Chile Pequin

Scientific Name(s): Capsium annuum
Abundance: uncommon
What: fruit
How: raw, dried, roasted
Where: borders
When: summer, fall
Nutritional Value: assorted beneficial chemicals
Dangers: HOT!!!

Medicinal Summary:
Fruit - antifungal; increases blood circulation, soothes muscle and nerve pain (tincture, infused vinegar, liniment, salve)

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are lanceolate, with a length of 1 to 2 inches and a width of about 0.5 inch.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is entire.

Leaf Color: The leaves are typically green, with no significant color variation between the top and underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small, tubular, and occur in clusters. The diameter of an individual flower is approximately 1/4 inch.

Flower Color: Chile Pequin flowers can range in color, including shades of white, yellow, orange, or red.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, round or oblong berry, often changing color as it matures, from green to red.

Seed: Seeds are small, round, and numerous within the fruit.

Stem: The stems are typically squarish, green, slender, and may have a branching growth pattern.

Hairs: The plant has fine hairs on stems and leaves.

Height: Chile Pequin plants can vary in height but typically range from 1 to 3 feet, depending on growing conditions.

Chile pequin bushes are medium-sized, averaging about two feet high and three feet across.


Close-up of Chile Pequin bush.


Chile Pequin fruit starts out green and turns red.


Close-up of Chile Pequin fruit. Note the small size of both the fruit and the 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 tiny chile pequin peppers are some of the hottest known (Scoville rating 100,000 - 400,000) and add a wonderfully fierce fire and delicious, smoky flavor to dishes. They are hottest when they are young and green then lose a small amount of fire when they turn red but are still extremely hot. Use them any way you would a commercial hot pepper including sauces, salsas, or to add a "bite" to assorted pickled veggies or eggs. Dried, ground-up chile pequins are a common sight on the table of many older Texas families.

The peppers appear after the tiny white flower dry and drop off the plant. These bushes can not handle full Texas sun but usually grow best in the partial shade of some larger plant. They do need regular watering otherwise they'll drop their leaves if they get too dry. The bushes may be knocked back by frosts but will return if the roots survived. Mulch the plants in the fall to help protect the roots from the cold. If several mild winters pass in a row chile pequins can actually achieve the size of a small tree!

Growing chile pequins from seeds isn't easy as they evolved to pass through a bird's stomach where the acid weakens the seed's tough coat. You can mimic this acidizing by soaking the seeds in battery acid or pool-cleaning acid for 1-3 minutes followed by rinsing then planting. Generally handling the battery acid is a risky thing so if you try this make sure you are wearing safety googles, protective gloves, and old clothing. Also please dispose of the acid properly.


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.

Cleavers

Scientific name: Galium aparine
Abundance: plentiful
What: seeds, leaves, stems
How: seeds roasted for coffee, leaves/stems raw though better cooked; tea from stems & leaves
Where: fields, yards, woods, sunny areas
When: Fall, Winter, Spring
Nutritional Value: Vitamin C
Other uses:
Dangers: They can be eaten raw but their tiny hairs irritate most people. Cooking them removes this problem.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Stem - soothes minor skin inflammations; heals wounds, burns, poison ivy, bruises, dermatitis, and sprains; diuretic; anti-inflammatory; antibacterial; antifungal; immune system enhancer; soothes gastrointestinal and urinary tract inflammations; flushes kidney stones; laxative; antiviral; high in vitamin C (poultice, tisane, tincture)

Leaf Arrangement: Galium aparine has whorled leaves, typically with 6 to 8 leaves per whorl around the stem.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are narrow and lanceolate, resembling a lance tip in shape.

Venation: This plant exhibits a pinnate venation pattern.

Leaf Margin: The margins are entire, meaning they are smooth and unnotched.

Leaf Color: The leaves are a bright green color.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and clustered, with typically four and sometimes five petals per flower.

Flower Color: Flowers are usually white.

Fruit: The fruit of Galium aparine is a small, dry, and covered in tiny, clinging hooks. Its is a schizocarp that splits into two seeds when ripe.

