Edible Wild Plants… Available Everywhere! By Michael Pineau, Kawartha Chapter
W
hen our Executive Director, still to me my little brother Johnny, asked if I could write an overview article for this theme issue, it brought back a lot of memories, some of which he shared earlier in his note. I could tell many more stories involving him, some just embarrassing and others downright incriminating; but I will take the high road and instead focus on the task at hand. There is a bounty of delicious and nutritious plants close to our homes, so the descriptors ‘available everywhere’ are certainly fitting. Foraging wild edibles in our province is a growing and rewarding hobby that combines fresh air, exercise, and nutrition. Starting on your own properties a short hike will reveal an abundance of opportunity. With my tag-along younger sibling, I have greatly enjoyed this pursuit since the 1960’s, and it surprised us both in the early days what was actually available and acceptable to eat in Southern Ontario. For example, the lowly dandelion offers much for salad lovers. In spring the fresh yellow crowns found in unused fields or around the house in our lawns are all too familiar. These ubiquitous flowers, along with plantain, purslane, chickweed, and mustard greens make an excellent spring salad mix, free for the taking. “Eat the weeds!” should be our motto as people do in Europe as part of their spring ritual.
be used much like spinach. This prolific species is crowding out native plants, so harvest all you are able to while you are eradicating it! Indeed, some of our best edibles are alien species from Europe that seem to naturalize wherever we humans travel. This comprises a long list that includes plants such as wild asparagus, day lilies, Jerusalem artichoke, pigweed, and burdock. Our family also always seemed to be close to water, whether the Otonabee River, or meandering creeks and streams with adjacent wetlands. In these wet areas you will find cattails, probably the most useful and versatile of all wild plants. The young spring shoots, when peeled, are used as Cossack asparagus. The peeled core and crown are a crisp cucumberlike snack. The pollen shaken into a container can be used as a flour additive that is rich in protein. There is no wonder that the cattail has been dubbed the supermarket of the swamp! Also nearby is the well known fiddlehead, the unopened fronds of the ostrich fern. The shady banks of cold forest brooks are their preferred habitat. Why buy them at the grocer when they are free and abundant and close to home?
Wetland with copious Cattails
Delicious and nutritious Dandelions
Ostrich Fern Fiddleheads
We were fortunate growing up, as we always lived near forests, farms, and meadows, and did a lot of exploring. It had nothing to do with our mother wanting us out of the house as much as possible. For your own foraging adventures, on the edge of the woods, the invasive weed garlic mustard, provides a tasty larder of greens and cooking vegetable that can The Ontario Woodlander—An Ontario Woodlot Association Quarterly. Issue 102, March 2021
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