What are your favorite plants to forage for?

 In my area I love these plants.

1. I really, really enjoy the taste and heat of Virginia Pepperweed “Lepidium virginicum”. This plant is a close relative to broccoli and mustard plants as it is in the Brassicaceae family. Alongside several other mustard-related weeds such as Garlic mustard which I don’t like too much as it tastes very bitter and not as spicy. My favorite parts of this plant to eat mostly raw are the leaves, broccoli-like flower head before they bloom, and the tiny seeds which can be gathered ground, and turned into mustard or used as a black pepper substitute in soups. Also, don’t cook the leaves if you want them to retain their spice. If you cook the whole plant it will completely taste like broccoli. And lose the heat. The root can also be made into a horseradish substitute. There are many other Lepidium species out there. Most of them are edible some are less edible. Some are Native to the Americas others are invasive from other continents.

2. My other favorite is the Common Yellow Wood sorrel also known as “Oxalis stricta” Most people like to eat the leaves but I enjoy the unripe seed pods the most. As they look like mini okra, taste like lemons, and are very crunchy. They have some medical uses as well.

   Cool thing is that StarFruit is related to this plant as it is in the “Oxalidaceae” family. Let the Wood Sorrel pods go completely ripe and at the slightest touch, they will explode sending their seeds flying! :)

3.  I also enjoy American Stinging Nettle or Slender Nettle “Urtica gracilis” This species is native to my area. While the other nettle people might see is in the US is “Urtica Dioica” which is native to Europe and Asia. But is rare in my area. Along with other plants in the Urticaceae family. This plant also has fewer stinging hairs compared to Urtica Diotica.                                                                                      Another native Nettle to my area is Wood Nettle “Laportea canadensis”.                                                                                           The leaves can be cooked, steamed, made into a soup. Or Made into a tea they are delicious. They also have medical uses. I’ve heard Wood Nettle has the best-tasting leaves. I might go out and try some this summer. As I never have because of them having so many stinging hairs. The large seeds are also edible. You can also make strong cordage and clothing from the bast fibers of these plants. You’ll see many videos on youtube and elsewhere on how to do so.

4. . Eastern black nightshade “Solanum ptychanthum” most people would think of this plant as completely poisonous and to avoid and burn.

   As they might mistake it for Deadly nightshade “Atropa belladonna” Which is rare in the us.                                                                                       But Black Nightshade is actually good. The fully ripe blackberries are edible and delicious. I’ve eaten them for years. They taste like tiny sweet tomatoes with a hint of blueberry. To distinguish between the two species look at the berries. Deadly Nightshade has one single shiny berry growing along with a single purple flower starting off before the berry. While Black nightshade has berries growing in clusters with white flowers starting off in clusters. There is also another native black nightshade that grows in other parts of the Americas.                                                         It’s called American black nightshade “Solanum americanum” You can also eat its berries. A nonnative Black Nightshade also exists called European Black Nightshade “Solanum Nigrum” Unlike the 2 natives this species has dull berries, not shiny berries. They also hang in clusters. All these Black Nightshades that I’ve described have edible leaves and berries. I would be cautious with the leaves. Only eat them when they are young and boiled for an hour or more. Better yet don’t eat them at all I would mostly recommend.                                                     Just eat the fully ripe berries. In Africa, they eat the leaves and not the berries of their own variety of African nightshade which is probably just a selection of Solanum Nigrum. I can very easily tell apart all three of these black nightshades varieties. There are many, many Black Nightshade varieties in the world some have Red, Orange, Yellow and white berries. I see a lot of varieties in India.

5. Amaranth Redroot Ameranth “Amaranthus retroflexus” I enjoy the seeds and leaves of this wild variety. The leaves can be eaten raw cooked in soups. The seeds are my most favorite part. They can be cooked, ground into flour, or popped like popcorn, mixed with some honey, nuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds, and made into a Mexican candy called Alegría.