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We've all heard it before: "Take nothing but photographs; leave nothing but footprints." Some people consider it the golden rule of the wilderness. And it sounds sensible, but I've grown to believe it may do more harm than good. (Right: Columbine [Aquilegia spp.] by wide eyed lib)
Nature is not a museum that we're only meant to see and not touch or interact with. We ARE nature; we're not separate from it. By following that golden rule and not interacting with the natural world, we're erecting an artificial barrier between us and it. The key to reconnecting is not to simply stand back and observe-- it's to touch, smell, taste and, perhaps most important of all, name plants as a way of better understanding them and ourselves.
As I forager, I routinely walk the same paths in the same wild and semi-wild places. I get to know the plants that grow in those places in every season, and I can see the effects-- good and bad-- my foraging has on them. I know that not only do they rely on me, but I rely on them.
Covered: pokeweed
Pictured: black locust
Are there times and places where foraging is harmful? Of course. And any forager deserving of the name learns about and respects those. I would never forage in a fragile alpine meadow or kill endangered plants other than in a survival situation. But your local park and the abandoned lot down the road are not fragile ecosystems filled with endangered plants. Far from it.
If you've read even a few of the comments people leave in these diaries, you know that most weeks I hear from someone who says (though perhaps not in so many words) that my diaries have increased their respect for some of the "weeds" that grow in their yards and gardens. They eat them rather than throw them on the compost heap, and in some cases they even set aside part of their lawn or garden to give these plants space to grow. (Left: Young Pokeweed by wide eyed lib. This plant is already too large to harvest, imo.)
The practice of taking only pictures may be enough for some people, but for others it's an intellectual exercise that leaves them cold and disinterested. But when those same people start smelling, tasting, eating and naming plants, the natural world comes to life and The Green Blur develops some distinguishing features. It may be only a small crack in the artificial bubble such people inhabit, but sometimes a crack is all it takes. It's much more difficult to disrespect something or someone you have a meaningful relationship with.
So yes, I take more than photographs and I actively encourage others to do the same. This isn't a stance I took lightly or without great thought; it took me a long time to accept that the golden rule of the wilderness might not be the best way to foster environmental awareness in others. Ultimately I believe that the active, evolving relationship that develops between foragers and plants is better for both. Gardeners know that selective culling strenghtens the remaining plants, so why would wild plants be any different?
Agree? Disagree? I'd love to hear from you.
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(As always, if you're new to foraging and want to give it a try, please read the first diary in the series for some important information. For a complete list of all plants covered in the series, click here.)
When I first started this series, I decided that there were 3 common edibles I would never cover: wild carrot (aka Queen Anne's lace or Daucus carota), common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). The first 2 both have a poisonous lookalike, and the 3rd must be harvested and prepared at just the right time and in the right way to be edible. (Right: Poke Leaf by wide eyed lib)
But as the series has progressed, I've developed increasing confidence both in my ability to describe plants and in the intelligence and common sense of my audience. When I say that a plant isn't suitable for beginners, Kossacks listen. So let's get the important bit out of the way: pokeweed is not a plant for beginners.
Pokeweed, also known as poke, pokebush, pokeberry, pokeroot, polk salad, polk salat, polk sallet, inkberry, ombú and Phytolacca americana, is a native perennial herb that regrows each Spring from an often gigantic taproot. The above-ground portion frequently branches and is normally between 6 and 10 feet in height. Mature leaves are about 10 inches long by 3.5 inches wide, oval, pointed, untoothed and alternate. Because the plant isn't woody, the smooth, long, bright red branches often droop toward the ground. In the late Summer and early Fall, various spots along the stems will develop upright flower racemes studded with white, five-sepaled flowers with green centers and no true petals. After being pollinated, these flowers will each develop into a deep purple seed-filled berry with a distinctive little indent on the bottom. The weight of the berries eventually causes the racemes to droop down. The first frost pretty much kills off the plant, and Spring restarts the entire process. Pokeweed is found throughout Eastern Canada and through most of the U.S., apart from a handful of southwestern and upper Plains states.
