The blue-green part is the seed we don’t eat. The dark blue or red is the aril we do eat. Photo by Green Deane
Podocarpus does not, as they used to say, have an attitude. But it does have latitude. Generally August is the month to hunt for ripe Podocarpus arils. There is some seasonal wiggle room, a bit earlier, a little later. This week I found ripe Podocarpus arils in Altamonte Springs, about eight miles north of Orlando. That particular hedge runs north south and gets sun all day. It’s also next to a busy road so they are not on the menu but they are ripe. While in Gainesville this past weekend for a mushroom class I notice a tree-size Podocarpus growing arils but they were not ripe. And even more confusing there are four Podocarpus Trees in Winter Park, a few miles north of Orlando, that ripen in December. We see them on my annual (and free) Urban Crawl. Once separated from their large seed the arils can be used like grapes. To read more about them go here.
Simpson Stopper is also called Nakedwood.
And while I was fasting this morning — one of three intermittent fasts weekly — I did nibble on a few ripe Simpson Stopper berries … consider it quality control. They’ve been sporadic for the last few weeks but today several bushes were in fruit with enough ripe one to make it worth your while. It’s a native that has successfully been integrated into the landscaping menu. Closely related to the Surinam Cherry the fruit tastes similar to marmalade. Like the Suriname Cherry, it is not a flavor everyone likes. In fact the seed –which we don’t eat — tastes like an unripe Suriname Cherry. While they can be eaten out of hand the fruit is usually made in jelly and the like. The leaves are medicinal. You can read about them here.
We have three Old Man of the Woods, all edible though opinions on quality vary.
A non-Green Deane event which I am quite involved happens this Sunday west of Lake Mary: The Orlando Mushroom Group’s third mushroom hunt, and our second this year. It’s a good location that produces a lot of mushrooms, does not require a huge amount of walking, and hard to get lost in. I routinely see there chanterelles, Old Man of the Woods, a variety of Lactifluus (Lactarius) Agaricus, Boletes, Russulas, Puff Balls, and non-edible Amanitas. Joshua Buchanan will be leading the event. Florida — unlike many states — is surprisingly lacking in mushroom groups that regularly meet. Presently there is one in Gainesville — make sense, they have a mycology department at the university — and one in Ft. Myers though others in south and southeast Florida are organizing. We thought one in Orlando could serve a purpose as it is centrally located. That is why OMG was organized. You can visit us on Facebook (Orlando Mushroom Group) for more information. The hunt starts at 9 a.m., 8515 Markham Rd, Lake Mary, FL 32746. This is the so-called trail head of the Serminole Wekiva Bike Trail. There are bathrooms and drinking water. The fee is $10 per adult. The class will run to about noon. The area is easy walking and has trails. (Incidentally, I have purchased the domains Orlando Mushroom Group.com and .net. If someone has website making skills it would be nice to get a webpage developed for the group.)
Classes are held rain or shine ’cause you’re also hungry in bad weather.
Foraging Classes: These classes almost always happen as schedule. Sometimes a hurricane interrupts those plans or a holiday reduces attendance to zero. Always check back to make sure the class will go on.
Saturday, June 30th, George LeStrange Preserve, 4911 Ralls Road, Fort Pierce, FL, 34981. 9 a.m. Because of flooding last month this class had to be moved to this day. It will happen. There is only one parking lot and we meet there. If the lot is closed we will park by the lot.
Saturday, July 7th, Blanchard Park, 10501 Jay Blanchard Trail, Orlando, FL 32817. 9 a.m. Meet at the pavilion east of the tennis courts near the YMCA.
Sunday, July 8th, Jervey Gantt Recreation Complex, 2390 SE 36th Ave., Ocala, FL, 34471. 9 a.m. Meet at the entrance to the pool, aka Aquatic Fun Center.
Saturday July 14th, Seminole Wekiva Trail, Sanlando Park, 401 West Highland St. Altamonte Springs, Florida 32714. 9 a.m. Meet at the first parking lot on your right after entering.
Sunday July 15th, Eagle Park Lake, 1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. 9 a.m. Meet at the pavilion near the dog park.
Saturday, July 21st, Bayshore Live Oak Park, Port Charlotte, Fl. 9 a.m. Meet at the parking lot at the intersection of Bayshore Road and Ganyard Street.
Sunday July 22nd, Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, 2045 Mud Lake Road, DeLeon Springs, FL. 9 a.m. Meet at the parking lot on right after crossing the railroad tracks. It will be a long, and hot class. Bring water. Bathrooms are port-O-lets.
For more information about classes go here.
Jack in the Pulpit. Photo byGreen Deane
Jack In The Pulpit are strange plants. They’re listed amongst the edible species but the books rarely mention they are barely edible. And the species readily changes sex at its convenience. After reproducing they become males and do nothing but hang out on the forest floor drinking sunlight and making starch. When enough is collected for reproduction — a few years — they become females… It’s not a species that does much dating. We saw some during a recent foraging class in Jacksonville this past weekend. To read more about Jacks you can go here.
Green Deane Forum
Want to identify a plant? Looking for a foraging reference? Do you have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object you want identified? On the Green Deane Forum we chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations around the world share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk about. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, and forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. One special section is “From the Frightening Mail Bag” where we learn from people’s mistakes. The reference section includes some out of print books, such as Julia Mortons Survival Plants for South Florida. You can join the forum by clicking on the button in the menu line.
Green Deane DVD set of 135 videos
All of Green Deane’s videos available for free on You Tube. They do have ads on them so every time you watch a Green Deane video I get a quarter of one cent. Four views, one cent. Not exactly a large money-maker but it helps pays for this newsletter. If you want to see the videos without ads and some in slightly better quality you can order the DVD set. It is nine DVDs with 15 videos on each. Many people want their own copy of the videos or they have a slow service and its easier to order then to watch them on-line. They make a good gift for that forager you know. Individual DVDs can also be ordered. You can order them by clicking on the button on the top right of this page or you can go here.
Donations to upgrade EatTheWeeds.com have gone well. Thank you to all who have contributed to either via the Go Fund Me link, the PayPal donation link or by writing to Green Deane POB 941793 Maitland FL, 32794. The site has been up for a dozen years, has always been free, and went through a couple of difficult upgrades. The most recent upgrades have been paid for, again thank you. Now I’m trying to include more than a year’s worth of newsletter into a new category function. Again, thank you.
This is weekly issue 310.
If you would like to donate to Eat The Weeds please click here. Or you can use my Go Fund Me link, or by writing to Green Deane POB 941793 Maitland FL, 32794.
