Dewberry

Scientific name: Rubus species
Abundance: plentiful
What: flowers, berries
How: open mouth, insert flower/fruit, then chew. seep flowers/young leaves in hot water for tea
Where: Sunny wastelands, borders between woods and fields. Dewberry plants grow as a low, horizontal ground cover.
When: Spring
Other uses: wine, jelly, tea, wine
Nutritional Value: carbohydrates, vitamin C; small amount of minerals and vitamins A & B
Dangers: sharp thorns

Medicinal Summary:
Root/Leaves - anti-diarrheal, soothes gastrointestinal inflammations, soothes skin inflammations (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are arranged in an alternate pattern along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are compound with three to five leaflets. Each leaflet is oval-shaped, measuring approximately 1 to 3 inches in length and 0.5 to 1.5 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: Leaflet venation is pinnate, with a central vein extending through each leaflet.

Leaf Margin: Margins are finely toothed or serrated.

Leaf Color: The color of the leaves is a deep green on the upper surface and a lighter green beneath.

Flower Structure: Flowers are solitary or in small clusters, located at the ends of the stems or axils.

Flower Color: The flowers are white or light pink, with each flower having five petals, measuring about 0.5 to 1 inch in diameter.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, aggregate berry.

Seed: Each berry contains multiple small seeds, which are hard and tan in color.

Stem: The stems are trailing or arching, with many small thorns.

Hairs: The stems and underside of leaves may have fine hairs.

Height: As a trailing plant, the height is typically low to the ground.

Ripe fruit.


Unripe fruit.

Getting more ripe.

Dewberry flowers.


Close-up of dewberry 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.


Dewberry vines can be found overrunning just about any sunny or shady open area. The dewberry plant creeps along the ground as a thorny vine as opposed to blackberries which grow in the form of an upright cane. Dewberries are common along Texas roadsides, fields, abandoned land, and woodland paths. The vines are quite thin, having diameters not much larger than the a pencil lead, but are tough and grow into impassable mats. The sweetest fruits will be found in areas that receive full sun but also plenty of water.

A delicious tea can be made from dewberry flowers in the spring and its young leaves spring/summer/fall. I recommend using the leaves rather than flowers so not to reduce the amount of fruit produced. For tea pick young healthy leaves in late morning after any dew has dried but before the sun has had a chance to evaporate the volatile flavoring oils out of the leaves. Dry the leaves before use for a richer flavor as that will allow the cell walls to break down some, allowing the flavoring agents to escape the cells into your cup. The combination of dewberry and yaupon holly leaves makes a most excellent and vitamin-rich tea rich.


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.

Dodder

Scientific Name(s): Cuscuta species
Abundance: common
What: stem/vine; seeds
How: stem cooked, seeds roasted
Where: sunny fields, borders
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: contains carotenoids
Dangers: WARNING: RECENT RESEARCH INDICATES CERTAIN COMPOUNDS IN DODDER CAN CAUSE DAMAGE OVER TIME. I NO LONGER RECCOMEND EATING THIS PLANT!!

Dodder covering plants along Spring creek.


Close-ups of dodder vines.






Close-up of dodder vine tip.


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.


Dodder vines are a fascinating example of plant parasitism. They contain only minimal amounts of chlorophyl and survive by sucking all their necessary nutrients from host plants. Chemical receptors on the dodder vine allow it to "smell" he presence of preferred host plants, causing the dodder to grow towards it's host like a slow, orange plant vampire.

In light of dodder's orange color it should not be surprising that it contains B-carotene and other carotenoids. This makes it a good nibble for your eyes...though ingesting it via the mouth is the better method. Trying to eat something with you eyes usually ends badly.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I've been working too hard lately.

While dodder vines are rich in carotenoids, there is little in literature about eating these it. Steaming it like a carrot would probably be best but I haven't tried that yet. Studies confirm that the darker orange the stem/vine the higher the B-carotene concentration. In the fall the seeds were collected, roasted, and pounded into a flour by Native Americans

Dodder seeds supposedly have medicinal properties according to Chinese and Japanese herbal lore. Seeds from the Asian dodder Cuscuta japonica are used as an anti-aging drug, reversing many of the common weaknesses brought on in old age, especially for men. Western medicines have not confirmed any of these effects.

Link to scientific paper about dodder carotenoids.

