Search: sumac

Avoid Poison Ivy which is also sprouting. Photo by Green Deane

If you think you are not allergic to poison Ivy you might become one of those people who tell me every few weeks how they ended up in the hospital because they thought they weren’t allergic to it. We are all born with a certain amount of resistance to poison ivy, some are born with none — me — some are born with a lot, my mother. Those are the ones who come contact it many times over many years — usually intentionally — and end up in the hospital as each exposure reduces resistance. Keep playing with fire one gets burnt. I was reminded of that this week. 

Did “Socks” meet his end here? Photo by Green Deane

On Seminole-Wekiva Bike Trail this Tuesday past I rode upon a fellow yelling and throwing Paper Mulberry branches at the highway fence (across from the rest area on I-4.) As that was unusual I stopped. He said a big brown python has taken his cat and was in the bushes. As I am used to going into bushes and I like cats I went in but could not see any python or cat. I did recover his shoe. As there are hundreds of cement road barriers there (for highway construction) a python might find protection in their labyrinth and stay warm for the winter. The biggest python found to date north of Miami was a pregnant 300-pound, 16-footer pulled out of a culvert in Zolfo Springs last February, 75 miles south of Tampa. The fellow on the trail said he stopped at the rest area on I-4 and let his cat — Socks — out. He said he saw the snake by the cat but the cat was unconcerned. Details are sketchy. The man was quite upset… imagine if it had been a small child… He said his girlfriend was still in the rest area looking for the snake. The fellow seemed sincere and had a cut on his ankle apparently from rummage in the brush or climbing the fence. I made three dives in but didn’t see anything except, unfortunately, poison ivy. So I cut my ride short to wash off any poison ivy oil and told him about it. Poison ivy shows up on the third day with me — or 48 hours post exposure — and poor Socks I think was supper. 

Poison Sumac. Note the red stems. Photo by Green Deane

There’s an amazing amount of misinformation about poison ivy on the Internet, even on medical sites that should know better. While there may indeed be three people among the seven billion of us who are absolutely immune to poison ivy, the 6,999,997 rest of us are not. It is more accurate to say we differ in our resistance and rate of expose. Said another way, nearly everyone will get poison ivy if they are exposed to it long enough, including the 20 percent who are really resistant.  For some that is one exposure, for others dozens. The folks who say “I’m immune to poison ivy” are the prime candidates because they are not avoiding it. Over the years I have spoken to many a person who was extremely surprise when they got their first case of poison ivy because they were “immune” and had to got to the hospital. The point is you will get poison ivy at some point if you keep getting exposed to it so the best course of action is to avoid it and keep that day as far away as possible, if ever. Dr. John Kingsbury, who was an expert on toxicology, says the plant cells have to be “breeched” to release the oil, that just rubbing against the plant will not cause a problem. He added, however, that an insect chewing part of a leaf would release the oil so even a small amount of crushed cells can release enough oil to cause a reaction.  He was adamant that soap did no good and that the contamination was immediate. Other views have disagree in the 47 years since he wrote his book saying that non-oil soaps, even plan cold water helps if used immediately.

Incidentally, there is little difference between Poison Ivy and “Poison oak.” There’s no agreement whether they one or two species. Best guess is different varieties of the same species. From our point of view it doesn’t matter. It, or they, are bad.  In fact there are six related species that can give people rashes or other allergic reactions: Mangoes, cashews, pistachios, poison ivy, poison sumac, and Brazilian pepper. Incidentally Poison Ivy climbs trees, Poison Oak does not. 

Poison ivy can climb and cover trees

All that said there are some interesting facts about poison ivy. Only humans, some other primates, and guinea pigs can get it (we also don’t make vitamin C.) Your dog and cat can’t get poison ivy but they can carry the oil, urushiol, on their fur and give it to you, and that oil is active for years. Poison ivy is also a very nutritious, high-protein food for deer as well as rabbits. Some 60 birds eat the fruit and bees visit the blossoms. And truth be told I once got Poison Ivy off the feathers of a duck. 

