Ladies, have you named your homesteads yet? The name of our homestead is one we picked out about three years ago, and we still love it, so I'm thinking it's here to stay. :-)
How are you doing in other realms of your homesteading adventures? While it's true that homesteaders tend to grow some of their food, not all of us grow all of our food. Another way to get delicious, nutritious, organic food is via foraging. You may have wild edibles growing right outside your back door, and not even know it.
Anyone can forage. It doesn't matter if you live in the desert, forest, prairie, or in the middle of the city.
In today's article, I am just going to scratch the surface on the world of foraging...
Please Note: You forage at your own risk. I take no responsibility, should you or anyone reading this, forage and eat something poisonous, or have a bad reaction, etc. If you choose to forage, educate yourself, and take full responsibility for what you do or don't do.
Acorns
Acorns grow on oak trees. White oak trees have leaves that are more rounded at the edges, while red oaks have leaves that are pointier.
White Oak Tree Leaf:
Red Oak Tree Leaf:
There are other types of oak trees, but the two above tend to be the most common.
We learned about foraging acorns from the oak tree in this article.
An Acorn - harvestable late summer and autumn:
Not only can you use acorns to make things such as acorn bread, but you can use the brown water from boiling them as well. The brown water is full of tannins, and you can use these to tan hides.
You can use two cups of the brown acorn water as a laundry detergent. It cleans really well, and the laundry comes out smelling fresh. However, do not wash lights or whites in tannin water, or they will turn slightly tan in color.
This tannic acid is also great for poison ivy, cuts, and rashes. Simply rub it onto the problem areas. It's been reported that the tannic acid water gets rid of poison ivy rash within three days. I haven't tried this myself, but this is what I've heard.
In the above linked article, I give a few recipes for acorn bread. Below are a few more acorn recipes. Before following the below recipes, make sure you properly process your acorns, as per the instructions in the above linked article...
Acorn Pancakes
Combine two cups of acorn flour, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, and 3/4 cup of water. Pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the batter onto a hot griddle or skillet, and cook it like a normal pancake. Repeat, until all the batter is used up. If you like this recipe, and have a larger family, then double, triple, or quadruple this recipe the next time you make it.
Acorn Tortillas
Combine 2 cups of acorn flour, 3/4 cup white or cattail flour, and 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Let the dough sit for a half hour, and then divide it up into several little balls, use a press or rolling pin to flatten them, and cook them in a hot skillet. Cook them just until they begin to brown. Flip them every ten seconds or so.
Acorn Polenta
Bring four cups of water to a boil. Mix together 1 cup acorn flour, 2 cups corn meal, and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Add the mixture to the boiling water, and use a whisk to stir constantly. Turn heat down to a simmer or light boil. Keep stirring for about three minutes. Then, turn off the heat, and mix in 1/2 cup of honey, and a stick of butter.
Cattail
Also in the above linked article, we learned how to make cattail flour, which naturally contains gluten, and is therefore a wonderful companion wild flour to acorn flour, in making acorn bread (recipes and instructions in above linked article.)
Not only can you make a glutenous flour from the roots of cattail, but you can also use new cattail shoots in the spring to put into all sorts of dishes. Make sure you are positive you are using cattail shoots, as there is another plant that can look like the shoot, but is toxic. If you stick to the shoots from the tall cattails, you should be okay, as the other plants that look similar don't grow any taller than two feet.
Peel and chop the shoots, and put them into pasta dishes, such as spaghetti. In anything where you like to put in veggies like zucchini and/or cucumber, put in peeled and sliced cattail shoots, and see what you think.
These cattail shoots can also be peeled and eaten as is. Just make sure they are positively cattail shoots, and clean them well.
Cacti
There are several forms of cacti that can be consumed. Some species of yucca cactus produce a fruit, and I'm told the fruit is edible. I've never tried it. You can also make nature's needle and thread from the spines of the yucca. Just peel a thin part of the spine off, and you'll have a tough string with a point at the end, which works as a needle. You can really use this to fasten things together, or to sew a hole in clothing, in an emergency situation. The roots of the yucca contain saponins - natural "soap." The root will suds up a bit in water, and you really can use it to wash your hands, or even do laundry, etc.
Another edible cactus is the prickly pear. Both the fruit and cacti paddles can be eaten.
Prickly pear fruit tastes kind of like a cross between bubble gum and watermelon. For those who like to make jelly, the juice of the prickly pear fruit makes an excellent jelly.
To harvest and prepare prickly pear, you must be careful of the cactus spines. The bigger spines are easy enough to avoid, but there are also small, hair like spines which can be hard to see, and may only be realized after they have pierced your skin. These little hair spines can get stuck in and under your skin, and be harder to remove than a sliver/splinter.
You may want to consider wearing thick gloves when harvesting this fruit. Also, have a good, sharp knife with you. Shave off all the spines, especially paying attention to the smaller spines, which you don't want to overlook.
