a. Collecting and living off of wild edibles is very hard work and involves a great deal of time in exchange for a meager amount of food.
b. Collect only a small percentage of the available "crop," leaving enough to continue production.
c. Digging up tubers and roots kills the entire plant, so harvest them sparingly unless the plants grow in abundance.
d. Moderation is the key. Some wild foods have unpleasant side effects in over indulgence.
e. Certain wild foods can cause severe toxicity if eaten in large amounts.
f. DONT EAT ANY WILD WEED UNTIL YOU POSITIVELY CONFIRM IT'S IDENTITY.
DANDELION
Overview: The common dandelion provides one of the best-tasting and most nutritious wild vegetables in East Texas.
Where found: Sunny, open areas, meadows, pastures.
Identifiers: Tap rooted; can be annual or perennial. Jagged toothed, pinnately lobed leaves, which form a basal rosette. All leaves originate from the base. The solitary yellow flower head emerges from the center of the rosette on a leafless hollow stem several inches tall. About 1-1.5 inches across, the rounded head consists solely of ray flowers. The plant has milky white sap. Round seed heads are unmistakable.
Edible Parts: Everything on the Dandelion is edible.
Harvesting: Can remove leaves, or entire plant, including root. If you do not remove the root, the plant will grow back fairly quickly.
Preparation:All parts of the plant can be eaten raw, or simply boiled like other vegetables. The leaves are best when they are young. The only factor to consider is that of bitterness. Dandelion, like most other edible wild grasses, is bitter, although not terribly so. Most of the bitterness can be cooked out of the vegetable by boiling for approximately 20 minutes, and doing at least 2 water changes during cooking time. The downside to this is that by changing out water, you are throwing away many of the vitamins and nutrients that cook out of the plant and into the water.
Non-Food Uses: Dyes (light yellow from flowers and light tan from roots). Not the best choice for dyes.
Medicinal Uses: Although listed as a medicinal plant at one time in the US Pharmacopoeia, there are known confirmed medicinal uses, other than use for it's nutritional value. The Chinese used an extract of the root as a diuretic, antibacterial and anti-fungal agent, but chemical analysis leads to questionability of use for this.
PIGWEED
Overview: Pigweed, considered a nuisance plant, makes a great salad, and is readily available in East Texas. There are some 20 species of Pigweed in Texas, and all of them are edible, although their bitterness varies from species to species. The plant is seeing a comeback in the United States, but under it's formal name (Amaranth) in restaurants, and health food stores. The characteristics that cause them to become problem weeds are the same characteristics that make them so attractive as crops. They grow quickly and produce seeds prolifically. They are pretty drought tolerant and grow in a variety of soil and lighting conditions. They are fast growing plants and large enough for use as green vegetables in four to six weeks. In Texas, the greens can be harvested several times in one season.
Where Found: Damned near every field has Pigweed. It grows especially dense along the western side of the Hidey-Hole in plentiful abundance. Look in open, sunny fields and pastures.
Identifiers: Because there are so many species specific to Texas, characteristics very from species to species They vary from small prostrate herbs to large plants several feet tall. Oval to lance-shaped leaves alternate on the stem, and the midribs and veins protrude noticeably from the bottom of the leaves. Leaves and stems vary from hairy to smooth in texture. The inconspicuous flowers grow clustered together in dense spikes that protrude from the axils of the leaves and may droop rather sadly from the top of the plant. Though most plants are green, some may have a red or purple tinge on the flower petals, bracts, and branches.
Edible Parts: Greens, stems, seeds. Best when young, as the stems and leaves become more fibrous and bitter as the plant ages.
Harvesting: Dig up the whole plant before the flowers emerge. You can use the root, leaves, and the flower buds tucked away at the crown of the root. Though available year round, the plants are best from late fall to early spring. If you collect the leaves and buds when they are very young, you can use them raw in salads. If too bitter, boil.
Preparation:The young plants and growing tips of older plants make nutritious vegetables, and can either be eaten raw, or boiled. It is generally acceptable to do 2 water changes over a 20 minute boiling time, to help cut down on the bitterness, and remove any visible spines that may be present. You can continuing the boiling until the bitterness is reduced. Serve with butter and lemon.
Pigweed seeds can be eaten raw, cooked into grits-like consistency, or ground into flour.
Non-Food Uses: Red flower spikes will make light red dye
Medicinal Uses: None known.
SOW THISTLE
Overview: Commonly thought of as nuisance weeds in gardens and yards. Provides a reasonable, though bitter, potherb. Hardy plant. After buds form, the plants become too bitter to eat.
Where Found: Gardens, open yards. Young plants can pop up anytime of year, but prefer more fair to warmer weather.