Will Endres Jr. 1945-2021

What is fascinating is how Poison Ivy works. The oil “locks” onto your skin cells, making the protein sticky, essentially interrupting the chemical signal from the skin to the rest of the body. Thus the area expose is viewed as foreign, so the body attacks it. The result is sores, itching and bleeding. As bad as that is it also has a positive side. Native Americans would put poison ivy sap on warts so the body would get rid of the warts. That’s some interesting thinking. There is also a controversial side to the plant: Eating poison ivy to confer immunity. No doctor would recommend it nor do I. However, Euell Gibbons, the previous generation’s back-to-nature guy, wrote that he ate some every spring and never had a case of poison ivy there after. I knew an herbalist — Will Endres in North Carolina, who did the same thing every year. And I personally have seen a person eat it, again in the spring. She was a retired bio-chemist. There are three theories:

One is they all eat the plant in the spring when perhaps urushiol production is low. Or, two, the mucus that covers our insides protects us and we just digest the oil (the Pennsylvania Dutch ate poison ivy wrapped in bread.)  A third possibility is it does somehow confer a protection. Kingsbury was firm in his thinking that eating it was very dangerous and that the plant was dangerous all year long. Lastly think of poison ivy oil as clear bicycle chain grease. It really can’t be washed off: It has to be washed and rubbed off even though you can’t see it… and no welts as of this writing…   

Black Cherries ripening in June. Photo by Green Deane

Black Cherries usually get mentioned several times every spring. Locally one usually finds them ripening in April. That’s the target month (and for blackberries as well.) But every year if you look around you can find a few that fruit much later such as in mid- to late June. My neighbor has a tree ripening now and I saw some on the Seminole Wekiva trail near the rest area mentioned above.  It is safe to say Black Cherries look better than they taste. There is an initial cherry sweetness but then a residual bitterness takes over whereas chokecherries are bad start to finish. There were four large chokecherry trees on the other side of our lawn where I grew up in Maine. They were quite irritating: They looked wonderful but tasted awful (unless made into wine.)  Black Cherries, like the chokecherries, are much better processed into jelly and wine (or cough medicine from the bark.) Do not eat the seeds. To read more about the Black Cherry go here.

Young Poke is boiled twice before eating. Photo by Green Deane

When is a salad not a salad? When it’s poke sallet. Though they sound the same (both pronounced “salad” and spelling can vary) the one in English means raw greens. The other in French means cooked greens. Unfortunately a popular song in 1968 spelled it the wrong way on the record label and people have been getting sick ever since. (In fairness in the song the lyrics say Annie cooked the greens. She was so poor that was all she had to eat.) Pokeweed has to be cooked, preferably boiled at least twice in two changes of water. In fact I got a message this week from a writer who thought poke sallet meant salad and got ill from eating a salad of raw poke leaves. Don’t do it. This brings up another aspect of pokeweed. People ask me if boiling it twice reduces the nutrition. The answer is hardly at all. The only nutrient pokeweed has is Beta Carotene. That is a fat soluble. Boiling it doesn’t have much effect on the Beta Carotene content (it also has magnesium in the middle of the chlorophyl molecule.) Boiling the poke weed carries away the toxins and makes the magnesium in the chlorophyl more available. Cook your poke! To read more about pokeweed, go here.

Despite my website’s title, Eat The Weeds And Other Things, Too, YUCK! is word that lands in my mailbox regularly, sprinkled through the missives like spice on an entree. It reminds me of what a great language English is. English is not some frou-frou glot of genteel nuances or harmonic sounds. And while it might have started out as German Lite English has borrowed so much from other languages that it’s the largest and most predominate tongue on Earth. But beyond that English is fit. It’s muscular, punchy, to the point. English has brawn. It works out, demands attention, and gets things done. Yelling EXTINGUISH THE CONFLAGRATION will stir few to action. PUT THE FIRE OUT will. Or ouer bord hominem compared to Man Overboard. Latin just can’t hold a candelabra to English.

Hit by a car, taken home on a motorcycle, aged in the frig.

So yes, “yuck,” a taut, vigorous English word populates my emails. Why? The answer is the Acorn Grub video, the Bon Appetit video, articles on the edibility of dogs and cats, Guinea pigs, horses, alligator, armadillos, slugs and snails,  earthworms, scorpions, spiders and some four dozen other insects. I know of a naturalist who starts each class on wild edibles by eating a live beetle he finds in front of everyone. To him all black beetles are edible. “Yuck” you say. Perhaps. So powerful is that one word that several folks have sent just one word emails to me…  Yuck is succinct.  It tells me the writer’s mental state and their opinion, which is fine. In matters of taste there is no debate: Only matters of truth are worthy of debate.  And just as some find these critters “yucky” so to do many find eating weeds “yucky.” I hear from them, also. Some did not like a recent mention of me cooking a duck hit by a car (the one with poison ivy on its feathers.) “Yuck” was the response of choice but the duck was not yucky… I guarantee.  It was just ducky.

