Wild Edible Plants

There are many eatable plants in the world but you may not know about them all. In fact a lot of nature's eatable foods go unnoticed. Contrary to what you may think, what looks like a weed may not be. In fact these plants may be essential in survival if stranded or lost. Providing they are prepared the right way they can make a very tasty meal. Chances are if you've been in a pasture or wooded area you've came across one of them. Maybe even in your own front yard. Some of them have even been used for medicinal purposes and were often used by Native Americans. Here is a list of some of them and what they look like.

Yellow Wood Sorrel

This plant stands three to fifteen inches high, with an erect stem and flowers a quarter to half an inch wide. Yellow wood sorrel is a common weed. It has three heart shaped leaflets that are notched at the tip. It is visible from spring to fall. The leaves contain oxalic acid and are sour to the taste. This plant grows in wooded or shaded areas. It was once used to treat cancer. It was also eaten by Native Americans and was used to treat scurvy.

Lambs Quarters

This plant grows from 1 to 3 feet. The stem is often mealy and red streaked. The leaves are somewhat diamond-shaped, coarsely-toothed and mealy white beneath. The flowers are greenish, inconspicuous, and lacking petals. They grow in clusters at the leaf stems. They are most commonly found in fields or waste places.

Cattail

This plant grows in almost any wet ground. In ditches beside roads, beside streams, in swamps and marshes, and in low lands that are frequently flooded by a nearby stream. You can recognize cattails by their long thin stalks with a sausage (or cigar) on top that has a pointed tip.

Dandelion

This plant is a hardy, variable perennial that can grow to a height of nearly 12 inches. Dandelions have deeply notched, toothy, spatula-like leaves that are shiny and hairless. Dandelion stems are capped by bright yellow flowers. Health care providers clinically use dandelion root to promote liver detoxification and dandelion leaves to support kidney function.

Poke Weed

Poke weed may grow to nine feet tall, with large, alternate leaves and a carrot like taproot. Greenish-white flowers are produced in long clusters (racemes) that droop due to the weight of ripening fruit. The flattened berries change from green to shiny purplish-black. It's also used for infected gums, swollen lymph glands and breast cysts.

There are many more edible plants in the United States and worldwide. These five are just a few of what nature can offer. I do not recommend that you eat them unless you have studied them and know as much as there is to know about Preparing them. Not all parts of the plants are edible and can be highly poisonous. The preparation of the edible parts have to be done correctly or it too can be fatal. You should not use for medicinal purposed unless given by a trained herbalist.