After you've brought these beauties home, you need to do a bit of work to them, before they are ready to be consumed. Like many fruits, these delicious gems need to be peeled. First, cut both of the ends off. Then, slip the knife under the skin, and cut a line down the fruit, so that you can reach under the skin and grab it. After that, just peel the skin off and discard.
The fruit will have a lot of little seeds in it, and the seeds are edible. Some people prefer to just have the juice. To extract the juice, put the clean, prickly pears into a blender or food processor, and blend them to a pulp. Then, pour it all into a large, clean flour sack cloth that is placed over a large bowl. Gather the flour sack cloth into a bag, and squeeze. Squeeze the juice into the bowl. The pulp that is leftover in the cloth can be added to recipes or discarded. Enjoy the juice, and consider making some jelly with some of it.
To prepare the paddles to be edible, again, pick them carefully, and then scrape off all of the spines with a good knife. Clean the paddles well, and then trim and cut them into strips. Boil these strips for about 20 minutes, until they are tender. They can be seasoned and served as is, or added to salads, casseroles, and more. Some people find them similar to green beans in flavor, but it varies.
Prickly Lettuce
Warning: this wild lettuce can create a drowsy or even a somewhat drugged state in some people. If you haven't tried this wild lettuce, try a bit first, and make sure you don't have adverse reactions.
Prickly lettuce is very common. Most people probably have it in or near their back yards. Its leaves are slightly bitter, depending on the season, and how big the leaves are. It can be used in salads and sandwiches, or as a garnish.
Wild Onions
Sometimes what looks like a wild tuft of grass can actually be a treasure. I'm referring to wild onions. As you can see from the above picture, many people pass this right up as wild grass. You can use a small shovel or your hands to pull or dig these up. The bulbs will be small, white onions. It should smell like onions, with no question. The onion bulbs can be used just like the regular onions you buy from the store, and the green stems can be chopped, and used like scallions. Wild onions are very common. Once you get used to spotting them, you may start finding them all over the place on nature walks.
As with foraging all things edible, make sure you know what you are foraging. There are poisonous, dangerous things out there, so make sure you educate yourself.
Berries
What's foraging, without berries? Mulberries, black berries, raspberries, strawberries, etc. Learn what types of berries grow in your area, and where to forage them. Generally with berries, if you find some that are white, don't eat them, as white is often poisonous. Red is 50/50, and dark blue or black, is usually okay, but still don't consume these berries, unless you are sure they are okay.
A few months ago, the kids and I foraged a lot of black berries. We made a nice blackberry cobbler and surprised my hubby with it, when he came home from work. It was fabulous. Mulberries are fun and delicious as well. They are great for making jams and pies, as are most berries.
Nuts
You may be surprised to find more nut growing trees around then you are aware of. Learn what types of nut trees grow in your area of the world, and take some nature hikes and see if you can find some.
Crabapples
Who hasn't had crabapples? While eating too many has been shown to give silly children tummy aches, that doesn't stop these from being harvested by creative moms all over the place. Crabapples can be made into a fabulous jelly.
Yarrow
Yarrow is a powerful, medicinal herb that many mistake for a common weed. Do not get this beautiful plant mixed up with water hemlock, which is poisonous, and looks similar. Yarrow is a plant worthy of research, so look into it, and see what you think.
Buffalo Gourds
Depending on where you live, you may have seen these beautiful plants growing on roadsides. Some people have problems with these plants taking over their farmland or gardens, as they can spread rapidly. While they look like watermelon, they are NOT. Do NOT eat the flesh of the buffalo gourd, or you could be looking at several days of bad stomach cramps and diarrhea, or worse. It can even make you pass out.
The seeds of this wild gourd are edible, however. Make sure you clean them well, and roast them first, and they make a great snack. Like the yucca, the roots of the buffalo gourd contain saponins - meaning, you can suds it up to wash your hands, or even use it for doing your laundry.
More Foraging
As you can see, you can forage not only for food, but natural "soap," "needle and thread," and even medicinals. Foraging is something that I believe the Christian homesteader should be educated on. While it's great to grow some of our food, wild food also grows, and sometimes it's just outside our back door. May we never tire of learning more about God's amazing creation.
Assignments
1. Find something to forage that you know grows in your area. Use books and other resources to study the plant before you forage it, and only forage it if you are SURE you know what it is.
2. If you don't do so already, take nature walks on a regular basis. Not only is this great for your health, but it also gives you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the natural foliage of the area in which you live. Even if you live in the city, go visit a park. Edibles even grow on the sides of parking lots, so keep your eyes open for these hidden gems.
3. Get some books on foraging for food, medicinals, and more. If you homeschool, then implement this as part of science and nature study with your children. A great starter book on foraging, and one that fits great in a purse is Pocket Guide to Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants