Indian Strawberry

Scientific name: Duchesnea indica
Abundance: uncommon
What: small red fruit, young leaves
How: fruit raw (tasteless/bland), leaves and flowers raw, cooked, or in a tea
Where: sunny or partially shaded fields, moist areas.
When: spring
Nutritional Value: vitamin C, iron, zinc, manganese
Dangers: none, the paragraph in red is so you can play a joke on your friends

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are alternate, typically arranged in a pattern where each leaf is positioned at a different height along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are trifoliate, meaning they are composed of three leaflets. Each leaflet is broadly ovate with a length of approximately 1" x 1" in size. across the entire leaf. Leaflets are about 0.5" across. leaflets may be lobed.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, with a central vein running along the length of each leaflet and smaller veins branching out from it.

Leaf Margin: The leaflet margins are coarsely toothed or serrated.

Leaf Color: The leaf color is a vibrant green on the upper surface and a paler green on the underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers have five petals and are located on long, slender stalks. Each flower has a diameter of about 0.5 to 1 inch.

Flower Color: The flowers are bright yellow.

Fruit: The fruit resembles a small strawberry, white skin with many red dots, but it is typically dry and bland flavored.

Seed: The seeds are small, yellowish-brown, and numerous.

Stem: The stems are thin, green, and can root at the nodes when they touch the ground.

Hairs: There are fine hairs along the stem and the lower surface of the leaves.

Height: The plant typically grows to a height of 4 to 6 inches.

Indian strawberry ground cover.


Close-up of the edible fruit.


Close-up of the flower.


Indian strawberry 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.


These bright red berries and yellow flowers appear in sunny to partially sunny areas returning to wilderness or infrequently mowed. Sadly, these fruit actually have a bland, insipid taste. However, they are usually plentiful when in season and can supply a good dose of vitamins, minerals, flavanoids, and antioxidants. No one will notice Indian strawberries' lack of flavor when they're added to vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Okay, now here's how you use Indian Strawberries to play a practical joke on your friends. The following paragraph in red is completely fake. So, when you find some pop a few in your mouth and start talking about how sweet and delicious they are then offer a few to your friend. If they eat them and then state that they didn't have any flavor, you start to panic and explain a lack of flavor is an indication that the person is one of the ~10% of the population that is highly allergic to the Indian Strawberries. Bring up this webpage and show them the red-texted, paragraph at the end of this post.

WARNING!! Lack of flavor indicates you are missing the beta-cycqatrose enzyme needed to break down a toxic component found in Indian Strawberries. Seek medical help immediately as you may suffer incapacitating vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms usually take 20-30 minutes to appear. This occurs in less than 10% of the population.


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.

Japanese Hawkweed

Scientific name(s):  Crepis japonica and Youngia japonica
Abundance: plentiful
What:  young leaves and shoots, roots
How:  raw or cooked, roots roasted for coffee
Where:   disturbed areas
When:   winter/spring/fall
Nutritional Value: minerals and antioxidants
Other uses: After flower stalks have appeared mashed leaves can be used to soothe insect bites/stings.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves - cough suppressant; fever reducer; mild appetite stimulant (tisane, tincture)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are primarily basal, with most of the foliage concentrated at the base of the stem. There are few if any leaves along the stem itself.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are spatulate to oblanceolate in shape, measuring about 2 to 6 inches in length and 0.5 to 2 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, characterized by a central main vein with smaller veins branching off to the sides.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are typically entire or slightly toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are generally a bright green, though they may exhibit a slightly paler hue on the underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are borne on tall, slender stalks that rise above the foliage. Each flower head is small, with a diameter of roughly 0.2 to 0.5 inches. Multiple flowers will grow on an individual stem.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually bright yellow.

Fruit: The fruit of hawkeed is a small achene, typical of many plants in the Asteraceae family.

Seed: The seeds are tiny, equipped with a pappus of fine hairs that facilitate wind dispersal.

Stem: The stem is erect, slender, and can be either smooth or sparsely hairy. It may often branch out at the top.

Hairs: There may be fine hairs present on the stems and the lower surface of the leaves.

Height: The plant typically reaches a height of about 6 to 24 inches.

Japanese Hawkweed.






