Honey Mesquite

Scientific name: Prosopis glandulosa
Abundance: plentiful
What: young leaves, seed pods, seeds
How: seed pods raw, cooked; mature beans pounded into flour, made into tofu or tea. Young leaves in salad or cooked like spinach
Where: arid fields
When: late summer, early fall
Nutritional Value: carbohydrates, protein, calcium
Other uses: excellent firewood
Dangers: up to 20% of mesquite pods are infected with very dangerous aflatoxin-producing fungus. Only pick pods that are still on the tree and have not been attacked by hole-boring beetles.

Leaf Arrangement: Bipinnate compound leaves arranged alternately along the stems.

Leaf Shape: Small, elongated leaflets, measuring approximately 0.25 to 0.75 inches in length.

Leaf Color: Green to bluish-green foliage.

Leaflet Margin: Leaflets have entire margins without serrations.

Flower Structure: Small, yellow-green, inconspicuous flowers arranged in elongated spikes (racemes).

Flower Size: Individual flowers are very small, typically less than 0.2 inches.

Fruit (Pods): Long, flat, narrow, curved seed pods (legumes) measuring around 4 to 8 inches. green when immature, turning reddish-brown as they ripen.

Seed Size: Seeds within the pods are small, about 0.2 to 0.4 inches.

Bark: Bark is often rough, dark brown to gray.

Height: Mature trees can reach heights of 15 to 30 feet.

Honey mesquite tree.


Honey mesquite bark and spines.


Honey mesquite trees have compound leaves consisting of many leaflets.


Just-opened honey mesquite flowers (racemes).


More mature flowers transitioning into seedpods.


Young mesquite seed pods.


Pods almost mature.


Mature honey mesquite seed pod.


A mesquite pod picked from the ground. The hole indicates a beetle may have been infected it with dangerous aflatoxin fungus, rendering it unusable.


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.


Dotting (or perhaps creating!) the arid regions of Texas, mesquite trees are becoming nuisance thickets. Their huge demand for water sucks the land around them dry, preventing the growth of most other plants. The dense, aromatic wood has a long history of being used to add the distinctive taste to grilled foods. This wood burns extremely hot and can destroy chimneys and melt metal fire rings so be careful with it. Historical note, the underground roots of dead mesquite trees were considered to be an excellent source of firewood.

Mesquite seeds/seed pods are rich in protein, minerals, and fructose. This fructose makes them an exceptionally good food source for diabetics as the body does not use insulin to break down the fructose. The hard, shucked beans can be dried for storage and ground into a calorie-rich flour as needed. Be warned thought that these beans are extremely hard and require a very high-quality grain mill to crush them.

The dried beans can be roasted to make a tea/caffeine-free coffee substitute. Roast them for a few minutes at 400F then crush them before boiling to make the tea.

Pods that have fallen to the ground or which have bore-holes in them have up to a 20% chance of being infected by a aflatoxin-producing fungus. However, undamaged pods still on the tree are unlikely to have this problem. Most adults are quite resistant to aflatoxin effects but small children can be at risk. Very large doses of aflatoxin can eventually cause liver cancer.


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.

Horehound

Scientific Name(s): Marrubium vulgare
Abundance: uncommon
What: leaves, flowers
How: tea, candied
Where: fields, dry areas, poor soils
When: spring, early summer
Nutritional Value: flavonoids, medicinal properties
Dangers: large doses can increase blood pressure

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves - cough suppressant; expectorant; appetite stimulant; antimicrobial (tisane, lozenge, tincture)

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are arranged in an opposite-alternating pattern along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are broadly ovate to heart-shaped, typically measuring about 1 to 2 inches in length and width.

Leaf Venation: Venation is palmate, with a central vein and smaller branching veins. Veins are quite recessed on the topside of the leaf and protruding on the underside.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are irregularly toothed or serrated.

Leaf Color: Leaves are a grayish-green, often with a woolly texture due to dense hairs.

Flower Structure: Flowers are small, clustered in dense whorls at the leaf axils along the stem.

Flower Color: The flowers are white to pale pink, each with a tubular shape and protruding stamens.

