Outdoor Edibles » Elliptic Shaped Leaves

Blueberry

Wild Edible — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:51:34 +0000

Blueberries

Most people who live in Canada or the United States are very familiar with wild Blueberries. They often grow in open, sunny areas, and variations are found in many north temperate climates around the world. Among other common names, Blueberries are also known at Huckleberries, Bilberries, and Deerberries.

The Blueberry is a shrub which can vary from one to several feet in height. They have elliptical, alternate, simple leaves, and in the spring, their flowers are typically white, bell-shaped, and are said to be edible as well. The berries are typically harvested in summer or early fall, and go from green to dark blue, black, or red as they ripen.

Blueberry Bush

Leaf of the Blueberry Bush

Beechnut

Wild Edible — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:20:04 +0000

Beechnut Pod

The Beech tree grows in temperate regions throughout the world, and generally prefers forests. It is commonly found in the eastern United States, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. In addition, Beech relatives are found in Chile, New Guinea, and New Zealand.

Beech trees are large, symmetrical forest trees that have smooth, light-gray bark and dark green foliage. The most distinguishing features are the bark, the female flowers borne in pairs and the male catkins in the spring and early summer, and the clusters of prickly seedpods in the fall. The leaves of beech trees are elliptical, entirely or sparsely toothed, around 4 inches long and 2 inches wide.

Beachnut Leaves

The fruit of the beech, also called “Beechnuts” and “mast”, are found in the small burrs that drop from tree in autumn. They are small and triangular, are edible though sometimes bitter, have a sweet taste and are highly nutritious. Because of the high oil content, the Beechnut is an extremely useful survival food.

Another use for the Beechnut is as a coffee substitute. Roast them so that the kernel becomes golden brown and quite hard. Then pulverize the kernel and, after boiling or steeping in hot water, you will have a reasonable coffee substitute.

Black Birch

Wild Edible — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:58:31 +0000

Black Birch Stem And Leaves

Black Birch is a tree that grows in forests throughout temperate regions in eastern North America. This common tree’s cambium (the green layer under the bark) contains the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory oil of wintergreen, which you can smell if you scratch-and-sniff the twigs or bark.
The Black Birch is most easily distinguished by the alternate (unpaired), elliptical, short-stalked, finely toothed leaves, the pointed, prominent, evenly spaced veins forming the letter “V” on the leaves, the slender twigs, and short, pointed leaf buds. The male catkins appear during the winter, before the leaves develop, and release pollen into the wind in early spring.

Black Birch Bark

The bark of the Black Birch is smooth, grey and puncuated by horizontal lenticels, which let the tree breathe. Unlike cherry trees, the bark isn’t riddled with cracks. The female flowers typically resemble green catapillars and appear in early spring.

Black Birch Catskins

There are several ways to make use of the Black Birch, including simply chewing on the delicious, wintergreen flavored twigs like chewing gum, or steeping the twigs for tea. A strong cup of Black Birch tea is said to be the equivalent of 1/4 to 1/2 of an aspirin.

Persimmon

Wild Edible — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:39:07 +0000

Persimmon Fruit

Persimmons are a fruit that grows from trees that vary greatly in appearance, and grow wild in some states. They can be used to make jam, jelly, vinegar, beer, tea, a coffee substance and breadstuff. They should be gathered after the first frost when they are completely ripe and very soft. Persimmons can be eaten raw, seeds can be roasted and used for coffee, and dried fruits can be ground into meal to make bread.

Persimmon Leaf

The fruit also can make a delicious syrup. To make the syrup, mix the persimmons with wheat bran, baked in pones. Put the mix in a container and pour water into it and let stand for 12 hours. Lastly, strain then boil to a thicker consistency.

Persimmon Flower

Persimmon in Fall

Persimmon Tree