Goat on the lam…

Let’s say you were going to take a test. And you knew out of 100 possible questions only seven questions were going to be asked and only those seven. Which would you study for, the 93 questions that will not be asked or the seven that will be asked? One would expect you to study the seven questions you know are going to be asked. It is no different when learning edible wild plants. About 93 percent of the plants are not edible. Around seven percent are (generous estimates say 10% but it varies with geography.) Which should you study if you are interested in edible wild plants? The seven percent that are edible or the 93 percent that are not? Most folks interested in edible wild plants go about it backwards. They don’t go looking for known edibles but wonder what all unknown plants are. Then they ask someone to identify them. More than nine times out of ten it is not edible. Looking for known edibles is far more productive. But if you still have a plant you want identified, post it on the Green Deane Forum. We have a board dedicated to just identifying plants, which is also the most popular board. You can join the forum by clicking on the FORUM button in the menu line.

Do you recognize the Pie In The Sky Actor?

There’s a quaint British detective series which involves an obese chef who is also a senior police detective. (Only the Brits can get away with funding and producing such a show theme.) In one program the main character’s job is to help protect and feed a rather nasty young woman who is to testify against her deadly husband. At the same time the detective-chef is having a difficult time getting quality herbs for his restaurant. The “safe” house where she is staying just happens to have fantastic herbs just growing out back which he discovers. There’s a wonderful exchange about wild food between the avuncular detective-chef and one of the young armed officers protecting the woman. It’s an attitude most of us foragers have seen before. To see the 42-second clip click here.

Teaching a foraging class in West Palm Beach

Foraging classes this weekend are in two familar places: Largo and east Orlando. The former class is small at this writing, the latter is large. As I often say I live with the average. Also note folks are signing up for foraging classes in mid-July in Honea Path, South Carolina. 

Saturday, June 26th, Eagle Park Lake, 1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. 9 a.m. to noon, meet at the pavilion near the dog park. 

Sunday, June 27th, Blanchard Park, 10501 Jay Blanchard Trail, Orlando, FL 32817. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet beside the tennis courts. 

Saturday July 3rd, Boulware Springs Park, 3420 SE 15th St.,  Gainesville, FL 32641. Meet at the picnic tables next to the pump house. 9 a.m. to noon. 

Saturday July 17th, Classes at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m at Putney Farm, 1624 Taylor Rd, Honea Path, SC 29654. 

Sunday July  18th, Classes at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m at Putney Farm, 1624 Taylor Rd, Honea Path, SC 29654. 

For more information, to prepay or sign up for a class go here. 

The red cashew apple is edible.

One of the more strange trees is the cashew. The species is closely related to poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, edible sumac, mangos, and pistachios. The cashew itself is an exceptionally toxic tree. The cashew “seed” is actually an enclosed nut inside an enclosed shell. It is surrounded by a toxic sap. The sap is dangerous. The process of making the seed edible is dangerous. While the end product is a tasty nut it is among the least nutritious of tree seeds. Oddly the cashew “apple” is quite edible. You can read more about the cashew here.

Green Deane videos are now available on a USB.

My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been phased out and replaced by a 150-video USB. The USB videos are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have their own copy.  The USB videos have to be copied to your computer to play. If you want to order the USB go to the DVD/USB order button on the top right of this page. That will take you to an order form. I’d like to thank all of you who ordered the DVD set over the years which required me to burn over 5,000 DVDs individually. 

Green Deane Forum

Want to identify a plant? Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. 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.

Your donations to upgrade the EatTheWeeds website and fund a book were appreciated. A book manuscript has been turned it. It had 425 articles, 1326 plants and a third of a million words. What it will be when the publisher is done with it next year is unknown. It will be published in the spring of 2023. Writing it took a significant chunk of time out of my life from which I have still not recovered. (Many things got put off.) The next phase is to update all the content on the website between now and publication date. Also note as it states above the 135-video DVD set has been phased out for 150-video USB. Times and formats change. Which reminds me I need to revisit many plants and make some new videos. 

This is weekly newsletter #461. If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

The edible cashew “apple” an aril is the largest part of the fruit.

