If given the choice of eating naturally grown veggies or those that have been unnaturally genetically modified to withstand massive doses of pesticides, I think any rationally minded human would go the natural route. The proponents of GMO foods are fighting against GMO labels on food products for that very reason – they know people don’t want to put that crap in their body.

I wonder what new disease, condition or allergy will surface this week? As the human body adapts to ingesting and absorbing more chemical products and GMO foods than ever before, cancer continues to skyrocket and new wacky conditions rear their ugly face in the children of a chemical- and GMO-induced generation.

So where is a good place to look for chemical-free and GMO-free fresh veggies this time of year? Your back yard!

Information is power. Not only could wild edible plants help to save your life in a survival scenario, but they can also be used to supplement meals at home, involve the whole family in hunting and gathering exercises and reduce the weekly food budget.

Below are five very common wild edible plants that are easy to identify and easy to gather. And, they won’t wage war against your body.

Dandelion: Taraxum officinale

I’ve never met someone who can’t positively ID dandelion. This common weed is one of my favorite wild edible plants of all time. It is also incredibly versatile. The blooms, buds, leaves and roots are all edible. The blooms and buds are best when batter fried. The greens are excellent prepared as a potherb like spinach but also make a welcome addition to any fresh salad. They sell for several dollars a pound at a local organic food store. Don’t you dare buy them! The older leaves can be bitter, so the young spring greens make better salads. The roots can be peeled, sliced and cooked like boiled carrots. Unless you treat your yard with weed killers or live in the desert, you’ll have no problem gathering dandelions in spring and summer.

For more photos of this GMO-free food visit WillowHavenOutdoor.com/dandelion.

Chickweed: Stellaria media

Chickweed is a delicious wild edible green. Sailors used to store in on ships to supplement their diets to prevent scurvy because it’s rich in vitamin C. The leaves and stems are the edible bits. They can be added raw to salads but are also delicious when added to stir fries and pasta dishes. Chickweed loves backyards. Find it along fence rows, rocks and concrete walls. It grows low to the ground in dense mats. The stems can sometimes have a reddish hue and it grows one thin line of ‘hair’ down each stem. Chickweed sap is clear.

For more photos of this GMO-free food visit WillowHavenOutdoor.com/wild-edible-chickweed.

Garlic mustard: Alliaria petiolata

Garlic mustard is an invasive weed and prevalent in much of the United States. It is a biennial flowering plant, which means it grows two years. The first year it grows as a low forming rosette of leaves and stems. The second year it grows tall (3-4 feet) and blooms. The leaves are edible both years and make excellent flavor additions to a variety of dishes. It has a heavy garlic taste and flavors other cooked greens and soups very well. It has heart-shaped, deeply veined leaves. It also has an amazing ability to photosynthesize even in very cold temperatures. Garlic mustard is one of the first wild edibles to pop up in the spring and can even be found in mild winter months.

For more photos of this GMO-free food visit WillowHavenOutdoor.com/wild-edible-garlic-mustard.

Wild violet: Viola species

Want to make any fresh salad or dessert look really fancy? Add in some wild purple violet blooms. They even have a sweet floral flavor. The blooms brushed with egg white and dusted in sugar are as good as any candy I’ve ever had. The heart shaped leaves are edible as well and can be added raw to fresh salads. Wild Violets love to grow in slightly sunny and moist wooded areas, but I’ve found them right in the middle of my lawn before as well.

For more photos of this GMO–free food visit WillowHavenOutdoor.com/wild-edible-wild-violets.

Wild bull thistle: Cirsium species

The bull thistle may look like a formidable foe, but in fact is one of the most substantial wild edibles available. Like Garlic mustard, it is a biennial plant. The first year produces a big round rosette of prickly toothed leaves. A tall stalk grows the second year and is adorned with purple puffer-fish looking blooms. In this second year I call the Bull Thistle “the cactus of the Midwest” because it is protecting a vital resource – water. The thick juicy core of the Bull Thistle is not only edible, but also lush with water. It has been called “survival celery” because of its texture and refreshing fluids. The root becomes too hard and fibrous during the second year growth but is an excellent root vegetable during the first year – especially in spring and fall when the large tap root is packed with nutrients. Cook it like a potato or parsnip – boiled, baked or fried. It is one of the rare wild edible plants with enough substance to be filling and serve as a full survival meal.

For more photos of this GMO-free food visit WillowHavenOutdoor.com/wild-edible-bull-thistle.

The knowledge to identify, gather and prepare wild edible plants is not only a fun hobby, but also a step toward food independence. Being 100-percent dependent on someone else for 100-percent of your food is 100-percent insane.

Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN.

When it comes to Practicing Survival Skills – I’d much rather be out in the field making a sling shot or shooting my 10/22 or chopping fire wood, actually probably doing anything else besides inside at the kitchen counter trying to figure out how to make jelly.  But, that’s what learning is all about – sometimes you need to take the time to learn skills that might not be your favorites yet are still important.  I believe that canning is an important survival skill.  When it comes to getting started in canning, it doesn’t get much easier than making jelly.

Wild Grape Harvest

At least here in Indiana, Wild Grapes are in season.  They like the sun and thrive along tree lines and old fence rows.  I found these along a southward facing treeline near an old grown up field.