Japanese Hawkweed flowers are quite small and grow in clusters.


Close-up of flowers.




Japanese Hawkweed leaves.


Young Japanese Hawkweed plant.


Japanese hawkweed invading a yard.




Flowering Japanese Hawkweed.


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.


Appearing just about everywhere there is grass, Japanese hawkweed appears to be a dandelion but with clusters of tiny, yellow flowers. It is a close relative of dandelions and contains all the same beneficial nutrients. Unfortunately its flowers and roots are too small to be used like those from dandelions. On the plus side, the leaves are less bitter than most of the other members of the dandelion family.

Unlike the other dandelion-mimics, Japanese Hawkweed remains low in bitterness even after the flowers begin blooming. You can add the leaves raw to salads or treat them as described in the other tips for preparing bitter greens. The basic methods are boil, wilt with bacon grease, mix with an acidic/sour dressing, or dilute them with bland greens.


Edible Dandelion Mimics:
Dandelion
Cat's Ear
Chicory
Japanese Hawkweed
Salsify
Sow Thistle
Texas Dandelion
Wild Lettuce


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.

Japanese Honeysuckle

Scientific name: Lonicera japonica
Abundance: plentiful
What: flowers, vine tips
How: raw, cooked
Where: boarders, landscaping
When: summer
Nutritional Value: minerals (Ca, K) and protein
Other uses: nectar source for bees & butterflies; basketry
Dangers: there are several deadly honeysuckles, so make sure you have the safe-to-eat Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of Lonicera japonica are arranged oppositely along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are typically oval to ovate, measuring approximately 1 to 2 inches in length.

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

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

Leaf Color: The leaves are usually medium to dark green.

Flower Structure: Japanese Honeysuckle produces fragrant, tubular flowers that are paired and often occur in terminal clusters. The flowers have a length of approximately 1 to 2 inches.

Flower Color: Flowers are typically white or yellow with a yellow or orange throat.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, spherical, and berry-like structure.

Seed: Inside the fruit are small seeds.

Stem: The stem is typically climbing or trailing, often with thin, twining vines. It does not produce tendrils.

Hairs: Fine hairs the stem and sometimes its leaves.

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

Japanese Honeysuckle vine.


Yellow flowers.


Unopened flowers.


Close-up of Japanese Honeysuckle leaves.


Japanese Honeysuckle vine tip, which are edible after boiling.


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.


There are approximately 180 different Honeysuckle vines on the plant, most of which are found in China and other parts of Asia. Edibility of the different Honeysuckle vines ranges from a delicious, commonly-eaten potherb to deadly poison, depending on the species. Here in the USA, Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is actually from China but was brought to the United States about 200 years ago from Japan. It is often sold in nurseries as a landscaping plant but it has escaped into the wild in many areas, where it runs rampant due to a lack of natural enemies. Luckily it is one of the best honeysuckles in regards to edibility.

Lonicera japonica produces both yellow and white flowers with the younger flowers being white and then fading to yellow. These flowers always appear in pairs, with a four-lobed upper petal, a single-lobed lower petal and four stamen. The leaves are oppositely arranged (one on either side of the vine) and hairy both on top and underneath. The stem also has fines hairs on it.

Japanese Honeysuckle flowers can be eaten raw and have a sweet flavor due to their nectar. Many child have discovered the joy of plucking honeysuckle flowers and sucking out their nectar from the bottom. This nectar can be infused into granulated sugar or honey. Combine 1 cup of the flowers with 2 cups of the sugar or honey. If using sugar, shake the mixture and let sit 12-24 hours. If using honey, add the honey and flowers to the jar in small, alternating portions to disperse the flowers through the honey. Be sure to start and end with honey so that all the flowers are completely cover. Let the honeysuckle/honey sit for 24-48 then taste. If it needs more infusing, let it sit another 24 hours.

The last four inches of the vines taste rather bitter raw but make a mild and nutritious cooked green when boiled. They contain calcium, phosphorous, and protein so that's awesome.

In some areas of China, the Japanese Honeysuckle vines were used to weave baskets.


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.

