"FORAGING IN PLACE AND TIME" VOLUME 01 • ISSUE 01
CHESTNUT RIDGE/ ROYAL, PENNSYLVANIA
JULY 2021 FIRST WEEK
ST JOHNS WORT HYPERICUM PERFORATUM
STEMS
ST JOHNS WORT
HYPERICUM PERFORATUM The herb and the fruit are sometimes used as a tea substitute. The flowers can be used in making mead. An extremely valuable remedy for nervous problems. In clinical trials about 67% of patients with mild to moderate depression improved when taking this plant. This photo shows the flowers being tinctured in vodka.
COMFREY
SYMPHYTUM GRANDIFLORUM A very good ground cover plant. It spreads rapidly to form a good carpet, rooting as it spreads,. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.
BUTTERFLY WEED ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA
Flower buds cooked taste somewhat like peas, Young shoots cooked as an asparagus substitute, the tips of older shoots are cooked like spinach, young seed pods harvested when 3 - 4 cm long and before the seed floss begins to form are cooked, the flower clusters can be boiled down to make a sugary syrup, in hot weather the flowers produce so much nectar that it crystallises out into small lumps which can be eaten like sweets.
FRUITS
GREEN PEACHES
PRUNUS PERSICA We made pickled green peaches because a fruit tree came down in a storm and they had to be salvaged. But this time of year is also a good thought to thin the peaches on your own or wild trees to make room for the other unripe fruits to get bigger and better. Don't just toss them when thinned, make a pickle! Or in the case of thinned apples, make homemade fruit pectin for preserving other fruits through water-bath canning.
STAGHORN SUMAC RHUS TYPHINA
The staghorn tree and fruit look tropical and exotic and are impossible to miss. Fry and grind the flower buds to make a tart spice for use in a variety of recipes. Soak the full flower buds in water and add a little sweetener for a summer "sumacade" treat.
WILD GRAPE VITIS LABRUSCA
The fruits of wild grape, sometimes call "fox grape", are often very sour, and quite small, sometimes small enough to dissuade any one from taking the time to harvest and eat them. So why not still put this plant to use by harvesting the tender young leaves in July for making dolmas, (stuffed grape leaves), with meats and cheeses on an appetizer platter, or eating in a stir-fry or casserole.
BLACK-CAP RASPBERRIES OR BLACKBERRIES There is a difference between the two compound-type berries you see on the bushes alongside the road and the field edges this time of year. Both start as green, then turn red, then become purple to dark black when fully ripe, and both are edibles, though they are two different species.
Black raspberry (pictured R. below) are commonly known as black caps (Rubus occidentalis) and are the first of the two to come ripe. They are known as black caps since they are true raspberries which are connected to the stem by a nodule which releases the berry and leaves an a tiny core opening so the little fruit looks like a "cap" that one could wear on one's head. Harvest has been ongoing at this time of the summer and will likely be ending this month of July.
The blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), pictured L. below, is less perishable as it does not have a hollow core, and it has a glossy berry and a tarter flavor in general. It ripens only starting right now in July and can be on the vine ready to pick through September. Both are great for eating fresh or making jams, pies, and other favorites. A lesser known use is that the leaves of both are a favorite for making herbal teas with. Enjoy them both all summer long, preserve them, or freeze either or both for the winter months. Freeze by laying out on a baking sheet in the freezer, then once hardened, scrape off and into a plastic bag or other container. Both have significatn amounts of fiber, Vitamin C and antioxidants.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS ISSUE'S FEATURED PLANTS AT OUR FAVORITE SOURCE - PLANTS FOR A FUTURE. HTTPS://PFAF.ORG/USER/PLANT.ASPX? LATINNAME=HYPERICUM+PERFORATUM HTTPS://PFAF.ORG/USER/PLANT.ASPX? LATINNAME=SYMPHYTUM+GRANDIFLORUM HTTPS://PFAF.ORG/USER/PLANT.ASPX? LATINNAME=ASCLEPIAS+TUBEROSA
HTTPS://PFAF.ORG/USER/PLANT.ASPX? LATINNAME=RUBUS+OCCIDENTALIS HTTPS://PFAF.ORG/USER/PLANT.ASPX? LATINNAME=RUBUS+FRUTICOSUS
HTTPS://PFAF.ORG/USER/PLANT.ASPX?
LATINNAME=PRUNUS+PERSICA
HTTPS://PFAF.ORG/USER/PLANT.ASPX? LATINNAME=RHUS+TYPHINA HTTPS://PFAF.ORG/USER/PLANT.ASPX? LATINNAME=VITIS+LABRUSCA HTTPS://PFAF.ORG/USER/PLANT.ASPX? LATINNAME=CICHORIUM+INTYBUS
(CICHORIUM CHICKORY (CICHORIUM INTYBUS) ROOT CAN BE INTYBUS) ROASTED AND USED AS A CAFFIENE FREE COFFEE SUBSTITUTE, AND IS A FAVORITE OF POLLINATORS.