Jelly Roll Fungus, sounds better than it looks, but it’s edible.
The name Jelly Roll (Exidia recisa, glandulosa, nigricans) conjures up images of home made pastries with jelly and sugar, but once you see a picture of this fungus you’ll see the humor in the name. A very unsightly fungus to say the least, but Amber, Black, or Brown Jelly Roll is in the group of […]
Spicebush, A Warm Fall Woodland Spice
Spicebush(Lindera benzoin) is a shrub native to north eastern United States. It is a common woodland shrub that can be identified easily by the fragrance of its crushed leaves. The leaf shape is difficult to distinguish, especially for beginners. This plant produces red berries in summer which is a prized item for wildlife. The species […]
Wild Violets Are A Versatile Edible Plant
Wild Violets Johnny jump ups, hearts ease, pansies, wild violets, and a host of other names all point to plants in the Viola genus. There are 400-500 species worldwide and they can be found in almost all temperate climates. In the North Eastern United States Viola sororia is a common wild violet. This information also […]
Bittercress, a Nationwide Herb
Hairy bittercress(Cardamine hirsuta) and similar species such as Pennsylvania bittercress (Cardamine pensylvanica) are small annual or biennial herbs that are prolific native plants in almost every state in the US. It is a winter annual so it germinates in the fall, stays alive throughout the winter then flowers and puts out seed in the spring. […]
What Is Your Ancestral Diet?
Imagine the earth in 50,000 BC. Mankind is entering the final stages of its evolutionary journey from animal to human. How is he living? And what is he eating? What types of foods? And how are they processed? We have all heard that we need to eat a natural diet, full of fresh fruits and […]
Grasshoppers and Locust, A Delicious Swarm Of Protein
The famous grasshopper( Suborder: Caelifera) is known as an edible insect to many people. This is often a first insect meal to people who have never eaten insects or bugs before. They are eaten in substantial amounts, in south America, Africa, Asia and some parts of the Middle East. There are some species that change […]
Chicken Of The Woods, An Easy To ID Meat Substitute
If you’re a beginner to fungus foraging, Chicken of the woods( Genus: Laetiporus) is a great fungus to seek out because it’s widespread in The United States and easy to distinguish from any look-a-likes as long as you know a few fundamental identification features. There are a number of species in the genus that all […]
Rose of Sharon Tree, A Beautiful Edible
Rose of Sharon Tree Rose of sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a landscape plant native to Asia but very commonly planted in the US. It is a cold hardy tree or shrub with large tropical looking flowers, unmistakable once you’ve seen them. Its edibility is often unknown, but there are a number of reasons to consider […]
Japanese Knotweed, Invasive In The US, So Eat As Much As You’d Like
We have all seen this plant growing along stream beds and in wet areas. Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum / Fallopia japonica) is native to… you guessed it, Japan. It’s also native to other parts of Asia. This plant has naturalized in many parts of the world, it grows in 39 of the 50 United States […]