Maybe you’re looking for an environmentally-friendly and economical alternative to store-bought soap. Or perhaps you want to know how to maintain hygiene while camping or in a survival situation. Either way, you can benefit from learning about the many plants you can use as soap.
Using plants for cleansing is nothing new. Historians have found evidence that the ancient Egyptians bathed with soaps made from plants along with animal and vegetable oils. Native Americans also used a variety of plants as soap when they washed.
And the good news is that it is surprisingly easy to create soap with plants. The secret is a naturally-occurring compound called saponin in many plants, especially those with waxy cuticles.
When you chop up plants that contain saponin and rub the pieces in your hands with water, you can create a lather. This article will share some of the most common plants in the U.S. that contain saponin and how to use them as a soap substitute.
Wild nuts aren’t just for the squirrels, they’re an abundant and nutrient-dense wild food that’s just waiting for the harvest. Keep an eye out for these delicious wild protein sources and pack them away for winter enjoyment.
Wild Foraged Nuts. Clockwise from top left: Butternuts, Acorns, Chestnuts, Black Walnuts, husked Butternuts, and Beechnuts.
Fall is my favorite time to forage, not only because there’s so much out there, but also because everything is delicious and nutrient-dense.
It seems like most foragers eagerly await the first dandelions and bitter greens that come with spring foraging, and then the foraging excitement drops off until next year. They may stop to pick the wild fruits and berries that dot the landscape during the summer months, but autumn doesn’t seem to get much attention from any but the most committed foragers.
I think it’s a shame, because all those bitter greens of spring have nothing on the delicious, rich harvests of autumn.
Winter, understandably, is a good motivator, and I get it…everyone’s excited when the first life bursts forth after snow…but if you have a stockpile of wild nuts packed away to remind you of better days, that winter snow comes and goes in no time.
Wild Black cherry (Prunus serotina) are absolutely delicious, and one of the best wild fruits available anywhere. They taste more or less exactly like cultivated sweet cherries (though they’re smaller), and can be harvested over a wide range in the US.
Wild Black Cherry Fruit
Wild black cherry is a choice edible wild fruit that’s sweet and delicious, with no hints of the bitterness you’ll find in chokecherries or tart flavor in pin cherries. Honestly, they’re not all that different than cultivated sweet cherries in flavor, with that deep, rich red-wine-like complexity you’ll find in a perfectly ripe bing cherry.
It’s sometimes referred to as “chokecherries’ better cousin” because the fruit look quite similar, but black cherry has a number of characteristics that just make it better (at least to human tastes).
Once upon a time, hungry humans had nothing but the pristine land on which they dwelt to find a meal. Modern times have bred ignorance of many vital skills, among them how to locate food in the wild. As a result, otherwise intelligent, well-meaning hikers sometimes starve to death amid plenty when they get lost, simply because they don’t know where to look.
Where should you look? How can you get started? Here are five safe and easy ways to forage for nutrient-dense food.
Fortunately, it doesn’t require any special strength or ability to learn how to forage for food. Your best teacher is ultimately hunger — but you can make do with a curious mindset. It’s much less stressful to learn the ropes when your next meal isn’t on the line, but you want to develop the skill set in case things ever become that dire.
When you’re living off the land, there’s a wide variety of edible plants from which you can choose to eat. On the other hand, there’s also a wide variety of inedible plants which will make you very sick (or worse) if ingested.
With that in mind, it’s important to know what you’re eating. When it comes to juniper plants/berries, you can find them in Africa, North America, the Middle East and Asia and they look rather appetizing but are they safe to eat or are they poisonous? Are juniper berries poisonous?
Yes, most juniper berries are poisonous, though some contain only small amounts of thujone, a toxic compound, which may make some varieties safe to eat in small quantities.
Some berries are safe to eat in small quantities. High quantities can cause vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, stomach pains; they can also have a serious negative impact on your kidneys, and, in some cases, they can be fatal.
Types of Juniper Plants
Most juniper plants are poisonous to some extent, but some are more poisonous than others. The most common juniper plants are Juniperus Communis and Juniperus Sabina. Juniperus Communis and is considered the safest one to eat. As such, it’s commonly used as a flavorant in drinks and in cooking.
Other plants which produce safe berries are:
Juniperus deppeana
Juniperus phoenicea
Juniperus californica
Juniperus druppacea
It’s important to note that you should not eat these in high quantities.
