WILDNESSThe art and craft of foraging

MAY | JUN 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

SPRING GREENSWild Spring Rolls with

Citrus-Nettle Seed Dipping Sauce

EDIBLE AND NATURAL: Reviewing the Rules

of Foraging

HIDDEN FRUITSForaging: Do it for

your daughters.

2 WILDNESS

8EDIBLE AND NATURAL: Reviewing the Rules of Foraging by JJ Murphy

CONTENTEditor and Photography Heather Pier Publisher The Wild Raspberry Contributing Articles JJ Murphy, Leda Meredith, Merriweather Lewis Design Peggy Nelsen Design

WILDNESS: wildnessmagazine@gmail.com

© 2014 The Wild Raspberry.

3EDITORS NOTE

4, 6SPRING GREENS A wide variety described and photographed

SPRING TONIC Greens used in a Wild Spring Roll recipe.

10PICKLED REDBUD A How To by Leda Meredith

NORTHEAST FORAGING Book review by Mike Krebill

12PINEAPPLE WEED

HIDDEN FRUITS Foraging: Do It for Your Daughters by Merriwether Lewis

FEATURESSpring Greens, Pickled Redbud and Pineapple Weed. How Do I Know What Plants are Safe to Eat? Foraging with Kids.

“In Wildness is the preservation of the World.”

- Henry David Thoreau

NEVER EAT A PLANT UNLESS YOU ARE 100 PERCENT SURE OF ITS IDENTITY, AND CHECK WITH EXPERT SOURCES BEFORE CONSUMING ANY PLANTS THAT ARE NEW.

14CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

MAY | JUN 2014 3

Appreciating the Changing Seasons

I don’t have a favorite season. I appreciate each of them for their unique opportunities and challenges. Summer brings us lazy days and berries. Fall contributes black walnuts, acorns and hazelnuts. And Spring sings with leafy greens and showy flowers.

After a long winter of eating pickled and preserved fruits and vegetables, my mother’s old wooden salad bowl is again filled with crisp greens and crunchy seed pods. It is spring and my kitchen science experiments can continue.

Our grandparents looked forward to that first flush of green growth, and imbibed in spring tonics, and big pots of boiled greens usually served with the last of the salt pork and spring onions or ramps.

I don’t care for boiled greens. It’s a texture thing. Yes, there are a few plants that you can’t get away from boiling, such as poke (poke toxins must be boiled with 3 water changes to remove), but for the most part, only the freshest, crispiest greens grace my table.

The flavors are varied; sweet, bitter, salty, spicy. I mix and match them, add them to sandwiches, soups and stews and even infuse vodka with a few of them.

For the beginning forager, next to the berries, spring greens are some of the easiest to identify. Many reformed gardeners recognize them as the weeds that they have waged war on in their gardens; chickweed, miner’s lettuce, dock, fennel, sow thistle, wild lettuces. As my friend Deane says ‘Eat The Weeds’. (And you should check out some of Deane’s You Tube videos for identification).

I hope that you’re enjoying the season and all it has to offer. The birds sing their loudest songs, the world burst forth in a million shades of green, spring rains drench the soil in warm moisture and you can begin eating ‘Wildness’ again.

Happy Spring!

Heather Pier

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The start of the foraging season often begins with a large salad or green drink. Here are a few of the earliest spring plants that you can incorporate into your diet and menus. Depending on what part of the country that you’re from, there are others, equally tasty and well known. Check with your local forager for classes to find out what else is in your area. Always be 100 percent sure of your identification before eating any plant. Just for fun, you might check out Hank Shaw’s article on how to make an excellent salad over at Hunter, Angler, Gardner, Cook http://honest-food.net/2007/12/01/a-proper-salad/

DANDELION (Taraxacum officinale) Dandelion is probably the most well-known of any of the spring greens. All parts of the plant are edible. You’ve probably seen them in many lawns and disturbed areas. Dandelion wine is a classic recipe, but it takes a lot of dandelion blossoms to make a gallon, so be prepared to spend some time picking. Try frying the blossoms as a fritter, or tuck some blooms into a grilled cheese sand-wich. The greens are a tad bitter and are usually served as a pot herb, although I enjoy throwing a few leaves into a salad. The root is bitter and is often used in the same way as chicory, as a coffee extender. To identify dandelion, look for a basal rosette, deeply toothed leaves, and a single yellow blossom per stalk. When picked, the leaves and flower stalk will exude a white sap.

