Grazing on the trail

[AAhiker]

This might be an odd question but how easy is it to find edible greens along the trail? I can't help but think that they would be a nice addition to my tuna and knorr dinners and obviously are super lite. Plus they could make for small snacks as I go or maybe wrap some dandelion leaves around a slice of cheese. Gotta keep those photonutrients up ya know. LOL

[imscotty]

I taste tested some Garlic Mustard a few weeks ago. I would only eat the young leaves in early spring but I thought it tasted pretty good. It is an invasive species to please eat up...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliaria_petiolata

[Farr Away]

Probably depend on how good you are at recognizing edible greens.

Not something I'd want to make a mistake with.

-FA

P.S. There are a couple that I recognize, but that's it.

[Pedaling Fool]

Yes, plenty of "weeds" that are edible and out there, bet you even have tons of them in your yard; I was surprised how many I have once I started researching weeds. The fact is most plants are edible.

There are a lot of crappy books on the subject out there. But here's one of the better ones http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=nature's+garden+book&hl=en&rlz=1R2ADRA_enUS476&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1600&bih=671&wrapid=tlif133858660378710&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=10028381660131759671&sa=X&ei=AzbJT_2GBpCo8gTqubyqDw&ved=0CGAQ8wIwAA


P.S. Check out some of these Eat the Weeds videos on youtube http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=eat+the+weeds&oq=eat+the+weeds&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_l=youtube.3..0l10.162.1934.0.2546.8.4.0.4.4.0.6 6.234.4.4.0...0.0.4nw9o-27SgI

[AAhiker]

Yes, plenty of "weeds" that are edible and out there, bet you even have tons of them in your yard; I was surprised how many I have once I started researching weeds. The fact is most plants are edible.

There are a lot of crappy books on the subject out there. But here's one of the better ones http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=nature's+garden+book&hl=en&rlz=1R2ADRA_enUS476&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1600&bih=671&wrapid=tlif133858660378710&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=10028381660131759671&sa=X&ei=AzbJT_2GBpCo8gTqubyqDw&ved=0CGAQ8wIwAA


P.S. Check out some of these Eat the Weeds videos on youtube http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=eat+the+weeds&oq=eat+the+weeds&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_l=youtube.3..0l10.162.1934.0.2546.8.4.0.4.4.0.6 6.234.4.4.0...0.0.4nw9o-27SgI

Great info, I actually already have a book on edible wild greens which is what started me thinking about this thread but I appreciate the added info.

[bushcraft]

I frequently eat wild edibles on day hikes and sometimes weekend excursions on the trail.

Best knowledge is identification and the ONLY way to learn how to identify plants is through quality books and a good wild edible teacher.

A few good books to have if you are looking to learn about wild edible identification is:

Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic (http://www.amazon.com/Field-Mushrooms-Pennsylvania-Mid-atlantic-Keystone/dp/0271028912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339244640&sr=8-1)
Field Guide to Wild Edibles by Bradford Angier (http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Edible-Wild-Plants/dp/0811734471/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339244671&sr=1-2)
Nature's Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants (http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Garden-Identifying-Harvesting-Preparing/dp/0976626616/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339244703&sr=8-1)
The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants (http://www.amazon.com/The-Foragers-Harvest-Identifying-Harvesting/dp/0976626608/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1339244703&sr=8-3)

Yes I know books are heavy when hiking but once you have the knowledge on what plants are edible then there is no need to carry the books :)

I also started blogging about wild edible plants (mainly in northeastern United States; along the Appalachian Trail) but some of the wild edibles I wrote about are throughout the United States.

Check out my Edible Wild Plants (http://blog.emergencyoutdoors.com/category/edible-wild-plants/) section to learn more about wild edibles. I try to add at least 3 a week.

Good luck and have fun but REMEMBER TO IDENTIFY THE PLANT BEFORE CONSUMING!!!

[Snowleopard]

Be really cautious about wild mushrooms! Some that look tasty will kill you. You should probably learn mushrooms from a qualified teacher rather than a book.