Juniperus Sabina or the Savin Juniper contains savin oil, which is highly toxic and, in a best- case scenario, will lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. In a worst-case scenario, ingestion of savin oil can be fatal.
There are other toxic variants of juniper berries which contain volatile oils which may cause problems of varying severity.
Uses
Juniper berries have a powerful effect on your kidneys and can cause serious problems when eaten in high quantities. They’ve been used in food since ancient times, but as far as medicinal use goes there is lacking scientific evidence of efficacy.
With that said, it has been claimed more than once that juniper berries could be used to alleviate certain conditions. These conditions include but are not limited to:
Dyspepsia
Arthritis
Insomnia
Bronchitis
High Cholesterol
Rashes and eczema
Side Effects and Toxicity
Medicinal uses for juniper plants are limited by the presence of toxic oils like savin oil (Juniperus sabina) and thujone oil – which is present in all juniper plants.
Savin oil contains podophyllotoxin which destroys the body’s cells – resulting in fatalities. Thujone is the oil which, in high quantities, causes stomach pain, diarrhea, and kidney problems.
When it comes to side effects, there are a few that have been documented including:
Skin rash
Breathing difficulties
Kidney damage
Increased sugar levels
Additionally, some people are allergic to juniper berries and will have bad reactions to consumption which will require medical attention. High levels of juniper berries can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and convulsions.
Making Infusions
As for culinary uses…well…like most berries, juniper berries have made their way into many different dishes as a coloring agent, and flavorant notably in alcoholic beverages like Gin.
Now, if they’re poisonous then why is it that foods / drinks containing juniper berries / berry extract are sold/eaten? Well, here’s the thing; usually, there are only traces of the berry/berry extract – enough to give flavor/color.
Juniper berries have a powerful effect on your kidneys and can cause serious problems when eaten in high quantities. To avoid this, most drinks are made via infusion; you add a tablespoon of juniper berries to a bottle of spirits (i.e. vodka) and leave it for about a week in a cool, dark place. You can then add any other flavors (cinnamon, orange zest, etc.) that you like.
Once the infusing is done, you filter the berries and other flavoring agents. This allows you to have the flavor of juniper berries with little to no exposure to the toxic oils – the oils are, after all, located inside the fruit.
In Conclusion: Not Recommended for Consumption
To recap:
Yes, most juniper berries are poisonous, but some are more poisonous than others.
Berries of certain juniper plants are safe to eat in small quantities.
There’s limited research into medicinal use/health benefits, but claims have been made about using juniper berries to alleviate certain conditions.
Toxic levels of juniper berries will cause either physical discomfort or they can be fatal.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; don’t eat something if you don’t know what it is!
There are certain juniper berries which are safe to eat, but it’s generally not recommended for consumption. They don’t have a nice flavor and the risk of poisoning and/or allergic reactions is just not worth it.
With all that said, I hope you enjoyed the article and found it informative. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you again in the next one! Take care.
When you’ve had a long day out in the fields, you deserve a break. And a bud. No, I don’t mean a beer. I mean a good meal, featuring, of all things, flower buds. Now before you toss this down, think about it.
You are probably very familiar with several flower buds, commonly eaten in most homes: broccoli, cauliflower, and artichokes. I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten busy with other things, only to go out in the garden to pick one of these, only to find that I was too late.
The buds were in full flower, past their prime as a vegetable. In the wild, there are many, many flowers and flower buds that are not only edible, but actually choice fare for the table.
Native Americans regularly dined on these tender, seasonal delights. Let’s take a look at several other common buds and tasty flowers available to us. While they are most often thought of as “survival” foods, they form an extended garden for our family, and many other backwoods dwellers.
Here are some flower buds you should try:
Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)
Nearly everyone is familiar with the common milkweed, with its large oval leaves and seed pods that pop open in the fall, sending fluffy parachutes sailing through the air.
As these dry seed pods remain on the dead plant through the winter, it’s usually easy to identify the next spring’s milkweed patch. As with all wild plants, the wild forager should make sure the plant is the common milkweed before consuming any part.
As the milkweed gains mature height, clusters of buds form and begin to open. These flat clusters of buds open to lavender flowers. The best time to harvest milkweed buds is when they are tightly closed. Snip these buds from the plant and gather a nice bowlful.