Most of the plant is quite poisonous, containing saponins that will cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, dizziness, severe diarrhea and general weakness. However, it's rare for people to die from eating incorrectly harvested or prepared pokeweed because within a couple of hours of eating it they'll start throwing up. (Left: Pokeweed Shoots by wide eyed lib. These are at the perfect size for harvesting.)
As I began by saying, pokeweed isn't a plant for beginners. The most common edible part (and the only one I eat) is the young shoot. In early to mid Spring, the shoots are a bright yellowish-green stalk or stalks sometimes tinged with red at the bottom with slightly crinkled, still upright leaves. The trick is distinguishing it from other plants at that early stage, and it often takes the first year to recognize it, the second year to find some shoots and confirm that they do indeed grow into mature pokeweed, and the third year to safely harvest them. Whatever you do, don't rush the process!
Ideally the shoot will be less than a foot tall, but more important than height is the position of the leaves. Most should still be upright rather than horizontal or drooping. You'll see some sources that claim that any red on the stem is bad, but I've never had a problem eating red-streaked stems as long as the leaves were still up. Although pokeweed may continue sending up new shoots well into Summer, only shoots harvested in Spring are considered safe. The root is the most poisonous part of the plant, so it's important to ensure that no root is attached to the shoot. This is easily achieved by snapping the plant about an inch above ground level.
After you've gathered a mess of pokeweed greens they must be properly prepared by boiling them in 2 generous changes of water. You'll see different times given, but the 20 minute rule has always worked for me. With lots of water at a full rolling boil, dump in chopped poke (stems and all) and as soon as the water returns to boiling, boil for a minute, then drain. Again place the poke in lots of water at a full rolling boil, wait until it boils again, and drain after a minute. For the third boiling, I use only enough salted water to generously cover, then boil for 18 minutes before draining and pressing out excess water. From there the greens can be seasoned however you like. For a traditional southern side dish, sautee them with a bit of pork fat, then season with vinegar (I use cider vinegar) and hot sauce. For a vegetarian version, replace the pork fat with olive oil. (Right: Poke Berries by Giaofnature, courtesy of Photobucket)
Properly cooked poke greens are soft and have a lovely, mild flavor that some compare to asparagus. I think they taste more like overcooked green beans myself (in a good way!). Although raw poke is high in both Vitamins A and C, most of the C is cooked off. Vitamin A, however, is not water soluable and remains after extended cooking. But it's not about the vitamins-- pokeweed properly prepared is one of the most delicious wild foods out there. Although it's not the easiest plant to forage, the time spent in learning to do so is more than worth it.
Apart from the shoots, you might run into people or read sources that recommend deep frying peeled, adult pokeweed stems. I've never tried this, but the stems do have the least amount of toxins, so it seems plausible. You'll also occasionally find a source that mentions that cooked berries are safe (like wikipedia). I've seen sources that refute that claim, and as tempting as the berries look, I'm not eager to experiment without more corroboration.
Although you'll find many mentions of medicinal uses for pokeweed (including here for instance), its toxicity makes it a plant that I would be unlikely to use.
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I was going to post more photos of great stuff that's out there right now, waiting to be eaten, but accidentially hitting the 'post' button too soon sort of took the wind out of my sails. I'll leave you with just this little dose of yummy:
Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) blossoms taste like perfumed peanuts and are delicious in yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes or sprinkled over salads and desserts. Nothing makes a late Spring day more perfect than munching on them as you stroll along. I covered black locust in depth here.
See you next week!
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If you'd like to learn more about foraging but missed the earlier diaries in the series, you can click here for the previous 43 installments, and here for RonV's 4 part mini-series on medicinal plants and how to use them. As always, please feel free to post photos in the comments and I'll do my best to help identify what you've found. (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.
Samuel Thayer’s book The Forager's Harvest is perhaps the finest resource out there for the 32 plants covered. The color photos and detailed harvest and preparation information are top-notch. His second book, Nature's Garden, is just as good. For an autographed copy of either book, order from Sam's website.
Steve Brill also offers guided foraging tours in NYC-area parks. Details and contact info are on his website.
Don Wiss’s website is a treasure trove featuring hundreds of photos of common northeastern edibles.
For well-sourced info on the medicinal uses of plants, Plants for a Future is a site I turn to time and time again.
Finally, the USDA plants database is a great place to look up info on all sorts of plants.
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