The start of a spring salad is a bowl of violets and bluebells waiting to be washed and trimmed up to use in a spring salad.
Sit down with this book alongside a weedy sidewalk or a meandering trail among the plants that grow in your habitat. Tickle your palate with wildflowers and colorful fruits that can coexist in the kitchen among your usual dishes. There is something very special about connecting your hands and taste buds to a successfully identified wild edible.
The start of a spring salad is a bowl of violets and bluebells waiting to be washed and trimmed up to use in a spring salad.
The states and provinces of the mountain west—Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, the eastern sides of Washington and Oregon, and north into the southernmost parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan—are uniquely their own, with high mountain peaks, broad valleys, high deserts, and lush pockets of forests. Elevation plays a huge role in seasonal changes and precipitation here, with mountains ranging from about 2,000 feet to over 14,000 feet. In these parts, a forager can chase seasons from the low plains all the way to the high country. It can be a bit tricky at times to precisely plan out your harvest because of this. Berry season may be just beginning in the highlands while pickings are already slimming in the low-lying basins.
Within hours of travel by car, the scenery will have changed multiple times, fluctuating between stands of chokecherry, aspen, or scrub oak. Upon gaining elevation, it changes to woodlands, where one might find sweet root, thimbleberry, or cow parsnip. Open meadows may be full of sweet clover, wild chives, and sunflowers, while the desert lowlands provide the wild foodie with Mormon tea, prickly pear, and piñon. The land seems endless here, where the mountains soar and the rivers carve through. Let this book be your friend while you explore nature’s regional gift of foods.
Plants are listed alphabetically by the most common name used in the area. Botanical names of plants are shown in italics, distinguishing plants to genus and often to species, as a binomial. These scientific names are used to more precisely identify plants; common names, confusingly, are often used for more than one plant.
Always use more than one reference to identify a plant. Although this book offers photos and clear indicators for recognizing each plant, you will still need a precise key for distinguishing certain species. I provide general guidance for where each plant may be found growing, but again, this can be quite variable throughout our region.
Each entry lists the edible parts of the plant, along with ideas of how to gather and prepare these feral foods for feast. Food preservation of most plants is discussed, for that longer-lasting bounty that will stock your cupboards and freezer.
Plants vary from being common weeds that can be found in gardens, such as purslane, to crabapples, lindens, and other trees that line the streets of most towns. No need to worry if you can’t escape to the wilderness; plenty of wild plants are growing right outside your back door.
Before considering any plant for consumption, be aware of possible cautions, contraindications to medicines, and poisonous look-alikes of that plant. Again, use multiple guidebooks or plant keys to identify plants with certainty. Be sure to check if a plant’s entry has a cautionary warning before consuming any plant you read about in this book. Never touch or taste any part of a plant you are uncertain about; even a few seeds of poison hemlock or water hemlock can be fatal. Some people have an allergic reaction to sesquiterpenoid compounds, which are present in varying amounts in most plants in the daisy or sunflower family (Asteraceae)—small bites until you know for certain you are not one of them! It is always best to sample a small amount of any wild food you have not eaten before. And be aware of the plants that surround you. Some plants can be very irritating to the skin; poison ivy, for example, is one you definitely do not want to grab hold of. With other, even edible plants, like cow parsnip, you run a small risk of dermatitis. If your skin gets sap on it, a burn can occur; again, always read the cautions.
We are very privileged to have made our home in the mountain west, where the land is wide open and free from crowds; however, we still need to pay attention to where we choose to gather. The soil in populated cities and even rural communities can harbor chemicals from herbicides and pesticides and heavy metals from mining and factories, along with other contaminants. Many weedy edibles such as ox-eye daisies or burdock can be the target of eradication. If a plant looks deformed or yellowed and brown when it should be green, it has probably been sprayed with an herbicide; don’t collect near there. Stay far from roads, railways, municipal facilities, golf courses, and landscaped buildings, as these are generally highly sprayed areas.
