5 minute read
Plant this, not that! Eat from your landscaping!
Birds love to eat fruits of native plants as do insects, caterpillars, deer, squirrels, and other mammals. Native plants provide a buffet for pollinators and insect feasting birds. BUT humans can indulge in some native plants as well.
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There are several plants you can grow in your yard and enjoy the harvest of your labors….provided the animals don’t beat you to it. As always, when foraging food, if you are not 100% certain what the plant is, what it may have been treated with, what your allergies are, or that it is safe to eat, do not eat it.
Serviceberry Pie
Plant This...
FRUIT-BEARING TREES & SHRUBS
Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea):
Serviceberry is an exceptional landscaping plant with showy spring flowers and bright fall colors. The berries ripen in June and taste like blueberries...that is if you can beat the birds to them. P.S. Makes great pie and jam! Our CEO used this pie recipe pictured above: http:// lostrecipesfound.com/serviceberrypie-yes-you-can-eat-them/
Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa):
Another beautiful shrub with white spring flowers and bright fall colors. It may be too tart to be eaten raw, but the nutritious fruit can be cooked, sweetened, and used in pies or preserves. Harvest after a frost for the best favor.
Common Blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis):
This one is probably not a good option for your front-yard landscaping, it is a bit unruly and has thorns. However, the delicious fruits ripen in early summer and are famously good in pie and other deserts. A good alternative to this option are thorn-less versions, such as Apache blackberries, which are newer to the market and were developed by the University of Arkansas.
Paw Paw (Asimina triloba):
Paw Paw are North America’s largest native fruit. They have a creamy texture and a flavor often compared to banana, mango, or cantaloupe. You will need more than one cultivar for fruit production.
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis):
The berries are commonly made into jam or baked into pies and can otherwise be used as you would any small berry.
NUT-BEARING TREES
Black walnut (Juglans nigra):
The nuts are edible, and the fruit casing can be used as a black dye.
Shagbark hickory (Carya ovata):
The most common hickory species. The tree produces sweet nuts that can be harvested when they drop from the tree after a hard frost and eaten raw.
Pecan (Carya illinoinensis):
The nuts need no introduction. They are famously found in granny’s pies and baked goods. Illinois is the northern extent of this tree.
Basswood (Tilia americana):
Fruit is pea-shaped nut attached to a long leafy bract that ripen in October but often remains through winter.
TEAS
Yep, you could grow your own teas, if you wanted. Many herbs, flowers, and plants can make tea. Some interesting ones are as follows:
New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus):
The dried leaves of this prairie shrub make for a black tea substitute. This is a, small ornamental shrub.
Leadplant (Amorpha canescens):
Like New Jersey tea, the leaves of this species can be made into a tea.
Wild bergamot
Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa):
The leaves of the common prairie plant are used to make earl grey tea.
WILDFLOWERS
Wild onion (Allium canadense) Wild leeks (Allium tricoccum) and nodding wild onion (A. cernuum):
Entire plant is edible just like leeks and scallions. Use as a substitute for onions or leeks in recipes.
Wild ginger (Asarum canadense):
Can be used as a substitute for domestic ginger, but have a slightly less strong favor.
Annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus):
The seeds of this weedy native species are edible, in fact cultivated sunflowers are horticultural varieties of this species.
Sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus):
The edible root tubers of this species taste like potatoes or artichokes and are becoming popular among permaculturists for their high productivity, ease of cultivation, and attractive flowers.
Ostrich fern fiddleheads (Matteuccia struthiopteris):
Young tender fiddleheads taste best when steamed, can be used in salads, be careful not to confuse with other ferns that can contain carcinogens.
...Not That
The following plants should never be grown at home; they are either exotic invasives or aggressive natives that would dominate your home garden. If you find these plants in the wild (or in your lawn), you could have yourself a tasty snack, while also helping the ecosystem.
Wild grape (Vitis riparia):
Native, this giant vine can top large trees, damage, and even kill them. To protect large trees, yet provide for wildlife, a common practice is to only leave wild grape along forest edges and streams. These wild relatives of domestic grapes are smaller and slightly more bitter than the domestic variety. They are gathered by wildlife quickly, so people rarely have a chance to sample them.
Cattails (Typha spp):
There are native and non-native cattails for most it is difficult to tell the difference. The roots are edible and are usually baked or roasted.
Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica):
Though native, nettles are the reason we wear long pants in the woods. Leaves can be eaten after being boiled to remove the bristles. Young leaves are preferred.
Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata):
This is one of the region’s most problematic invasive species. Young leaves are edible but somewhat bitter, becoming very bitter with age. There are so many recipes out there for garlic mustard, from sautéed to pureed. Please pull them out whether you eat them or not.
Plantains (Plantago spp.):
These common lawn plants have young leaves which are edible raw. Try it when you run out of lettuce.
Curly dock (Rumex crispus):
Young leaves can be eaten raw, older leaves must be cooked.
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea):
This is a succulent from Asia that grows anywhere it can find a foothold. It was one of North America’s earliest invaders. Generations have enjoyed purslane’s crisp leaves, lemony tang, and a peppery kick.
Dandelion (Taraxacum offcinale):
Dandelions are non-native, common lawn flowers. The entire plant is edible if prepared properly. There are many recipes for dandelion, including wine and jam.
