#wild licorice

[phantomrin]

Hollow.

Original and pretty simple piece for a change. (The "flowers" are Wild Licorice.)

[foragingincanadamb]

Wild Licorice

Find:average to moist soil; fields, prairies, railroads, roadsides, creekbanks, disturbed areas.

Description:Rhizomatous, perennial herb. Roots woody, aromatic. Stems erect, 30–120 cm, little branched. Herbage pubescent, punctate-glandular, sometimes with stalked glands; stipules small, deciduous. Leaves odd-pinnate with 7 to 15 lanceolate leaflets, 1–4 cm long with acute tips. Inflorescence a dense, spike-like, bracteate, pedunculate raceme, 1–6 cm long, as high as the subtending leaves. Flowers papilionaceous, dull white, calyx tube 3–4 mm long; sepals 2–4 mm long; banner moderately erect, 9–12 mm long; keel 7–11 mm long, as long as the wings; stamens 9 united, 1 separate. Fruit an ellipsoid legume, 1–2 cm long, covered with hooked bristles 2–3 mm long; seeds numerous.

Edible parts and uses:The roots of wild licorice can be eaten, raw or cooked. They are long, sweet and fleshy, and when slow roasted are said to taste like sweet potatoes. They can be used as a flavoring in other foods as well and can also be chewed raw as a masticatory, making an excellent tooth cleaner and also very good for teething children. The root contains 6% glycyrrhizin, a substance that is 50 times sweeter than sugar. The tender young shoots can be eaten raw in the spring.

Precautions:large amounts consumed over time are toxic.

Ramps

Find:well-drained, dryer woods, while red-stemmed ramps prefer damper soil.Description:Ramps occur in Eastern North America from Georgia to Canada. They're easily recognized by their 1, 2, or 3 broad leaves measuring 1 to 3 1/2 inches wide and 4 to 12 inches long.Again, make sure they smell like onion or garlic.

Edible parts and uses: all of the plant is edible.

Precautions:no real precautions.

Wild lettuce

Find:roadsides, wood edges or on disturbed soil.

Description:reaching up to 2 metres in height. Any part of the plant will ooze a milky sap when cut. Leaves and stalks The leaves at the base form a rosette and are larger (up to 25 centimetres long) than those growing up the flowering stalk.

Edible parts and uses:the young leaves are bitter but edible. Eat leaves raw or cooked. As the plants mature, the bitterness becomes more pronounced.Some people apply wild lettuce latex directly to the skin to kill germs.Some people inhale wild lettuce for a recreational "high" or hallucinogenic effect.

Precautions:The long-term safety of wild lettuce is unknown. If consumed in reasonable amounts, wild lettuce is generally regarded as safe, although it may cause mild indigestion, jitteriness, or drowsiness.

Common wild oats

Find:grasslands, crop fields, orchards, vineyards, gardens, roadsides, and other disturbed sites

Description:Wild oat plants resemble the domestic variety but they produce smaller seeds in less abundance. Mature plants reach heights of approximately 1.2 meters with long flat blade shaped leaves. The stems are round and smooth with a few soft hairs that sprout at the base of the leaves. The grass turns a golden brown at the end of its growing season just as the seeds ripen. The seeds may be foraged in late summer and are typically dried for long term storage. Wild oat seeds are a mere 3 millimeters across and encased in spikey sheaths, clustered along the grass’ tips.

Edible parts and uses:Wild oats may be used in either savory or sweet dishes. The seeds can be cooked whole or ground into a flour and used just as domestic oats are used. They may be prepared as a porridge or added into recipes for baked goods like biscuits, muffins and breads. The seed can also be sprouted and eaten raw in salads or as a snack. The roasted seed is also a coffee substitute. The dried grass itself may be used to roast meats, stuff poultry, or smoke fish. More unconventional uses include applications in stocks and sauces or topping desserts with infused whipped cream and yogurts. To infuse broth, cream or yogurt with the flavors of Wild oat, add a handful of the dried grass and steep in the liquid overnight.

Precautions: no real precautions.

Wild onions

Find:Rocky prairies, slopes, shores and ridges

Description:1½ to 2-inch round cluster of ¼-inch flowers, pale pink to deep pinkish purple, sometimes white, with a spot of yellow in the center and long yellow-tipped stamens. Individual flowers have 6 spreading tepals (3 petals and 3 sepals that look similar). At the base of the cluster are 2 or 3 papery bracts that persist through flowering. A plant has a single cluster at the end of a long naked stem. The cluster is sometimes initially nodding but the stem becomes erect as flowers develop.A few narrow grass-like blades, up to as long as the plant is tall, sheath the flowering stem near the soil line, appearing basal. Leaves and stems are hairless and have an onion smell to them. The underground bulbs are round to oval.

Edible parts and uses:Bulb – raw or cooked. The bulbs are eaten by the N. American Indians. They are rather small, about 4cm tall and 15mm wide. Leaves – raw or cooked. Flowers – raw. Used as a garnish on salads.

Precautions:no real precautions. But avoid a poisonous look like death Camas.How can you tell the difference? The death camas leaf is more dry and grasslike, not as tender or succulent. Death camas has a v-shaped leaf structure with a long central bend in the blade, while wild onion has a more curved and u-shaped leaf. Wild onion will always have a oniony smell and taste, mild or strong.

Wild rice

Find:marshlands and along waterways 

Description:Wild rice plants are about 1 to 3 metres (3.3 to 10 feet) tall and are topped with a large open flower cluster.The ripened grains, dark brown to purplish black, are slender rods 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 inch) long. 

Edible parts and uses:the "rice" It can be eaten alone or added to many dishes, such as salads, soups, casseroles, and desserts.

Precautions: no real precautions.

Wild violet

Find:They can thrive in medium, well-drained soils although they prefer moisture-retentive, rich soils. Although they survive in full sun, they tend to prefer part shade.

Description:The common wild violet is a native wildflower which tends to favour woods, thickets and stream banks. This is a low-growing perennial which features heart-shaped leaves and large blue-violet flowers (sometimes yellow or white). Each flower appears on its own leafless stalk. Depending on location, the flower blooms from early spring into the early summer months.

Edible parts and uses:Violet flowers and leaves are edible with the leaves having a high level of vitamins A and C. They can be used in salads or cooked as greens. The flowers can be made into jellies, candied, or tossed into a salad.

Precautions:The roots and seeds of this plant are toxic and should not be eaten. 

Yellow rocket 

Find:found in fields and along roadsides, especially those that are wet or boggy, along stream banks and amongst wetland hedges. It favors growth in cultivated fields of timothy hay and alfalfa.

Description:biennial forb that grows from 8 to 30 inches high on dark green stems that branch near the top. Stems develop the second year from the first year's basal rosette of leaves. Stems are angular, smooth and green with some reddish hints.

Edible parts and uses:The young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. The buds and flowers are also edible.

Precautions:It is said that the ingestion of too much raw wintercress can lead to kidney malfunction.

[purplecatgarden]

Wild licorice

Can treat diarrhea, fever, chest pain, and coughs.  A poultice can help with swelling.