MINER’S LETTUCE (Claytonia perfoliata) If you have friends that are suspicious of eating wild food (or weeds, as some folks call them), miner’s lettuce is a great introduction. Sweet and but-tery, it’s a perfect addition to a salad. Mix it up with other greens or add it to green drinks for a big bump in nutrition. It beats those flavorless balls of water called ’iceberg lettuce’ any day. In a salad, it’s best dressed with a light dressing like a vinaigrette. But catch miner’s lettuce before the heat hits. Once summer comes, they’ll dissolve back into the landscape like a snowball. To iden-tify, look in shady spots for round leaves that resemble a lily pad. The stem will go through the leaf (hence the ‘perfoliata’ in its name), and there may be small white flowers.

Think Spring Greens

Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)

Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale)

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CHICKWEED (Stellaria media)

Chickweed was covered thoroughly in the last issue of ‘Wildness’, but here’s a recap: add it to salads,

sandwiches and green drinks. The plant

contains high levels of potassium, Vitamin C and A

and other trace minerals, making it one of the healthiest greens on the planet. Chickweed oil is a wonderful addition to homemade salves for bug bites and sunburns too. To identify, look for stems that have a line of fine hairs that travel up to a leaf junction and then switch over to the opposite side of the stem. White flowers seem to have 10 petals, but actually there are only five. Each petal is cleft almost in half. Also, look for the ‘elastic’ core, when gently breaking a stem apart.

FENNEL (Foeniculum vulgare) Most people are familiar with the sweet, licorice taste of this non-native plant. My town has a large Portuguese community and wild fennel is a common ingredient in their soupas. It’s also very popular in Italian dishes. I throw a little into salads (a little dab’ll do ya). Mostly, I use the seeds as spice and flavoring in baked goods and gather the pollen to use as an ingredient in other dishes. And a sip of fennel infused vodka after dinner is divine. Look for tall plants with finely divided, almost feathery leaves. The scent of a crushed leaf smells like licorice. The flowers are yellow and umbelliferous. Although this is generally an easy plant to identify, do be cautious. Fennel is related to the deadly poison hemlock.

Chickweed (Stellaria media)

HENBIT (Lamium amplexicaule) This pretty little plant is a bit too hairy to add to salads for my taste, but many people do. I add it to blenderized green drinks or steam the leaves to add to meat pies and other dishes. Check the internet and you’ll find a hundred or more ways to use henbit, besides just using the flowers as a garnish. And don’t forget to blow the henbit horn for the children. To identify, look for plants with a square stem, scalloped leaf edges and pink to purple flowers that have spotted lips.

STINGING NETTLE (Urtica dioica) Nettles are to foragers, what beans are to cowboys. Touted as a superfood, easy to prepare, a powerhouse of nutrition, nettles are ‘it’. We suffer the sting because we know that it is a small price to pay for all the gifts that this plant has to offer. Nettles are one of the easiest ways to let food be your medicine. Ask any herbalist what their favorite herbs are and nettles will be on their top ten list. Gloves make harvesting easy and a quick steam renders its formic acid laden little stingers harmless. Make green noodles from nettle, add the gently steamed greens as a pizza topping, drink it as a tea, the uses for nettle greens are endless. There is even a clothing line that features nettle. And don’t forget the seeds. Photo shown on page 4. W

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule)

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). With last years over wintered stocks.

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Not that long ago, our grandparents celebrated the end of a long, dark winter by enjoying ‘spring tonics’. Without the modern ‘supermarket’, the appearance of the first spring greens marked the end of monotonous dull diets made from dried beans and preserved meats. And not surprisingly, those first spring greens are packed with nutrition in the form of vitamins and trace minerals. The tonic effects of those early spring greens were said to aid digestion, purify the blood and tone the kidneys.

Dandelion, nettle, chickweed, miner’s lettuce, sassafras, watercress, dock, elder and other regional greens were all used in spring tonics, served as green drinks, teas and in soups and stews. In traditional Vietnamese spring rolls, there is always a leaf or two of mint added. W

Spring Tonic: Wild Spring Rolls with Citrus-Nettle Seed Dipping Sauce

Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

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Here’s is an easy recipe that can be put together in a few minutes. You can make a vegetarian version by leaving out the shrimp. Feel free to play with the spring greens.