To eat, simply bring a pan of water to a boil, adding a pinch of salt. Then boil for four minutes. Drain and discard the water. Boil briefly in two more changes of water, then drain and enjoy with butter and a squeeze of lemon, if you desire. Milkweed buds are very good.
The reason for the three boilings is to remove any trace of bitterness from the milky sap. Also very good are the very young milkweed pods. These are best eaten when only an inch or an inch and a half long. Simply pluck these immature pods, then boil for four minutes, draining and discarding the water.
As with the buds, boil again for a minute, twice, discarding each water. Then boil for about 10 minutes in fresh, salted water until tender. You will think you’re eating okra. And like okra, you can also slice and bread the pre-boiled pods and deep fry them. They taste like okra, but are not as “slimy.” Immature milkweed pods are a valuable addition to meat stews and soups.
Yucca (Yucca L.)
The common yucca is found just about nationwide. It’s tough, pointed, strap-like leaves make it look pretty dry and useless. But you should taste the small, tender flower buds that form along the tall flower stalk in the late spring.
Pick the buds when they are quite small and tight and you will think you are eating fresh garden peas. They are very succulent and tender. Simply pick these buds as you would peas, then boil just enough to make them tender, not mushy.
I like them either with a pat of butter and sprinkle of salt, or in a light cream sauce. Another favorite of mine is to harvest the just-opened yucca flowers on a cool morning. Dip them in your favorite vegetable dip and eat raw or take them home for lunch.
While they are still very fresh, you can also dip them in deep frying batter (such as tempura), then deep fry briefly until just crisp and golden brown. They are also excellent served with a sweet and sour dip.
Wild daylily (Hemerocallis L.)
How about the common wild daylily. This large, showy orange flower forms on a tall stem, accompanied by many other buds, as each flower only stays open for a day, hence its name. The plant is a shaggy bunch of drooping, strap-like leaves.
In many areas, the wild daylily fills ditches and roadsides for miles. Not only is the daylily gorgeous, but tasty, as well. Yes, you can eat the domestic daylily, but with so many new colors and variations it seems almost a shame to eat the flower buds. But if you get tempted, just remember that the flower would only last a single day anyway, and there will be many more very soon.
Daylily buds are best harvested when fairly long, but before they show any sign of opening. I like them dipped in batter and fried, but my very favorite is to make egg foo yung with them.
Simply whip up the whites of two eggs per person, add a pinch of salt, and a sprinkle of hot chile, if you like. Then chop several daylily buds, along with one small onion. Gently fold in beaten egg yolks and vegetables.
Fry four-inch wide patties in vegetable oil until done. Serve warm, topped with sweet and sour sauce or traditional egg foo yung sauce, which is 1½ cups chicken broth blended into 1½ Tbsp. cornstarch in a small pan. Stir in 1 tsp. soy sauce, ½ tsp. salt, a dash of black pepper, and a ½ tsp. sugar.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When thickened, serve hot over egg patties. These are very good, and nearly everyone loves them. Just don’t tell folks they’re dining on flower foo yung. And if these aren’t good enough, you must try batter-fried whole, open daylily flowers.
I especially like the new hybrid domestic daylilies that have a thicker, ruffled petal. They have more substance than their wild cousins, but the wild daylilies are pretty darned good, as well.
Violet (Viola L.)
There are many violet species which grow throughout North America, ranging from white, yellow, and, of course, violet including bi-colored flowers. All are edible. While the leaves can be eaten as one would spinach, as a child my very favorite was violet flowers.
The new flowers are crunchy and slightly sweet. You can toss a handful on top of a salad to beautify it. Or throw some in a light-colored Jello dessert after it has cooled a bit. Pioneer children thrilled to violet candy, which was simply moist violets dipped in precious white sugar, then allowed to dry. This creates a delicate shell around the sparkling flower. A very pretty “candy.”
These flowers are excellent when slightly stir fried with mild chiles and onions. Or you can dip them in tempura batter and deep fry them until golden brown. Serve with your favorite dip. I like them with a bowl of chili and sour cream. Dip them first in the chili, then just a bit of sour cream. They are so good.
You can also stuff pumpkin and squash blossoms that are open, nearly all the way. Simply mix up your favorite meatloaf recipe, including bread crumbs, then gently stuff each blossom. Tuck the ends of the petals in and repeat until the baking dish is full. Bake at 350° until almost done, then sprinkle with grated cheese and drizzle catsup over the top. Bake until done. Be ready for raves.
