Locavore to the Max: How to Forage for Low-Impact, Recession-Proof Food

By Matthew Stein, Chelsea Green Publishing. Posted April 7, 2009.

Lamb's quarters, goosefoot. "Along with dandelions and watercress, lamb's quarters is one of the most nutritious of foods" (Brill 1994, 47). Being widespread, tasty, long-seasoned, and easily identified, lamb's quarters is a prime candidate for the beginner to learn to identify. This plant has little or no odor, so if the plant you pick has an odor, it's not lamb's quarters and may be poisonous. Leaves are alternating, almost triangular, with a blunt tip and jagged edges. Leaves may develop a white tinge, but they remain perfectly edible. Harvest young shoots up to 10 inches tall, or tender new growth until late fall. This plant is a good pot herb, although it shrinks by about two-thirds when cooked.

Pigweed (amaranth). Similar to lamb's quarters (which is sometimes also called pigweed), but with smoother, more elongated leaves. Use young leaves as a lettuce substitute. Harvest seeds and grind for flour. Seeds have more nutrition and higher protein than grains. Amaranth was a key staple cultivated by the Aztecs for its seeds. Pigweed concentrates nitrates, so use sparingly if taken from fertilized fields.

Pine trees. Harvest pine nuts in the fall from hard, green pine cones. Open the cones in the heat of a fire to reach the pine nuts buried inside. "Open" cones have probably already dropped their nuts. Pine nuts from the piñon pines were once a staple food for the indigenous peoples of Nevada. One of the ways that the U.S. government used to force these tribes to move off their land and onto reservations was to destroy the piñon pines, thereby removing one of their major sources of wild food. Pine needles can be boiled in water to make a tea rich in vitamin C, and in a survival crunch the inner bark can be eaten.

Plantain. Plantains are identified by their distinctive parallel veins, running the length of the leaves. This plant is another weed common to fields and disturbed areas. Leaves grow in a basal rosette and the plant grows a long, green, central flower stalk. Harvest young greens and new growth for salads or as a pot herb. After midspring, the leaves become very fibrous and are mostly good for vegetable stock or as survival food. Harvest seeds for storage and sprouts.

Purslane. Cultivated in ancient times, purslane is now mostly seen by gardeners as a pesky weed. Both the seeds and the greens are very nutritious. This plant has succulent- like, smooth, fleshy leaves, often reddish-purple, and tends to lie flat in thick mats. Pinch or cut leafy tips from June through September. Purslane shoots are excellent cooked or raw in salads. This weed likes fields and disturbed areas, and has spread across the country. It has no poisonous look-alikes.

Ramps (wild leeks). Similar to its close cousins, wild onions and wild garlic, ramps are found ranging from the Great Lakes to New England and south to the mountains of Georgia. Wild leeks thrive in partially shaded, moist, rich woodlands, often under maples. They have long leaves with parallel veins, similar to many poisonous members of the lily family. Crush a piece of one leaf and smell for the characteristic strong onion odor. Plants that smell like onions are not poisonous. In early spring, they look much like smaller versions of grocery store leeks before the leaves shrivel and are replaced by a slender stalk with an umbrella-like cluster of small white flowers. When a few of the small, three-lobed seed clusters survive the fall, they point to an underground winter supply of delicious bulbs. Harvest green leaves in the spring or the bulbs any time of the year. Use as flavoring in soups and stews or sauté like onions.

Rose hips. Wild roses are found in many different varieties across the United States. Their fruits are a fantastic source of vitamin C. The larger fruits can be quite good raw, although you may want to avoid the bitter seeds. Many people collect rose hips for a delicious tea. They may be boiled and strained to make a sauce with the consistency of applesauce.

Sheep sorrel. An excellent green, sheep sorrel is one of the few wild plants that does not get bitter as summer comes along. It is distinguished by its elongated arrowlike leaves with "ears" that resemble the front view of a sheep's head, and is found in fields and disturbed areas or areas of poor soil. There are no poisonous look-alikes, but this plant sometimes grows alongside the poisonous vines nightshade and bindweed that also have arrowshaped leaves. Sheep sorrel leaves are tangy, tart, and kind of lemony. Mix them in salads with blander greens.

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Matthew Stein is the author of When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency, from Chelsea Green.

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