Because dodder absorbs many chemicals from its host plants, it itself can become toxic. Only eat dodder harvested from plants you can positively identify as safe to eat!


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.

Grape - Frost

Scientific name: Vitis vulpina
Abundance: uncommon
What: fruit, leaves, young tendrils
How: fruit raw, cooked, dried, preserves, wine; leaves and tendrils cooked
Where: edges of woods, ravines, fence lines.
When: winter, fruit best after frost
Nutritional Value: calories, very low in vitamins and minerals.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of Vitis vulpina are arranged alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are typically palmately lobed, with three to five lobes, each lobe being broadly ovate, measuring approximately 2 to 5 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: Pinnate venation, with veins running from the base to the tip of each leaf lobe.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically serrated or toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are green on top and lighter in color underneath.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and greenish, occurring in clusters known as inflorescences, with individual diameters of about 1/8".

Flower Color: Flowers are typically greenish-yellow.

Fruit: The fruit is a grape, often small with a diameter of approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch, and purple to black when ripe.

Seed: Inside the grape are small, round, and brown seeds.

Stem: The stem is typically climbing, with tendrils for support.

Hairs: Fine hairs may be present on some parts of the plant, including the stem.

Height: Vitis vulpina is a climbing vine and can reach varying heights depending on its support structure.

Frost grapes, ripe in August & September in Houston.

Frost grape vine. Note the alternating leaf patter.


Close-up of a single leaf.


Frost grape vine with young fruit.


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.


Frost Grape vines are impressive climbers, using many reddish tendrils to cling and wrap themselves around trees, bushes, and fences. Their leaves look similar to Muscadine Grape leaves, being smooth and green on top and underneath. However, Frost Grapes produce fruit much later than other Texas wild grape varieties. Its small, acidic fruit appear in clusters in early fall, well past the mid-summer season of Muscadine grapes.

Frost grapes aren't edible raw until after a frost. The cold weather triggers enzyme processes that break down the acids and build up sugars, turning them quite sweet. If harvested before then sweetening occurs you are limited to making jams, jelly, or wines from the still acidic fruit. Treat them like the highly acidic Mustang Grapes. Large, healthy Frost Grape leaves can be cooked and used like regular grape leaves.

In the fall Greenbriar vines produces tight clusters of black fruit, leading to misidentification. The Greenbriar fruit are non-toxic but they lack any flavor, being mainly just rubbery and tasteless. Remember, Greenbriar vines have thorns and they also have two tendrils at the base of every leaf. Frost Grape tendril appear on two nodes in a row and then skip one or more nodes. Frost Grape fruits grow in long, dangling clusters whereas Greenbriar fruits grow in ball-shaped clusters.

Greenbriar fruit, not Frost Grape fruit.



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.

Grape - Muscadine

Scientific name: Vitis rotundifolia
Abundance: common
What: fruits, leaves, young tendrils
How: fruit raw, cooked, dried, preserves, wine; leaves and tendrils cooked.
Where: Edges of woods, Its leaves aren't as fuzzy as Mustang grapes nor do they have white undersides.
When: late summer, fall
Nutritional Value:, calories, antioxidants, very low in vitamins and minerals.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of Vitis rotundifolia are arranged alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are typically simple, round or broadly ovate, measuring approximately 2 to 5 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: Palmate venation, with multiple veins running from the base to the edges of the leaf.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically serrated or toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are similar shades of green on top and underneath.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and greenish, occurring in small clusters known as inflorescences. Individual flowers are only about 1/8" or less in diameter.

Flower Color: Flowers are typically greenish-yellow.

Fruit: The fruit is a grape, often larger than most grape species, with a diameter ranging from approximately 1/2 to 1 inch, and usually dark purple to black when ripe. They grow in groups of 1-3 grapes along the vine.

Seed: Inside the grape are small, round, and brown seeds.

Stem: The stem is typically climbing, with tendrils for support. Mature stems have a woody, rugged or peeling bark. Long, hairlike strands may hang from mature stems.

Hairs: Fine hairs may be present on some parts of the plant, including the stem.

Height: Vitis rotundifolia is a climbing vine and can reach varying heights depending on its support structure.

Immature fruit.




Mature fruit.


Fallen mature fruit.


Close-up of leaves




Muscadines have a single tendril growing opposite of the leaf.


Very old vines.

Very mature grape vines.