Cashews are high in potassium.

The Cashew belongs to a rather toxic group of plants, all closely related and some of which we eat: Poison Ivy, Poison Sumac, Mangos, Brazilian Pepper, Pistachios, and Cashews. While the cooked cashew “apple” and roasted nut are edible the shell’s jell is extremely toxic. Mother Nature does not want you eating those nuts and protects them mightily. Not surprisingly the tree itself looks mango-ish. Many people get a poison ivy like rash from touching mangos. They can, however, usually eat mango if someone else peels it. Like the Ginkgo tree, if you don’t  clean up Cashew debris it can leave a toxic litter. We used to visit one often in my foraging classes until Hurricane Irma destroyed it.  

Nature protects the nut with a caustic brown jell.

The Cashew apple, which can be eaten raw but is safer processed, has per 100 grams 124 mg of potassium, 67 mg of phosphorus, 10 mg calcium, 49 mg vitamin C, 2 mg iron, 3.2 mg fiber, 53 calories and 23 mcg beta-carotene.  The unsalted cashew nut contains 583 calories, 14.85 grams of protein, 47.96 grams fat, 31.71 grams total carbohydrate, 2.9 grams fiber,  548 mg potassium, phosphorus 475 mg,  magnesium 252 mg, calcium 44 mg, sodium 16 mg, iron 5.82 mg, zinc 5.43 mg, copper 2.153 mg, selenium 11.3 mcg  B1 (thiamine) and B2 (riboflavin) 0.194 mg each, B3 (niacin) 1.358  mg, B6 (pyridoxine) 0.248 mg, B9 (folate) 67 mg, choline 59.2 mg, Vitamin E 1.24 mg, Lutein+zeaxanthin 22 mcg, vitamin K 37.2 mcg and  in a separate study 7 mg ascorbic acid. 

Raw cashews are extremely toxic topically.

Cashew trees are planted for three reasons:  They look attractive– make a good shade tree if you clean up under them —  and produce edible parts (with proper preparation.) The tree, which is native to northern Brazil, has large leaves and pretty pink blossoms. Like the Podocarpus there is an aril then a seed on the end. The cashew “apple” is a swollen part of the stem rather than the ovary. It can be yellow to red, is high in vitamin C, juicy and slightly acidic. Rather than eaten out of hand — the “apple” can make the mouth feel fuzzy — it is often used with other fruits and juices via blending. The nut is in a kidney-shaped double shell with a caustic brown liquid between the outer shell and the inner testa that will quickly burn your skin or mouth. The cleaned nut is edible raw but roasted is better and that can reduce allergic responses. Eating them raw is dangerous and difficult because of the caustic chemicals and allergies to the parts that are processed away. After drying the unshelled seeds are soaked for a few days in water. The seed is cooked in oil (210 C) for two minutes then cooled in water. Then they are shelled, dried, and the papery coating — the testa — is removed. The shells with nuts inside can also be fried in an open pan but that is more iffy in that the shells can squirt the bad jell. The smoke is also toxic, don’t breath it in. Another method for the brave is to freeze the shell/nut and shell it while frozen peeling away the acidic jell. Wear heavy gloves and goggles. Work fast. Know that cashew production is the source of questionable labor practices where they are produced.  

Cashews have a burning liquid between the nut and the shell.

Young cashew shoots can be eaten and the “apple” cut in to pieces, blanched, dried, then cooked like a vegetable. In fact it is far more popular where they grow than the nuts. The “apples” also dry well and can be made into jam or wine. They can also be feed to livestock — minus the seed. The “apple” contains five times more vitamin C than an orange and more calcium, iron, and B1 than bananas, avocados or citrus. They are also a good source of magnesium, phosphorus and copper. Cashews bloom in winter so you have to have a warm winter.

Botanically the tree is Anacardium occidentale, Anacardium is Greek with a Latin ending that means heart-shaped — referring to the shape of the aril. Occidentale means western (usually European.) Native to tropical America from Mexico and the West Indies to Brazil and Peru. It has few pests or diseases. 

Green Deane’s Itemized Plant Profile

IDENTIFICATION:Spreading evergreen perennial tree to fifteen tall; leaves simple, alternate, obovate, hairless to eight long, six inches wide, pointed or notched, not teeth, short petiolate; flowers numerous in terminal panicles, six to eight long, male or female, green and reddish. The cashew-apple is shiny, red or yellowish, pear-shaped, soft, juicy, six to eight inches long, two to four inches wide; seed surrounded by a hard shell oily, said oil is poisonous causing allergenic reactions in some. 