Be leery of gathering near cattle ranches or farms. The waters that flow through them can carry fertilizers, manure, and many other contaminants that then leach into waterways downstream. Poor land use practices have meant the erosion of many of these riparian areas, which in turn causes shallow, slow-moving, warm waters. Such environments mean the water has a greater potential to host E. coli, salmonella, liver flukes, and other contaminants. Don’t harvest water-loving plants from the shores of rivers or reservoirs that are contaminated or polluted by mining, factories, or agriculture.
It is always wise to learn your poisons first before you begin consuming wild foods. These plants are commonly found throughout the states and provinces of the mountain west.
Take a good look at the shape of water hemlock (Cicuta species) leaves; they are the first thing you want to be able to recognize on these toxic plants. Also, become familiar with identifying their ribbed and plumply crescent-shaped seeds.
Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) can grow very tall, taking over entire fields. Learn to identify it, and never eat any part of this plant.
Meadow death camas (Toxicoscordion venenosum), pictured, and mountain death camas (Anticlea elegans) should never be consumed.
All parts of monkshood (Aconitum columbianum) are poisonous and should not be consumed in any quantity.
Young leaves of golden banner (Thermopsis species) can resemble alfalfa, sweet clover, and other clovers.
See those “leaves of three”? Poison ivy (Toxicodendron species) is a plant you do not want to grab hold of.
The golden rule of foraging wild plants is to be more than certain of the plant you wish to consume. Learn to identify the plant before you even touch it, much less start harvesting from it. Learn to gain trust between yourself and Mother Nature, but always lean toward caution with anything new.
The secret to successful, ethical foraging isn’t how much you bring home: it’s conducting yourself in such a way that no one would ever know you had passed through. Harvest only what is needed for a meal (and perhaps a bit for the pantry), in a way that tends the earth. If you are digging up roots, understand this means that spring beauties and many other tuberous plants will not regenerate, while dandelions will grow again if a small piece of root is left in the ground. Harvest roots and tubers only from areas that are abundant in growth; small patches should never be touched. Find seeds of the same plant and place them in the hole before covering, in hopes it will grow a plant ten times greater than the one you harvested with love and care. Fill the empty space where life once grew with the dirt you removed, and some leaves for composting, leaving the land, to all appearances, untouched. All these are respectful gestures to the plant.
I always look for fallen branches instead of ever taking one away from a tree; small trimmings are okay if you spread that harvest out through many trees. Look for places where people have removed a tree or are doing trail maintenance; great timing can get you a bounty of conifer boughs. If picking tree buds or tips, move through many trees; do not harvest from only one.
Never pick all the leaves from a single plant; take under a third of what the plant has to offer. Removing more will weaken the plant and not allow it to have a successful life cycle. Flowers too should be picked with care, as they are the source of reproduction; always leave plenty behind, and allow many plants to remain fully intact.
Public lands dominate much of the rural west, which is great for the forager, but be aware: restrictions often apply. Each public land agency, such as Bureau of Land Management (BLM), United States Fish and Wildlife Services, and national and provincial park services, has different rules and regulations about harvesting on their lands. In addition to federal or Crown lands, states and provinces also manage open spaces and have their own set of rules. Check in with your local office to learn what the regulations are.
Be aware of private properties, such as ranches and mining claims. It is your duty to know if you are trespassing. Even within neighborhoods or down alleyways, always ask permission to harvest from someone else’s property.
Many of the common weeds mentioned in this book are introduced species that are not considered invasive. These plants can usually be harvested more freely without worry of taking too much, as they grow pretty abundantly. Check your state or provincial noxious weed list (easily found online) and know the invasive plants. It is worth knowing which plants are sprayed in your area. A simple call to the forest service or your local department or ministry of transportation can be a good place to start when trying to find this information.
When heading out for a harvest day, one should always be layered and prepared for a change in weather. It can even be wise to have a change of clothes in the car, but maybe it’s just me who wades rivers fully clothed.
Seasons are constantly shifting, especially if you plan on gaining elevation to forage. The temperature will always be slightly cooler and possibly breezier the higher you go. The exact opposite is usually the case if you are heading lower; in that case, expect it to be much hotter and more arid.