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.


Muscadine Grape vines cover the woods of gulf coast, east, and central Texas. These fast growing vines can be found climbing many trees and old, abandoned equipment. The fruit does require sunlight to ripen properly so often it'll be way up among the tree tops rather than being easily accessible. Muscadine Grape leaves are shiny and smooth both on top and underneath, unlike the fuzzy, gray undersides and smooth, green tops of Mustang Grape leaves.

When ripe the fruit is very sweet and flavorful but unlike store-bought grapes the skins of muscadines is very thick/chewy and the inner pulp is quite gelatinous. The seeds can be eaten with the grape or saved to be crushed for grape oil. The white, powder coating on the skin is a naturally-occurring yeast which can be used to ferment the crushed grapes into wine.

Muscadine grape vines can be used as an emergency water source in the woods. Cut through a thick grape vine as high up as you can reach, followed by cutting through it again at the very bottom. To collect the water which drips out support the top end up in the air and place the bottom end below it in a container. Once the water flow stops cut two feet off the top and more water will drip out of the vine. Repeat the cutting off of the top two feet every time the water stops flowing until no vine is left.

I love this book for wine-making recipes: 101 Recipes for Making Wild Wines

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.

Grape - Mustang

Scientific name: Vitis mustangensis
Abundance: plentiful
What: fruits, leaves, young tendrils
How: fruit raw (very tart), cooked, dried, preserves, wine; leaves and tendrils cooked,
Where: Edges of woods. Mustang grape leaves are fuzzy and have a white underside.
When: summer
Nutritional Value: calories, antioxidants
Other uses: water can be obtained from the vines (see technique in grapes- muscadine post), wild yeast from the fruit
Dangers: Mustang grapes are very acidic and handling/eating large amounts of the raw fruit can cause burns to hands and mouth.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of Vitis mustangensis are arranged alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Leaves of young vines are typically simple, palmately lobed with three to five lobes, each lobe being ovate, measuring approximately 2 to 5 inches in width. Leaves of mature vines lack the deep lobes.

Leaf Venation: Palmate venation, with veins running from the leaf base out to the tip of each leaf lobe.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically serrated or toothed.

Leaf Color: Tops of leaves are green while undersides are light gray.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and greenish, occurring in clusters known as inflorescences. Each individual flower is 1/8" in diameter or smaller

Flower Color: Flowers are typically greenish-yellow.

Fruit: The fruit is a grape, often larger than most grape species, with a diameter ranging from approximately 1/2 to 1 inch, and usually dark purple to black when ripe. The fruit grow on long, clusters, just like store-bought grapes.

Seed: Inside the grape are small, round, and brown seeds.

Stem: The stem is typically climbing, with tendrils for support. Bases of mature mustang grape vines can be over 4" in diameter.

Hairs: Fine hairs are present on the leaves, especially the leaf underside, and on the stems.

Height: Vitis mustangensis is a climbing vine and can reach varying heights depending on its support structure.

Mustang grape vine with unripe fruit. Note that the top of the leaves are green while their underside is white/gray. Both sides of the leaf are fuzzy to the touch.




Almost-ripe Mustang grapes.

The leaves of young mustang grape vines are more deeply lobed (left) than the leaves of mature vines (right).

The lobed leaves can get quite large, depending on growing conditions.


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.


Mustang grapes are easy to tell apart by their leaves from other wild grapes. The topside are dark green and smooth while the undersides are gray and fuzzy like the nose of a horse. These grapes are the first to ripen in the summer here in Texas. Their skins are thick and tough, surrounding a very tart, gelatinous interior containing several small seeds. This acidic tartness of the mustang grape skins makes them unpleasant to eat raw and can result in acid burns on your mouth and fingers. However, this acid gives them a complex flavor when made into jam/jelly or wine. When making jelly include some skins of green/unripe grapes as a source of pectin.

I love this book for wine-making recipes: 101 Recipes for Making Wild Wines

Due to their fuzziness, the leaves less commonly used in grape leaf recipes, but there's no flavor or other reason not to use them.

Mustang grapes seem to prefer climbing along fences, old farm equipment, and other abandoned works of mankind in sunny fields.


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.