TIME OF YEAR: Fruits in wet weather, three months from flower to fruit. 

ENVIRONMENT: Grows in almost any soil but does not tolerate salt or frost. 

METHOD OF PREPARATION: Apple edible raw better cooked, seeds processed. 

Burnweed/Fireweed in blossom in front of cattails. Photo by Green Deane

Fireweed/Burnweed has a flavor chefs love. With an impossible scientific name and strong aroma Fireweed is often over looked by the foraging community. Conversely the aroma is also a good identifying characteristic. As with several things in life tastes vary and many people enjoy the Fireweed raw or cooked. Closely related to the Dandelion, the Fireweed locally favors the late winter or early spring. Currently you can find Fireweed from a few inches high to a couple of feet. While they do not grow in colonies often several will grow near each other. Soon the older ones will put on green-yellow blossoms that barely open, another identifying characteristic. Of course in greens young and tender is usually preferable and this is particularly true with the Fireweed which grows rank as it ages. To read about fireweed go here.

Fruit of the Latex Strangler Vine. Photo by Green Deane

Another recent find was Latex Strangler Vine. At one time a bane of the citrus industry the lengthy vine grows edible fruit that is high in vitamin C.  It’s called “Strangler” because it can cover a citrus tree shading it out and killing it. The specie was “found” twice in Florida some twenty-five years apart in the last century. The state unsuccessfully spent millions trying to get rid of it  Look for it on fences and around current or old citrus groves. Decades ago when the weather was warmer the vine was common wherever there was citrus. Cooler weather has frozen it and citrus out on the north end of the state. I have seen Latex Strangler Vine in Ocala and near Gainesville but that’s the limit. In both cases the plants were under Live Oaks and in unmowed areas. It is quite common mid-state and south. The blossoms are edible off the vine. The raw leaves can also be eaten but are usually dipped in oil first. My article on the species is here. I also have a video on the species here. 

Classes are held rain or shine or cold. (Hurricanes are an exception.)

Foraging classes: Two favorite class locations are  on tap this weekend end, Mead Garden in Winter Park and Red Bug Slough in Sarasota. 

Saturday, March 6th, Red Bug Slough Preserve, 5200 Beneva Road, Sarasota, FL, 34233. 9 a.m. to noon. 

Sunday, March 7th, Mead Gardens, 1500 S. Denning Dr., Winter Park, FL 32789. 9 a.m. to noon. The entrance is on the west side off Denning  not the east side off Pennsylvania. Some GPS maps are wrong. Meet near the bathrooms.  

Sunday, March 14th, Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne, FL 32935-2335. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the “dog park” inside the park.

Saturday, March 20th, George LeStrange Preserve, 4911 Ralls Road, Fort Pierce, FL, 34981. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet in the parking lot. 

Sunday, March 21st, Boulware Springs Park, 3420 SE 15th St.,  Gainesville, FL 32641. 9 a.m to noon, meet at the pavilion by the pump house. 

For more information on these clases, to prepay or sign up go here. 

Clover prefers low nitrogen soil.

Clover is one of those wild edibles that is both overstated and understated. The overstatement is from writers who offer it as a great human food full of this and that to keep us healthy. The understated part is that it can harbor a fungus that inhibits clotting and somewhere around a half-a-cup of raw leaves can make you throw up. Individual experience, of course, can vary and there are several different species of clover with different characteristics. Pictured here is a nice little White Clover which is blossoming now mostly in lawns and athletic fields. A few leaves can be eaten raw. They are high in protein for a leaf. The blossom fresh or quickly dried can be used for tea. There is also Crimson, Red, Sweet and even Tick Clover.

Bacopa monnieri can have four or five petals.

