Agave

Scientific Name(s): Agave spp.
Abundance: rare
What: flowers, stalks, leaves, body/root, sap
How: flowers are cooked; flower stalks are roasted; sap is fermented (woo hoo!); leaves are cooked; body/root is slow roasted.
Where: dry areas, landscaping
When: all year
Nutritional Value: Calories
Dangers: Raw agave juice can cause long-lasting burns to skin, eyes, and other sensitive tissues. Be careful when cutting this plant so as not to splatter this juice on you. These plants also contain large quantities of saponins (soap).

Medicinal Summary:
Leaf Pulp - antibacterial; anti-inflammatory; wound-healing (poultice)





Agave flower stalk.


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.


Looking like a cross between a cactus and a squid, slow-growing agave plants are found wild the arid Southwest but also as a decorative landscaping plant all over Texas and the South. Mature agave can stretch up to 16’ across and send flower stalks 10’ or more into the sky.

Agave plants are a regular smorgasbord of food, though all parts of the plant except for the sap must be cooked in some manner to make them sweet and destroy their bitter-tasting saponins. Unlike most wild edible plants, when harvesting agave you want to find the biggest, oldest plants as these will have the most sugar. Traditionally the flowers and leaves were boiled or roasted. After removing the leaves the body & root should be slow roasted, often for two days, to release its sugars. The sweet flesh is chewed off the fibrous body/root. Flower stalks are also roasted, but for shorter time as they are smaller. Note that removing the flower stalk will kill the plant. After roasting the food can be dried and stored for later use.

If the top of the agave plant is removed but the root left in the ground sap will flow up for hours. Collect and ferment this sap to form a weak tequila. A sweet syrup can also be pressed from the roasted body & root of agave. This syrup forms the basis for mescal alcohol. The seeds can be toasted then ground into a flour.

Uncooked roots contain high levels of saponins, a soap-like compound which will lather in soft water and can be used for washing. This soap was also used by natives to kill fish by tossing pounded globs of root into small ponds. The soap screws up the functioning of fishes' gills, causing them suffocate and float to the surface.

Fibers in the leaves can be used for cordage. Pound the fleshy leaves between two logs to separate the fibers from pulp, then braid into rope.

Warning: The moist, fleshy interior of the leaves is somewhat acidic and can cause permanent eye damage.


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.

Basswood/Linden

Scientific name: Tilia americana
Abundance: rare
What: flowers, leaves, buds, inner bark
How: leaves raw in salad, buds to nibble, flowers for tea, cambium (inner bark) raw or boiled for calories
Where: Sunny edges of woods
When: buds in late winter, young leaves spring/summer, flowers summer, cambium all year
Nutritional Value: Leaves contain vitamins and minerals, inner bark has carbohydrates
Other uses: cordage from bark, not a good firewood

Leaf Arrangement: Basswood trees typically have alternate leaf arrangement along the branches.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are generally large, heart-shaped, with lengths ranging from 4 to 6 inches.

Leaf Venation: Prominent veins are visible on the leaves, contributing to their overall structure.

Stem Characteristics: The stems are usually slender, and the trunk can reach diameters of 2 to 4 feet.

Flower Cluster: Basswood trees produce fragrant, pendulous clusters of small, pale-yellow to cream-colored flowers in late spring or early summer.

Flower Structure: Individual flowers are small and have five petals. Flowers can be around 0.2 to 0.3 inches in size.

Seed: The seed is enclosed in a papery wing, forming a structure known as a samara. The wings can measure around 1 to 2 inches in length, looking like a leaf. A several seed capsule pairs, all branching from a single stem, dangle down from the leaf-like wing.

Seed Characteristics: Seeds are small and brown, typically located at the center of the samara.

Height: Basswood trees can reach heights of 60 to 80 feet, with variations based on age and growing conditions.

Bark: The bark of young trees is smooth and light gray, becoming more furrowed and darker with age. Bark color can range from light gray to dark gray-brown.

Hairs: Young shoots and leaves may have fine hairs, but mature leaves are generally smooth. Inspect young shoots and leaf undersides for pubescence.

Fruit: The fruit consists of the winged samaras, which are produced in clusters as described above, and become tan to light brown as they mature.

Basswood tree used in urban landscaping.


Basswood leaf and flower/nut bract (long, narrow leaf-like thing).


Basswood flower cluster and flower bract.


Close-up of Basswood flowers.


Basswood leaves and seedpods.






Basswood leaves.


Almost-ripe Basswood nuts in the fall.


Ripe Basswood nuts.


Basswood bark.


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.


Stately basswood trees range from 60 to 120 feet tall with shallowly-furrowed, somewhat greyish bark and round crowns. There are thirty species in North America with Tilia Americana and Tilia caroliniana being the most common in Texas. Basswoods prefer loose, well-drained soil with access to moisture, in particular river flood-plains and in low areas of woods.

