Naturally Wild

 It is finally here, the coveted fall season! We wake to cooler mornings as the blistering heat of the summer has come to a simmer. Trees are illuminating red,
orange and yellow and this my friends is undoubtedly the best weather to go frolicking outdoors! We recently started a new program at the Greenville Zoo called Home school Hikes. It has quickly grown to be one of my favorite programs. The weekday offering of this hike accommodates the homeschooler schedule. The October hike was focused on edible plants we find here in the South. It was such a fun hike that I wanted to share the information we went over.

The idea of searching for edible food out in the wild may have you thinking, “is this really edible?” Some of my co-workers have even commented, “but squirrels eat that!” Yes, there is edible food found in the wild. Only recently we, as a society, have engaged in factory farming and scientifically modifying our food. Before that, we would hunt for plants and meat in the wild. With that said, not every plant we come across is safe to eat. There is important information to have handy to make sure we have the safest and most enjoyable time trying new foods right outside our door!

For our hike, we put together six key points to take into consideration when looking for the edible plants:

1.    What is it?

Make sure you know how to identify the plant with 100% certainty. Know what plants may look similar to the one you are looking for, and whether they would be dangerous to eat. Some dangerous plants can look just like the safe ones, so it is crucial to know which one you are looking at.   

2.   What part of it is edible?

          This note was the one that I had least thought about. However, not every part of the plant is edible. There are leaves, nuts, roots, flowers, berries, and stems to take into consideration.  

3.    What time of year is it edible?

Most fruits are tastier when they are fully ripe. The same goes with other wild plants; they are more enjoyable in their season. Some plants, however, are not just sour tasting in their off-season, they can be dangerous as well. Make sure you know when it is the best time to indulge.

4.   How does it need to be prepared to be edible?

Some wild plants are fine when eaten raw but others could use some preparation. Preparing your food can be a fun process! Take acorns for an example, when raw they can be very bitter from tannins. However, when boiled and cooked they can be a tasty snack. 

5.   How much of it is safe to eat?

Some plants are only safe to eat in small portions. Sourwood is one of those plants. It is a great plant to quench thirst but if eaten in large portions it can make you feel sick.

6.    What are the environmental conditions around it?

          If it is near a road, farm, or area with a lot of runoff, it might have chemicals from the cars or pollution. In addition, if you are searching within city limits, it may be treated with some sort of weed control chemical. For an example, Kudzu is edible when prepared right but here in Greenville it is also an invasive plant. So, in most of the city limits it is not safe to eat, because it has been treated with chemicals to try to eliminate it.

Most of our knowledge comes from books on edible plants. These books are very helpful in identifying, not only which plants are edible, but also which poisonous plants look similar. There are also some neat recipes on how to cook the various plants you find. You can find the exact books we used below:

Here is a recipe that is not found in the books above, but is the one we used to candy our acorns.

What You Need:

1. White Oak acorns

2. A hammer 

3. Two Large Pots

4. Large Pan 

5. Butter Knive 

6. Strainer 

7. Sugar 

8. Cinnamon

9. Butter or Water 

After you have gathered your acorns, you will need to rinse them off with water. Next, fill a pot with water and pour the acorns in. Remove any floating acorns as those are the rotten ones that typically have worms. Next you want to rinse them again and leave them to soak for about an hour. Then drain and pat dry with a towel. Shell the acorns with a clean hammer. Sometimes the second layer is harder to remove so using a butter knife helps to scrape it away. Bring two large pots of water to a boil. Pour the acorns into one pot and let it boil for about 15 minutes or until the water has changed to a brownish color. Next strain the acorns and pour into the second pot of boiling water for another 15 minutes. Refill the first pot with water and bring to a boil again. Repeat this process until the water is clear. Once the water stays clear drain the acorns and let sit for about 10 minutes to cool off.

Next, you can add either water or butter to a skillet on medium heat. Then add as much sugar as you please to the acorns continually stirring so they don’t stick to the pan.  Add cinnamon or any spices you’d like and continue to cook until the mixture has become sticky and carmalized. Remove from skillet and place on a hard surface to cool. Once cooled they are ready to eat!

I hope this blog inspired you to get outdoors and try something new. Happy fall ya’ll!