Self-Reliance #2: Edible Plants Part 3
In part 2 I covered how to identify edible plants and how to identify which ones to avoid. For the final installment of this quick guide I’ll cover the best way to gather edible plants.
It’s easy to go out and just pick edible plants, but it’s safer, better, and more efficient knowing how to gather them logically and systematically.
First thing’s first – always take some type of storage container on foraging trips. This could be something as simple as a brown paper bag, cloth folded into a little travel sack, large palm tree leaves sewn together or a birch bark box. You may wonder why a plastic container can’t just do the job instead; the storage methods mentioned above are better as they prevent your foraged plants from being crushed. Crushed plants = shorter shelf life.
Now for the best ways to gather by type.
Fruits and Nuts. Go for larger plants here. Only choose fully colored, ripe fruits. Berries that are green and hard can’t be digested even if cooked. Several fruits, particularly those in tropical regions, have bitter and tough skins – you’ll want to peel them. Nuts found lying at the base of a tree signal they’re ready to eat; other nuts can be shaken down if the tree is small enough, and other still you can knock down with a stick.
Fungi. Go for medium sized here. They’re easier to identify and there’s less chance of insect damage. DO NOT EAT UNLESS POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED AS SAFE. Pick the entire fungus. If you leave the stem behind on the ground, it’ll make it harder for you to identify the type of fungi you’ve gathered. Always keep fungi separated when foraging and storing – in the event you accidentally pick a poisonous one, this helps prevent it from contaminating the other food.
Leaves and Stems. Look for young growth – this means more of a pale green. These will be more tender and tastier. It’s easy to tell when leaves and stems are older as they’ll be tougher and more bitter. Clip leaves near the stem, don’t tear. Leaves that are torn off can easily become damaged, meaning more prone to wilt and have a shorter shelf life before you can cook with them.
Roots and Tubers. Like fruits and nuts, again go for larger plants here. Some will be difficult to uproot, so to avoid this, dig around the plant to loosen it first, then pry them out slowly with a stick, preferably sharpened.
Seeds and Grains. WARNING: As I mentioned in part 2, some seeds and grains contain fatal poisons. Tasting won’t do much harm but DO NOT SWALLOW. Do the edibility test, toss any seed/grain that’s bitter, unpalatable, or with a burning, hot taste – unless you’ve been able to positively identify it as a spice or pepper.
In saying that, the heads of some grain plants may have black spurs instead of normal grains/seeds. These are known as ergot and carry ergot poisoning. Ergot is a disease, fungal in nature, that turns the grain into large, black, bean-type masses. It’s a hallucinogen source and is poisonous, sometimes fatal. If you come across this, THROW AWAY THE ENTIRE HEAD.
That’s about all there is to it. In future I’ll write some articles on specific types of edible plants you can find when foraging, including what they look like, how they taste, and how they’re best eaten. I’ll also share some info on poisonous plans (what the look like etc).
Interested in sharing a self-reliance article as a member of SUPP UP. Social? Let me know and I’ll consider it for publishing! Contact me on Moderator@supp-up.social.
Until next time…
- Sol
Stop doing guesswork, start making self-reliance easier.
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