Wild Spring RollsYou’ll need:

An assortment of your favorite fresh spring greens and vegetables (I like to add slivers of carrot or avocado or even a few slivered sliced Brodiaea corms)

Spring roll wrappers (available at Asian grocery stores)

Shrimp (optional)

Dip each spring roll wrapper in boiling water for a few seconds to hydrate. Place on a damp plate. Working quickly, place shrimp (optional), greens and vegetables in the center of the wrap, fold edges in tightly (as if you are wrapping a present), and serve seam side down.

Citrus-Nettle Seed Dipping Sauce¼ cup orange juice

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I use homemade elderberry balsamic style vinegar)

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard (especially nice if you’ve made your own with wild seed)

2 teaspoons honey

Dash of black pepper

1 teaspoon dried nettle seed

Combine ingredients and mix well.

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Back in 2006 I published Edible and Natural: How Do I Know What Plants are Safe to Eat?

I typically reference this advice when I write about foraging. As I learn and develop my skills, there are a few more rules that I have added to my guidelines.

1. There are fewer poisonous plants than non-poisonous plants. If you learn all the poisonous plants, when you find a plant you don’t know, it’s more likely to be non-poisonous, even if it’s unpalat-able.

2. Observe carefully. Chicken mushroom has no poisonous look-alike, but there’s more to identifying it than finding an orange-colored mushroom. You have to notice the pores on the underside. The deadly poisonous Jack-o-lantern mushroom has gills on its underside.

3. Harvest common plants where they grow in abundance, but never take more than ten (10%) percent. Overharvesting is destructive to the environment and may deprive wild birds and mammals of their only source of essential nutrition.

4. Learn which plants are endangered and refrain from harvesting them at all.

5. Spend time learning to identify every plant during each season. Look at the new growth of spring, notice the changes in summer, autumn and any skeletal remains in winter.

Edible and Natural Reviewing the Rules of Foraging by JJ Murphy

6. Make sure you harvest from healthy areas. In addition to foraging more than 50 feet from regularly traveled roads, look at the condition of the entire habi-tat. If the leaves are not a healthy color green, if the water is not running clear, if there is a lot of animal scat or carrion, find another place to forage.

Common sense and respect are critical to forag-ing. I still take classes with experts. I often learn something new about a plant I’ve been nibbling on since childhood. It’s easy to become over- confident after foraging for a few years; it’s not worth the risk to be less than 100 percent sure of your wild harvest. W

Photos of Toxic Plants

Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)

MAY | JUN 2014 9

Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum) mixed in with Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum)

Jack O’ Lantern Mushroom (Omphalotus illudens) Poke (Phytolacca americana) - Toxic unless prepared properly.

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The unopened buds of Cercis, the redbud tree, are edible and are wonderful pickled. Pickled redbud blossoms can be used as colorful replace-ment for capers - their taste is similar, although faintly sweeter.

In eastern North America, Cercis canadensis is the most common species, whereas on the west

coast you are more likely to find C. occidentalis. Both species are planted interna-tionally by land-scapers who love them for their vivid pink (or less commonly white) blooms that

appear in very early spring. They also love it that redbud trees are very drought-tolerant.

The buds are in clusters that appear as if they are growing directly from the bark. If you nibble on the edible flowers raw, you might notice that they taste something like a lightly sour green bean. That bean-y taste isn’t accidental: Cercis trees are in the Fabaceae, or legume family.

Pickled Redbud RecipeIngredients:

Redbud blossoms

White vinegar (distilled or white wine vinegar)

Water

Kosher or other non-iodized salt

The texture of these pickled redbud blossoms is best if you collect the flower buds before they have fully opened. Rinse the flower clusters under cold water. Pinch off and discard the stems (don’t worry if you don’t remove one hundred percent of the stems, but do try to get most of them).

Combine equal parts white vinegar and water. Plan on an equal amount of brine by volume for the quantity of redbud buds that you have gathered. In other words, one cup of combined vinegar and water per cup of flower buds.

Add 2 teaspoons of salt to each cup of vinegar brine. It is important to use a non-iodized salt such as kosher salt because the added iodine in most table salts could cause a brownish discol-oration. This is an important point because the lovely color of edible flowers is one of the nicest things about them. Stir until the salt dissolves in the brine.