Concluding
Eating flower buds is something our ancestors were used to and it was a great and smart way to supplement their diet. Why don’t you try some of these delectable buds and flowers this year? They are so easy and fun to pick, and even easier to prepare and serve. Have a bud….on me.
Plants and Winter Don’t Mix, but There’s Still Plenty to Forage if You Know Where and How to Look.
Foraging for wild edibles is hard enough in the spring, summer, and fall, but winter is the real challenge. Fortunately, some plants will surprise you with the treasures they leave behind.
There are numerous possibilities for winter foraging, but some just aren’t worth the trouble or the risk. Mushrooms are a good example, and while many mushrooms appear in winter, the vast majority of mushrooms in North America are toxic, but we’ll cover that later.
Think Outside The Summer Box
Foraging in winter isn’t about eating leaves and fresh, wild fruit. You have to understand some of the other parts of plants that can give you the nutrition and calories you need that can survive the cold weather. In this article, we’ll cover six options.
The Big Question: Nutrition?
On a basic level, nutrition is all about vitamins and minerals. They’re the trace elements we need to function, support our immune system, and fundamentally operate that machine known as the human body.
But every machine needs energy and for us, that comes from calories. And that’s where the classic wild foraging challenge emerges. Many plants are very low in calories although they do deliver good doses of vitamins and minerals.
Calories aren’t an issue if you’re casually wild foraging, but in a survival situation, calories are king.
Calories 101
Calories are derived from two basic sources. Calories from carbohydrates and calories from fat.
Calories from carbohydrates come from the natural sugars in food. It’s called fructose and it gives you a burst of energy that fades after a while.
Calories from fat are derived from oils whether it’s animal fat or vegetable oils. The benefit of calories from fat is that there tend to be more calories in fats than in sugars. More importantly, calories from fat have been shown to be highly effective at generating internal body heat for longer periods of time. It’s why Arctic explorers thrived on pemmican which has a very high-fat content.
This comes down to the big question. Where do you find calories from fat in plants during the winter when you can hardly find them in summer? The quick answer is “nuts” and we’ll go into detail on where to find them and how to prepare them.
There’s Always a Catch
Preparing winter foraged plants is time-consuming and labor-intensive. That’s the catch. You can eat berries right off the vine in July and eat leaves right off the plant most of the year, but it all changes in winter.
Roots have to be dug out of frozen ground or freezing water, nuts have to be found, cracked open, and sometimes soaked in water for hours–it’s a lot of work.
The Challenge of Accurate Plant Identification
It’s hard enough sometimes to identify wild plants at their peak in summer, but without leaves on the plant and with more than a few buried under snow and ice, it can be difficult to identify a plant let alone find one.
Fortunately, some plants like cattails retain enough of their structure to make them easy to identify. The same goes for trees if you have a fundamental knowledge of their shape and bark. The best-case scenario is after any thaw which reveals part of the ground and maybe some dead leaves to give you some clues.
We’re also going to try and focus on those wild food resources that are easy to spot in winter.
Wilderness Awareness
This isn’t about sitting on a bed of pine needles and meditating. It’s about stepping back and looking at the big picture of what’s around you to consider the winter foraging possibilities.
Are there any nut-bearing trees in your field of view that you can recognize by shape or dead leaves still on the tree or on the ground?
Do any trees show lichens that can be harvested?
Are there any plants showing unique characteristics even in winter like cattail stalks sticking up from the snow and leading you to their still edible roots?
Are there any spots of green in an otherwise monochromatic landscape indicating a hardy, winter survivor?
Are any frozen fruits visible on a tree or bush-like crabapples?
Taking the time to stop and survey the possibilities is a lot more productive than hoping you happen across a wild edible underfoot as you walk or randomly dig through the snow.
Wilderness Survival or Homestead Supplement?
It’s easy to assume that wild foraging is all about finding food in a wilderness survival situation, but there are many of us that make wild foraging a regular activity to supplement our daily meals. That’s an important consideration because your ability to prepare a wild forage at home is a lot easier than a wilderness survival situation with limited resources.
Boiling maple sap into syrup is a wild forage but who has the time or the equipment when you’re lost in the wilderness and have so much else to do? As a result, we’ll cover the worst-case, wilderness survival prep steps and then cover how you could also take it up a notch at home.