The sweet sap, running in the spring before the leaf buds open, can be boiled down into a syrup or just drank as-is. Be sure to sterilize your tools before using them to cut or drill into the tree to collect sap or inner bark. This reduces the chance of a fungal infection striking the basswood.

A very delicious, spicy tea is made from the small flowers of basswood trees, which appear in the spring. The flowers can also be eaten raw. Bees love these flowers and often the tree can be found just by listening for the buzz of the hundreds of bees collecting its nectar. The resulting honey has a flavor imparted from the basswood nectar.

The young leaf buds and leaves can be eaten raw and have a slightly sweet flavor similar to the flowers. These parts can also be cooked like pot-herbs.

In the fall the nuts make a good trailside nibble while hiking, but only eat the inner meat, not the nuts’ outer shells.

The calorie-rich cambium layer, just under the bark, is stripped, finely diced, and boiled into a porridge-like mush to eat any time of the year. In Europe towards the end of World War II basswood sawdust was added to bread to try and produce enough loaves to fill everyone’s belly.

This cambium layer can be used to make strong fibers that can be woven into rope, containers and crude cloth. This inner bark must be soaked for up to two weeks to rot away the majority of the plant’s cells, leaving behind just the fibers. The wood itself is great for carving and for making the body of guitars.


Buy my book! Idiots Guide 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.
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.

Kudzu

Scientific name: Pueraria species (P. lobata, P. montana, P. edulis, P. phaseoloides and P. thomsoni)
Abundance: plentiful
What: young vine tips, young leaves, flowers, roots
How: vine tips & leaves cooked; flowers raw or tea; roots scraped for starch
Where: fields, old farms,
When: spring, summer, fall, winter
Nutritional Value: vitamins, antioxidants, protein, calories
Other Uses: kudzu vines can be woven into fine baskets
Dangers: do NOT plant kudzu, it'll engulf everything!! Be very careful transporting kudzu so as not to drop any seeds.

Kudzu vine.




Close-up of kudzu leaves (three leaves per stem)


Kudzu leaves in the wild look like Poison Ivy.


Close-up of open flowers.


Close-up of closed flowers at tip of flower raceme.


Close-up of vine stem.


Kudzu seed pods are weirdly hairy.


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.


First introduced from Japan to the United States during the 1876 Centennial Exposition, this out-of-control weed now covers over seven million acres of the American South. Kudzu grows up to one foot per day, putting it in the top four fastest-growing plants known. As it grows it covers and smothers all other plant life...along with anything else that doesn't move out of its way. It is a common sight to see mile after mile of trees, powerlines, and abandoned homesteads covered in kudzu as you drive the backroads of the South.

It is small compensation that the kudzu can be eaten. It's vine tips are tender and full of important compounds such as antioxidants, as well as being high in protein (16% dry weight). The hairs on the vines and leaves make them unpleasant to eat raw, but a quick dip in boiling water wilts these hair so they no longer cause any problems. After boiling the vine tips and young leaves for 30-60 seconds they can then be used in any manner one would cook spinach, collard greens, or other leafy green vegetable.

Kudzu begins flowering in July and continues into September, producing an intense, somewhat artificial, grape smell. Open kudzu flowers can be used raw and make a colorful, flavorful addition to salads. They can also be seeped in hot water to make a tea. These flowers will last a day if kept in the refrigerator.

Kudzu roots can grow to enormous sizes, eight feet long and over 200 pounds! They contain a large percentage of starch but are also fibrous at that size. You are better off digging up smaller roots, 1.5" to 2.5" in diameter, which can be roasted like a potato. Be sure to peel the root before eating. The peeled roots can also be pounded, grated or ground into a gluten-free flour. The starch in kudzu roots can be fermented to produce alcohol. Woo hoo!! Roots are best dug up in the early fall but can be harvested all winter if you need the calories.

The seed pods are green in color and are not edible, nor are the seeds they contain.

Beware of poison ivy mixed in with kudzu. Please do not plant kudzu as it will escape your control and devour everything that doesn't move.


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 - Dwarf Palmetto

Scientific name: Sabal minor
Abundance: plentiful
What: The "heart" of the plant, fruit
How: Raw, cooked
Where: Shady, moist, low areas
When: Buds all year, fruit late summer to mid-fall
Nutritional Value: rich source of carbohydrates
Other uses: Fibers/cordage
Dangers: very pointy leaves

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in a fan-like or palmate manner, emerging from a central point.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are palmately compound, with each leaf blade having a length of about 3 to 4 feet and a width of approximately 2 to 3 feet.

Leaf Venation: The venation is of the leaflets is parallel.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically entire, presenting a smooth edge.

Leaf Color: The leaves are green, and there's usually no significant color difference between the top and underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and crown-shaped, arranged in large, branched clusters (inflorescences) called panicles. The individual flowers have a diameter of about 0.25 inches.

Flower Color: The flowers are creamy white or light yellow.

Fruit: The fruit is a black, fleshy drupe, about 0.5 inches in diameter, and is produced in clusters.