Fill a clean jar with the redbud blossoms, then cover them with the brine. Use a smaller jar to weight the top of the food and keep the flowers submerged in the brine. Alternatively, you can fill the jar with the brine all the way up to the rim, then secure the lid. The lid will keep the flowers submerged in the brine, but expect some over-flow: hold the jar over a sink or a dish when you screw the lid on.

Leave the jar at room temperature for three days. Be sure that it is not exposed to direct light. Transfer the jar to the refrigerator. Note that I do not recommend canning redbud pickles in a boiling water bath because heat processing has a negative effect on the texture of the flowers. W

Pickled Redbud Leda Meredith

If you nibble on the edible flowers raw, you might notice that they taste something like a lightly sour green bean.

MAY | JUN 2014 11

Leda’s “NORTHEAST FORAGING” is a great regional guide

Leda Meredith’s latest book has drawn accolades from notable foragers such as Sam Thayer, “Wildman” Steve Brill, Gary Lincoff, and Hank Shaw. Although I have over 200 books on foraging in my collection, I would rate this as one of the very best, and give it 5 out of 5 stars. Why? First, this is a great regional guide. While some of the plants

included can be found in many states, all 120 are commonly seen in the Northeastern US and Ontario and Quebec. Specifically, if you live in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Rhode Island - or have relatives who do - this is an excellent book to add to your library or give as a gift. (If neither is true, please don’t miss what I have to say at the end of this review.) Secondly, the layout and design of the 6 1/2” x 9” book looks attractive and enticing as you flip through its 316 pages. It has 159 splendid color photos. Third, the plant accounts are organized alphabetically and head-ings within each account (How to Identify, Where and When to Gather, How to Gather, How to Eat, How to Preserve, and Future Harvests) enable you to find the information you want to know in a matter of seconds, without resorting to an index. Fourth, I can envision the section listing potential wild harvests by season and habitat as tremendously helpful for all foragers, whether you are a beginner or a veteran. That section is near the front of the book, and can be found starting on page 18 of Amazon’s “Look Inside” preview, if you want to go to Amazon.com to take a look, read other reviews, or purchase the book.

Fifth, in each plant’s Future Harvests paragraph, Leda advises the reader on whether the plant is invasive and can be harvested at will, or whether it falls into the “don’t harvest unless it is abundant” category. She’s all about harvesting sustainably. Finally, Leda’s writing sparkles. She is a passionate forager and a seasoned author who has the gift of producing a book that is hard to put down once you start reading it. Kudos to Leda and the team at Timber Press for this beautiful and easy to use reference. The great news for those of us who live elsewhere in the country is that Timber Press has embarked on guides that may come closer to us. Lisa Rose Starner is nearing the finish line on one for the Midwest. Lisa is an herbalist, and her manuscript adds that component to the wild edibles about which she writes. She is also knowledgeable about flavoring drinks with wild edibles. (It’s my honor to be serving as her technical editor, which is how I happen to have this inside information.) Douglas Deur’s book is coming soon. The title of his is “Pacific Northwest Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Alaska Blueberries to Wild Hazelnuts”. Also coming soon is “California Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Evergreen Huckleberries to Wild Ginger” by Judith Larner Lowry. All three will be added to my library!

- Review By Mike Krebill

Photo credit: Mike Krebill

MIKE KREBILL

Mike Krebill is one of the Midwest’s better-known foraging instructors, and a member of the National Wild Foods Association Hall of Fame. A retired science teacher and naturalist, he has served as the technical editor of nine books on wild edibles. Mike enjoys shar-ing his wild foods wisdom and gaining more on several Facebook groups devoted to edible wild plants and mushrooms.

12 WILDNESS

Unfortunately, the plant doesn’t really hold on to its oils when dried. It is best used fresh. Try snipping leaves and flower heads into hot water and letting it steep for 5 or 10 minutes. The resulting decoction is a lovely way to relax. I also infuse sugar with the herb (just pulse sugar along with the leaves and flowers in a blender for a few seconds and spread out to dry). The infused sugar makes a lovely addition to whipped cream and other recipes. In the photo, I’ve used pineapple weed infused sugar to flavor this angel food cake.

Pineapple weed has fine textured pinnate leaves. It only grows to 4 or 5 inches. The flower heads are yellow green and have no petals. When crushed, you’ll notice a sweet scent that reminds me of chamomile. W

Pineapple weed is a lovely little weed that is reminiscent of chamomile and used in the same way. In fact, it’s often called ‘wild chamomile’, and it’s one of my favorites.

