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Foraging in North America: The Top 12 Plants to Seek Out (Adventure Skills Guides)
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About Foraging In North America: The Top 12 Plants To
Product Description Learn to identify, collect, and prepare wild edibles! Step into your backyard, garden, or nearby green space, and harvest an abundance of free, nutritious, and organic greens, tubers, and fruits. Foraging in North America introduces you to 12 widely accessible wild plants that can be gathered safely. Compared to cultivated garden plants, these wild edibles require no care, are hardier, and are amazing sources of nutrients. Throughout much of our history, wild plants were the mainstay of human diets. They were rich in micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals that nurtured good health and strong immune systems. Foraging in North America is a simple guide that introduces readers to those foods―including such overlooked superfoods as dandelions, lambs quarters, and nettles. Learn how to find and identify those wild edibles and more, while avoiding toxic or inedible look-alikes. Expert forager Tom Anderson also shares tips on best practices for collecting and even some ideas on how to prepare your finds for the table, based on 30 years of experience. The easy-to-use information is accessible for everyone from beginners to experts. Foraging is also an excellent family activity. It helps children to learn about the natural world while simultaneously giving them the satisfaction of contributing to the household. Bring this photo-illustrated quick guide on your next outing. Its pocket-sized format makes it easy to tuck into a daypack, camping cook kit, or glove compartment. About the Author For nearly 30 years, Tom Anderson was a professional naturalist and Director of the Lee and Rose Warner Nature Center near Marine on St. Croix. He is the author of the following titles: Learning Nature by a Country Road, Black Bear: Seasons of the Wild, and Things That Bite: The Truth About Critters That Scare People. He is a native of North Branch, Minnesota. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. CHICKWEED (Stellaria media) Chickweed is a very common plant, and its genus is found around the world. Unfortunately, the second half of its common name contains the word weed, and for many people that dooms the plant. I have seen folks on knees in their lawns hunched over patches of chickweed, pulling it and tossing it into a basket to be cast off. The genus name of chickweed is Stellaria, a Latin-based name meaning “star.” The tiny flowers resemble small, white stars. Habitat This upland plant has adapted to grow almost everywhere. It has an affinity for rich soils and can be found in lawns, gardens, woods, and woodland edges, and it thrives in shade or sun. Key Identification Characteristics The bright green leaves are rounded with a distinct tapered point. They are generally less than an inch long. Early in the growing season the fragile stems support tiny flower buds covered with fine hairs. Later, tiny white flowers will emerge. Each bloom has five petals, each with two distinct lobes. (Look closely to see this.) It is low-growing, only a few inches tall, and can be found in large expansive mats or patches. It seems to thrive where the plants support each other. Another widespread edible chickweed is Mouse-ear chickweed, which is similar in growth and flowers but has fuzzy stems and leaves. Many sources recommend cooking it before consuming it. BEWARE Scarlet pimpernel, a toxic lookalike, might be confused with chickweed. It is easy to tell the difference between chickweeds and scarlet pimpernel. Scarlet pimpernel has a hairless, square stem. It has opposite, egg-shaped leaves. The flower is never white and is reddish to scarlet or blue. Foraging Cool weather in spring is best for finding thick patches of chickweed. The plants usually only last a few months, but, if there is enough moisture and cooler weather, you can harvest them all summer. Due to its fragile, thin stems, it is easy to pick. I often forage for chickweed for another reason: If I am foraging nettles and carelessly find myself
