| There are a number of reasons you might want to | | | | simply eaten as is.Be sure of what it is that you are |
| use wild plants as food.Wild plants have some unique | | | | going 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 pancake | | | | is familiar with a particular plant point it out to you. |
| syrup in a peanut butter sandwich is one I particularly | | | | Most photographs are not of high enough quality to |
| enjoy. Dandelion greens pesto mixed with spaghetti | | | | be relied upon to positively identify a wild plant.Some |
| sauce is another.Since the taste of many wild edible | | | | edible plants have poisonous look-alikes. Some plants |
| plants is so different from the usual cultivated | | | | have edible parts and have poisonous parts. Some |
| vegetables, you likely will at first not accept some of | | | | plant parts are edible only after being prepared in a |
| them as a delicious flavorful food. Just about any | | | | particular way. It is common that a small quantity of |
| food flavor other than sweet, salty, starchy, and fat | | | | a plant can be eaten without problems but if you eat |
| are, I suppose, acquired tastes. It takes time for | | | | too much your digestive system will protest |
| your mind to recognize an unfamiliar flavor as a 'tried | | | | forcefully.There's about 6 or 8 disaster scenarios that |
| and true' favorite. Introduce a wild food into your | | | | I can think of that seem likely to happen at some |
| diet by eating a small amount when you are most | | | | time. Most of them seem unlikely to happen in my |
| hungry. Repeatedly doing so can make the new food | | | | lifetime. But you never know. Isn't it prudent to be |
| one that you especially enjoy.The amount of | | | | prepared, 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 have | | | | hitting 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 other | | | | such as corn and wheat due to a widespread disease |
| than nutrition.The fruits and vegetables sold in the | | | | or climate change.The gathering of wild foods is |
| supermarket have been chemically fertilized; exposed | | | | interesting and enjoyable. Foraging for a favorite or |
| to herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and a variety of | | | | new addition to your menu may take you through |
| other chemicals; and they may have been genetically | | | | woods, through open fields and meadows and other |
| modified and/or irradiated. The safety of eating such | | | | places of beauty. It is a great way to get out into |
| produce is of concern to many people. Wild foods for | | | | the natural world and enjoy its complexity and |
| the most part, avoid those concerns. If you do | | | | majesty. It adds to the perception that the world is |
| gather wild foods avoid taking them from along | | | | a good place that is to be enjoyed. It is emotionally |
| roadsides, lawns that have been treated with | | | | pleasing to find something that seems free and of |
| chemicals or any other areas that may have been | | | | exceptional value.Making use of natural foods gives |
| treated.There is the possibility that supermarket food | | | | you greater awareness of the inter-relatedness of |
| can be contaminated with pathogens. Dozens of | | | | living things to each other and to the environment. |
| diseases can be spread by an infected person | | | | That greater awareness helps us more appreciate |
| handling food anywhere from the time it is harvested | | | | the weather and climate, the abundance of nature, |
| until it is put into your grocery bag. Plants growing in | | | | agriculture and the food supply, and the importance |
| the wild are untouched by human hands.Wild plants | | | | of protecting those things.If you are interested in a |
| can be prepared in many ways. Greens can be put | | | | few 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 mixture | | | | edible plants and recipes see Foraging the Edible Wild, |
| process well. The pesto can then be easily mixed | | | | a list of links to more informaion see |
| with other ingredients such as peanut butter, tomato | | | | dmoz.org/Recreation/Outdoors/Wildlife/Plants/Edible |
| sauce, or syrup for flavoring. Some greens such as | | | | For a few books on wild edible plants see |
| lambsquarters, chickweed and purslane can be used | | | | theforagerpress.com/bookstore/plantguides.htmAlan |
| anyway spinach is prepared. Strong or bitter tasting | | | | Detwiler started the web site Leisureideas. Visitors to |
| greens can be boiled changing the water once or | | | | the site are encouraged to use imagination and |
| twice to reduce bitterness. This is sometimes done | | | | whatever happens to be available to discover new |
| with dandelion leaves. Then other ingredients can be | | | | ways to enjoy themselves.Alan writes books on how |
| added for flavoring and texture.Wild fruit can simply | | | | to pursue playfulness and a sense of wonder. His |
| be mixed with nuts or seeds such as sunflower | | | | books are available in digital format and can be |
| seeds or almonds.Some plants such as cattail tuber | | | | purchased and downloaded on the eBookMall web |
| shoots and burdock root can be boiled to increase | | | | site. Go to Then do a search for Detwiler. |
| tenderness or to reduce strong flavors and then | | | | |