The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: Finding, Identifying, and Cooking

241 Pages·2016·5.346 MB·English

by  Lyle, Katie Letcher

The Complete Guide to
Edible Wild Plants,
Mushrooms, Fruits,
and Nuts

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
EDIBLE WILD PL ANTS,
MUSHROOMS,
FRUITS, AND NUTS
Finding, Identifying, and Cooking
THIRD EDITION
KATIE LETCHER LYLE
An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield.
Falcon and FalconGuides are registered trademarks and
Make Adventure Your Story is a trademark of Rowman & Littlefield.
Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK
Copyright © 2004, 2010, 2017 by Katie Letcher Lyle
Photos by Katie Letcher Lyle unless otherwise noted.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,
including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher,
except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
The following poems have been reprinted by permission: “Morels,” by William Jay Smith, reprinted by
permission of the Johns Hopkins University Press, © 1998 by William Jay Smith, The World Below the Window:
Poems 1937–1997; “The Hermit Picks Berries,” by Maxine Kumin from Selected Poems 1960–1990,
published by W. Norton Co., Inc., © 1972 by Maxine Kumin.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Information available
The Library of Congress has catalogued a previous edition as follows:
Names: Lyle, Katie Latcher Lyle,1938- author.
Title: Complete guide to edible wild plants, mushrooms, fruits, and nuts : how to find, identify,
and cook them / Katie Letcher Lyle.
Description: Guilford : FalconGuides, 2010. | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
“Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK”—T.p. verso.
Identifiers: LCCN 2010011383| ISBN 9781599218878 (paperback : alk. paper).
Subjects: LCSH: Cooking (Wild foods). | Wild plants, Edible—North America.
Classification: LCC HDTX823 | DDC 641.6–dc22 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2010011383
ISBN 978-1-4930-1864-2 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4930-1865-9 (e-book)
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for
Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
This book is a work of reference. Readers should always consult an expert before using any foraged item. The author,
editors, and publisher of this work have checked with sources believed to be reliable in their efforts to confirm the
accuracy and completeness of the information presented herein and that the information is in accordance with the
standard practices accepted at the time of publication. However, neither the author, editors, and publisher, nor any
other party involved in the creation and publication of this work warrant that the information is in every respect accu-
rate and complete, and they are not responsible for errors or omissions or for any consequences from the application
of the information in this book. In light of ongoing research and changes in clinical experience and in governmental
regulations, readers are encouraged to confirm the information contained herein with additional sources. This book
does not purport to be a complete presentation of all plants, and the genera, species, and cultivars discussed or pictured
herein are but a small fraction of the plants found in the wild, in an urban or suburban landscape, or in a home. Given
the global movement of plants, we would expect continual introduction of species having toxic properties to the regions
discussed in this book. We have made every attempt to be botanically accurate, but regional variations in plant names,
growing conditions, and availability may affect the accuracy of the information provided. A positive identification of
an individual plant is most likely when a freshly collected part of the plant containing leaves and flowers or fruits is
presented to a knowledgeable botanist or horticulturist. Poison Control Centers generally have relationships with the
botanical community should the need for plant identification arise. We have attempted to provide accurate descriptions
of plants, but there is no substitute for direct interaction with a trained botanist or horticulturist for plant identifica-
tion. In cases of exposure or ingestion, contact a Poison Control Center (800-222-1222), a medical toxicologist,
another appropriate healthcare provider, or an appropriate reference resource.
For my longtime morelling companion
Burwell Wingfield, and in memory of Janet Lembke,
whose wild crabmeat and wild essays nourish my body
and spirit, and in memory of my friend Marjorie Bendl,
who now forages in greener fields.
Whenever you see a field like this, stop and gather wonderful greens of
the mustard family year-round.
Contents
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x
1 Gearing Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
2 Green Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Asparagus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chicory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Dandelions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Fiddleheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Garlic Mustard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Lamb’s-Quarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Land Cress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Milkweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Mustard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Poke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Purslane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Sorrel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Stinging Nettles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Watercress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Wild Onions and Garlic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Chickweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Milk Thistle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Cleavers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Lemon Balm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Jewelweed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Kudzu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
3 Fungi: Mushrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Morels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Puff balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Chanterelles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Lion’s Mane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Beefsteak Mushrooms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Sulfur Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Oyster Mushrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Boletus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Coprinus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Field Mushrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Shiitake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chaga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
4 Fruits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Apples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Crab Apples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Blackberries, Raspberries, and Their Kin. . . . . . . . . . 83
Wineberries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Blueberries and Huckleberries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Autumn Olive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Cherries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Cornel Cherries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Cranberries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Elderberries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Figs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Grapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Mulberries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Pears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Plums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Quinces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Rhubarb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Strawberries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Persimmons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Pawpaws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
5 Flowers and Herbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Rose Hips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Violets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Mint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Catnip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Bayberry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Nasturtiums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Marigolds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Hibiscus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Daylilies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Chrysanthemums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Contents vii
6 Nuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Black Walnuts and Butternuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Hickory Nuts and Pecans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Beechnuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Coconuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
7 Miscellaneous Foraging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Jerusalem Artichokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Wild Rice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Horseradish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Sassafras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Ginseng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Maple Syrup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Avocados . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Passion Fruit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Prickly Pear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Watermelon Rind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Aloe Vera. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
8 Annual Foragers’ Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
9 The Last Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Appendix: Basic Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
viii Contents
Acknowledgments
My warmest thanks and love to all the friends who made this project such
fun: the librarians and friends I asked questions of, those who tried out
the recipes, intrepid foragers who went with me, tolerant cronies who
put up with my obsessions and cheered me on. They are: Karen Bailey,
LuAnn Balfry, Georgianna Brush, Carolyn Cox, Andy Johnson, Wendy
Knick, Cynthia LaRue, John Letcher, Peter Letcher, Lisa McCown and
C. Vaughan Stanley of the Washington and Lee University Rare Books
Collection, Grace McCrowell of the Rockbridge Regional Library, my
dear agent Sally Hill McMillan, Hope Mihalap, General “Jimmy” Mor-
gan, Mario Pellicciaro, Sarah Rorrer, Edgar Shew, Tommy Spencer, Suzie
Thompson, Frances Tolley, Martha Boyden Williams, Chris Wise, Mau-
reen Worth, Rebecca Worth, and, as always, my fan club, to whom I’m most
grateful—my wonderful children, Cochran and Jennie, and my deceased
husband, Royster. I also want to thank my wonderful partner, George
Roland (Nick) Charles, for his support of my work these last twelve years.
The author gathers watercress.
ix