Is it a weed, an edible or both? The usefulness or beauty of a plant is in the eye of the beholder, and was a hot topic of discussion by the closing speaker at our Day of Gardening program last weekend. The topic was “Foraging for Edible and Medicinal Plants,” and was in sharp contrast to an earlier speaker whose subject was “Managing Tough Weeds.” Some of the attendees left making jokes about how they were going to manage their weeds by working them into their evening meals, while others indicated it was an interesting topic but they were not interested in harvesting weeds for food.
Our closing speaker, Scott Allen Davis, works with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and at the St. Marks and St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuges. Scott introduced the concept of Ethnobotany, the scientific study of how people of a particular culture and region make use of indigenous plants. Although Davis’ talk was focused on food and medicinal plants, ethnobotany also includes the use of plants for tools, weapons, construction, transportation, household items, art and rituals.
Before we delve into this topic, there are several critical requirements if you intend to start foraging for your food in the wild or your landscape. The first and most critical: Before you eat any plant, know what it is and do your research. A great quote by a knowledgeable botanist pretty much says it all: “All plants are edible, once!” meaning if you eat the wrong plant, it might be your last meal. Next, know the area you are harvesting from. Have the plants been treated with pesticides, or could they be contaminated by chemical runoff? Another consideration is to introduce new plants into your diet in moderation to make sure there are no side effects. Finally, just like many vegetables, harvest plants when they are young because some will not be as tasty as they age.
One plant that just about everyone has in their landscape beds is Asiatic hawksbeard, Youngia japonica. This is an annual weed that has a rosette of leaves at the ground level with multiple yellow flowers at the tip of a stalk. Each flower will form small dandelion-type heads which enable it to spread throughout your landscape. Instead of weeding this one, try including the leaves in your next salad or stew to add a spicy flavor.
One of the oldest foraged foods on the planet is dandelion, Taraxacum offiinale. This one has lobed leaves similar to the Asiatic hawksbeard, but has a single flower on top of a stalk that forms a round seedhead that looks like a puffball. The green leaves and tuberous root are both edible. Some cooks sauté dandelion greens just like they prepare spinach. Yellow flowers are edible when young, and can also be made into dandelion wine.
Another plant in bloom right now along roadsides and other disturbed areas is Virginia spiderwort, Tradescantia virginiana. Considered a weed by some and a desirable native perennial by others, this herbaceous plant produces grass-like leaves that wrap around the stem and droop like daylily leaves. Pretty blue flowers with three petals sit atop a tall flower stalk. All parts of the plant are edible but the most used parts are the leaves and flowers. Leaves can be used in salads, in soups or for teas, while flowers are sweet and can be candied or used in salads. Stems can also be boiled and eaten as a substitute for asparagus. Although I haven’t tried this one, Davis indicates it tastes like green beans.
Florida betony is one that I have tasted during some of our Master Gardener weeding parties. We have a good crop of these at the office, and this perennial emerges during the cooler months each year. The entire plant is edible raw or cooked. Underground tubers resemble the tip of a rattlesnake tail, and make it a difficult weed to control. It can be eaten fresh in a salad or in stir-fry dishes. Tubers are similar to water chestnuts in that they have a crunchy taste and a mild flavor.
Purslane, Portulaca oleracea, is another weed that has proven to be incredibly nutritious, and is already a popular food in Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean area. Food connoisseurs use the fleshy thick leaves and stem tips from these young succulent plants in salads or as an addition to sandwiches. Containing the highest content of vitamin A among green leafy vegetables, it’s also high in potassium, magnesium and calcium and is one of the best vegetables for omega-3 fatty acids. Obviously, purslane might be a good plant to cultivate as an edible.Spanish needles, Bidens alba or B. mitis, is a common weedy multi-purpose native plant. It is the third-largest source of pollen for the honey industry in Florida, and is a great nectar plant for many butterflies as well as a larval host plant for the dainty sulphur butterfly. Spanish needle leaves are edible raw or cooked, and dried leaves can also be used to make a good sleepy-time tea. One downside to this plant is that its seeds will stick to anything they touch,
Other plants Davis discussed include native plants such as gopher apple, blackberries, mulberry, prickly pear cactus, pawpaw, muscadine grape, yaupon holly, wild plum, wild cucumber, native persimmon, passion flower vine and native blueberries.
This is just a short introduction to a very broad topic. If foraging is something that is of interest, research the topic further. There are books that cover this topic in more detail. You can also consider finding an expert-led foraging tour that identifies edible plants in the wild.
Remember to be safe when testing new plants as edibles. Know what you are eating and don’t collect weeds/plants that may have been treated with pesticides. Happy foraging!
Terry Brite DelValle is a horticulture extension agent with the Duval County Extension Service and the University of Florida/IFAS.
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