Seeds: The seeds are small, round, and covered with tiny hooks or bristles.

Stem: The stem is square-shaped, slender, and it has tiny hooks or bristles, which aid in climbing and clinging to other plants and objects.

Hairs: The plant is covered in small hooks or bristles, which gives it a rough texture and enables it to stick to clothing and fur.

Height: It typically grows to about 1 to 3 feet in height.

A single strand of a Cleaver plant, ready to be steeped in hot water.


Cleaver seedlings which can be eaten raw at this point.


Young Cleavers past their raw edibility stage.


A mass of mature Cleavers.




Close-up of Cleaver leaves.




Close-up of cleaver flower.


Mature Cleavers.


Cleaver seeds.


Fresh Cleaver tea!


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 common weeds pop up in late fall and by spring they form huge clumps of clingy, vine-like plants. In some circles cleaves are known as "backpacker colanders" as a large clump of them can be used as a field-expedient colander for straining pasta of rinsing berries.

Cleavers are covered with tiny, stiff hooks which allow them to cling to most fabric and pet hair, leading to their other common name Velcro Weed. The leaves of very young Cleavers are rounded but as the plant matures the leaves grow long and slender. Mature stems are square with noticeable groves. Seeds are small, round, and very clingy!

Cleavers are often used as a source of vitamin C in assorted bottled fruit juices and the same vitamin C benefits can be acquired from cleaver tea. Take fresh, green cleaver leaves and stems and chop them up before steeping in hot water for 10 minutes. The resulting tea will have a beautiful green color. Cleaver tea has a mild "green" taste which can be made more interesting by adding leaves, flowers, or bark of more flavorful plants.

Only the youngest, smallest Cleavers can be eaten raw and they can't have developed any of their "stickiness" yet otherwise they'll stick to your throat when you try to swallow them. When still tiny and unstick they taste like peas. Slightly older Cleavers, while still tender, make a good boiled greens addition to your meal. Be sure to drink or somehow use the resultant broth as it's rich in vitamin C. If after boiling 10 minutes the Cleaver stems are still stiff/woody the plant is too old to eat but the broth will still be good to drink.

Alternative names for this plant are bedstraw, Velcro-weed, sticky weed, and sticky Willie.


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.

Clover - Crimson

Scientific Name(s): Trifolium incarnatum
Abundance: uncommon
What: seeds, flower
How: seeds ground into flour, sprouted; flower raw or dried for tea
Where: sunny fields and ditches with moist soil, landscaping
When: spring, early summer
Nutritional Value: calories

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are arranged alternately along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are trifoliate, consisting of three leaflets. Each leaflet is ovate to elliptical in shape.

Venation: The venation is pinnate, with a central vein in each leaflet and smaller veins branching off to the sides.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaflets are entire, meaning they are smooth without any teeth or lobes.

Leaf Color: Leaves of crimson clover are typically a bright green color.

Flower Structure: The flowers are arranged in dense, elongated, cone-like heads up to 2" long. Each flower head is composed of numerous small, pea-like florets.

Flower Color: The flowers are a striking crimson red, which is the characteristic feature of this clover species.

Fruit: The fruit is a small pod, typically containing only a few seeds.

Seeds: Seeds are small, yellow to brown in color, and kidney-shaped.

Stem: The stem of Trifolium incarnatum is erect, branching, and somewhat hairy.

Hairs: The plant has fine hairs along the stems and on the leaves.

Height: Crimson clover can reach 20" tall in ideal growing conditions but is often half that height.

Field of crimson clover


Young flower just beginning to turn crimson.


Mature flower head. They are much more elongated than white and red clovers


Close-up of leaf. Note the fine hairs along the leaflets' edges.


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 sunny fields of east Texas turn fiery red in the springtime with thousands of Crimson Clover flowerheads. This durable, prolific wildflower can often be found growing profusely in road medians thanks to Lady Bird Johnson's Texas beautification program. Beware sticking your nose too close to inhale its sweet aroma as both butterflies and bees find its nectar quite delicious!