Fruit: The fruit is a small nutlet, typically found in pairs.

Seed: Seeds are contained within the nutlets, small and hard.

Stem: The stem is square in cross-section, a common trait in the mint family, and is often covered in dense, woolly hairs.

Hairs: The plant is characterized by its woolly, grayish hairs, covering both the stems and leaves.

Height: The plant typically grows to a height of about 1 to 2 feet.

A stand of horehound plants.


An individual horehound plant.




Close-up of the horehound top and flowers.


Close-up of a horehound leaf.




Close-up of a horehound stem. Note it's fuzziness.




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.


Horehound has a long history of medicinal use, which, to anyone who's ever tasted a concoction containing this plant, will not find surprising. Horehound's flavor is somewhat unusual to modern tastes. If forced to describe horehound's flavor I'd say it's what happens when root beer and licorice mate.

Both fresh and dried horehound leaves can be used to make a tea. Chop up or crumble the leaves fairly finely to maximize exposed surface area, but you need to leave the pieces big enough to strain out of the finished product. The best way is to start with 1 cup fresh leaves or 1/4 cup dried leave and boil them in 2 cups of water for ten minutes, followed by straining out the leaves. As is, the resulting fluid is too strong to drink straight. The next step is to mix one part of this infusion with 2 parts boiling water. This tea can now be drank straight as a hot beverage or cooled down to make an ice tea.

The original infusion mentioned above can be turned into a pleasant and beneficial cough syrup by combining one part infusion with two parts honey. Perhaps the most famous form of horehound is in hard candies sucked to sooth coughs. To make these candies mix 1 cup of the original infusion with two cups granulated sugar and a pinch of cream of tartar. Stir these together until the sugar dissolves, then slowly cook the mixture down until its temperature reads 300 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer. At this point pour the solution out onto a non-stick or buttered tray and then as it cools cut it into bite-sized pieces as it cools.


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.

Hop Hornbeam

Scientific Name(s): Ostrya virginiana
Abundance: uncommon
What: seeds
How: raw, roasted, flour
Where: woods
When: late summer
Nutritional Value: calories
Dangers: none

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternate along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Simple, doubly serrated leaves with an elliptical shape, typically measuring 2 to 5 inches in length.

Leaf Color: Foliage is dark green in summer, turning yellow to bronze in the fall.

Flower Structure: Inconspicuous, small flowers arranged in catkins.

Flower Size: Individual flowers are tiny, around 1/8 inch in size.

Fruit (Samara): The fruit is a small, flattened, papery-winged samara, measuring about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in length, growing in close-packed, hanging clusters resembling that of the vine hops.

Bark: Bark is smooth and gray on young stems, becoming grayish-brown and peeling with age.

Height: American hop hornbeam is a small to medium-sized tree, reaching heights of 20 to 40 feet.

Hairs: Leaves may be rough due to microscopic hairs.

Wood Color: Heartwood color is light to reddish-brown.

Branching Pattern: The branching pattern is irregular, forming a rounded or oval crown.

 spreading 30 feet. May have multiple trunks.

Hornbeam "hops" in June. Alas, they won't make beer.

Close-up of seedhead consisting of overlapping samaras.

Ripe seedheads in September. Each samara holds a seed.


The trunk is gray,  peeling, and rarely exceed 10" in diameter.

Note the edges of the leaves are finely serrated, the vein structure is pinnate, and the leaves alternate on the branch.



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.

I often wonder what Texas beermakers think when they see hop hornbeam seedheads for the first time? Starting in midsummer these medium-sized trees are covered in what looks almost exactly like the hops used in brewing. These rather uncommon trees are usually found along the borders of woods where they are shaded by larger hardwoods but still can grab a bit of sun.

It's unusual seedhead clusters look very much like those of the beer-necessity hop vine. The leaves resemble elms but without the distinctive, directional hairs of the Ulmus (elm) species. The trunk, rarely exceeding 10" in diameter, appear to constantly be peeling their bark in narrow, cracked strips.

