In a comment last week, RonV mentioned Linda Runyon, a foraging legend. I knew of Linda mainly through Steve Brill, who sells a deck of wild cards designed by Linda that I'd considering buying. (Right: NYC Sunset by wide eyed lib)
So I took the plunge. I emailed a question via her website and had a lovely chat with Linda about, among other things, stinging nettle. Even before I began foraging, I looked closely at interesting plants, and I would often roll a leaf between my fingers and sniff. I learn better when all my senses are engaged, and many plants have tell-tale scents. (Before doing this, make sure you can identify plants like poison ivy.)
Covered: wood sorrel, clover & ramps
Updated: wintercress
Rather than chiding me for getting stung by nettle, Linda heartily approved.
In fact, she recommends a series of tests for every new plant before you eat it for the first time but after you've identified it with some certainty. Here's a summary, and the full list can be found on her website linked above.
- Take a leaf, roll it between your fingers and sniff. If it smells bad, stop. (Note: a bad smell and a strong smell are not the same thing.) If not, go to step 2.
- Rub a tiny piece on your gums. Wait 20 minutes. If you experience any negative symptoms (burning, itching, swelling, nausea, etc.), stop. If not, go to step 3.
- Put a small piece of the plant in a tea cup, pour boiling water over, cover and let steep 10 minutes. Take a small sip and wait 20 minutes. If you experience any negative symptoms, stop. If not, go to step 4.
- Sip the remaining tea slowly. If, 20 minutes pass after you finish, you still haven't experiences negative symptoms, it's probably okay to eat a small amount.
Apparently, this method will uncover most poisonous plants before you ingest enough of the toxin to do serious harm. Beyond that, I think this could be a valuable checklist in a survival situation where positive plant identification isn't possible. It's definitely a good addition to the list of do's and don'ts in the first diary in the FFF series. If you aren't familiar with foraging and want to give it a try, please read that diary first.
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I spent hours this week traipsing all over the place looking for wood sorrel. In the daylight hours that remained after work, I walked several different fields back and forth, back and forth. I walked in rain and in cold wind. I walked bent slightly over, looking for that tiny, tell-tale, light green, compound leaf with three heart shaped leaflets. On Saturday, I walked in a different park. And today I walked in yet another park, this one further north than I normally go. By 4:30 pm, I had accepted that I wouldn't be able to include wood sorrel this week. I walked up the hill to my apartment, legs tired and aching. And then, in the crack between an apartment building and the sidewalk, not 10 feet from my own building, there it was, like a lime-green mirage. (Above: Wood Sorrel by wide eyed lib)
Despite having been imported from Europe, one species of wood sorrel or another grows almost everywhere in the United States. The five-petaled simple flowers can be yellow, violet, pink or white, and appear anytime from mid-Spring through Fall. It's only look-likes are clover and alfalfa, both of which are edible. Wood sorrel is distinguished by its perfectly heart-shaped leaves, its flowers and its slightly sour flavor, a bit like unsweetened lemonade. (Right: Wood Sorrel Closeup by wide eyed lib)
Wood sorrel can be enjoyed raw or lightly cooked, and all above ground parts are edible, including the small seeds. I love it as a trail nibble and find it especially refreshing on a hot day. It also makes a tea that is very high in vitamin C, and it can be dried and reconstituted in soups. Wood sorrel does, however, contain oxalic acid, which can interfere with the absorption of calcium. Many people believe that it should be avoided by anyone with kidney problems, but the sources I consulted were mixed, with one suggesting that not more than 15 leaves should be eaten at a time by someone with diminished kidney function and another saying that wood sorrel doesn't contain enough oxalic acid to be harmful. Oxalic acid is neutralized by cooking wood sorrel until it loses its bright green color.
It's a cardinal rule of foraging that the longer you take to find a particular plant, the more likely it is that you're going to find it everywhere from then on. I hope that's true, because wood sorrel is one of my very favorite wild foods. It brings back childhood memories of lying on my back in a meadow on summer days, lazily chewing wood sorrel and looking for shapes in the clouds overhead.
