Nasturtium

Scientific Name(s): Tropaeolum majus
Abundance: common
What: flowers and leaves
How: raw
Where: yards, flower beds
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: Vit. C

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternately arranged along the stem, with some varieties having a nearly peltate (shield-like) appearance.

Leaf Shape: Circular to kidney-shaped, typically measuring 2 to 5 inches in diameter.

Leaf Venation: The venation pattern is orbicular, radiating from the leaf's central point.

Leaf Margin: Margins are smooth and entire.

Leaf Color: Bright green, sometimes with a slightly lighter or variegated appearance.

Flower Structure: Solitary on long stalks, five-petaled with a distinctive spur, each flower measuring about 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

Flower Color: Colors range from yellow to orange and red, often with a peppery flavor.

Fruit: Produces a three-segmented capsule, each segment containing a single seed.

Seed: Seeds are large, wrinkled, and beige or brown.

Stem: Stems are trailing or climbing, slender, and can be either smooth or slightly hairy.

Hairs: Stems and leaves may have fine hairs, giving them a slightly rough texture.

Height: Plant height varies depending on growing conditions, generally reaching 1 to 2 feet tall or sprawling wider when trailing.

Nasturtium flower


Nasturtium plant


Nasturtium flowers have a strong peppery-radish taste which really spices up a salad. They can also be added to assorted pickled foods for extra flavor. Blend some of the flowers into mayonnaise for spicy sandwich spread.

They make good companion plants for cabbage-family plants as they drive away harmful insects that want to munch on your plants. They will also help protect tomatoes, cucumbers and fruit trees.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Nutsedge

Scientific name: Cyperaceae spp.
Abundance: plentiful
What: tubers, seeds
How: tubers and seeds can be eaten raw or cooked
Where: fields, lawns, marshes, woods, water
When: summer
Nutritional Value: seeds contain protein and carbohydrates, tubers contain starch
Dangers: Thoroughly wash any plants collected from water to remove harmful bacteria.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette pattern, emerging from the base of the plant.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are long, linear, and grass-like, typically measuring about 4 to 10 inches in length and 0.1 to 0.3 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: The venation is parallel, typical of grass-like plants.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaves are smooth (entire).

Leaf Color: The leaves are a bright green color.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and clustered in umbrella-like inflorescences at the end of triangular stems.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually brownish or greenish.

Fruit: The plant produces small, round tubers at the ends of its roots, which are the "chufas" or "tiger nuts."

Seed: Seeds are not typically harvested or noted as a significant feature of this plant.

Stem: The stems are triangular in cross-section and erect. Corners of the triangle may be rounded to very sharp.

Hairs: There are no significant hairs on the leaves or stems.

Height: nutsedge typically grows to a height of about 1 to 3 feet.

One type of nutsedge.


Another type of nutsedge.


"Sedges Have Edges" meaning all nutsedges have triangular stalks.


Nutsedge seeds shaken from head of plant.


Nutsedge "nut" attached to root.


More nutsedge nuts.



Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.


North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.


Sticking up like small palm trees, thick clusters of nutsedges spot the landscape...usually infuriating the landowner. They can range in size from just a few inches tall and as thin as a pencil lead to multiple feet high with stalks thicker than a pencil. All varieties have several things in common: sedges have edges meaning the stalks are always triangular with some being rounded and others have very sharp corners, the stalks are bare of leaves until the very top which makes me think they look like palm trees. They are almost impossible to eradicate from an area. Their habitats range from cracks in parking lots to yards and fields to into shallow water. Once they mature seed clusters will form on short stalks among the leaves at the top of the sedge in a bunch of different shapes.

Nutsedges were originals cultivated in ancient times as both a food and a source of fiber for paper (papyrus). Along with seeds at the top of the plant there are deposits of starch in pea-sized tubers along the roots. These must be carefully dug out of the ground as the "nuts" will tear away from the roots and remain in the ground if the nutsedge is pulled from the soil. Loose, sandy soil will have a large crop of these root nuts while heavy clay soils will have very few. They can be eaten raw or toasted.

The best "nuts" come from the Chufa Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus var. sativus) which came originally from Africa but quickly spread through North America. Part of this spread is due to deer and turkeys loving these underground nuts and so one can buy bags of Chufa at larger hunting supply stores. Do not eat the purchased nuts as they may have been treated with a surface fungicide. These nuts are meant to be planted in late fall or early spring to grow a crop for the animals to eat starting in late summer.

