What plants, berries or nuts do you eat from the wild?

We pick blueberries and raspberries (when we can find them), along with Saskatoons, chokecherries and pin cherries.

Where we are though, there isn't much wild fruit to pick. I would really like to know more about wild plants along with mushrooms.

Sunshine, I know your going to read this post. Help us to know what we can eat safely.

Let's see: first and foremost- KNOW the plant you're eating. So many plants look similar, but one might be posionous. If there is the least bit of doubt- leave it!

Next- start with the things you know for sure. Dandelions are pretty much the most common. Pick them early in the spring and eat the green leaves raw in salads, rinse the lower white parts in numerous changes of water then steam and serve with melted butter, fry the blossoms in egg/flour batter, and dry and grind the roots for coffee.

Cattails are also easy to identify and have many uses- it depends on the season. Right now- pretty much only the roots are edible. Peel them and slice- fry like potatoes. Or peel, then dry and pound into flour for biscuits (there are large fibers that will need to removed).

Pine needles make a lovely tea that contains lots of vitamins to prevent scurvy. Just clean, boil water and steep a handful of needles- strain, sweeten and drink.

Other easy to identify foods- lambsquarters, black walnuts, hickory nuts, acorns (although they take a lot of work to remove the bitter tannin), blackberrys, crabapples.

Check with you local county extension office for edible foods in your area.

We used to go blackberry picking all the time when we were kids.

Once our Dad made us eat stinging nettles, I have to say they were disgusting and even the dog wouldn't take them from under the table LOL but I don't think they were cooked properly either???

Since my Dad died, my mum has passed me lots of his books (a passion we shared) and I have a few books about eating from the wild. Eat the weeds and food for free, a few others as well I think?

I'll have to sort them out and see if there's anything of interest. The stinging nettles emotionally damaged me though for years ROFL