Hail to the King: Introducing the King Bolete
Fall is a fabulous time for fungi, particularly in the temperate forests and meadows of the northern hemisphere. And there are few mushrooms that are as impressive—and widely appreciated—as the king bolete (Boletus edulis). King boletes are found in forests and nearby clearings; in the United States they are most common on both the east […]
5 Easy to Forage Edible Winter Plants of the Northeast
Foraging interest and activity always peaks in the fall. Then inevitably it declines quickly with the cooler weather. There is a lot of interesting plants to forage that are available in the winter and for some such as hairy bittercress they even continue to grow on days that are warm enough. Getting familiar with these […]
Eastern White Pine, An Effective Remedy For The Common Cold
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) is a common native forest and landscape tree in the eastern half of the United States. The Pines (Genus: Pinus) are a prolific genus of trees and shrubs including slightly more than 100 species. This particular species is a long lived tree, some exceptional specimens have been estimated to be […]
Oak Tree Acorns, A High Calorie Wild Edible
Oak Trees (Genus: Quercus) are deciduous or evergreen broad-leaved trees or shrubs that grow all over the world. There are over 550 species of Oak Trees worldwide. Oak Tree acorns were a staple food for Native American Indian tribes and other indigenous people around the globe. Oak Trees are very common and produce edible acorns […]
Sassafras, An Illegal Substance That Grows Wild In Our Back Yards
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 […]
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 […]
Wild Garlic, A Great Addition to Foraged Meals
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 […]
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 […]
Autumn Olive, A Common Invasive Edible Fruit
Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) is an invasive shrub in central and eastern United States. It was introduced in the 1930s and promoted in the 1950s as a great food for wildlife. It is a great food for wildlife, and people, but it produces so much fruit that birds carry the seeds all over the central […]
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 […]
Kousa Dogwood Fruit, Tropical Flavor in Temperate Climates
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in August 2013. Updated April 2022. Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) is a small tree or shrub native to Asia that is now a widely popular landscape plant in the US. And it’s easy to understand why… In Spring it will display a mass of delicate star-shaped flowers. And […]
Purslane, A Wild Edible Weed With Many Culinary Uses
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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, […]
Sheeps Sorrel, A Common Weed With Flavor
Sheep’s Sorrel(Rumex acetosella) is a common lawn weed. This is an edible plant that tastes great. It grows throughout the summer in many soil types. Sheep’s sorrel is native to Europe and Asian but has naturalized in the Northern United States. It has a uniquely shaped leaf that makes it easy to identify. Edibility and […]
Coconut Grub, Bacon Without The Pig
Coconut Grub(Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) also called sago grub is the larvae of the red palm weevil, also known as Asian palm weevil or sago palm weevil. This beetle is present around the world with the larvae inhabiting a number of palm species. They are still spreading worldwide and are considered a pest species for palm plantations. […]