It doesn't matter whether you're lost in the wilderness or enjoy cooking with new, wild ingredients, recognizing edible plants is an important skill for any nature lover. There are hundreds of delicious and nutritious plants growing throughout the country, but there are also many species that can be harmful or even fatal if consumed. We'll tell you how you can identify, collect and prepare edible wild herbs.
You don't necessarily have to know all the poisonous plants, just know what you can eat. Only bite into something that you know exactly what it is. It is recommended to verify the identity of a plant by smell. For example, many wild onions grow in the country's forests, which are a good source of food. Their nose can also be useful for sniffing out poisonous, inedible wild herbs. Avoid anything that smells like almonds, as this could be a sign of toxic cyanide.
Here we present the most important wild herbs with pictures and short portraits so that you can easily recognize them. There is alsohelpful, free apps, which will help you identify and collect edible wild herbs. Plants and wild herbs are automatically identified using your smartphone camera. In bookstores you will also find numerous guides with tips that you can buy.
Dandelions: edible wild herbs are delicious
The dandelion is a globally distributed edible wild herb that has been used as a staple food in many cultures for thousands of years, as all parts of the plant are edible at every stage of its life cycle. You should not consume the white milk that comes out. Dandelion is rich in vitamins A, B and C, and contains a lot of magnesium and iron.
Dandelions, which belong to the sunflower family, can be recognized by their smooth, hairless leaves with jagged edges. The stems are hollow and lead directly to an extensive rhizome. Pick the leaves in early spring when they are most tender and nutritious. Harvest the bright yellow buds just before flowering as they can quickly go to seed.
You can prepare the leaves as a salad or smoothie, but use small and younger leaves because they will taste better. The flower buds can be fried in oil and then salted.
Wild garlic: Preparation of salads with edible wild herbs
With its fresh, garlic-like smell, wild garlic is very famous as an edible wild herb in the spring months. The wild garlic season begins in late winter and lasts until the end of spring, even if by then it is already past its prime. The leaves appear in March and are best picked when they are still young, the flowers - from April to June, and can add a strong garlic note to salads and sandwiches.
Wild garlic has a delicate taste. The green, pointed leaves and white flowers of this perennial flowering bulb plant are easy to recognize, making it a good first start in edible wild herb foraging. Because wild garlic grows in abundance, it is generally acceptable to pick a small amount. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked and made into a delicious pesto that can be served with pasta, salads or soups.
Nettle – perfect substitute for spinach
The nettle is one of the most nutritionally valuable wild plants there is. It has a rich, mineral flavor that makes it a delicious substitutefor spinach orKale makes. Nettle plants grow to about one meter tall and have dark green, oppositely growing, toothed leaves. Hairs grow on the underside of nettle leaves and can cause a sharp sting to careless collectors who are not wearing gloves. The nettle grows rampantly along riverbeds in partially shaded areas.
The nettle leaves can be easily incorporated into your daily routine. You can eat them fresh in salads if you pick them young, as these leaves do not have the same burning power as mature plants. Otherwise, you can neutralize the burning sensation and slightly bitter taste by steaming, sautéing, or boiling the leaves for use in pies, casseroles, stir-fries, and pastas. You can also dry the leaves and store them as a tea for the winter.
Garlic mustard: another edible wild herb
Garlic mustard is an invasive weed that has invaded almost all areas of Europe and North America and is despised by gardeners and foresters because it destroys botanical biodiversity in many areas. The seeds will not germinate if planted where garlic mustard grows. Fortunately, the edible wild herb is tasty for casual foragers.
Garlic mustard is easily recognized by its rounded, serrated leaf edge, pronounced veining and deep green color. Keep in mind that these plants also produce long, flowering stems with tiny, white, four-petalled buds. It has a distinctive appearance, but if you are unsure about identifying the plant, crush a leaf or two in your hands to release the distinctive garlic aroma.
Leaves and shoots are used in salads, pesto, herb spreads, soups and sauces. Consume garlic mustard raw, as the ingredients that are responsible for the aromatic garlic-peppery taste are destroyed by cooking. For this reason, always add them at the end of the cooking process. The edible wild herb is ideal for spicy smoothies.
Also read:Edible ground cover plants: ornamental & useful plants in one