Identifiers: Alternate leaves clasp a stem, thickly covering it. Flexible prickles tip the teeth of the pinnately lobed leaves. Flower heads top a leafy stalk that is usually less than 2 feet tall, but may reach 6 feet. The yellow flowers and the ball of seeds attached to feathery parachutes resemble the flowers and seeds of dandelions, but sow thistle seeds are smaller, usually less than 1 inch across.
Edible Parts: Young basal leaves preferable. Young shoots. After flower forms, plant generally is too bitter to eat, even with water exchanges.
Harvesting: Collect young basal leaves from fall to spring, but young parts can be harvested as the plant will grow.
Preparation: If collected early enough in the plants life, the leaves can be eaten raw. More likely, one will want to boil them briefly in 1-3 changes of water to reduce bitterness. You can mix them with other greens and serve with butter/lemon. Young shoots can be prepared as a cooked or steamed vegetable.
Non-Food Uses: None Known.
Medicinal Uses: Although no known studies exist on the chemical constituents, Sow Thistle has been used as a cathartic and worm eliminator.
OAK ACORNS
Overview: A primary food source among Texas native Americans. They ground the nuts up for flour, made oil for cooking, and ate the nuts raw, with some advance preparation. In fact, preparing a few pounds of acorn flour or raw acorns for consumption requires hours of labor. The flour makes a rich flavor.
Where Found: Throughout East Texas. The Hidey-Hole has several Oaks dispersed throughout, but is perhaps only 5% of the timber available.
Identifier: Oaks are shrubs or trees with alternate, simple leaves. Most oak trees are lobed, but the leaves of some (live oak) are mostly entire. Texas has 40 species of oaks, and differentiation can be quite difficult. Dead oak leaves cling to the branches throughout the winter. Live oaks maintain their green throughout the winter, and drop their leaves in the spring, just before new growth emerges. In the winter, a cluster of buds at the branch tips is a good clue that you are looking at an oak. Male flowers occur in dropping catkins loaded with pollen; female catkins are so small as can go unnoticed. The pollinated female flowers develop into acorns in one or two years.
Edible Parts: Acorn nuts.
Harvesting: Collect off the ground, or spread a tarp under the tree and shake the limbs. Use the ripe acorns, with tan to brown shells, not the green ones. Collect three times as many as you think you will need - expect at least half of them to be molded or infested with insects. Shell the acorns as you would any nut.
Preparation: Shell acorns and remove kernels. If a thin brown corky layer clings to the light colored flesh, peel off the layer. Toss nuts into a large pot, and cover with plenty of water. Bring nuts to a boil, then boil for about 15 minutes. The water will turn brown, as the tannic acid is excreted. This water can be used for dye. Throw out this water and replace it with fresh water. Re-boil the acorns several times in this method, until the water no longer turns brown. The boiling process takes two to three hours generally.
When finished, the acorns will no longer taste bitter, and will have turned a darker brown. Spread them out and allow them to dry. Tastes better with slight roasting.
Non-Food Uses: Tannin dye as described above.
Medicinal Uses: None known from the acorn. The inner bark of the oak have had some value in the past as an astringent.
WILD ONION
Overview: Take care to distinguish onions from toxic similar plants, such as Crow Poison, which looks very similar. Never gather plants that lack the distinct smell of onion. Don't let musky odors of the toxic look-alikes fool you. Crow poison's white to cream colored flowers distinguish it from wild onion.
Where Found: Wild onion can be found at the Hidey-Hole in limited quantities. It is most commonly found on the western side of the creek. It is abundant in the East Texas area.
Identifiers: Leaves and bulbs have a distinct oniony odor. Leaves are basal and linear, like tall blades of grass. Most Texas species bloom in the spring. Six tepals form small flowers that can be yellow, pink, red, or purple. Flowers occur in umbels at the top of the slender flower stalk and may stand erect or nodding. Seeds are black and wrinkled. Some are in abundance along stream banks.
Edible Parts: Bulbs and leaves.
Harvesting: Typically best in spring.
Preparation: Use in any recipe calling for onions - salads, soups, stews, meat dishes, casseroles, etc. Wild onions will have a stronger flavor than store-bought, so use sparingly.
Non-Food Uses: Skins of cultivated yellow and red onions can be used as dye.
Medicinal Uses: Roots are thought to be antiseptic.
WILD BLACKBERRY
Overview: Abundant in East Texas and at the Hidey-Hole.
Where Found: Forests, thickets, along streams.
Identifiers: Unmistakable blackberry look. There are nearly a dozen species in East Texas alone. Prickly hairs and spines cover the vines and shoots. Shrubbery with arching shoots. Preceded by white flowers which turn to fruit.
Edible Parts: Fruit. Leaves can be made into tea.
Harvesting: Abundant in late spring and early summer. Not resistant to high heat/drought.
Preparation: Can be eaten raw or made into juice or jams.
Non-Food Uses: Fruits can be made into dyes.
Medicinal Uses: None known.
PURSLANE
Overview: Another common weed in East Texas thought to be a nuisance plant, but with beneficial purpose. It should be noted that purslane binds up calcium in the body, so if you are eating a diet which is low in calcium, you may want to steer clear of purslane.
Where Found: Lawns, fields, cracks in sidewalks. Prefers sunny, hot areas. No soil preference; can grow in sand.
Identifiers: A low growing annual. Produces numerous prostrate and erect succulent stems, and it's fleshy leaves alternate on the stem. Simple leaves are 1/4 - 1 inch in length. Flowers are small.
Edible Parts: Stems and leaves.
Harvesting: Best in the hot season, when other edible plants have wilted.
Preparation: Chop up fresh leaves and stems for salad. Use entire above ground plant boiled, steamed, fried, or pickled. Juice from stems makes good thickener for soups.
Non-Food Uses: Unknown.
Medicinal Uses: Unknown.
CLEAVERS
Overview: Known as bedstraw in these parts, with a variety of species in Texas.
Where Found: Slopes in woods, abandoned fields, along shorelines.
Identifiers: A trailing annual which covers large patches of ground. Stiff, prickly hairs cover the leaves, stems, and fruits. Square stems are lined with whorls of six to eight leaves. Usually the linear leaves are less than one inch long, but have been known to grow as long as 3 inches. Tiny white flowers.
Edible Parts: Leaves and stems.
Harvesting: Late fall to summer.
Preparation: Place tender leaves/stems in pot with small amount of water, simmer for 10 minutes, and serve with butter and lemon. Can be mixed with other greens. Prickly hairs make swallowing raw difficult, but can be quickly boiled to address. Younger plants are preferable, as older become more fibrous.
Non-Food Uses: Stuffing for beds, pallets, etc. Thought to yield a reddish dye, but because the roots are so thin, it's probably hardly worth the effort to collect enough when other possibilities are more plentiful.
Medicinal Uses: Tea has been known to be a diuretic and mild laxative. Cool tea has also been known to soothe sunburn.
SOW THISTLE
Overview: Commonly thought of as nuisance weeds in gardens and yards. Provides a reasonable, though bitter, potherb. Hardy plant. After buds form, the plants become too bitter to eat.
Where Found: Gardens, open yards. Young plants can pop up anytime of year, but prefer more fair to warmer weather.
Identifiers: Alternate leaves clasp a stem, thickly covering it. Flexible prickles tip the teeth of the pinnately lobed leaves. Flower heads top a leafy stalk that is usually less than 2 feet tall, but may reach 6 feet. The yellow flowers and the ball of seeds attached to feathery parachutes resemble the flowers and seeds of dandelions, but sow thistle seeds are smaller, usually less than 1 inch across.
Edible Parts: Young basal leaves preferable. Young shoots. After flower forms, plant generally is too bitter to eat, even with water exchanges.
Harvesting: Collect young basal leaves from fall to spring, but young parts can be harvested as the plant will grow.
Preparation: If collected early enough in the plants life, the leaves can be eaten raw. More likely, one will want to boil them briefly in 1-3 changes of water to reduce bitterness. You can mix them with other greens and serve with butter/lemon. Young shoots can be prepared as a cooked or steamed vegetable.
Non-Food Uses: None Known.
Medicinal Uses: Although no known studies exist on the chemical constituents, Sow Thistle has been used as a cathartic and worm eliminator.
OAK ACORNS
Overview: A primary food source among Texas native Americans. They ground the nuts up for flour, made oil for cooking, and ate the nuts raw, with some advance preparation. In fact, preparing a few pounds of acorn flour or raw acorns for consumption requires hours of labor. The flour makes a rich flavor.
Where Found: Throughout East Texas. The Hidey-Hole has several Oaks dispersed throughout, but is perhaps only 5% of the timber available.
Identifier: Oaks are shrubs or trees with alternate, simple leaves. Most oak trees are lobed, but the leaves of some (live oak) are mostly entire. Texas has 40 species of oaks, and differentiation can be quite difficult. Dead oak leaves cling to the branches throughout the winter. Live oaks maintain their green throughout the winter, and drop their leaves in the spring, just before new growth emerges. In the winter, a cluster of buds at the branch tips is a good clue that you are looking at an oak. Male flowers occur in dropping catkins loaded with pollen; female catkins are so small as can go unnoticed. The pollinated female flowers develop into acorns in one or two years.
Edible Parts: Acorn nuts.
