Edible Plants Along The AT

[Hairbear]

I have seen several sources talking about edible plants along the AT, but none that are that complete. Do any of you have a good source for edibles along the AT. I would not mind doing a little grazing along the way to supplement the junk I will be eating.

A foragers handbook by Thomas Thayer is a very good detailed field guide. It contains color close up photos of each plant. Cost of 22.95 any book store.

[Hairbear]

A foragers handbook by Thomas Thayer is a very good detailed field guide. It contains color close up photos of each plant. Cost of 22.95 any book store.

sorry it's Samuel Thayer

[4eyedbuzzard]

And here all along I thought the idea of the AT was to take the time to stop and smell the roses - not eat 'em

[4eyedbuzzard]

And that LNT didn't mean leave no trace - of vegetation

[Tipi Walter]

The idea that one shouldn't snack on edible plants is absurd. Smilax tips are great! Boiled nettles are very nutritious. Both very easy to find right on the trail and grow back within days. As far as the best book...it hasn't been written.
BTW: I am the wild life.

I love my nettles!! They make a great green tea and also a cooked green which is excellent. Old Tibetan holy man Milarepa lived on them so they must be good.

The best "book" on wild edibles is the trove of knowledge a person accumulates after a lifetime of foraging. A book helps in the beginning of course but then can be discarded. I always think of a TV Survivor episode when an island local was allowed to join the tribe for a day or two and he pointed out edible stuff everywhere which the TV show participants had no clue about. They were sitting in a grocery store.

So it is in the Southeast. We are surrounded by plant foods. And one of my favorites is cooked lamb's quarters which is considered a rank weed by gardeners and grows in disturbed soils everywhere. And I like to munch on the different varieties of chickweed as I hike. It even grows under the snow.

[ALLEGHENY]

I love my nettles!! They make a great green tea and also a cooked green which is excellent. Old Tibetan holy man Milarepa lived on them so they must be good.

The best "book" on wild edibles is the trove of knowledge a person accumulates after a lifetime of foraging. A book helps in the beginning of course but then can be discarded. I always think of a TV Survivor episode when an island local was allowed to join the tribe for a day or two and he pointed out edible stuff everywhere which the TV show participants had no clue about. They were sitting in a grocery store.

So it is in the Southeast. We are surrounded by plant foods. And one of my favorites is cooked lamb's quarters which is considered a rank weed by gardeners and grows in disturbed soils everywhere. And I like to munch on the different varieties of chickweed as I hike. It even grows under the snow.

Hey T.W.! I met you at Partnership and we had a talk about wild edibles. I ate loads of greens up the trail.

[Tipi Walter]

Hey T.W.! I met you at Partnership and we had a talk about wild edibles. I ate loads of greens up the trail.

I remember you! We got caught in that April snowstorm. And it's good to see you here again on Whiteblaze. What kind of stuff did you eat?

[ALLEGHENY]

Thanks T.W.. Ate ramps in TN, dandilion, chickweed, mustard green. Used pine needle for vit C.

[Sugarfoot]

I'll add yellow wood sorrel, which looks like a shamrock. Nice lemony flavor and no poisonous lookalikes. Oxalis stricta, found all along the trail but most abundant in Northern New England. At Speck Pond, Maine, we prevailed upon a catch-and-release fisherman not to and gained several brook trout. We stuffed them with sorrel, breaded them in crushed granola, and fried them up in olive oil. A great treat after Mahoosic Notch, back in 2000. The Barefoot Sisters were there!

[Dogwood]

I'll add yellow wood sorrel, which looks like a shamrock. Nice lemony flavor and no poisonous lookalikes. Oxalis stricta, found all along the trail but most abundant in Northern New England. At Speck Pond, Maine, we prevailed upon a catch-and-release fisherman not to and gained several brook trout. We stuffed them with sorrel, breaded them in crushed granola, and fried them up in olive oil. A great treat after Mahoosic Notch, back in 2000. The Barefoot Sisters were there!

That's an awesome meal.

[Tipi Walter]

I'll add yellow wood sorrel, which looks like a shamrock. Nice lemony flavor and no poisonous lookalikes. Oxalis stricta, found all along the trail but most abundant in Northern New England. At Speck Pond, Maine, we prevailed upon a catch-and-release fisherman not to and gained several brook trout. We stuffed them with sorrel, breaded them in crushed granola, and fried them up in olive oil. A great treat after Mahoosic Notch, back in 2000. The Barefoot Sisters were there!

Sheep sorrel is also plentiful and tastes the same as wood sorrel but I would not consider sorrel to be no-limit edible as it contains oxalic acid which can be rough on the kidneys. Years ago I foraged a jack-in-the-pulpit root which is full of oxalic acid and cannot be eaten unless "dried". Well, I thought I dried it sufficiently and then bit into it and the acid felt like a hornet sting on my tongue. The tang of the sorrel is this acid.

[aficion]

Watercress is very good and nutritious as well and available all seasons. Wild asparagus can be found in season particularly near old railroad beds Here in Va the ultimate foragers spring meal is Brook Trout, asparagus, and sauteed or fried morels. Oh baby! Come on Spring!

[Shakespeare 1990]

You can eat ramps until your sick of them in the Southeast. Next time I'm on the trail, I plan to know a lot more about fungi.


Shakes

[Demeter]

I collected this bag of pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) in about 5 minutes on my way home from work yesterday. Poke is delicious but must be prepared correctly to remove the toxins.

[Drybones]

The apple orchard about 15-20 miles north of Pearsburg was pretty nice, especially when you're short of water, many different varieties, was fun sampling them all to see which was best, dont know what it was but a very small green apple was best, loaded with water and very sweet.

[cheetahgeek]

Learning about edibles along the way is cool. Thru hikers don't usually have time to forage for edibles. Wouldn't suggest eating anything you see while relieving yourself as others may have pee'd on what you think looks good to eat. Maybe when you are at camp and getting water you'll see something interesting. Good luck, stay safe and have fun.

Fair warning - be first on trail to get the berries. Otherwise, anything within reach of the trail will be gone by the time you get there.

[Foresight]

I collected this bag of pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) in about 5 minutes on my way home from work yesterday. Poke is delicious but must be prepared correctly to remove the toxins.

Word. I like to cook it down then put it in a frying pan with some bacon grease and onions. When the onions are done crack in some eggs. Paleo heaven.

[Foresight]

But, on the trail in April this is where my radar would be dialed to....

[WILLIAM HAYES]

ramps and blueberries and some apple trees from an old abandoned orchard i think it was somewhere in georgia

[ki0eh]

My daughter was sucking on honeysuckle and pulling wild onions in Cumberland Valley this weekend