Foraging tips and recipes. Why limit yourself to the plants you grow on purpose in your garden, when there are dozens of wild plants that aren’t just edible, but delicious?
If you live pretty much anywhere in the United States, chances are you’ve seen those tiny, cute little strawberries peek up their heads all over your backyard when summer comes. You, like me, probably even have fond childhood memories of picking a few and eating them with your parents. What a novelty that was! But … Read more
Learning how to gather food from the wild can be an important survival skill, but it can also make for an interesting and affordable meal at home. Everything from mushrooms to berries can be gathered and prepared in a whole host of ways, and many wild-foraged foods are very comparable to their store-bought counterparts in … Read more
The wild carrot, also known as Queen Anne’s Lace or by its scientific name Daucus carota, is one of the tastiest and most common wild edibles around. Aside from the pale color and smaller size of the roots, they look and taste pretty much identical to the domestic kind you grow yourself or get at … Read more
Whether you’re a curious homesteader or a survivalist living off the grid, it’s important to know what plants are in your environment. After all, when you’re living off the grid you are your own first responder; you often have to rely on yourself to survive. There are many edible plants in the wild, but there … Read more
There are many wild plants that can be eaten safely and provide important nutrients for our health. Wild lettuce is one of the most common, and also one of the most beneficial from a health standpoint. However, there are also a number of poisonous plants that look very similar to this safe plant. Each of … Read more
Pineapple weed plants are often a beautiful little overlooked “weed.” While they look a lot like their cousins, chamomile, a little whiff of a pineapple weed head crushed between your fingers rapidly allows you to properly identify this wild edible. The pineapple weed plant (Matricaria discoidea) somewhat also resembles mayweed (A. Cotula), but unlike the … Read more
I think it’s fair to say that we all enjoy good fruit, am I right? Of course, I am! They’re sweet and juicy, and they often look very appetising. Now, while there are many edible fruits in the wild (such as delicious wild strawberries), there are also a huge number of inedible plants which can … Read more
Cichorium intybus or common chicory is a member of the Asteraceae (daisy) family. It’s a perennial herb that typically has blue flowers – rare instances of chicory plants have white or pink flowers. The common chicory is native to Europe and the Mediterranean, and was introduced to the USA sometime in the 19th Century. There … Read more
It is always good to learn about the wild plants growing on and adjacent to your homestead. In many cases, these plants are edible, and can make a great addition to your salads, soups or stews, or great complement to the poultry and meats you raise on your homestead as well. One great pant you … Read more
Henbit is a delicate edible plant that is commonly referred to as a weed, as are most wild edible plants and herbs. One of around 50 plants found within in the Lamium species family, common henbit, also known as Lamium amplexicaule, is one of them. Common henbit is also known as greater henbit and henbit … Read more
Some plants are so common we cannot help but take them for granted. Sow thistle definitely falls into this category. Anyone with a decent stretch of field, or even a big lawn, is bound to have sow thistle growing somewhere in it. If you’ve just scoffed at it or attempted to root it out as … Read more
Could there be a plant that may not only help keep your skin, teeth, bones, fingernails, and hair healthy, but also aid in repairing those parts of the body? For centuries, herbalists have been using the horsetail plant in remedies designed to address those issues and many more. The horsetail plant (Equisetum hyemale in particular) … Read more
Hazelnuts are the fruits of the Hazel tree and are found in the more temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere. They’re quite popular in the UK and in other parts of the world as flavorants for desserts and chocolates. A question many younger kids may have when foraging or hiking through nature is… are these … Read more
As we move into the upcoming spring season, the air is full with the scent of wet soil and blooming floors, and a new round of foraging begins. Even if you’re a novice forager, you should definitely know how to spot and harvest leeks. If you live somewhere on the east coast or in parts … Read more
Hiking, camping, and orienteering were a huge part of my childhood. I was camping at least two or three times a month and on hiking trails almost every weekend. These hiking trips took me through many different game reserves, and it was great! I could watch a herd of wildebeest (water buffalo) – from a … Read more
Common / roundleaf Greenbrier, or Smilax rotundifolia, is a perennial woody vine growing abundantly through the eastern United States and Canada. The greenbrier plant can grow up to 20ft so long as it has a tall surface to climb up. Just about every part of the vine is edible. Foragers have compared the taste of … Read more