Useful Plants

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A Practical Weedivore

I have been messing around with edible wild plants for many years. There are various schools of thought on foraging edible plants, and after all these years I have, of course, developed my own.  I like weeds that grow just about everywhere. Weeds that are easy to identify and are easily picked without digging things up, finding roots, or requiring undue processing. That is why I probably consider myself A Practical Weedivore.

Making Pine Needle Tea

Vitamin C is an important element to include in a regular diet. This  powerful vitamin provides very important health benefits which the body needs  to properly function. Because Vitamin C contains antioxidants it aids in  fighting off all kinds of diseases, improves the immune system, and wards off inflammation,  infections, and viruses.

Simple Wild Grape Jelly

We have a lot of wild grapes on our property and  they are now ripe for the picking. So we picked a bunch the other day so that  we could make jelly. I thought I might do a quick article explaining, and  showing how my wife, Denise, and I did so.

Mushrooms Not For Survival

I am often asked how you properly identify edible mushrooms in a survival situation. My first reply is usually, "Why bother?" Don't worry about identifying mushrooms, don't pick them! Of course, they want to know why, and I inform them that they are not worth the effort, especially if you are hungry.

Weeds Can Feed

When we have guests over for dinner, we usually like to start the meal with a salad. When the salad is placed on the table, and after a bewildered examination by our guests, we are normally informed that the salad looks splendid, but then asked what is in it.

Ostrich Fern Fiddleheads

In our area, New York, April is normally the time to harvest the Fiddleheads from the Ostrich Fern. Make sure you identify the Ostrich Fern correctly and don't get the cinnamon or interrupted fern. The main identifying features is the deep grove that runs the entire length of the stalk, and the stem often re-curving backwards as it grows.

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