There are a fair number of edible plants that are easy to identify. I think it's easier near home than in the woods. If you hit the right places at the right time, there can be lots of blueberries in the New England mountains. I've seen acres of wild raspberries on the AT on the way up Glastenbury Mountain in s. VT along a power line crossing.

[Odd Man Out]

Got these blackberries near Bake Oven Knob, PA a few years ago. Nobody died.

16248

[bushcraft]

Be really cautious about wild mushrooms! Some that look tasty will kill you. You should probably learn mushrooms from a qualified teacher rather than a book.

Very good points here. I currently only eat wild edible plants. Sorry about adding the Mushroom book above but I am just getting into learning about them so I had it on my list.

Mushrooms can be extremely dangerous.


There are a fair number of edible plants that are easy to identify. I think it's easier near home than in the woods. If you hit the right places at the right time, there can be lots of blueberries in the New England mountains. I've seen acres of wild raspberries on the AT on the way up Glastenbury Mountain in s. VT along a power line crossing.

Also, more good points. Good to pick leaves of plants and take a picture of the plant, write it down and then when you get home after a hike research it.

This will help test you while on the field of your identification skills.

[bushcraft]

Got these blackberries near Bake Oven Knob, PA a few years ago. Nobody died.

16248

bake oven knob is a great place, very close to me. good food on that trail!

[Bronk]

Actually, thousands of people thruhike the trail every year living off the land, eating wild plants, berries and hunting and trapping rabbits and squirrels.

[rocketsocks]

Actually, thousands of people thruhike the trail every year living off the land, eating wild plants, berries and hunting and trapping rabbits and squirrels............:rolleyes:C'mon Thousands

[Hairbear]

there are many tasty veggies everywhere.learn the ones that require no preperation first that way you can dine and dash lol.the weeds as we see them are really plants brought here by early settlers to this country trying to bring their favorite plants from home.although not all of them.alot of the weeds in our gardens are really more nutritios than the plants we grow.The knowledge of plants is of much value for instance i used to suffer from poison ivy till i was showed jewel weed.the juice from which when applied early to poison ivy nuetralizes the effects.search jewel weed, goose foot ,chickweed

[Hairbear]

perslane,cattails definatly learn that one as they are everywhere.happy learning .

[Odd Man Out]

bake oven knob is a great place, very close to me. good food on that trail!

Yea. It was just a quick day hike. Actually we went to the rocks one the west side of the road-crossing. Bear Rocks maybe?

[Velvet Gooch]

Actually, thousands of people thruhike the trail every year living off the land, eating wild plants, berries and hunting and trapping rabbits and squirrels.

Sure, sure. They also spend most daylight hours harvesting pseudocereals

[Pedaling Fool]

I think picking wild edibles is great for getting some much needed nutrients along the trail, but I really don't think too many people do it. I can't put a number on it, but if I were to guess I'd say maybe 10% and that's a liberal estimation, the actual number is probably far less.

Also, wild edibles, at best, will only supplement your nutrient needs, not so much your caloric needs, which we all know is really needed on a long-distance hike; that would definetly have to include hunting and no one really has the time for that.

Since I've started gardening at home I've stopped planting so much of the traditional garden plants and I rely much more on weeds for my food, which I don't even plant they just come back year after year. I mostly plant flowering plants to attract all the pollinators and I just let whatever grows grow, with a few exceptions like bermuda grass and nutsedge. However, I do grow some tomatoes and peppers, because I love them.

I also get a lot of voluteer plants in my garden since I pick up leaves and such from around the neighborhood and I'm always surprised what comes up. One of the things I just got done harvesting are pumpkins which I put in the ground last year as sheet compost, and just let the seedling go.

Here's some pics of a few, note the 5-gallon jug is ~20" high.


http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Pumpkin%20Plants/010.jpg

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Pumpkin%20Plants/002.jpg



http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Pumpkin%20Plants/004.jpg