Harvesting: Collect off the ground, or spread a tarp under the tree and shake the limbs. Use the ripe acorns, with tan to brown shells, not the green ones. Collect three times as many as you think you will need - expect at least half of them to be molded or infested with insects. Shell the acorns as you would any nut.
Preparation: Shell acorns and remove kernels. If a thin brown corky layer clings to the light colored flesh, peel off the layer. Toss nuts into a large pot, and cover with plenty of water. Bring nuts to a boil, then boil for about 15 minutes. The water will turn brown, as the tannic acid is excreted. This water can be used for dye. Throw out this water and replace it with fresh water. Re-boil the acorns several times in this method, until the water no longer turns brown. The boiling process takes two to three hours generally.
When finished, the acorns will no longer taste bitter, and will have turned a darker brown. Spread them out and allow them to dry. Tastes better with slight roasting.
Non-Food Uses: Tannin dye as described above.
Medicinal Uses: None known from the acorn. The inner bark of the oak have had some value in the past as an astringent.
WILD ONION
Overview: Take care to distinguish onions from toxic similar plants, such as Crow Poison, which looks very similar. Never gather plants that lack the distinct smell of onion. Don't let musky odors of the toxic look-alikes fool you. Crow poison's white to cream colored flowers distinguish it from wild onion.
Where Found: Wild onion can be found at the Hidey-Hole in limited quantities. It is most commonly found on the western side of the creek. It is abundant in the East Texas area.
Identifiers: Leaves and bulbs have a distinct oniony odor. Leaves are basal and linear, like tall blades of grass. Most Texas species bloom in the spring. Six tepals form small flowers that can be yellow, pink, red, or purple. Flowers occur in umbels at the top of the slender flower stalk and may stand erect or nodding. Seeds are black and wrinkled. Some are in abundance along stream banks.
Edible Parts: Bulbs and leaves.
Harvesting: Typically best in spring.
Preparation: Use in any recipe calling for onions - salads, soups, stews, meat dishes, casseroles, etc. Wild onions will have a stronger flavor than store-bought, so use sparingly.
Non-Food Uses: Skins of cultivated yellow and red onions can be used as dye.
Medicinal Uses: Roots are thought to be antiseptic.
WILD BLACKBERRY
Overview: Abundant in East Texas and at the Hidey-Hole.
Where Found: Forests, thickets, along streams.
Identifiers: Unmistakable blackberry look. There are nearly a dozen species in East Texas alone. Prickly hairs and spines cover the vines and shoots. Shrubbery with arching shoots. Preceded by white flowers which turn to fruit.
Edible Parts: Fruit. Leaves can be made into tea.
Harvesting: Abundant in late spring and early summer. Not resistant to high heat/drought.
Preparation: Can be eaten raw or made into juice or jams.
Non-Food Uses: Fruits can be made into dyes.
Medicinal Uses: None known.
PURSLANE
Overview: Another common weed in East Texas thought to be a nuisance plant, but with beneficial purpose. It should be noted that purslane binds up calcium in the body, so if you are eating a diet which is low in calcium, you may want to steer clear of purslane.
Where Found: Lawns, fields, cracks in sidewalks. Prefers sunny, hot areas. No soil preference; can grow in sand.
Identifiers: A low growing annual. Produces numerous prostrate and erect succulent stems, and it's fleshy leaves alternate on the stem. Simple leaves are 1/4 - 1 inch in length. Flowers are small.
Edible Parts: Stems and leaves.
Harvesting: Best in the hot season, when other edible plants have wilted.
Preparation: Chop up fresh leaves and stems for salad. Use entire above ground plant boiled, steamed, fried, or pickled. Juice from stems makes good thickener for soups.
Non-Food Uses: Unknown.
Medicinal Uses: Unknown.
CLEAVERS
Overview: Known as bedstraw in these parts, with a variety of species in Texas.
Where Found: Slopes in woods, abandoned fields, along shorelines.
Identifiers: A trailing annual which covers large patches of ground. Stiff, prickly hairs cover the leaves, stems, and fruits. Square stems are lined with whorls of six to eight leaves. Usually the linear leaves are less than one inch long, but have been known to grow as long as 3 inches. Tiny white flowers.
Edible Parts: Leaves and stems.
Harvesting: Late fall to summer.
Preparation: Place tender leaves/stems in pot with small amount of water, simmer for 10 minutes, and serve with butter and lemon. Can be mixed with other greens. Prickly hairs make swallowing raw difficult, but can be quickly boiled to address. Younger plants are preferable, as older become more fibrous.
Non-Food Uses: Stuffing for beds, pallets, etc. Thought to yield a reddish dye, but because the roots are so thin, it's probably hardly worth the effort to collect enough when other possibilities are more plentiful.
Medicinal Uses: Tea has been known to be a diuretic and mild laxative. Cool tea has also been known to soothe sunburn.
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