Though lacking the medicinal properties of Red Clover, Crimson Clover's flowerhead makes a pleasant tea and can be used either fresh or after drying. I've never smoked it but based on my experience with other clovers, it's likely it'll be just as good.

The seeds have a long history of being collected and ground into flour. The individual seeds are small but it's relatively easy to harvest many of them to add to other plant seeds you've gathered. These seeds can also be sprouted into highly nutritious microgreens using standard sprouting techniques.

Being a nitrogen fixer, Crimson Clover makes an excellent fallow crop for revitalizing depleted soils. They prefer near-neutral pH soil with good drainage for optimal growth. A thick mat of this will often choke out other weeds which is either good or bad depending on how hungry you are. :-)


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.

Sweet Clover

Scientific Name(s): Melilotus officinalis
Abundance: common
What: flowers, seeds, leaves
How: flowers in tea, seeds raw or roasted then ground into flour, leaves in salads or cooked
Where: Neglected areas, fields, yards
When: late winter through summer
Nutritional Value: starch in the seeds, protein in the leaves

Dangers: The leaves contain the potent blood anticoagulant agent coumarin. Do not consume this plant if you're already on blood thinner medication.

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

Leaf Shape: The leaves are trifoliate, meaning each leaf is composed of three leaflets. The leaflets are oblong to elliptical in shape.

Venation: This plant features pinnate venation, where each leaflet has a central vein with smaller veins branching out to the sides.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaflets are serrated or toothed, particularly towards the tip.

Leaf Color: The leaves are a light green to greenish-yellow color.

Flower Structure: The flowers are small and arranged in elongated, narrow clusters or racemes, about 1"-1.5" long. Each flower is typical of the pea family, with a standard, wings, and keel.

Flower Color: The flowers are yellow or white, but all the flowers on a single plant will be the same color.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, blackish-brown pod, containing usually one or two seeds.

Seeds: Seeds are small, yellowish-brown, plentiful, and smooth.

Stem: The stems are erect, branching, and can be slightly hairy.

Hairs: There can be fine hairs on the stems and leaves, but they are generally not prominently hairy.

Height: Yellow sweet clover typically grows to a height of 2 to 5 feet.

Sweet Clover plant.




Close-up of Sweet Clover leaves.


Close-up of Sweet Clover leaf top.


Close-up of Sweet Clover leaf bottom.


Sweet Clover flowers.




Close-up of Sweet Clover flowers.


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.



Sweet Clover have the same three-leaf shape as regular clover but the plant itself grows upright to over a two feet tall. Its young leaves can be eaten raw but can be slightly tough. The yellow flowers can be used to make a sweet clover tea. These flowers eventually form individual seedpods each containing one seed. These seeds can be eaten raw or roasted then ground into flour. Like most seeds they can also be boiled into a porridge or gruel.

Like other clovers, hops clover can fix atmospheric nitrogen, turning it into a form usable by other plants. For this reason it is a good "weed" to let grow in your garden as it will fertilize nearby plants.

Medicinal Summary:
Flowers/Leaves - blood thinner; would healer (tisane)

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.

Clover - Red

Scientific Name(s): Trifolium pratense
Abundance: uncommon
What: leaves, flowers
How: leaves raw or boiled; flowers tea or smoked
Where: sunny fields
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: protein, assorted medicinal compounds

Medicinal Summary:
Flowers - possible female hormone replacement; soothes hot flashes; adjusts menstrual irregularities (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves have an alternate arrangement with leaves emerging individually at different points along the stem.

Leaf Shape: The compound leaves are trifoliate, meaning each leaf is composed of three leaflets. These leaflets are broadly ovate, meaning they are egg-shaped with the wider end at the base.

Venation: Red clover exhibits pinnate venation, where a central vein runs through each leaflet with smaller veins branching off to the sides.

Leaf Margin: The margins of the leaflets are slightly toothed or serrated, particularly towards the tip.

Leaf Color: The leaves are a rich green, often with a characteristic lighter or white V-shaped marking on each leaflet.

Flower Structure: The flowers are grouped in dense, round to oval flower heads. Each flower head consists of numerous small, tubular florets.

Flower Color: The flowers are typically a deep pink or purple, though they can occasionally be a lighter pink or even white at the top of the clusters.

Fruit: The fruit is a small pod, usually containing one or two seeds.

Seeds: Seeds are small, yellowish to dark brown, and kidney-shaped.

Stem: The stem of Trifolium pratense can be either erect or ascending.

Hairs: There are fine hairs present on the stems and leaves, giving them a slightly fuzzy texture.

Height: Red clover plants typically grow to a height of 12 to 20 inches.

Red clover (plus some white clover around the edges)




Close-up of red clover flower. Note the white "V" chevrons on the leaves (somewhat hard to see in this picture).




Extreme close-up of Red Clover flower.


Red clover leaf. Note the white "V" on each leaflet.


Red clover stems are 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.



Red clovers fill fields and country roadside ditches with bright splashes of color. They form thick colonies of plants, usually well under two feet tall. They are often planted on purpose along Texas roadside for their color and beauty.

Red clover leaves and flowers can be eaten raw but they are easier to digest if boiled for a bit. More often the flowers (fresh or dried) are made into beneficial tea. Seep/simmer (don't boil) the red clover leaves and flowers in water for about ten minutes to release its full flavor and helpful chemicals such as salicylic acid (aspirin), trypotphan (sleep inducer), genistan (anti-cancer agent), and estrogenic chemicals.

Red clover turns purple as it dries. If picked still red and allowed to dry it creates a delicious flavored smoke. However, don't bother trying to smoke flower heads which dried still on the plant, they aren't nearly as flavorful.



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.

Clover - White

Scientific name: Trifolium repens L.
Abundance: common
What: leaves, flowers, root
How: leaves-raw or cooked before flowers appear; flowers-raw, cooked, dried for tea or flour, also smoked; root-dried then cooked
Where: lawns, fields
When: spring, summer, fall
Nutritional Value: protein
Danger: soon after picking white clover can form dangerous cyanide.

Leaf Arrangement: Alternate; each leaf consists of three oval leaflets, each leaflet measuring about 0.5 to 1.5 inches long.

Leaf Shape: Oval to egg-shaped leaflets with a slightly pointed tip.

Venation: Pinnate, with a visible central vein on each leaflet.

Margin: Smooth and entire.

Leaf Color: Bright green, sometimes with a lighter or white crescent shape or V mark on each leaflet.

Flower Structure: Clustered small flowers forming a round or oval head, each flower head measuring about 0.5 to 1 inch in diameter.

Flower Color: Flowers are white.

Fruit: A small pod, typically hidden within the calyx of the flower.

Seeds: Each pod contains 1 to 4 seeds, tiny and yellow to orange-brown in color.

Stem: Creeping, slender, and branched, rooting at the nodes.

Hairs: Generally hairless, occasionally with sparse, fine hairs along edges of leaflets.

Height: Spreads along the ground, rarely exceeding 6 inches in height.

A patch of White Clover.


Close-up of leaves and flower.


Very close-up of White Clover flower.


Clover leaves (right) are rounded while Wood Sorrel leaves (left) are heart-shaped.


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.


Many homeowners wage chemical warfare on patches of white clover in their grass without ever realizing that this plant not only produces nitrogen necessary for healthy grass, it's also delicious and nutritious! Both fresh or dried clover flowers can seeped in hot water to make a fantastic, naturally sweet tea. The leaves and roots can be added to stews, soups and other simmered dishes for a boost of protein. I like adding it to tomato-based sauces whose acidity helps break down and "pre-digest" the protein, making it easier for human stomachs to digest it.

The flowers and leaves must be used either within 30 minutes after picking or left to dry for 4-6 weeks. Soon after being picked the plant starts producing cyanide compounds and in an hour or less they can become dangerous to eat. If left to dry for 4-6 weeks these cyanides will disappear. For this reason one should NOT include clover when making sauerkraut, kimchi, or other fermented greens as the fermentation process doesn't interfere with the production of cyanide.

Dried white clover flowers make a very pleasant tasting herbal smoke.


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.