Outdoor Edibles » Winter

Cattail

Wild Edible — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:54:37 +0000

Cattails is easily recognizable, and commonly grows in full sun areas at the margins of lakes, streams, canals, rivers, and brackish water. Cattails have strap-like, pointed leaves, with parallel veins, resemble other wetland plants, but last year’s stalks provide positive identification, which are white, dense, furry, cigar-shaped overwintered seed heads standing atop very long, stout stalks, even as the young shoots first emerge in early spring. When in doubt, look for the dead cattail plants from the previous year which should be profuse in any enduring stand.

Every part of the Cattail has uses. It ís easy to harvest, very tasty, and highly nutritious. It was a major staple for the American Indians, who found it in such great supply, they didn’t need to cultivate it.

Before the flower forms, the shoots prized as “Cossackís asparagus” in Russia are fantastic. You can peel and eat them raw or cooked well into the summer. When the cattail is immature and still green, you can boil the female portion and eat it like corn on the cob, and in the spring, pollen from the male flowers is often abundant, bright yellow and can be used as a flour substitute.

The rhizome or root, which can be harvest year round (although it is often very tough), is a very rich source of starch. Pulverizing the rhizome is the easiest way to remove the starch and use it as a flour.

Other uses for the Cattail include: Using the dried leaves for weaving material, the cottony seeds can be used for pillow stuffing and insulation, the fluff makes an excellent tinder, the dried Cattails make an effective insect repellent when burned, the stems can be soaked in cold water to remove the starch and then the water rendered to make a starch paste, and the leaves, which swell when wet, can be used for caulking cracks in barrels and boats.

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