The seeds, though small, are plentiful are somewhat time consuming to collect. Regardless, they still were an important food source for Native Americans. The seeds have a mild, nutty flavor raw. Roasting them a bit makes them taste even better. Both the raw and roasted seeds can be boiled into a porridge or ground into a gluten-free flour.


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.

Horsemint/Lemon Bee Balm

Scientific name: Monarda punctata and Monarda citriodora
Abundance: uncommon
What: flowers, leaves
How: tea, flavoring
Where: fields
When: summer
Nutritional Value: minerals, some vitamin A,B2,C

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Flowers - antimicrobial; anti-inflammatory; diuretic; expectorant; appetite stimulant; antispasmodic; carminative; anti-parasite (tisane)

Monarda punctata (Spotted Beebalm) Structural Features:

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are arranged in an opposite-alternting pattern along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are lanceolate, measuring about 2 to 3 inches in length and 0.5 to 1 inch in width.

Leaf Venation: Venation is pinnate with a prominent central vein.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are serrated.

Leaf Color: Leaves are a medium green, often with a lighter underside.

Flower Structure: Flowers are tubular, clustered in dense, rounded heads with showy, leafy bracts beneath each cluster.

Flower Color Monarda punctata (Spotted Beebalm) : The flowers are pale yellow to pinkish, with purple spots. The bracts are often pink or white.

Flower Color Monarda citriodora (Lemon Beebalm): Flowers are lavender to pink. The bracts can be purple, pink, or white.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, dry capsule.

Seed: Seeds are tiny, contained within the capsules.

Stem: The stem is square in cross-section, typical for the mint family, and can be hairy or smooth.

Hairs: There may be fine hairs on the stems and leaves.

Height: The plant typically reaches a height of 1 to 3 feet.

Horsemint (Monarda punctata).


Close-up of Horsemint flowers which are already turning from white to yellowish.


Horsemint stems have hairs running up the leaf petioles.


Horsemint going to seed.


Old, dried Horsemint still smells nice.


A young Horsemint (Coltmint?) in April in Houston.


Lemon Bee Balm (Monarda citriodora).


Close-up of Lemon Bee Balm (Monarda citriodora).


Lemon Bee Balm beginning to drop its petals and go to seed.




Young bee balm in late winter.


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.


Lining many roadsides and scattered across sunny fields, horsemint's and lemon bee balm's flower spikes are easily recognisable even while passing by at high speeds. The calyx beneath the flowers start out green but then change to bright pink/purple then white. Horsemint flowers start out white with dark spots inside their "throats" but then these flowers turn yellowish while the spots remain unchanged. Lemon bee balm flowers are pink/purple and stay that color until the flower begins drying out.

The flowers and young leaves of these plants add a wonderful herbal/citrus flavor to tea, candies, and anything else that may need some help with its flavor. Lemon bee balm is preferred for flavoring as some people feel horsemint flowers have kind of a horsey smell/taste undertone.

Horsemint leaves are exceptionally high in thymol which is a sedative but also very good for calming upset stomachs. Its antibacterial and anti-worm properties make it a good plant to know when you may be faced with bad water or spoiled foods.


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.

Horsetails

Scientific name: Equisetaceae spp.
Abundance: uncommon
What: young stems, roots
How: tea with young stems boiled in 3-4 changes of water or roots after roasting
Where: near water
When: young shoots in the spring, roots all year
Nutritional Value: minerals
Other uses: These plants contain a large amount of silica which makes them excellent for scrubbing dishes in the wild. They also contain some very astringent compounds which makes mashed-up horsetails an excellent clotting agent to help stop bleeding.
Dangers: Equisetaceae species contain thiaminase, an enzyme which removes vitamin B from the body. This enzyme is destroyed by cooking the horsetails.

Medicinal Summary:
Stems - hemostat; wound Healer; diuretic; assists rebuilding non-chronic connective tissue damage (poultice, tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in whorls at regular intervals along the stem. These leaves are small and scale-like.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are reduced to small, non-photosynthetic scales that are fused at the base, forming a sheath around the stem.

Leaf Venation: There is no distinct venation due to the reduced size and form of the leaves.

Leaf Margin: Leaf margins are not applicable, as the leaves are scale-like and fused.

