Das Trolls tasty guide to foraging and invasive plant species
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2020 12:36 am
Spring time is a favorite time for me because the woods become a grocery store if you know what to look for.
First up is an invasive plant called the garlic mustard or Alliaria petiolata. These things are easy to find on wooded area floors because they're so invasive and grow so quickly. A good time to get them is in the early spring when the tops of the plants are nice and tender. They should just pop right off. They taste mildly like their name suggests, garlic and mustard. Don't worry if you don't live in the UK, they've spread to the USA and are all over the midwest.
https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/garlic-musta ... -petiolata
Next up is a little snack called the honey suckle. I used to eat these a lot as a kid because of the little sweet bit at the base of the flower. In some places these are considered invasive because of how out of control they get along hedges and fences. You've probably seen them before. Just puck the flower off and nip the green little bud off the base and squeeze the flower. If you're lucky a clear little drop will appear, that's the nectar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeysuckle
Next up is the pawpaw, AKA Indiana Banana. These are hard to find but once you find a pawpaw tree, keep an eye out on it. The pawpaw fruits very quickly and by the time they're ready to eat, they're pretty much over ripe. They grow in the Indiana/Ohio area. Their oval shaped fruits and large waxy leaves make it look like its a tropical fruit, out of place in the northern states. The inside has a custard yellow pulp.
https://wildindiana.com/pawpaw-indiana-banana-time/
Wild garlic/wild onion are pretty much everywhere. They're quite literally weeds that will spring up on your lawn and are easy enough to find. If you're curious if it's onion or garlic, pick it and give it a sniff. That's a pretty good way to tell. They grow in clumps and grow bulbs below the ground.
Remember to take someone who knows or have a book with you when foraging. Some plants will make you sick, others may kill you.
First up is an invasive plant called the garlic mustard or Alliaria petiolata. These things are easy to find on wooded area floors because they're so invasive and grow so quickly. A good time to get them is in the early spring when the tops of the plants are nice and tender. They should just pop right off. They taste mildly like their name suggests, garlic and mustard. Don't worry if you don't live in the UK, they've spread to the USA and are all over the midwest.
https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/garlic-musta ... -petiolata
Next up is a little snack called the honey suckle. I used to eat these a lot as a kid because of the little sweet bit at the base of the flower. In some places these are considered invasive because of how out of control they get along hedges and fences. You've probably seen them before. Just puck the flower off and nip the green little bud off the base and squeeze the flower. If you're lucky a clear little drop will appear, that's the nectar.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeysuckle
Next up is the pawpaw, AKA Indiana Banana. These are hard to find but once you find a pawpaw tree, keep an eye out on it. The pawpaw fruits very quickly and by the time they're ready to eat, they're pretty much over ripe. They grow in the Indiana/Ohio area. Their oval shaped fruits and large waxy leaves make it look like its a tropical fruit, out of place in the northern states. The inside has a custard yellow pulp.
https://wildindiana.com/pawpaw-indiana-banana-time/
Wild garlic/wild onion are pretty much everywhere. They're quite literally weeds that will spring up on your lawn and are easy enough to find. If you're curious if it's onion or garlic, pick it and give it a sniff. That's a pretty good way to tell. They grow in clumps and grow bulbs below the ground.
Remember to take someone who knows or have a book with you when foraging. Some plants will make you sick, others may kill you.