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Our next three-leafed plant is clover. Clovers are biennial or perennial ground-growing herbs with groups of 3 round to oval leaflets and small, tube-shaped flowers that clump together at the end of the flower stalk to form bushy flower balls (the botanical name for these is inflorescence). Two very common species are red clover, which has a red flower, a flower stalk with leaves, and greater height; and white clover which has a white flower, a leaf-less flower stalk, and a height that rarely exceeds 4 inches. Both red and white clover grow all over North American except the most northern reaches of Canada, and white clover is native but red clover isn't. (Above: White Clover by wide eyed lib)
Here's a good caution for you: even trustworthy books can be wrong. Before taking the clover pictures for this diary, I consulted one of my plant guides to refresh my memory about how to distinguish between red and white clover. Since the flowers are not yet in bloom here, I relied on the fact that my plant book said red clover has white chevrons on the leaves and and white clover doesn't. But before actually sitting down and writing, I also spend time reviewing other sources, including the USDA plants database. Lo and behold, I found this picture clearly showing white clover leaves with white chevrons. The flowers stalks haven't yet appeared in my area, and no clover is over 4 inches tall at this point. As a result, I'm not quite sure if (a) I found both species and (b) (assuming I did find both) which is which. Thus, the question marks in the photo captions. Red clover generally has larger leaves, so that's what I've based my indentifications on. (Right: Red Clover Closeup by wide eyed lib)
Update: Halcyon pointed out that I had my clovers backward. I've fixed the captions and removed the question marks. Thanks, Halcyon!
Luckily, all species of clover are edible, and the only other plants (alfalfa and wood sorrel) that anyone is likely to confuse with clover are also edible. Nibble until you find something you like! I like the flowers best myself. Clover leaves and flowers can be eaten raw or cooked, they make a tea that helps soothe cough, and they can be dried and ground to give a nutritional boost to any baked good (substitute 1 part clover flour for every 3 parts wheat flour). Clovers are high in protein, calcium, potassium and niacin.
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The final new plant I'll cover today is ramp, also known as wild leek. Ramps are considered by many the best of all wild alliums (the onion and garlic family). In fact, many people consider them a gourmet delicacy. (Left: Ramps by wide eyed lib)
One of the things that makes ramps so special is that they are ephemeral. The leaves push through the earth in early Spring and wither away by mid-Spring. The other thing that makes them special is the way they taste. They're just a bit stronger than leeks, with a slight sweetness. Ramps love moist, partially shaded woodlands throughout the Eastern half of the United States and Canada. (Sorry, left coasters-- but I think you can console yourselves with the delicious miner's lettuce instead.)
Each ramp consists up 2 or 3 simple, sword-shaped leaves with parallel veins. The leaves are between 1 and 2 inches wide and reach a height of just under a foot tall. They're often purple-tinged near the ground. After the leaves wither, the plant sends up a leaf-less flower stalk topped by small, white flowers with 6 petals. In early summer, each flower stalk develops dark, round and shiny seedcases that resemble ball bearings. These persist in fall, and you can use them to locate the underground bulbs which, frost conditions permitting, can be harvested until the leaves appear again the following Spring. (Right: Dried Ramp Flower Stalk by wide eyed lib)
Use ramps anywhere you would use leeks or onions. They're delicious in salads, soups, casseroles... really your only limitation is your imagination. I love them cut into strips, mixed with carrot curls and lightly dressed with a vinegarette as a side salad. In the south they're sometimes pan fried with potatoes and bacon. For a special treat, use them in vichyssoise, the cold leek and onion soup. If you try them, guaranteed you'll be longing for next Spring before long!
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As the seasons come and go, I'll post new photos of some of the plants I've already covered so that you can see the plants at different stages. So this is our old friend winter cress, originally covered in this diary. As you can see, it's now quite tall, with three flower stalks. Although the leaves are now too bitter for all but the most tolerant palates, the buds are ready to harvest. (Left: Budding Winter Cress by wide eyed lib)
The flowers look very much like broccoli tops and taste similar as well. Although they can be eaten raw, they're a bit strong for my taste, and I prefer them sauteed, steamed or boiled. You'd have to find a pretty big field of them in order to get enough for a side dish, but you could certainly mix them with other vegetables (peas and onions might be nice or anything with a bit of sweet to offset the bitter). Add them at the end because they won't take more than 5-10 minutes to cook. (Right: Winter Cress Bud by wide eyed lib)
If you want more winter cress in the same area for next year, be sure not to harvest more than a third of the buds in a given location.
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As always, please feel free to post photos in the comments and I'll do my best to help identify what you've foraged. (And if you find any errors, let me know.)
Here are some helpful foraging resources:
"Wildman" Steve Brill's site covers many edibles and includes nice drawings.
"Green" Deane Jordan's site is quite comprehensive and has color photos and stories about many plants.
Green Deane's foraging how-to clips on youtube each cover a single plant in reassuring detail.
Linda Runyon's site features only a few plants but has great deals on her dvd, wild cards and books (check out the package deals in particular).
Steve Brill's book, Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places is my primary foraging guide. (Read reviews here, but if you're feeling generous, please buy from Steve's website.)
Linda Runyon's book The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide contains especially detailed information about nutritional content and how to store and preserve wild foods.
Steve Brill also offers guided foraging tours in NYC-area parks. Details and contact info are on his website.
The USDA plants database is also a great place to look up info.
Today's foraging hike was incredibly productive, and I'll be discussing lots of great plants in the coming weeks. See you next Sunday!
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