Chufa nuts are also used to make the drink "Horchata de Chufa" by soaking the ground nuts in water the adding sugar and cinnamon. This is similar to almond milk.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Ocotillo

Scientific Name(s): Fouquieria splendens
Abundance: common
What: flowers, seeds
How: flowers for tea; seeds are ground into flour
Where: southwest desert, hillsides, sunny, arid
When: flowers in late winter through spring, seeds spring to early summer
Nutritional Value: assorted vitamins from flowers, calories from seeds
Dangers: very thorny

Medicinal Summary:
Outer Skin - improves lymph flow, especially in the pelvic region of the body; expectorant (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternately arranged along the long, slender stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are small, ovate to lanceolate, typically about 0.5 to 3 inches long.

Leaf Venation: Leaves exhibit pinnate venation.

Leaf Margin: Margins are entire and smooth.

Leaf Color: A bright green, turning reddish in dry conditions.

Flower Structure: Flowers are tubular and grow in clusters at the stem tips.

Flower Color: Bright red to orange.

Fruit: Produces a small, dry, five-lobed fruit.

Seed: The seeds are tiny, encapsulated within the fruit.

Stem: Stems are woody, long, slender, and spiny, capable of reaching 15 to 20 feet in length.

Hairs: Leaves are generally smooth, without significant hairs.

Height: The plant can grow 15 to 20 feet tall, with its stems reaching vertically or spreading outward.   


Ocotillo in the southwest Texas.


Rain causes ocotillo to produce short-lived leaves. These pictures were taken in April, at the beginning of their flowering season.


Immature ocotillo flowers along with mature leaves.


Close-up of immature flower buds.


Close-up of ocotillo flowers.


Close-up of ocotillo stems along with Workman's Friend Barrier Skin Cream, a product made by the company for which used to work.


Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.


North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.


During most of the year the spiny, leafless ocotillo are often mistaken for a tall (up to twenty feet!), thin cacti. However, soon after a good rain small, rounded leaves appear though they don't last long. Once things return to a more arid state these leaves leave (ha ha ha!). Late winter through spring the tips of ocotillo branches will blaze with clusters of tubular, red flowers. This is a sign hummingbirds are passing through! Ocotillos and hummingbirds have co-evolved to be food source and primary pollinator, with the blooms being timed to feed hummingbirds just as they migrate through that local. An ocotillo transplanted or raised from seed will continue to bloom at the same time as it would in its source location, regardless of length of day, temperatures, or other common triggers for flower production.

Being loaded with power-giving nectar, a handful of the open flowers creates a sweet tea. Immature buds will result in a tart flavor and using too many will result in an exceedingly tart tea that'll likely be undrinkable. Keep in mind you're stealing food from hummingbirds so please harvest responsibly and minimally. About a month and a half after the flowers drop the seeds will be ready to harvest. Traditionally they were pounded into powder then boiled to make a porridge.

Accord to Charles W. Kane, ocotillo "bark" or outer layer contains a number of medicinal terpenes that improve lymph flow, especially in the pelvic region of the body. The tea works as a weak expectorant to dislodge hard to move phlegm as well as adding moisture to dry coughs.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Onion - Wild

Scientific name: Allium species
Abundance: plentiful
What: bulbs and young stems/leaves
How: raw or cooked as seasoning
Where: open, sunny areas
When: all year, more common in cool weather.
Nutritional Values: Vitamin C plus small amounts of other vitamins, minerals, some carbohydrates.
Other Uses: juice acts as a weak insect repellent
Dangers: Rain lilies (Zephyranthes stellaris) look identical to wild onions and can be fatal. Crows Poison (Nothoscordum bivalve) plants also look just like wild onion and may cause upset stomaches. Only wild onion smells like onion. If it smells like onion it is safe to eat, if it just smells like grass it's Rain Lily or Crow's Poison.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of wild onions are typically arranged in a basal rosette emerging directly from the bulb.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are long, linear, and hollow or tubular, typically measuring about 8 to 12 inches in length and 0.1 to 0.3 inches in width. Field garlic (Allium vineale) leaves will be U-shaped along their long length.

Leaf Venation: The venation is parallel, as is common in monocots like onions.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaves are entire, meaning they are smooth and unbroken.

Leaf Color: The leaves are usually a vibrant green, sometimes with a bluish or glaucous tint.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and borne in clusters on top of a leafless stalk. The cluster, or inflorescence, is often spherical or umbrella-shaped.

Flower Color: Flower colors can vary but are often pink, purple, or white.

Fruit: The fruit is a small capsule, although wild onions are more commonly identified by their bulbs and foliage.