Leaf Color: The scale leaves are usually the same color as the stem, typically green to brownish-green.

Flower Structure: These plants do not produce true flowers. They reproduce by spores produced by "bee hive" looking structures at the tips of the stalks.

Flower Color: Not applicable, as Equisetaceae species do not have flowers.

Fruit: No true fruit is produced; they reproduce via spores released from cone-like structures.

Seed: No seeds are produced; reproduction is through spores.

Stem: The stem is elongated, jointed, and hollow, with ridges and furrows running along its length. Texture is rough.

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

Height: The height varies widely among species, ranging from a few inches to several feet tall.

Stand of horsetails




Close-up of stalk tip.


Spore-producing bodies maturing left to right.


Really close-up of Horsetail tips.


Close-up of Horsetails "joints".


Getting ready to clean some pots.


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 prehistoric reeds, horsetails are found in large clumps in the sandy soil along Texas streams. They look prehistoric because they are prehistoric, being 100 million years old. Horsetails reproduce via spores rather than seeds, which puts them closer to ferns than most other vascular plants. A tall stand can reach 30 inches high and densely packed.

Tea from the plant has a slight "black licorice" crossed with green tea flavor. Crushed up a 6-8 horsetails into a cup of water and then boil them for ten minutes. Let stand until cool enough to drink. The silicic acid found in horsetail tea is thought to strengthen the walls of blood vessels and the air sacs in lungs along with promoting regrowth of damaged joint tissue. Its astringent chemicals reduce bleeding especially in the mouth and act as a diuretic to flush out the body.

The high silicate content of horsetails makes them excellent wilderness pot scrubbers. A handful of them rubbed will quickly scrap clean a dirty cook pot, as many old boy scouts know.


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.

Hostas

Scientific Name(s): Hosta species
Abundance: common
What: flowers, leaves, young shoots
How: cooked, pickled
Where: landscaping, shade
When: fall, winter, spring
Nutritional Value:
Dangers: none

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are basal, emerging directly from the crown of the plant in a rosette formation.

Leaf Shape: Leaves vary from heart-shaped to nearly circular, commonly measuring 6 to 18 inches long and wide, depending on the variety.

Leaf Venation: Venation is pinnate, with a prominent central vein and secondary veins branching off.

Leaf Margin: Margins can be smooth, wavy, or slightly serrated, varying among cultivars.

Leaf Color: Leaf color ranges from green to blue-green, with many varieties displaying variegation in white, cream, or yellow.

Flower Structure: Flowers are tubular, 1"-1.5" long, arranged on tall, erect scapes (stem/stalk) above the foliage.

Flower Color: Flower colors vary from white to lavender and purple.

Fruit: Small, about pea-sized berries, in a line along the end of the scape.

Seed: Seeds are small and black, contained within the capsules.

Stem: The flowering stems, or scapes, are long and leafless, extending above the leafy rosette.

Hairs: Leaves are generally smooth, without significant hairs.

Height: Foliage height varies by variety, generally 1 to 2 feet, with flower scapes extending higher.

Varieties of Hostas.




Close-up of Hosta flowers.


Hosta berries. The short stems coming off the thicker stem have already dropped their berries.


Crushed Hosta berry to show seed and pulp.



Across North America hostas are a very pretty, trouble-free landscaping plant, sometimes call "Plantain Lily". However, here in Texas they do take some care to keep alive. According to Texas A&M, the six best hostas for Texas are: Royal Standard, Blue Cadet, So Sweet, Albo-Marginata, Sugar & Cream, and Blue Angel. Of these only Blue Cadet looked great even in the summer. As summer progresses the local Walmart garden centers have these on clearance for as little as $0.50 and since they do okay indoors as a potted plant you can grow food on your windowsill.

Hostas have a long history of use as food, with the tender, new shoots being the favored part. These are eaten raw or cooked by sautéing or steaming. I want to try grilling them like asparagus or greenbriar tips. The flowers can be picked and added raw to salads. Supposedly some people use the raw flowers as cake decoration but I still have to try that. The sound leaves are also eaten raw but I bet they would ferment well.

My research hasn't turned up any edible uses of the berries.


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.