Wild Carrot – Queen Anne’s Lace

Queen Anne's Lace Flower

The Wild Carrot(Daucus carota) also known as queen anne’s lace is the direct descendant of our domesticated carrot. These plants are meadow flowers that tend to be biennial but can live for 1 to 5 years depending on weather and it’s genetic makeup. Once an individual plant flowers it dies that winter. Carrot is a […]

Hawthorn, an Ornamental Tree With Edible Fruit

Washington hawthorn tree (Crataegus phaenopyrum) is a common ornamental landscape tree in the Eastern  and Central United States.  The genus Crataegus is a large genus including many species referred to as hawthorn tree, hawthorn apple thornapple, maytree, whitethorn and hawberry.  Although this article focuses on the washington hawthorn tree the information here applies to many other species in the […]

5 Easy to Forage Edible Spring Plants of the Northeast

Japanese Knotweed

At Eat The Planet we love to teach people how foraging for wild edibles can be easy, safe, and rewarding. This article was written to get people out there and eating edible wild plants safely. There are 3 things that you need to be able to do first and this article is meant to make […]

Multiflora Rose, An Invasive But Nutritious Wild Edible

Rosa multiflora

Roses are one of the most popular plants known to mankind.  Their history as a cultivated plant goes back at least 5000 years.  The Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora), also known as Japanese Rose is a native Asian rose that has become invasive in many parts of the United States and Canada.  The edibility and medicinal […]

Sassafras, An Illegal Substance That Grows Wild In Our Back Yards

Sassafras albidum leaf shapes

Sassafras Tree Sassafras is the primary ingredient in traditional root beer as well as being used in the production of MDMA(ecstasy) and MDA. Sassafras tree (Sassafras albidum) is a very common native plant in the Eastern United States. It is often seen in clumps of weedy saplings, but as sassafrases mature they can grow to be large trees. There […]

Wild Garlic, A Great Addition to Foraged Meals

Allium vineale, Wild Garlic

There are a number of plants that go by the name wild garlic, this article focuses on a very common species, Allium vineale which is also called crow garlic.  This species has been introduced from Europe and Africa. Onions, Leeks, Garlic, and Shallots all are in the genus Allium and there are multiple wild plants […]

Linden Tree – Abundant Edible Leaves and Flowers

Linden Tree, Tilia cordata, Small leaved Linden leaves and flower bunches

If you can’t find a Linden Tree in the wild you can purchase seeds here: American Linden (Tilia americana) – 40 seeds Little Leaf Linden (Tilia cordata) – 40 seeds The American Linden Tree (Tilia americana) is a New England Native Tree that also goes by the name Basswood Tree. This article also applies to many other […]

Chicory, Street Side Salad Greens and Tea

Cichorium intybus, Chicory

Chicory( Cichorium intybus ) is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows throughout all of the US except for Alaska and Hawaii.  It also grows in most of Canada except for the far north. Chicory is native to Europe but has naturalized in The US and Canada. Chicory is known by a few other names including […]

Purslane, A Wild Edible Weed With Many Culinary Uses

PPortulaca oleracea, Purslane Leaves and Flowers

Purslane(Portulaca oleracea), also known as Little Hogweed and Moss Rose is a very common weed throughout the US and Canada and other parts of the world. It grows in planting beds, cracks in driveways and sidewalks and any other sunny area. It is not a lawn weed, it does not grow well when competing with […]

Wood Sorrel, A Woodland Plant With Flavor

Oxalis stricta, Common Yellow Wood Sorrel leaves, flowers and seedpod

Wood Sorrel( Genus: Oxalis) is a common edible perennial or annual plant that grows in many sun and soil conditions.  In the North East Common Yellow Wood Sorrel grows in shady woodland areas.  There are many species in this genus, some are native to North America, some are native to other parts of the world.  […]

Wild Violets Are A Versatile Edible Plant

Leaf Shape and growth pattern is on ID feature

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 […]

Rose of Sharon Tree, A Beautiful Edible

Rose of Sharon Flower

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 […]