Don’t confuse Wild Grapes with the huge super sweet ones you buy at the grocery.  They are small and can sometimes be pretty acidic rather than sweet.  However, the flavor is very raw and rich – like most wild things.  There are many berries (some poisonous) in season at the same time as Wild Grapes.  Be sure to to 100% positive ID the grape vine.  Wild grapes should have leaves that look like the one below and the vines will also have grabby winding tendrils like below as well.  If in DOUBT, leave it OUT.  There are several grape vine look-a-likes – like MOONSEED – which has a similar leaf and similar looking berries.  Here is a very well written article that out-lines several differences.  Take a minute to read it if you are going to go Wild Grape Hunting: http://www.nativeorchid.org/news201012.htm

Check out the photo below of 3 berries in the same spot when I was harvesting grapes (1 is wild grape and the other 2 are unknown).  This just shows that you need to be careful.

I only spent about 30 mins. gathering these grapes and brought home quite the bounty.

Now for this Wild Grape Jelly Thing

Below is the simplest recipe/instructions I could find:

3 lbs wild grapes, stemmed

3 cups water

4 1/2 cups sugar

1 (85 ml) package liquid pectin

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, crush grapes with potato masher; pour in water and bring to boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until fruit is very soft.
3. Transfer to jelly bag or colander lined with a double thickness of fine cheesecloth and let drip overnight.
4. Measure juice (you should have 3 cups/750 ml) into a large heavy saucepan; stir in sugar.
5. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
6. Stir in pectin.
7. Return to full boil and boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly.
8. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.
9. Pour into sterilized jars, leaving 1/8 inch headspace.

Recipe compliments of http://www.food.com/recipe/wild-grape-jelly-72585

I’m not a very patient (or detail oriented) person, so I made a few modifications.  Here’s exactly what I did.

First, I put 3 cups of water in a large pot.  It didn’t seem like much water so I added a little more  Then, I filled the rest of the pot with grapes – stem and all.  I have no idea if this was 3 pounds.

I turned the stove on HIGH until the water started boiling and then I cut the heat down and let it simmer for the suggested 10 minutes.  The whole time, though, I used a big spoon to crush the grapes.  I skipped the pre-crushing stage and decided to combine it with this one.

The water quickly turned a deep purple.  After the 10 minutes I dumped the mixture into a colander over another large pot.  There was no way I was going to let this drip overnight so I helped it out by smashing it with the spoon some more.

This process yielded about 6 cups of deep purple grape stock.  The recipe calls for 3 cups for I measured out 3 cups and poured them back into the original pot and added the 4 1/2 cups of sugar and brought it to a rolling boil.  WARNING:  This stuff really froths up and wants to boil over so watch it closely.  I turned away for just a few seconds and it started boiling over – a big mess.

Once this started boiling I added in the PECTIN and boiled like the recipe says for 1 minute.  PECTIN can be found in the CANNING section at the grocery store.

I then took the pot off the heat and let it set for a few seconds.  A frothy skim formed on the top of the mixture so I skimmed that off with a spoon and then just poured the stuff into my canning jars.  It was very easy.  I put the jars into the fridge and the next morning the jelly had set up absolutely perfect.

So, I fixed breakfast and relished in the fruits (or jelly rather) of my labor.

Do you want to try some?  No problem!  Register for a Survival Class at Willow Haven this fall and I’ll save some for you.

Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN,

Creek

It’s interesting to me how a plant can be edible and poisonous at the same time. Pokeweed is one of those wild plants.  Normally, I stay away from wild edibles that have a poisonous element but Poke is one of those rare exceptions.  It’s just too dang good.

Poke is normally an early riser – popping up in early Spring.  I’ve been finding tons of new plants lately, though.  Before we get into this post very far I need to tell you a few important facts about Poke:

1. The ROOTS are ALWAYS poisonous.
2. The BERRIES are ALWAYS poisonous.
3. The Mature Leaves, Stems and Stalk are ALWAYS poisonous.

So what is considered MATURE?  My rule of thumb is that any plant over 18″ tall is mature OR if the plant has any hint of purple turning in the main stalk OR if the berry clusters have started to form.  I know this seems like a lot of rules but POKE is worth it.  I consider the poke in the photo below a NO GO.

Poke is prepared like any potherb – like spinach for example.  Just boil a pot full of leaves in a few inches of water and then salt and season to taste.  I’ve read in multiple field guides (including my favorite field guide – Peterson’s Guide to Wild Edibles for Eastern/Central North America) that it needs to be boiled in multiple changes of water but I’ve never done that and haven’t found it necessary.

Poke is a large leafy plant.  The veins on the underside of the leaves are very noticeable and I use these to help identify the plant.

It can get to be 8+ feet tall.  Here is a photo of a mature poke plant and also poke berries that haven’t turned purple yet.  Everything about the plant in this stage is poisonous.

My new favorite way of eating POKE is with scrambled eggs.  It is very easy to prepare and the POKE gives a really unique flavor to the dish.  Until poke is out of season I’ll probably eat this dish 2-3 times per week.  To make it I start by melting down some POKE leaves in a skillet with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

After the leaves are nice and wilted I add in the eggs.

Finally, salt and pepper to taste and you’re good to go.  Poke and Eggs fit for a king.

If you came across a bird’s nest in the wild this dish could theoretically be made in a primitive survival situation using a flat rock.

So how about you?  Do you eat Pokeweed?  If so, what’s your favorite way to prepare it?

Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN,

Creek