Chickweed (Stellaria media) is an often-overlooked medicinal weed (or, it’s a weed if you don’t live in Europe or Asia). “Stellaria” refers to flower appearance while “Chickweed” refers to the fact that chickens and other birds like to eat it.
I woke up the morning before last and it felt like autumn. Sure, it’s still quite warm during the day here in Durango, but something about the light and the cool morning air signaled the imminent arrival of the colder months here at higher elevations.
Tis the season here in the Southern Rockies to go bolete hunting! I’ve been foraging for nearly a decade what I thought were true King Boletes (Boletus edulis). Turns out that despite what the older guidebooks say, what I’ve been roasting, eating, and making medicinal extracts from is actually the newly named Boletus rubriceps, with “ceps” being another word for bolete and “rubri” meaning red. The mushroom cap ranges in color from a burgundy red to an orangish red if sun faded. The mushroom is, appropriately enough, now known as the Rocky Mountain Red.
Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), is a common weed in the Mustard family. It is not native to North America, but was introduced by Europeans and has since naturalized to all states in the U.S. and provinces in Canada. Shepherd’s Purse is common along trails, sidewalks and roads; in disturbed areas; in lawns; and as a volunteer in gardens.
Springtime is long at last here and it’s time to take full advantage of the fantastic wild food sources that are beginning to burst from the earth. Spring is my favorite time of year to do food foraging, because there are some particularly special offerings. Spring is all about fresh beginnings: light greens, tender shoots, and cool roots.
If you live in a particularly snowy region of the world you might think that there is very little opportunity for wild foraging. Everything appears asleep and buried during winter. With the right knowledge, however, you will find that there are plenty of plants that are ideal for harvesting in winter.
As we progress through November, it is easy to think that the harvest season is over. There are many plants, however, that are still ready to harvest and make a great addition to your fall larder. Acorns and wintergreen are mostly found in deciduous forests such as those found on the East Coast of North America; however, you can find different varieties of the same plants in many places. For instance, the greatest acorn producing oak tree on the east coast is the white oak, whereas the scrub oak is prevalent in the Rocky Mountain region.
The beginning of autumn is an incredible abundant time of harvest, and many plants are just coming into the height of their fruiting. This includes many plants that would normally be considered “weeds.” Many of these plants, however, are performing important ecosystem services in addition to being beneficial to humans. Get out your wild edibles guidebook and go hunting for these three plants you can find in early fall.
A weed by definition is a plant that is unwanted and is growing in competition with cultivated plants. However, many "weeds," when taken out of human judgement, are playing vital roles in their ecosystem, be it holding the soil onto a hillside or feeding the bees that pollinate our vegetables. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many plants that are considered weeds are actually very useful and beneficial to humans as well. Here are some special plants coming into season right now that might surprise you with their usefulness.
Imagine driving along the coast of California, admiring the gorgeous views and stunning beaches. You pull over, step out of the car, and smell the magical scent of fresh Pacific Ocean air. You breathe deep the ionically charged air, do a few stretches, and gather your seaweed harvesting tools and head down to the rocky beach. And your day begins for harvesting wild seaweed.