It’s ironic that to find this sweet little plant you’ll look for it in the worst soils. Look for compacted, dry places that are usually not suitable for much else. Dry trailheads, over used pathways and parking lots are just a few places where this herb peeks it’s head up in, so do be careful that the area isn’t marred by car exhaust or other pollutants.

I’ve never found pineapple weed to actually taste like pineapple, but the petal-less little flower heads do resemble the tropical fruit. The plant is usually found in the early spring. At the first sign of any real heat, it melts back into the landscape and won’t be available again until next year.

Native Americans used pineapple weed for treating gastrointestinal upset and gas and topically for infected wounds, fevers, and for ceremonial purposes.

Pineapple Weed ‘Matricaria discoidea’

MAY | JUN 2014 13

allowed the dirt time that their brothers get. Boys, with their scrapped knees and muddy faces, test their immune systems over and over. Parents keep their little princesses clean and inside… not realizing girls need dirt, too. According to Dr. Aoi Mizushima of Providence Medical Group Family Practice, “There is some thought that getting exposed to things, even parasites and different microbial elements in the dirt, might actually improve the overall immunity that a child develops,”.

Collecting wild plants is not a clean activity. When a particularly tasty flower or leaf appears we often pop it in our mouths without even wash-ing it. Well, at least my family and I do. Foraging trains and toughens the immune system through constant exposure to the natural world. If the theory about Lupus being partially the result of too clean of an environment then taking your daughters along foraging may be even better for them than you realize. W

Welcome, friend, to views of foraging from another angle. We all know the nutritional bonuses of wild foods and the exercise we get in collecting it. Foragers are a healthy lot, by nature. But you know what? It’s even better for you that you realize. Come learn how you are helping your mind, body, and spirit as you walk the forager’s path. Come learn the hidden fruits of your passion.

Foraging: Do it for Your DaughtersSeveral years ago I got a call from my daughter’s principle who was upset about my child. “Miniwether”, who was in 1st grade at the time, had been teaching edible plants to the other kids during recess. This did not good over well with the public school system.

Miniwether has been foraging by my side since before she could walk. Many an hour was spent with her outside getting dirty as we harvested many a green, nut, and tuber. She was intimately connected to the Earth from the time she was a baby… and it usually took a lot of scrubbing dur-ing her evening bath to get her clean again. This communion with the soil continues to this day.

And this contact with the Earth is what, hope-fully, will protect her. It’s common knowledge that asthma is rare in “farm kids” and 3rd world children. Something about their constant exposure to unclean conditions educates their immune system, keeping it working properly. Asthma isn’t the only immune disorder common in the clean world. Lupus is another disease where the body’s defenses erroneously attack itself. Strangely, this disease is nine times more likely to hurt women than men. Why is this?

One recent theory put forth by Dr. Sharyn Clough is girls, in their frilly pretty dresses, aren’t

Hidden Fruits By Merriwether Lewis

Photo: Merriwether Lewis

14 WILDNESS

EditorHEATHER PIER

Heather began foraging with her mother as a child. She took way too many science classes in collage and now mixes her knowledge of chemistry, her love of plants and vintage recipes together in the kitchen.

pg 8EDIBLE AND NATURAL by JJ Murphy

Writer and passionate naturalist JJ Murphy, provides nature programs, original curricula, articles, product reviews, books and open discussion to children and eco-aware adults across the USA. www/.WriterByNature.com – Giving Nature a Voice. jjmurphy@WriterByNature.com

pg 10PICKLED REDBUD by Leda Meredith

Leda Meredith is the author of several books including the newly released “Northeast Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Beach Plums to Wineberries” (Timber Press 2014). She holds a certificate in Ethnobotany from the New York Botanical Garden and is an instructor there as well as at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Leda is the food preservation expert for About.com. You can find out more at www.ledameredith.com, and watch her foraging and food preservation videos at: www.youtube.com/ledameredith.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & FORAGERS

pg 13HIDDEN FRUITS by Merriwether Lewis

Forager, Father, Husband, Scientist. Merriwether doesn’t just burn his candles at both ends, he smashes them into bits and then hits the pieces with a flamethrower. His current home is Houston, TX where his days are spent creating environmentally friendly chemicals to help the oil industry, evenings are family time, and weekends are given to introducing the forgotten world of edible & medicinal wild plants to students across Texas as well as other places weeds do grow.