Palm - Windmill

Scientific Name(s): Trachycarpus fortunei
Abundance: common
What: flower buds and flowers (inflorescences)
How: raw or cooked
Where: landscaping
When: spring
Nutritional Value:
Dangers:

Windmill palm.


Windmill palm base.


Windmill palm trunk.


Windmill palm fan-type leaf.


Native to China, this palm actually prefers cold climates and doesn't do well in hot, humid areas such as the Gulf Coast region. The leaf fibers make an excellent cordage.

The flower buds and flower bodies are eaten raw though I bet they could be candied, too.

Fruit ranges in color from yellow to black.


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.

Plum - Wild

Scientific name: Prunus mexicana
Abundance: plentiful
What: ripe fruit
How: raw, dried, preserves, wine, brandy
Where: Usually along edges of woods
When: fall
Nutritional Value: high in carbohydrates, vitamin A, and minerals

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are alternately arranged along the stems.

Leaf Shape: Mexican Plum leaves are ovate, being broad and rounded with a pointed apex.

Leaf Venation: Leaves exhibit pinnate venation, featuring prominent, arching veins.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is serrated, with fine teeth along the edges.

Leaf Color: The upper side of the leaves is green, while the underside may have a lighter color.

Flower Structure: The flowers are simple, with a diameter of approximately 1 inch, featuring five white petals.

Flower Color: The flowers are typically white, found distributed in small clusters along the branches.

Fruit: The fruit is a drupe, initially green and turning purple as it matures.

Seed: Single stone pit is contained within the drupe, usually small, oval, and brown in color.

Bark: The bark of Mexican Plum is initially smooth and , darkening and developing scaly fissures with age.

Hairs: Leaves are slightly fuzzy.

Height: Mexican Plum typically reaches a height of 15 to 25 feet.

Mexican plum fruit


The white stuff on the fruit is wild yeast which can be used to make bread or alcohol same as store-bought yeasts.


Mexican plum tree


Mexican plum tree trunk


Close-up of wild plum flower (photo taken February in Houston).


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.


The fruit of the Mexican plum can vary wildly in taste from sweet to inedible. Other Prunus species can be found in Texas and all have edible fruit but toxic leaves and seeds/pits. Their leaves and seeds/pits contains cyanide so you shouldn't eat these parts. The amount of cyanide varies and in extreme circumstances the seeds can be roasted and then eaten if they are NOT bitter.

The gray powder on the surface of the plums is a wild yeast which can be used to start sourdough or make wine. To use wild plums to create a sourdough follow these steps:

Step 1. On day 1 combine 1 cup whole wheat flour with 1/2 cup cool, non-chlorinated water, and 4-6 undamaged, gray-dusted wild plums in a bowl and gently stir together. Cover with a towel and let sit somewhere warm and undisturbed.

Step 2. After 24 hours discard half the mixture but leaving the plums in the retained portion. Add 1 cup unbleached flour and 1/2 cup non-chlorinater water. Gently mix everything. Cover with a towel, let sit somewhere warm for 24 hours.

Step 3. By now (day 3) you may see some bubbling in your starter and it'll hopefully have a somewhat fruity scent. If the starter is bubbling it's time to remove the plums. You'll also have to start "feeding" it twice a day. For each feeding scoop up heaping 1/4 cup of the starter and combine it with 1 cup unbleached flour and 1/2 cup non-chlorinated water about every 12 hours. Unused starter should be shared or discarded.

Step 4. Keep repeating Step 3 for 3-7 days until it almost doubles in size between feedings and has a nice, tangy aroma.

Step 5. Start making sourdough breads! Move unused sourdough starter to the fridge, discarding half and feeding it 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup water once a day. If you don't remove some starter every day it'll overrun your container and also likely become too acidic, killing itself. Humans aren't the only creatures that take over paradise and end up killing ourselves with our waste. Yeast does this, too.

For making wild plum wine you should get 101 Recipes for Making Wild Wines at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Herbs, Fruits, and Flowers (Back to Basics Cooking)


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.

Rusty Blackhaw

Scientific Name(s): Viburnum rufidulum
Abundance: uncommon
What: fruit
How: raw, jelly, wine
Where: woods
When: late fall, winter
Nutritional Value: calories
Dangers: none

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are oppositely arranged along the stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are elliptical to ovate with pointed tips.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate and more pronounced on the underside of the leaves.

Leaf Margin: Leaf margins are serrated, featuring small, sharp teeth.