Greenbriar

Scientific name: Smilax spp.
Abundance: plentiful
What: tender vines (portion easily snapped off by hand), tendrils, tubers, leaves, berries
How: vines and tendrils are eaten raw, steamed or baked; roots are sliced, then pounded and boiled to free starch; berries eaten raw or made into jams or jelly
Where: shady forests
When: All year
Nutritional Value: tubers high in starch & minerals; leaves & stems high assorted vitamins and minerals.
Dangers: sharp thorns

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of greenbriar are arranged alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are typically simple and vary in shape, ranging from ovate to lanceolate, depending on the species.

Leaf Venation: Palmate venation, with multiple veins running from the base to the edges of each leaf.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is typically entire or slightly toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves can vary in color but are often medium to dark green. Mottling may be present on some species.

Flower Structure: Greenbriar produces clusters of small, inconspicuous flowers.

Flower Color: Flowers are typically greenish-white or greenish-yellow.

Fruit: The fruit is typically a berry, often round or oval in shape, and can be red, dark blue, or black, depending on the species. Skin is thin but tough, inside is a clear or gray/offwhite flesh that is very chewy.

Seed: Inside the berry are small seeds.

Stem: The stem is typically climbing or trailing, often with thorns or prickles, for the first 9 feet in height. Two tendrils grow from the base of each leaf. 

Root: The roots produce large, woody tubers with red-pink skins. Flesh inside the tubers will be white or faint pink when you, turning more red and tough/woody as the tuber ages. 

Hairs: Smilax are generally hairless

Height: Greenbriar is a climbing or trailing vine and can reach varying heights depending on its support structure.

Edible tip of greenbriar (bullbriar) vine.


Close-up of greenbriar (bullbriar) vine tip.


Edible tip of other Greenbriar. Note the thorns and two tendrils at base of leaf.


Greenbriars and Catbriars are the only vines with both thorns and tendrils.






Greenbriar (bullbriar) tubers and vines.


Same tuber body as above after digging up. The youngest, best tuber will be the white one next to where the vine joins the tubers.


This is an ideal Greenbriar tuber!


Some tubers turned up by a construction crew.


Close-up of greenbriar (bullbriar) tuber.


Berries in January. They have a slight sweet taste and contain 1-2 inedible seeds.




Slicing up a tuber in preparation for collecting it's starch.


Dried slices of greenbriar (bullbriar) naturally turn reddish-orange.


Leaves of different types of Catbriar. They are all palmate-veined.


Edible tip of catbriar.






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.


If there's woods near you there's likely Greenbriar in those woods! Greenbriar is one of the best wild foods available as it can be found in immense quantities all year-round, it's vine tips taste really good, they are very nutritious, and its tubers are a great source of calories. Greenbriars are the only vines that have both tendrils and thorns making them easy to identify.

To find the edible tips just pull on the greenbriar vine until you get to it's top end. You can eat any soft, tender portion of the plant (stem, leaves, and tendrils). The vines may grow as a single stalk or branch out into many vines ranging in diameter from 1/8" to over 3/4". Multiple branching vines are more common with smaller-diameter plants. These above ground portions of the plant can all be eaten raw, the leaves and tendrils can also be cooked like spinach, and the vines can cooked like asparagus.

Track the thickest vines back to their buried tubers. These tubers can form a mass up to 75 pounds but are difficult to dig due to their many long roots. Due to their highly fibrous nature, Greenbriar tubers can't be used like potatoes. The starch produced from the tubers may have an astringent, odd taste but it is rich in calories. It is exceptionally good at thickening stews and even water to the point of becoming almost Jello-like. Native Americans would slow roast the tubers under a fire for several days, then chew the cooked starch out of the tubers and spit out the fibers. The youngest tubers are the best to harvest. They will be the lightest in color though the color may be white, light pink, light purple or light yellow.

The starch was also collected by slicing the tubers into 1/4" disks, letting them dry in the sun for a few days, then crumbing the disks in a large bowl of water. The granules of starch fall to the bottom of the bowl and the fibers float to the top. The water and fibers were discarded and the starch was dried and then ground up for use as flour. It still has a bitter taste but it'll give you calories.

The tubers can also be shaved into small pieces and then boiled to make a tea. I prefer to first roast the tubers under a hot fire for a while to the point where their outer skin begins to blacken. Peel off the burned parts, dice up the rest then boil in water to make a vaguely root beer/caramel flavored tea. Getting the right amount of roasting to get this flavor requires some practice.


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.