Wild foraging

[chgoliz]

@Medievalist

Water hemlock’s been reported out of control to the north, south, and east of illinois.

What an odd map. Makes me wonder who traveled to Nebraska from one of the coasts, you know?

[AnonyMouse]

Goats can eat it with no ill effect, I believe, so it could be spread in droppings.

[Medievalist]

@AnonyMouse

The think I think weirdest about this plant is the way the leaves change shape - when it’s low to the ground you have these crinkly lilypad-shaped leaves like in my last post, but when it bolts (which I’ve never eaten) the leaves become more nettle-shaped with a toothed, pointed leaf.

It’s biennial, and we have lots of plants around here that have changing leaf shape (also tons of ferns - now that’s a weird life cycle) so doesn’t seem very odd to me. We have lots of sassafras.

@chgoliz

What an odd map. Makes me wonder who traveled to Nebraska from one of the coasts, you know?

I think it’s mostly an artifact of the data collection and reporting. In real life plants don’t respect state lines, but states have different cultures of science. Some states have an official state botanist (ours, unrelatedly, is an awesome traditional musician).

[anon75430791]

Sort of like how deer enjoy eating poison ivy, eh?

[AnonyMouse]

I don’t know; we don’t have that in Europe. I have heard of rabbits eating deadly nightshade and giving themselves toxic meat superpowers in the process… kind of like a powerup in Mariokart.

[Medievalist]

I wish my deer would eat it. They seem to prefer hosta, day lilies and my vegetable garden.

I tore out a good 40’ of poison ivy about eight hours ago. Still plenty left, though.

[anon37332521]

I’m not sure about poison Ivy, but there’s one answer for poison oak: goats.

[anon75430791]

The next logical hurdle is, what do you do about all the goats?

Don’t worry. NPR has you covered,

[anon37332521]

@anon75430791

what do you do about all the goats?

[chgoliz]

Naw, they’re too valuable alive:

[anon33466019]

My standard response is, “burn it. Burn it with fire.”. But in the case of poison ivy/oak that is a very bad idea.

[Medievalist]

I generally yank it out by the roots with a chain, then hang the rootballs in the sun in a handy tree for a month or so (which my neighbors just love) to make sure they die. Pretty much the same thing I do to multiflora rose.

[AnonyMouse]

The rabbits don’t die, though.

[anon75430791]

That is why careful research is needed, and even if very sure to try only a little at first, and the next day a little more.

Found this beauty this week. Pretty sure it is “berkeley’s polypore” or “hen of the woods” and edible, but had just a tiny bit last night. Tasty, and not toxic it seems, will be trying a slightly larger portion tonight.

Damn thing is probably 5 pounds! What a find if I correctly identified it.

[anon75430791]

Been lax in posting, too. Made some Sumac Lemonade recently as well. With enough drupes left over to grind up into spice and use with fish and poultry:

[anon75430791]

Definitely Berkely’s Polypore. The various flavors it has match what a lot of people say, i.e. older specimens tend to have a peppery flavor raw, which turns bitter cooked. Oh, also I’m not dead!

Tricky to cook with, but I ground it up and cooked it down into a mash with butter, garlic and worcestershire sauce. So far works well added to stir fry for added flavor, and cooking steaks with. The mash gives the steak a nice crust, and the bitterness is offset enough by the other stuff I cooked in that the bitterness just adds another layer of complexity.

Still, don’t think I’ll go back for the rest of the mushroom. The little bits of grit are the real turnoff.