Wear shoes that allow you to walk up a scree field or through a rocky river. An all-terrain shoe will do, or perhaps a minimalist barefoot shoe is more appealing. Some people really like to feel the land, while others prefer protection; choose what suits you. Rubber or suede boots can be a nice way to tromp around rivers and wetlands, while bare feet or sandals could be totally appropriate for grassy or sandy knolls. Always have a raincoat and sunglasses, two essentials in the mountain west, where if it’s not intensely sunny, then it is probably raining or snowing. The harsh climate of the summer is the perfect reminder to cover up from the sun. Wear a hat and light long layers, and use a sunblock on exposed skin. Altitude makes the sun fiercer, and our bodies work harder, so always have enough water for drinking. Hydration makes a happy harvester.
Baskets, pruners, belts, and satchels are among a forager’s favorite things. It is nice to have the essential utensils within arm’s reach, which means a belt or satchel are handy for carrying pruners, knives, and digging tools. Paper bags, pillow cases, baskets, or muslin bags are great for gathering fresh plant matter; it lets them air out while you continue to harvest and garble. Using plastic bags or containers traps in moisture and can make your harvest go bad quickly from mold and rot. Glass jars or plastic containers are needed when collecting berries, so your harvest does not go mushy.
To garble a plant is to pick it apart for the parts that are useful. For example, garbling elderflowers or -berries would mean that you pick off only the flowers or fruit, keeping all the stems out of your harvest pile (the fresh stems of elderberry are toxic).
It also means going through your harvest basket and making sure that you gathered only the plants you meant to harvest, removing any plants that are not identified or debris that is undesirable to eat.
Now that you have found your wild edibles, you need to prep them for cooking, eating, or storing for later use.
Winnowing is the process of removing seeds from the bracts or casings that enclose them. Try this with small seeds like alfalfa, amaranth, western blue flax, and lamb’s quarters. To begin winnowing, get outside with your dried seedheads and, standing over a bucket, take a scoop of them in one hand. Then take both hands and rub them together slowly; this lets the desired seeds fall into the bucket, a foot or two below, while simultaneously allowing the chaff and other plant debris to blow away in the wind.
The process of drying or dehydrating plants is a great way to store food for later ventures in your wild edible culinary experience. Don’t worry if you are not equipped with a fancy dehydrator. Your kitchen table, oven, shed, or broken-down car will work just fine.
If you have a dehydrator, use your lowest settings for leaves and flowers. Roots, berries, and sliced fruits may be able to withstand a warmer temperature. Always use the lowest temperature setting if using an oven, which is generally around 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
My favorite way to dry plant matter it to spread it all out on mesh screens or stretched-out linen sheets; the herb can then be jostled every so often to keep the drying evenly distributed. Laying your garbled plants flat on parchment paper that is spread over a table will also work; just remember to rotate the sides of your plant matter so that they dry evenly. Try to find a place outside that is in the shade, so the plants do not scorch in the sun. Doing the drying inside is fine but can sometimes result in a home bug infestation.
Plants have characteristics all their own, and learning some easy terminology will help you to identify which to gather. Because plants bear leaves most of the harvesting season, even without flowers or fruits, leaves are key to identifying and distinguishing plants. Take a look at the shape of the leaves, and the pattern in which the leaves are arranged. For a better botanical understanding, here are some examples of common leaf arrangements, shapes, and margins.
OPPOSITE Mint leaves grow in pairs, joining at the same node on the stem.
ALTERNATE The leaves of twisted stalk grow along the stem, one at each node.
WHORLED Cleavers has three or more leaves arranged around one node on a stem.
ROSETTE Tumble mustard leaves are arranged around the base of the plant, forming a dense mat of leaves on the ground.
COMPOUND Red clover leaves are separated into three leaflets.
OBLONG Showy milkweed leaves are longer than they are wide.
PINNATE Wild licorice has a compound leaf with opposite leaflets along the axis.
LANCEOLATE Stinging nettle leaves are longer than they are wide, with a speared tip.
OVATE Plantain has oval or egg-shaped leaves.
PALMATE Cow parsnip veins radiate from a central point into lobes.
ENTIRE Lilac leaves are smooth around the margin.
SERRATED The margins of Oregon grape leaves are jagged or toothed.
LOBED Scrub oak leaves have deep rounded margins.
