBookMall web
shoots and burdock root can be boiled to increasesite. Go to Then do a search for Detwiler.
tenderness or to reduce strong flavors and then