Wild Edibles - getting started

As a boy, I remember picking "sour clover" and eating it with my friends. Little did I know then that there were many more wild edible plants free for the taking. Later in life, after moving to Vermont, I learned that there were hundreds if not thousands of tasty plants, mushrooms, fruits and berries growing all around throughout the year.

Wild Grape, Vitis labrusca, sometimes called Fox Grape, is native to the eastern United States and is the ancestor of the Concord Grape. They are very sour, becoming sweeter after the first hard frost, and can be eaten raw or made into jam.

Thornapples, (or Mayapples in the south), fruit of the Hawthorne tree (Crataegus) are tough and bland raw, but can be made into a delicious jam. Beware of the long, sharp, woody thorns growing out of the trunk and branches!

Chokecherries, Prunus virginiana, are a tart delicacy picked straight from the bush or can be made into jam or preserves. Caution! Chokecherry leaves are poisonous!

Cold Staghorn Sumac tea was enjoyed by the Cherokee.

Red Clover flowers add vitamins to a salad. The leaves are full of protein, but should be boiled to make them easier to digest.

Brassica Nigra, an ancestor of brocolli, flowering in late June. Very tasty, raw or cooked!

www.woodsboy.com All photos are copyrighted and may only be used with permission.