The Top 6 Winter Plants for a Survival Forage
Nuts top the list because of their high-calorie count and the number of calories from fat. You’ll have competition from rodents and especially squirrels, but if you spot an isolated tree that’s some distance from other trees, your odds of finding nuts on the ground will improve. Squirrels don’t travel across open spaces and prefer areas where trees are concentrated to easily escape predators.
1. Acorns
Acorns From White Bearded Oak
Acorns are an excellent source of calories from fat and can easily be found on the ground through winter.
Location Tips
Oak trees are common in deciduous forests across North America. Basic varieties include White Oak and Red Oak. White Oaks are preferred because their acorns have less tannic acid or “tannins” than Red Oaks.
Identification
Red oak without leaves on left and White oak holding leaves on right
White oaks tend to hold their leaves through winter while Red Oaks tend to shed their leaves in Autumn.
You can also look for oak leaves scattered on the ground to help identify the tree as an oak.
Red oak bark tends to be thick with prominent fissures.
White oak bark tends to be thinner with a chip-like appearance.
Preparation
To prepare acorns you need to remove the cap and the outer shell needs to be cut and peeled away. The acorn kernel should be white to a light yellow. Coarsely chop them and soak them in water for an hour and then add fresh water and soak them again for another hour. Taste as you go until they’re not bitter.
In a survival situation, you can eat them raw after soaking, or you can soak and roast them on a log next to a fire. At home you can process them in a food processor, soak them again and strain through cheesecloth and dry them in the oven at 250°F. When dry, process into flour for baking.
Tips and Cautions
The standard caution is to never eat a raw acorn. All acorns should at least be soaked or boiled in water to remove tannins.
2. Black Walnuts
Black walnuts are another excellent source of calories from fat and the health benefits of walnuts have been widely touted.
Location Tips
Black Walnut trees are also common across deciduous forests of North America.
Identification
Their leaves are pointed rounds joined to a stalk with numerous leaves running the length.
The bark is rough and deeply fissured.
Black walnuts are actually bright green when they first fall from the tree and gradually turn black.
Preparation
1. Removing the outer shell
Put the walnuts on a flat rock and gently roll them back and forth with your boots. Other techniques for removing the outer shell include rolling them between two boards or putting them in a burlap sack and forcefully hitting the bag on a hard surface.
2. Rinsing the nuts
Fill a bucket with cold water and dump the shelled walnuts into the water. If any of them float, discard them. Floating means that the nut has either been compromised by insects or the inner nut-meat has dried or spoiled. Good black walnuts sink.
Soak them overnight and in the morning, drain the water and refill. Continue to repeat this cycle of refreshing the water until the water remains clear.
3. It’s a tough nut to crack
Use a hammer or a rock. Wrap a few nuts with a washcloth or a piece of burlap and gently smash them with the hammer until they open. You can then pick out the nut-meat and discard the outer shells.
The reason you want to wrap them in some kind of fabric when doing this hammer technique is to avoid the shrapnel and shattering that could strike your eyes. You could also use a vise at home.
4. Roasting black walnuts
Once you’ve cleaned out the nut meat, you can give your walnuts a light roast. Roast them for about 15 minutes at 325°F in an oven or on a log next to the fire. Taste them after 15 minutes to see if they need more time.
Tips and Cautions:
Don’t roast them in the shell. They will explode and shatter.
3. Cattail Roots
Winter is actually the best time to harvest cattail roots because the plants have had the full season to mature.
Location tips
Cattails grow near and in water so any visible water source is worth a look.
Identification
Cattail stalks are still visible in winter and their fluff makes for great tinder for a fire. The stalks are also a great signpost for the roots and tender shoot beneath.
Preparation
This is a chilling harvest especially if you have to pull them from frigid water. You’re looking for two things: the roots and the green stalk just above the roots.
Trim the roots and peel them. You’ll end up with something resembling a raw French fry. You can eat them raw after washing in clean water or roast them on a stick over a fire. You could also boil them or deep fry them.
The tender bottom can be cut up like a leek and after a thorough rinsing in clean water, you can eat them raw or toss them in a salad or make a soup out of them with some chicken broth.
Cautions
Cattails tend to grow in still, stagnant water and even in winter, there’s the potential for bacteria in the water to contaminate any part of a cattail. Wash them in clean water and cook if possible.