Seed: The seeds are hard, brown-black, and usually solitary within each drupe.

Stem: The stems are short and subterranean (underground), giving rise to the fan-shaped leaves. 

Hairs: The plant is generally glabrous, meaning it lacks noticeable hairs on its leaves and stems.

Height: Sabal minor typically reaches a height of 4 to 8 feet, with the fan-shaped leaves spreading wide, creating a distinctive appearance.

Dwarf palmetto plant.


Stand of Dwarf Palmettos.


Dwarf palmetto flowering in July in the Houston area.


Close-up view of the dwarf palmetto flowers.


Still closer view of the flowers.


Fruit (edible when flat black in color).




Underground portion of root system exposed along river bank.


Root section dug up and peeled to reach terminal bud and heart.


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.


Dwarf palmettos are good sources of calories all year. The easiest way to get the "heart" of this palm is to dig up, root ball and all, then peel/cut away the fronds. Eventually you'll reach an inner section that looks like the inner portions of celery or an artichoke heart. Cut away the roots and anything still stiff or hard. Anything soft is edible. It has a somewhat bitter, unusual taste raw. Roasting it makes it a little sweeter.

The berries begin appearing in late summer and are usually edible into mid-fall in the fall. They are very nutritious and supposedly are good for the prostrate. A word of warning though. These berries taste really good to about 85% of the population. 15% of humans have an extra taste receptor that can sense a particular chemical in these berries that the other 85% can't. I have those extra taste sensors and to me the fruit tastes the way cat vomit smells. Most likely they'll taste good to you.

The berries have a larger kernel from which palm oil can be pressed. You can find ready-made nut oil presses on line as well as directions on how to make your own oil press out of some pieces of pipe and an auger bit.

Dwarf palmettos grow in low, wet, shady areas. If you are looking to buy property and dwarf palmettos are present you can be pretty sure that area floods often!


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 - 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.

Pawpaw

Scientific Name(s): Asimina triloba (spp.)
Abundance: rare
What: fruit
How: raw, jam, jelly
Where: moist, shady woods
When: late summer
Nutritional Value: protein, calories, Vit C, A, minerals K, Mg, Ca, essential amino acids.

Medicinal Summary: Anti-lice shampoo was made from crushed seeds

Leaf Arrangement: Simple, alternate leaves along the stems.

Leaf Shape: Ovate to lanceolate leaves, typically 8 to 12 inches in length. Reminds me of the sole of a sandal in shape.

Leaf Venation: Very pronounced pinnate veins. 

Leaf Color: Foliage will be green on top and lighter green to gray underneath, with a smooth texture. Crushed leaves release a strong chemical/insecticidal smell.

Leaf Margin: Intact leaf edge.

Flower Structure: Large, maroon to brown flowers, often bell-shaped, with three petals. Flower scent is similar to spoiled meat.

Flower Size: Individual flowers can be 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

Fruit: Large, greenish-yellow to brownish fruit resembling a mango, typically 3 to 6 inches in length.

Seed Size: Seeds within the fruit are dark brown, smooth, and about 1 inch in length.

Bark: Smooth and brownish-gray on young trees, becoming more fissured and darker with age.

Height: Pawpaw trees typically range from 15 to 30 feet in height.

Pawpaw fruit on tree.


Close-up of Pawpaw flowers. They smell like spoiled met to attract flies as pollinators.


Almost ripe pawpaw fruit.


Small, almost ripe pawpaw.


Pawpaw seeds.


Pawpaw leaves are tropical-looking.


Pawpaw seedling. Note the alternating 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.


The banana-custard-like flavor/texture of pawpaw fruits leads many to consider it to be the best tasting fruit available (George Washington was a huge fan). However, once the pawpaw fruit is picked it begins to self-ferment almost immediately, making it unsuitable for shipping or selling in stores. They must be eaten right after harvesting or quickly turned into jam or jelly.

Pawpaw leaves have a sandal-like shape, being narrower a the base where it connects to the tree, widening out towards the end of the leaf, with a point at the very tip. A crushed leaf has a very strong, pungent odor, kind of like an insecticide.
 
The large pawpaw seeds actually do contain several insecticidal compounds and certain Native Americans used the powdered seeds to control lice. These seeds are still used in several over-the-counter lice treatments. It may be as simple to make as heating finely-crushed pawpaw seeds combined with baby shampoo in a crockpot at low heat for 8 hours, allowing to cool, then applying to the hair but I haven't actually tried this. If you do it, you are on your own!

The bark makes decent cordage but stripping it may often kill the tree.

The seeds should be planted right away after harvesting as they dry out and die otherwise. Pawpaws are NOT self-fertile so you need at least two separate trees and three is better, ideally grown from seeds from unrelated trees. The flowers pre-date bees and are pollinated by flies, instead.  Growers have been known to hang bits of raw meat up in the trees when flowers appear to attract flies as the meat rots.


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.