Before I forget it’s time to write about Bacopa again. Actually there are six Bacopas locally, two common: Water Hyssop and Lemon Bacopa. They are quite different and perhaps it takes a trained botanical eye to appreciate their similarities which strike me as few. Perhaps their greatest difference is texture. Lemon Bacopa is soft, fuzzy, and crushes easily. It smells like limes not lemons. Water Hyssop is tough and shiny, resilient. Lemon Bacopa is aromatic and fruity in flavor, Water Hyssop is just pain bitter. Water Hyssop definitely can help with memory issues, Lemon Bacopa is more iffy on that score. One does not find Lemon Bacopa too often whereas Water Hyssop is nearly everywhere the soil is wet and sunny. (There are actually five Bacopas that look like the bitter one we want but four of them are rare. The one we want, Bacopa monnieri, by far the most common, has a single crease on the back of the leaf.) I have found Lemon Bacopa only three times; two of them in the wet ruts of woods roads. There is also a lake near me that has a little growing near a boat ramp when the water level is just right. As my article speaks more towards Lemon Bacopa I will adress Water Hyssop here. It basically stimulates the brain to make new neuronal connections, specifically in the hippocampus. It is anti-inflammatory and interacts with the dopamine and serotenergic systems. As you might expect growing new memory cells enough to notice takes time. So Bacopa has to be taken daily for at least three months. I have had several people tell me it has made significant difference in their lives. It does not work on all causes of memory problems but if it does work it does so dramatically. You can read about both Bacopas here. 

Violet Photo by Green Deane

There’s a huge variety of violets in North America ranging from Wood Violets to those that like to grow down hill from the septic tank. Its cultivated brethren is the pansy. Whether wild or cultivated violets are attractive, personable blossoms, usually on the sweet, viscous side. There are a couple of precautions, however. The first is to make sure the soil they are in — either a pot or bed — is wholesome and that the water they are getting is good. If they come from a garden center they might have pesticides on them. The other precaution is a bit more esoteric: Yellow blossoms tend to have a laxative effect. We saw these violets during out foraging class in Jacksonville this past weekend. You can read about violets here. I have a video about them here.

Green Deane videos are now available on a USB.

150-video USB or 135 video DVD set would be a good spring present and either is now $99. My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been selling for seven years and are still available. I have one set left. They are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have a separate copy.  A second option is a 16-gig USB that has those 135 videos plus 15 more. While the videos can be run from the DVDs the videos on the USB have to be copied to your computer to play. They are MP4 files. The150-video USB is $99 and the 135-video DVD set is now $99. The DVDs will be sold until they run out then will be exclusively replaced by the USB. This is a change I’ve been trying to make for several years. So if you have been wanting the 135-video DVD set order it now as the price is reduced and the supply limited. Or you can order the USB. My headache is getting my WordPress Order page changed to reflect these changes. We’ve been working on it for several months. However, if you want to order now either the USB or the DVD set make a $99 “donation” using the link at the bottom of this page or here.  That order form provides me with your address, the amount — $99 — tells me it is not a donation and in the note say if you want the DVD set or the USB. 

Green Deane Forum

Want to identify a plant? Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. 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.

Unprocessed cashews are not edible.

One of the more strange trees is the cashew. The species is closely related to poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, edible sumac, mangos, and pistachios. The cashew itself is an exceptionally toxic tree. The cashew “seed” is actually an enclosed nut inside an enclosed shell. It is surrounded by a toxic sap. The sap is dangerous. The process of making the seed edible is dangerous. While the end product is a tasty nut it is among the least nutritious of tree seeds. Oddly the cashew “apple” is quite edible.  Before Hurricane Irma we saw them in West Palm Beach. The storm took them out. You can read more about the cashew here.

This is weekly newsletter #447, If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

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Dulse is full of Iron and Vitamin B12

Foragers tend to ignore seaweed. Granted you need to be near the shore but they are often low on the list when they can be so nutritious. They apparently aren’t alone: In Native American Food Plants by Daniel Moerman he lists only one group, “Alaska Native” as consuming Dulse. Eating it on the northeast coast seems to have been mostly by immigrants from the British Isles who traditionally ate it back home.

Dulse powders and stores well.

I grew up four miles from the sea and saw Dulse often. Indeed, my mother as a kid rowed around most of the islands off southern Maine from Brunswick to Portland as did I as a teenager.  I used to go sea bass fishing with an old story-teller named Hap Davis. He couldn’t swim and I often wondered what we would do if we ever sunk. The water’s perpetually cold and the islands always too far away.  

Moerman writes Dulse “…leaves air dried and stored for winter use… added to soups and fish head stews… eaten fresh or singed on a hot stove or griddle.”  If I remember correctly one saying of northwest natives was: “When the tide is out the table is set. “  And when these shore-dweller ate Dulse what did they get? A huge serving of potassium, some 7,000 mg per 100 grams dried. Said another way dry Dulse is 7% potassium. 

