A Few More Wild Edibles
April 26, 2010
The weather was perfect for the wild edible walk yesterday. Thanks to everyone who participated! We saw several edibles on our walk along Blunn Creek in Travis Heights. You can incorporate most of the plants we saw into your own edible yards. Here’s a few shots of the plants we tasted:
Commelina spp. (Dayflower) – Edible leaves, stems, flowers
Morus spp. (Mulberries) – Edible fruit turns a deep purplish-black when ripe
Lactuca serriola (prickly lettuce) – Edible leaves, esp. early growth
Plantago major (plantain – we also saw Plantago lanceolata) – Edible leaves
Lepidium virginicum (Peppergrass) – Edible leaves and seed heads
We saw a lot more on our walk and I hope to post more photos soon. If you do decide to head out on a foraging walk, be sure to take a wild edible guidebook so you know what you are harvesting! When in doubt, don’t eat it! Here are a few more foraging tips:
- Be sure it’s legal and/or you have permission to harvest from the site.
- Harvest responsibly; take only what you need.
- When gathering flowers and fruit, leave enough for reproduction the following year.
- If collecting perennials, cut the top and leave the roots.
- When harvesting roots or tubers, you do kill the plant so harvest sparingly.
- Wear long pants, carry harvesting bags or baskets, and bring along all the tools you’ll need (edible wild plant guide, pruners, scissors, gloves, shovel/trowel, etc.)
- Be sure you know what you are harvesting and what parts of the plant are edible!
Wild Edible Plant Walk this Weekend
April 19, 2010
Spring is a fabulous time to find wild edible greens, berries and flowers in and around Austin. The white flowers on this Spanish dagger yucca are edible and can be eaten raw in salads or on sandwiches. These unique and abundant flowers crunch like iceberg lettuce, taste slightly nutty, and are high in Vitamin C. The petals are the tastiest part of the flower – you’ll want to pluck out the bitter green center. Also, test the flowers first before harvesting since tastes vary from plant to plant. You can also fry, steam, pickle or saute the flowers in some butter. Yum!
I will be leading a walk on wild edible plants this weekend in Austin. It’s almost full but you can also check in with Lynn over at Useful Wild Plants of Texas – they might be offering one of their weedfeeds soon!
Amy Speaking at Mueller Plant Fest this Saturday
April 8, 2010
I recently installed this small vegetable garden at a home in the Mueller neighborhood. It is the first phase in a traditional, patchwork-style kitchen garden that will eventually include two more beds and some blackberries along the fence. (In case you were wondering, the family finished the outline of their beds with river rock they collected on their land near the Llano River.)For those of you who have never been to Mueller, the yards are tiny! Ah, but the community there is LARGE. I also did a workshop and garden installation there last fall and I quickly learned that folks who live in Mueller are serious organizers! They organize many events such as potlucks, festivals, workshops, walks and even farmers’ markets. While I was installing the garden, a neighbor across the street asked me if I would be willing to speak about vegetable gardening at the Mueller Plant Fest. So, I will be giving a short talk about vegetable gardening in small spaces at the Mueller Plant Fest this Saturday, April 10th at 11:30. If you’re interested in attending, come on out! The garden I installed will be on a walking tour. Here’s the list of other activities and information:
