Edible Plant Workshop

• Edible: provides a reasonable culinary experience without threat to digestive tract or overall health (minority of plants)
• Poisonous: side effects may include skin rash, gagging, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, internal bleeding, hallucinations, major organ failure, heart irregularities, and even death (minority of plants)
• Inspid: lacking flavour and any other redeeming or toxic qualities (most plants)

Poisonous Plants

• Water Hemlock: deadly if ingested
• Giant Hogweed: causes severe burning rash on skin when touched and exposed to sunlight
• Poison Ivy/Sumac: oils cause dermatitis
• Common Buckthorn: berries (often grows near wild grapes with similar-looking berries)
• Canada Moonseed: also has berries that look like wild grapes
• Many mushrooms: all kinds of reactions, mostly unpleasant

Berries

• No general rule to differentiate good from bad, except white berries are without exception NOT edible
• Be careful of the dark blue berries - they may be wild grapes, black elderberries or blueberries - or they may be common buckthorn or moonseed

Most of the Mustard family (Brassicaceae) such as:

Watercress (Nasturtium), Bittercress (Cardamine), Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata), and others (Arabis, Brassica, Rorippa, etc.)

Most of the Mint family (Lamiaceae) such as:

Wild basil (Clinopodium), true mints (Mentha), Bergamont (Monarda), Heal-all (Prunella vulgaris), and others (Lycopus, Hyssopus)

Much of the Aster family (Asteraceae), including:

• Wild lettuces (Lactuca)
• Some asters, especially large-leaved aster (Euybia macrophylla)
• Some goldenrods (Solidago)
• Some thistles, especially sow-thistles (Sonchus)
• leabanes (Erigeron)
• Pearly-everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)

Seeds:

• Most of the Amaranth family (Amaranthaceae), especially goosefoots (Chenopodium)
• Many species of grasses (Poaceae), especially wild rice (Zizania palustris)
• Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)
• Some species in the Smartweed family (Polygonaceae), which includes buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)

Nuts:

Most of Walnut family (Julgandaceae), including:

• Hickories (Carya), esp Shagbark Hickory (C. ovata)
• Butternut and Black Walnut (Julgans cinerea and J. nigra)

Most of the Beech family (Fagaceae), including:

• Oaks (Quercus)
• American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
• American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
• Hazelnuts (Corylus)

Shoots:

• Wild asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)
• Solomon’s-seals (Polygonatum) and False Solomon’s-seals (Maianthemum)
• Common milkweed (Asclepias syriacus)
• Many plants in the Borage family (Boraginaceae), including Waterleafs (Hydrophyllum), Comfrey (Symphytum), and Stickseeds (Hackelia)
• Cattails (Typha)
• Many lilies, especially Indian Cucumber-root (Medeola virginiana)
• Evening-primroses (Oenothera)

Fiddleheads

Best ones are:

• Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
• Cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea)
• Wood ferns (Dryopteris)

BUT…. Avoid Bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)- it has 3 separate coils and leafs out into 3 distinctive fronds

Mushrooms

Not technically plants, but there are a few highly edible, easily identifiable mushrooms that can be collected

• Giant puffballs (Calvatia gigantea)
• Morels (Morchella sp.), but be aware of similar False Morel (Gyromitra esculenta) as it is poisonous!
• Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus)

Seasonings

• Plants in the Laurel family (Lauraceae), including Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
• Most of the Mint family (Lamiaceae) including true mints (Mentha), wild basil (Clinopodium), bergamonts (Monarda)
• Wild ginger (Asarum canadense)
• Most of the Mustard family (Brassicaceae), including garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), Virginia Peppergrass (Lepidium virginianum)
• Wood sorrels (Oxalis sp.)

Coffee:

• Kentucky Coffee-tree (Gymnocladus dioicus)
• Chickory root (Cichorium intybus)
• Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale)

Tea:

• Mint (Mentha, Monarda, Prunella vulgaris)
• Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
• New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus)
• Cedars and Junipers (Thuja and Juniperus)
• Basswood (Tilia)

Other Drinks:

• Wild Sarsaparilla and Spikenard (Aralia sp.)
• Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
• Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
• Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
• Sumach (Rhus typhina)