4. Lichens
Lichens have been on Earth for billions of years and are one of the oldest forms of life on the planet. Equally surprising is the fact that some lichens can be hundreds if not thousands of years old.
And there’s good news in lichen land. Out of the 20,000 or more species that grow across North America, only a very few are toxic. Any lichen that has a yellowish or orange color is toxic but even the blue-green ones need to be at least soaked in water before consuming.
Location Tips
Lichens grow on all species of trees but tend to favor oaks and maples. Chances are good that if you see a lichen growing on a tree there will be many more nearby.
Identification
There are three basic types of lichens:
Foliose (leaf-like)
Fruticose (shrub-like)
Crustose (growing closely attached to a surface)
All of the blue-green variety of lichens are edible.
Preparation
A raw lichen right off the tree or a rock is going to have the consistency of a rubber inner-tube and taste highly acidic if not down-right astringent. The fact of the matter is you have to soak them in water for hours with frequent water changes. This will get rid of the natural acids that permeate the lichen.
A Japanese technique is to gently boil them with frequent water changes. This will result in a lichen that is quite gelatinous. In case you’re wondering, “gelatinous” means slimy similar to the slime you see when you boil okra or cactus. It’s okay to eat it, but be prepared.
In a pure survival situation, you would soak the lichens in water with frequent water changes and eat them like potato chips. They’re going to be tough, blue or green potato chips, but they’ll help to keep you alive.
In a more civilized environment, you can slice them and toss them in pasta with olive oil, or add them to a soup or broth to thicken the soup. Even in a simple cup of chicken broth, lichens will add viscosity and body, making it sip more like gravy than a watery broth.
In Africa, lichens were used for jelly making with locally harvested fruits. It has the same qualities as gelatin and was also used by American pioneers before commercially made gelatin became available.
Lichens – Calories and nutrition
Nutrition information on lichens varies widely due to the range of varieties and environments. Generally, they are touted as a good source of calcium, Vitamin-K, relatively high calories from carbohydrates, and relatively high in proteins including amino acids.
Tips and Cautions
Avoid yellow, orange, or red lichens. They are toxic. Stick with the blue-green varieties. All lichens also have varying amounts of acidic compounds that must be leached out with soaking or boiling in water.
5. Frozen Crabapples
Location Tips
Wild fruit trees tend to be shorter than most other trees in a deciduous forest. Most lose their fruit in Autumn but some trees, particularly crabapples, seem to hold onto their fruits into the winter.
Identification
If you see a smaller tree that still seems to have fruit on its branches, check it out. If it’s a wild crabapple and the fruits are still frozen on the tree you’re in luck. You’ve just found one of the very few natural sources of Vitamin-C in winter.
Preparation
Your luck continues because you can actually eat them right off the tree. They taste like a frozen dessert. You could also cook them in water to make a syrupy porridge. If you find a tree with frozen fruits, collect as much as possible. Natural vitamin C is hard to come by in the dead of winter.
Cautions
Just be sure it’s a wild crabapple and taste as you go. If it doesn’t taste right, spit it out and move on.
6. Mushrooms
Here’s the telegram: Of the 10,000 species of wild mushrooms in North America, 96% are toxic and 4% are deadly. Wild foraging any mushroom is a very dangerous game and a survival situation is not the best time to take any risks.
It’s true that many mushroom species grow in winter, particularly enoki mushrooms which prefer rotting trees and stumps. Unfortunately, a look-alike known as the Galerina grows in the same environment and it’s quite toxic.
What makes mushrooms so appealing for winter foraging is how they continue to show up more than any other plant in winter.
The most common appearance is from tree brackets or shelf mushrooms many of which are toxic.
If you think you might want to consider foraging mushrooms at any time of year, do your homework. Field guides are available and the Internet is awash with information about wild mushroom foraging. All of them offer the same caution: be careful out there when foraging wild mushrooms.
Yes, There’s More
We tried to focus on the low hanging fruit, so to speak. There are other winter foraging options like tree bark and pine nuts but the effort and the nutritional reward are questionable in a survival environment as challenging as winter. There are also temperature variations across North America where more temperate zones offer more options than parts farther north.
If you’re aware of something we missed or something unique to your area that you’ve either found or foraged in winter, please share in the comments section below.
