Wild & Free: Underfoot and Overhead

by By Sarajoy Van Boven, from the October 2005 Newsletter

We (you and I) have been eating from the wild since we were small children, from invasive Himalayan blackberries to disgusting Mountain Ash berries eaten on dares.  A decade ago my brother Matt, a professional wild forager, introduced me to miner's lettuce and nettle.  Since then, through lean times and backpacking fiascos, wild foods have sustained me and my family.  Even when all is well, the earth's free gifts enrich our meals, snacks and tea times. I don't consider myself an expert; I am an enthusiast. Over the coming months I will share with you what I have learned.

Preliminary Warnings:

1. Poisoning. Please avoid this by identifying the plant and edible parts with absolute certainty. Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia and the Inland Northwest published by Lone Pine is a favorite resource. However, I learn plants best by being shown again and again by patient teachers, like my husband, Huckleberry. I'll share some tips but YOU must be sure.
   I once heard a cautionary tale of mushroom non-poisoning, the morel of which was this: the symptoms of panic (heart palpitations, sweating, rapid heart beat) when you think you might have ingested a poisonous wild thing are indistinguishable from the symptoms of real poisoning. The only way for you and your entire extended family to avoid getting your stomachs pumped in the ER on Christmas day is to be 100 percent certain of what you are eating before you eat it.
2. Private property. If it looks like someone might care, get permission or be very sneaky. Try not to trespass.
3. Pest/herbicides. Watch for deformed or unseasonably dead plants.
4. Doo. Make sure animals haven't recently fertilized your foraging spot.
5. Discovery of allergies.

With the warnings done, I will now introduce you to two of October's likely treats: Dandelion roots and abandoned apples.

Among the wild roots ready this time of year is the dandelion. Dandelion identification shouldn't be tricky, but then again it might be. Their leaves are dark green, light green, growing flat, growing up, deep jagged edges, or smoother sided. The underside of the leaf spine of a dandelion is NOT hairy. The leaves grow from the base of the stem, not up the stem. Get out your expert advisor and make sure. These leaves and yellow flowers are also edible and we will discuss them in season.

You know where to find dandelions: disturbed soils, my garden, alleys. If you don't have them in your yard, you are doing something wrong. If you live in an apartment, ask a lazy gardener if you can weed awhile. Be aware that you will leave a hole.

Once you're sure it's a dandelion and no one's going to miss it, get digging. My favorite digging companion is a hori hori-like knife made by Green Top. You can make the jobs of pulling and cleaning the roots easier if you harvest after a rain.  Try to get most of the 2-4" finger-like root. In cool water, soak the roots for a few minutes, to loosen the dirt, then scrub them with a washcloth.

Fresh fall dandelion roots taste buttery sautéed or added to fall soups. They cook about as long as other roots: carrots, beets, etc.

Recently, I ripped the roots into 1/2 " pieces and dried them in an oven, on less than "Low", overnight. I'll use them for winter teas and infusions. For my favorite cozy drink, completely brown the roots at 300 degrees F (about an hour). Grind and brew like coffee. For more on dandelions read Healing Wise by Susun S. Weed (Ash Tree Publishing, NY, 1989).

FREE: the unconditional love of apple trees. You can find forgotten or un-harvested apples (sweetened by frost) in every neighborhood. Out of town, Technicolor-red apples are dropping at Idler's Rest and a large variety fall at the base of Steptoe Butte. For the imperfect and infested apples of neglected trees there are several delicious options after you have cut out the worms and bruises: 1) Drying. I love sweet dried feral apple in my oatmeal. 2) applesauce 3) spiced apple butter and 4) apple pies.

The earth gives us these foods freely and abundantly; thank her.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

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