Leaf Color: The upper surface of the leaves is green. The underside of the leaves may be slightly paler in color, with lighter-still veins.

Flower Structure: Flowers are arranged in flat-topped clusters (corymbs) and have a diameter of approximately 3 to 5 inches.

Flower Color: The flowers are creamy white, creating a visually striking display.

Fruit: The fruit is a drupe, initially red and transitioning to dark blue-black when mature.

Seed: Seeds are relatively large, with an elliptical shape and a dark color.

Bark: The bark is grayish-brown and becomes rougher with age.

Hairs: None present.

Height: Rusty Blackhaw typically grows to a height of 10 to 15 feet, forming a well-branched shrub or small tree.

Ripe fruit of Rusty Blackhaw.


Close-up of Rusty Blackhaw fruit. Note the single large, flat seed.




Rusty blackhaw flower buds appear in late winter/early spring before a majority of its leaves do.


The flowers look like little heads of broccoli before blooming.


Note the rusty color of the parts of rusty blackhaw wrapping up the flower buds.


Close-up of Rusty Blackhaw flowers (picture taken in March in Houston, TX)


Unripe Rusty Blackhaw fruit (picture taken in September in Houston).


Leave are arranged oppositely, have finely-toothed edges, and an oval shape.


Bark of rusty blackhaw is rugged, and often described as alligator-like. When scraped it exposes it's rusty, red-brown color of its name.


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.


Hidden among the woods of east Texas one will find a true treasure, the Rusty Blackhaw. This small tree lives its life in the shade of much larger majestic oaks, sweetgums, hickories, and hackberries. In the spring Rusty Blackhaws announce their presence with large clusters of small, white flowers similar to Elder. After these flowers do their job and drop away odd, football-shade drupes (fruit) appear. These fruit start out green but shift through shades of blue, red, purple through the summer until by late fall they are black and ready to eat. In the fall the leaves turn deep red and begin to drop off but many leaves remain even as new ones begin appearing. The bark of the trunk and branches of this tree have the same brick-like pattern and reddish-tan color of its close relative, the Farkleberry.

The mature fruit of Rusty Blackhaws is sweet and delicious. Even in late winter when they've dried into wrinkled raisin-like fruit they are often still quite edible. The large single seed isn't edible but as you eat the fruit save the seeds to plant in other likely spots. This wonderful tree is a native and needs to be spread.

When making jelly, these fruit usually have a large amount of natural pectin but the amount can vary quite a bit from tree to tree. It's good to have a bit of extra pectin on hand in case you fruit is low.


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.

Wax Myrtle/Bayberry

Scientific name: Myrica cerifera
Abundance: plentiful
What: leaves
How: seasoning herb
Where: woods, landscapes
When: leaves are present all year, though they are most aromatic in late winter/early spring.
Nutritional Value: flavonoids/anitoxidants
Other uses: The small blue berries have a wax coating which can be used to make bayberry candles.

Medicinal Summary:
Root Bark - soothes inflamed skin; soothes gastrointestinal and urinary tract inflammation; diuretic to flush kidney stones; soothes sore throat (poultice, tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are alternate along the stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are simple, elliptical to lanceolate.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically entire, but it can be slightly serrated.

Leaf Color: The leaves are glossy green on the upper surface, while the underside may have a silvery-white or grayish color.

Flower Structure: Wax Myrtle produces small, inconspicuous flowers in catkin-like structures. The flowers are unisexual, meaning individual plants are either male or female.

Flower Color: The flowers are yellow-green.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, waxy berry-like drupe. They grow in tight clusters along the branches of female plants.

Seed: The seeds are contained within the waxy drupe and are typically small and hard.

Bark: The bark is generally smooth and grayish-brown.

Hairs: No hairs.

Height: Wax Myrtle can vary in height but typically grows as a large shrub or small tree, reaching heights of 10 to 20 feet.

Wax myrtle/Bayberry berries


Wax myrtle/Bayberry leaves


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.


Allow leaves to dry or force-dry the leaves in an oven, then crumble into food. These are one of the key seasoning for Cajun seafood boils. I like to use it as a replacement for Italian season to make a delicious "Cajun" lasagna.

Bayberry candles are made from the wax found on the outside of the small, blue berries. Boil the berries in some water and collect the wax that floats to the surface. This wax is brittle and doesn't mold well. Combine the bayberry wax with beeswax or other soft wax for better results. Yes, I know bayberry candles are a key component of pagan money spells. No, I don't sell bayberry candles.


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.