Wild food plants of Hawai'i

187 Pages·151.614 MB·English

by  Savage, Sunny

Wild

Food plants of
Hawai ʻi

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DEDICATION
To my three boys,

who are with me always and forever.
Copyright © 2015
Sunny Savage
All rights reserved.
ISBN-10: 1500955108 ISBN-13:
978-1500955106
Acknowledgments
I must acknowledge the plants, who have become teachers and allies and
healers along my path. In fact, let us acknowledge the tree whose life was cut
short to make this book, or elements dug up from deep in the earth to make and
power your computer, so that we may share knowledge and work towards
evolving our consciousness. I must acknowledge my Mom, who has a
bottomless well of love from which she has cloaked me in my whole life long.
This book was an absolute labor of love that wouldn’t have been possible
without the support of my husband Ryan, who watched a whole lot of baby and
did a whole lot of dishes, to get us through. Mahalo nui loa to Nancy Bouwsma
for manuscript edits, Hunter Haskins for bibliography edits, and Jacob Hau'oli
Elarco for Hawaiian language edits. A big shout out to Forest and Kim Starr
from Starr Environmental, who graciously provided many of the images in this
book, as well as maps for my TedxMaui 2014 talk. The beautiful Cadence Feely
of Cadencia Photography, who shot many of the food photographs in my wild
kitchen, Sue Hudelson Photography, John Kallas of Wild Food Adventures,
Karen Raczewski Monger of The 3 Foragers, David Bruce Leonard, Winona
LaDuke, Paula Fuga, and Vince Kanaʻi Dodge for their photos and support.
And finally, to the wild cast of characters who are into this wild food thing ...
keep shining your light.
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Ola i ka nani, ʻai i ka mea loaʻa, aloha kekahi i kekahi.
Live in beauty, eat the wild things that grow nearby, love one another.
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Menu
DRINKS
Lychee & Red Hibiscus Martini
Orange & Wild Bitters Fizz
PUPU
Elderflower Tempura
Wild Ginger & Lemongrass Dipping Sauce
SOUP
Coconut Cream of Wild Amaranth
MAIN
Venison Stuffed with Wild Herbs & Pohā Chutney
Cat’s Ear Flower Fronds & Wild Pine-Infused Ulu Salad
DESsERT
Wild Beach Almond Coconut Ice Cream
Feral Guava Sauce
FERAL FRAPPE
Wildcrafted Coffee
Kiawe & Wild Allspice Syrup
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As we begin this meal with grace
Let us become aware of the memory
Carried inside the food before us:
The quiver of the seed
Awakening in the earth,
Unfolding in the trust of roots
And slender stems of growth,
On its voyage toward harvest,
The kiss of rain and surge of sun;
The innocence of animal soul
That never spoke a word,
Nourished by the earth
To become today our food;
The work of all the strangers
Whose hands prepared it,
The privilege of wealth and health
That enables us to feast and celebrate.
-John O’Donohue
To Bless the Space Between Us
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Table of contents
INTRO ................................................................................................................. PAGE 10
Wild Food Manifesto ........................................................................................... Page 11
My Story .............................................................................................................. Page 13
The Harvest .......................................................................................................... Page 20
Ethics of Wildcrafting .......................................................................................... Page 25
WILD GREENS & VEGETABLES ................................................................. PAGE 27
Cat’s Ear (Hypochaeris radicata) ........................................................................ Page 30
Feral Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) ...................................................................... Page 33
Feral Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) .................................................................. Page 37
Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) .............................................................................. Page 38
Mallow (Malva neglecta & M. parviflora) .......................................................... Page 40
New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides) ............................................. Page 43
Oriental Hawksbeard (Youngia japonica) ............................................................ Page 44
Oxalis spp. (Oxalis debilis var. corymbosa, O. corniculata) ............................... Page 45
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) ............................................................................. Page 46
Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) ......................................................................... Page 48
Sow Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus) ......................................................................... Page 49
Spanish Needles (Bidens alba var. radiata, B. pilosa) ......................................... Page 52
Wild Amaranth (Amaranthus dubius, A. spinosus, A. hybridus, A. viridis) ........ Page 53
FERAL FRIUTS ................................................................................................ PAGE 56
Banana (Musa spp.) ............................................................................................. Page 59
Guava (Psidium guajava, P. cattleianum) ............................................................ Page 60
Java Plums (Syzygium cumini) ........................................................................... Page 72
Natal Plums (Carissa macrocarpa) ..................................................................... Page 73
Passionfruit (Passiflora edulis, P. tarminiana) .................................................... Page 74
Pohā Berries (Physalis peruviana) ....................................................................... Page 77
Pōpolo Berries (Solanum americanum) ............................................................... Page 78
Pānini (Opuntia ficus-indica, O. cochenillifera) .................................................. Page 80
Rubus spp. (R. glaucus, R. hawaiensis, R. rosifolius) ......................................... Page 81
Sea Grapes (Coccoloba uvifera) .......................................................................... Page 87
WILD EDIBLE FLOWERS ............................................................................. PAGE 89
Elderflower (Sambucus mexicana) ...................................................................... Page 91
Hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus, H. rosa-sinensis, Malvaviscus penduliflorus) ....... Page 96
Jamaican Vervain (Stachytarpheta cayennensis, S. jamaicensis) ........................ Page 98
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) .......................................................................... Page 99
Wild Ginger (Hedychium coronarium, H. flavescens) ........................................ Page 100
NUTS, BEANS & SEEDS ................................................................................. PAGE 101
Beach Almond (Terminalia catappa) ................................................................... Page 103
Coconut (Cocos nucifera) .................................................................................... Page 106
Feral Fennel Seeds (Foeniculum vulgare) ........................................................... Page 108
Haole Koa (Leucaena leucocephala) ................................................................... Page 109
Kiawe (Prosopis pallida) ..................................................................................... Page 111
Kukui Nuts (Aleurites moluccana) ...................................................................... Page 121
MISCELLANEOUS .................................................................................... PAGE 122
Conifers (Sequoia sempervirens, Pinus radiata) ................................................. Page 123
Sea Lettuce (Ulva fasciata) .................................................................................. Page 125
Wild Allspice (Pimenta dioica) ............................................................................ Page 127
Wild Basil (Ocimum gratissimum) ...................................................................... Page 129
Wild Cinnamon (Cinnamomum burmannii) ........................................................ Page 130
Wild Ginger Rhizomes (Hedychium flavescens, H. coronarium) ........................ Page 131
Wild Drinks .......................................................................................................... Page 133
RESOURCES ...................................................................................................... Page 139
Bibliography ................................................................................................ Page 140
GLOSSARY.......................................................................................................... Page 141
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