Seed: The seeds are black and typically found inside the small capsule fruits.

Stem: The flowering stem, or scape, is round, smooth, and erect, rising directly from the bulb and holding the flower cluster aloft.

Hairs: There are no hairs on the leaves or stems.

Height: Wild onions typically grow to a height of 4 to 18 inches, including the flower stalk.

A thick stand of wild onions. These are 12"-14" tall.


A few wild onions...with some poison ivy.


A bunch of invasive Field Garlic (Allium vineale) onions close to flowering.


A single wild onion plant.


Wild onion flowers and seeds.


Close-up of Wild Onion flowers and seeds.


Another type of wild onions flowering.


Wild onion on the Texas-New Mexico border.


Close-up of west Texas wild onion flower.


Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.


North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.



Wild onions form large beds of plants which drive out other plants. They are most common in cooler weather. The whole plant can be used same as chives, from the bulb to the tips of the green stems.

Larger wild onion stems can become too tough to eat unless they are boiled or stewed for a long time, but they tough ones can be easily determined when harvesting. If they are tough to cut/break then they'll be tough during eating unless cooked a long time.

The white flowers that they produce can also be eaten and give an interesting appearance to foods when the flowers are left raw. The flowers eventually turn into fairly hard, nut-like seeds that can also be eaten raw or cooked into dishes.

Wild onions can be dried for later use but be warned, if you dry them in a dehydrator your whole house will smell like onions for days.

There is a minimally toxic mimic of wild onion, which is called Crow's Poison (Nothoscordum bivalve). This plant look almost identical to a small wild onion but it lacks the onion/garlic smell when. Crushed Crow's Poison smell like grass whereas the wild onion smells like onion when crushed. The toxins in Crow's Poison are very weak and in a very low amount. You would have to eat a pound of the plant just to get a bad stomach. When dug up, Crow's Poison will have a cluster of attached bulbs underground.

Rain Lily (HIGHLY POISONOUS)


Rain Lily flowers (HIGHLY POISONOUS)




Crow's Poison (MILDLY POISONOUS)


Close-up of Crow's Poison flower (SLIGHTLY TOXIC).


Crow's Poison gets its name from the practice of mixing the mashed-up bulbs of this plant with a handful of grain which was then left out for crows to eat. The crows would get sick, some would die, and the other crows would realize they need to leave the grain of this farm alone.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Palm - California Fan

Scientific Name(s): Washingtonia filifera
Abundance: uncommon
What: fruit, seeds, palm heart,
How: fruit raw, dried, cooked, jelly; seeds ground up then boiled; palm heart roasted or pickled
Where: landscaping, dry areas
When: Spring, Summer, Fall
Nutritional Value:
Dangers:

This is a native palm and was utilized by Native Americans. Fruit is blue-black, pea-sized and eaten raw, dried, cooked, or made into jellies. Fruit and seed are dried, ground up, then boiled as porridge. Edible heart (central, youngest leaf bud) is roasted though harvesting the heart kills the palm. Leaf fibers used as cordage.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Palm - Canary Island Date

Scientific Name(s): Phoenix canariensis
Abundance: uncommon
What: fruit, flowers, sap
How: fruit raw, dried, cooked; flowers raw; sap straight, fermented, or evaporated to syrup or sugar
Where: landscaping
When: fall
Nutritional Value: calories


Canary Island date palm.




Canary Island date palm base.


Canary Island date palm trunk.


Trunk with almost-mature fruit.


Canary Island date palm crown.


Canary Island date palm needle-type leaf. Note the alternating pattern.


Almost ripe fruit.




These palms usually remain short and squat for ten years or more before growing taller to their final height of thirty to sixty feet. The leaves are long like those of the Queen palm rather than fan-shaped.

Fall is when the fruit appear on clusters of long strands. They are yellow-orange oval, 3/4" long, flesh is sweet but very thin over a large seed making it undesirable as snacking date. The preferred utilization of these dates is conversion to jelly...or wine! Woohoo!

A good palm oil can be pressed from its seeds using a nut press.

The sap is very sweet and can be drank as is, fermented into palm wine, or evaporated down to palm syrup or sugar. Traditionally it is collected by carefully carving a bowl-shaped depression in the tree's crown in the late afternoon or evening. The sap collects in this depression overnight and is gathered in the morning. If left exposed to sun and air it will quickly spoil. Please note, carving out the crown of the tree in this manner will likely result in the palm dying. There has been some luck/non-tree death with cutting the young fruit stalks (inflorescence spadix) in early summer and collecting the sap from them.



Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.