Jerusalem Artichoke

Scientific name: Helianthus tuberosus
Abundance: rare
What: tubers
How: raw, cooked
Where: fields, wastelands
When: winter
Nutritional Value: carbohydrates, minerals
Dangers: may cause gas/flatulance

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are broadly ovate to lanceolate, typically measuring about 4 to 10 inches in length and 2 to 5 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, with a prominent central vein and several lateral veins extending towards the leaf margins.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are serrated or toothed.

Leaf Color: The leaves are a vibrant green color, often with a slightly lighter shade on the underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are located at the top of the plant and in leaf axils. Each flower has about 10 to 20 petals and measures approximately 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually bright yellow.

Fruit: The plant does not produce a typical fruit; instead, it forms irregular-shaped, lumpy, elongated tubers underground.

Seed: Seeds resemble tiny sunflower seeds, which is a close relative.

Stem: The stem is sturdy and rough in texture, growing up to 6 to 10 feet tall.

Hairs: There are small hairs along the stem and leaves, giving them a rough texture.

Height: The plant typically reaches heights of 6 to 10 feet.

Jerusalem artichoke plants in their preferred habitat, the sanding banks of a river.


Tubers




A single, large tuber.


Plant.


Close-up of Jerusalem artichoke leaves


Young flower buds before opening.


Jerusalem artichoke flowers.


Wild sunflower flower on left, Jerusalem artichoke flower on right.


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.


Jerusalem artichokes thrive in neglected waste areas and produce a large amount of starchy tubers. This makes them an excellent plant for guerrilla gardening in vacant lots and other urban-blighted areas. They belong to the same family as sunflowers and produce similar flowers in the late summer/fall.

As the tuber grow during the summer they are filled with a large starch molecule called inulin. Inulin tastes sweet but is a very complex carbohydrate which the human digestive system can not break down to extract any usable calories. Tubers eaten in the summer or fall will give you some minerals, a few vitamins, and some fiber but the inulin starch will just pass through the digestive track. Sidenote: some bacteria in the gut can eat this inulin and after doing so this bacteria will produce quite a bit of methane gas...which may lead to excessive flatulence.

However, after the first frost of the year the tuber starts producing a slow-acting enzyme which breaks the inulin down into simple sugars that the plant will use to grow new stalks in the spring. We can digest/metabolize these simple sugars. This means if we have to wait until late winter to harvest the tuber to get calories from them.

If possible leave the tubers in the ground during winter and just dig them up as need. This works great in Houston or other southern climates. Tubers stored in a refrigerator tend to get mushy for some reason. If you are up north store the tubers outside in a covered wooden box filled with loose, dry sand.

Jerusalem artichoke tubers were a staple food of many Native American tribes and were spread throughout North America via trade between tribes. However, they were not actively cultivated like corn, squash, beans or other well-known native crops. The tubers were buried and then the plants were usually just ignored until late winter when the natives were running low on stored food. At this time the women would go searching for field mouse homes to raid for Jerusalem artichoke tubers. The mice loved the tubers and would spend a great deal of time digging them up and stockpiling them around their nest. The women would then just steal them from the mice.

These plants are somewhat rare in the wild so if you do find them it is best just to buy 5-10 tubers from some fancy grocery store and plant them somewhere on your own property. They will then rapidly form your own stand of Jerusalem artichokes and within two years you'll have all the tubers you could want.


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.

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves of Kudzu are compound and arranged alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: Leaflets are typically palmately trifoliate, each leaflet being ovate to elliptical, measuring approximately 3 to 5 inches across.

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

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

Leaf Color: The leaves are usually medium to dark green on top and can be lighter in color underneath.

Flower Structure: Kudzu produces clusters of small, pea-like flowers arranged in elongated, drooping inflorescences. The flowers have a length of approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch.

Flower Color: Flowers are typically purplish-pink to reddish-purple.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, flat, and brown pea-like pod containing seeds. The pods have a length of approximately 2 to 4 inches.

Seed: Inside the pod are small, brown, and flattened seeds.

Stem: The stem is climbing or trailing, often covering other vegetation with its vines. The stems are green in color but develop red-brown spots as they age.

Hairs: Seed pods are very hairy, whereas stems and leaves may have extremely fine hairs.

Height: Kudzu is a fast-growing vine that can cover large areas, with vines reaching up to 100 feet in length.

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.