Turkey Tail, A Powerful Medicinal Mushroom
Turkey Tail Mushroom (Trametes versicolor) is a very common mushroom that can be found all over the world. It is a decayer of wood and the mushrooms last a long time, often living into the winter. Turkey Tail Mushroom is an ancient indigenous medicine for different cultures around the world. It can be found growing […]
Black Tupelo, A Native American Fruit Tree
Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) , also called black gum tree is a North Eastern American native tree producing edible fruit in the fall. There are 2 other species in the genus native to South Eastern US, they are the Ogeechee Lime (Nyssa ogeche) and Water Tupelo (Nyssa aquatica), This article primarily focuses on Nyssa silvatica […]
Wild Cherry Tree, A Native American Necessity
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in September 2013. Updated April 2022. The name ‘wild cherry tree’ refers to a number of species in the genus Prunus. Some of the most common include the black cherry (Prunus serotina) and the chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), both of which are native to North America. There is also […]
Crickets, An Abundant Source of Protein Worldwide
Crickets( Family: Gryllidae) can be found in almost every area on the globe where humans live. Crickets are a substantial snack food for many people around the globe, including parts of Asian and Africa. Your native or local crickets can be collected and raised easily with very little, food water and space requirements. Edibility And […]
Amaranth, A Weed Here, A Staple Food Everywhere Else
Amaranth(Genus: Amaranthus) is a genus of plants native to The Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is a primary food source in all these places because it can grow in many soil types, and most if not all members of the genus have edible leaves, roots, seeds. This article focuses on the Amaranth that is […]
Linden Tree – Abundant Edible Leaves and Flowers
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 […]
Staghorn Sumac, Native American Lemonade
The first thing we think about when we hear the word sumac is the dreaded poison sumac. Just to clarify, the Sumac we are speaking of here is in the Genus: Rhus, the poison sumac is in the Genus Toxidendron, with Poison Ivy and Poison Oak. To make matters more confusing Poison Ivy, Oak and […]
Lamb’s Quarters, A Great Spinach Substitute
Lamb’s Quarters (Genus: Chenopodium) is a group of wild edible plants that is native to North America and other parts of the world. Lamb’s Quarters is also known as Lambs Quarter, Pigweed, Goosefoot, Fat Hen and other colloquial names. There are many species of Lamb’s Quarters, two very common species in America are Chenopodium album, […]
Hickory, Pretty Good As Far As Wild Nuts Go
The Hickory Tree( Genus: Carya) is a common forest tree of many parts of the United States and Canada. Hickory trees get big, and can live up to 200 years. There are many species of Hickory trees, the most famous edible one is Carya illinoinesis the Pecan tree, yes the pecan is a type of […]
Wood Sorrel, A Woodland Plant With Flavor
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. […]
Amelanchier, A Very Tasty Wild Edible Fruit
Why are wild fruits so Tasty? It all comes down to evolution. Plants evolved to make their fruit appealing to humans, because if we eat them then we spread their seeds, and humans evolved to enjoy such a nutritious snack, because it improves our health. The Amelanchier( Genus: Amelanchier ), more commonly known by many […]
Yard Plantain, An Ancient Herb For Eating And Healing
The yard plantain(Genus: Plantago) is a very common low growing leafy plant. Different species of plantains in the genus Plantago grow all over the globe. Common species In The United States are Common Plantain (Plantago major), Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) and Blackseed Plantain(Plantago rugelii). Blackseed Plantain is a traditional Native American medicine and food source. […]
Puffball Mushroom, You’ll Be Ok If You Follow One ID Feature
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in May 2013. Updated April 2022. Puffball mushrooms (Genus: Calvatia, Bovista, and others) are a fantastic wild edible. With a little examination, they have easily identifiable characteristics and they’re a common find in many meadows and forests. However, they do have some extremely poisonous look-a-likes to be wary of, […]
Land Shrimp, A Small Relative Of Our Favorite Seafood
Pillbugs, also known as woodlice, roly-polies, or land shrimp are a very common arthropod in the same taxonomic class as Shrimp and lobster. These small arthropods, are very recognizable, they have 11 body segments, and can be seen curling up in a ball for defense. They can easily be found under rotting logs or bark, […]
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. […]
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 […]