Immigrants were fond of Dulse as they ate it in the British Isles.

Nutty-flavored here’s the rest of the nutritional line-up dried: Calories 323, protein 19.1 grams, carbohydrates 59.5 grams, fat 0.6 mg, vitamin C 4.8 mg, and vitamin A 2 IUs, Chlorine 7500 mg, sodium 1740 mg, magnesium 450 mg, calcium 375 mg, phosphorus 360 mg, zinc 71.1 mg (quite high as is) iron 11 mg, manganese 4.5 mg, and copper 4 mg. The B vitamins are B1 (thiamin) 0.23 mg, B2 (riboflavin) 0.76 mg, and B3 (niacin) 5.4 mg.  Fresh there are some variations: Protein 1.8 grams, carbohydrates 6.1 grams, vitamin C 38 mg, and vitamin A 285 IUs. Chlorine 1306 mg, magnesium 60.1 mg, calcium 48 mg, zinc 0.8 mg, manganese 0.6 mg, copper 0.2 mg, and molybdenum less than 0.1 mg. The B vitamins are B1 (thiamin) 0.63 mg, B2 (riboflavin) 0.51 mg, and B3 (niacin) 0.2 mg. While there are more minerals dry there is far more vitamin C fresh. Some nutritionists, which we got along without for a very long time, say Dulse has the most iron of all food.

A USDA page for Dulse nutritions says 100 grams (we’ll presume dried) has 22500 mcg of iodine which is 22.5 mg or nearly a quarter of a gram of iodine which is a lot. It also has 6666.67 mcg of vitamin B12 which is 6.66 mg still a lot. Your daily need is 2.4 mcg.  A little dried Dulse daily would fit that need. Laver and Sumac, elsewhere in this book, also provide vegetarian sources of B12.

Palmaria (paul-MARE-ree-ah) means “deserving of a palm” that is outstanding, masterful, good. Palmata (paul-MAH-tah) is hand-shaped.  Dulse in English is Dead Latin through Spanish. It means sweet smelling or sweet scented. 

Green Deane Itemized Plant Profile

IDENTIFICATION: Rosy to reddish-purple, to a foot and a half long, grows from tiny disk-shaped foothold. Fronds thin, stretchy, irregularly lobed, kind of resembles a hand in shape. 

TIME OF YEAR: Late spring to November. Tides are usually lowest at either new or full moons. 

ENVIRONMENT: On rocks and shells from middle to sub-tidal zones in very cold to temperate waters, both hemispheres, in North America both northern coasts.  

METHOD OF PREPARATION: Fresh or dried (and unlike Laver, elsewhere in this book, Dulse is not rinsed before drying.) Use is salads to soups, dried added to relishes to bread, deep fried or ground into a powder for seasoning. 

Two and a half gallons of Jambul Wine before racking. Photo by Green Deane

Fermenting ripe Tindora into wine. This pizza-like photograph by Green Deane

Three reasons prompted me to resurrect my wine-making past: I had nothing to do when Covid hit, I saw a lot of fruit going to waste, and I could use several of these “country wines” in my foraging classes. Since April I have started Beautyberry Wine, Blueberry Wine, Loquat Wine, Pindo Palm Wine, Cactus Pad Wine, Coconut Wine, Mango Wine, Orange Wine, Lemon Wine, Lime Wine, Tangerine Wine, St. John’s Mint Wine, Pomegranate Wine, Roses Petal Champagne, Horsemint Wine, Jambul Wine, Juniper Berry Mead, Blackberry Wine, Blackberry Mead, Mushroom Wine, Star Fruit Wine, Pineapple Wine, Tomato Wine, Sumac Wine and Tindora Wine (aka Ivy Gourd, the latest experiment. I’m not a idle person.)  I’ve also done a few standards along the way like Concord Grape, Chianti, Lambrusco and Watermelon Wine (It’s sweetish and I have 12 gallons of it so I will need help emptying the bottles.) 

Pickled Florida Betony Roots. Photo by Green Deane

Like Lacto-fermentation (pickling) making wine follows a basic recipe: Material, water, sugar, yeast and time. (Making pickles it is material, water, salt, spices and a lot less time.) The Tindora Wine recipe, which I won’t know if it works until next year, took some decisions. When green Tindora tastes similar to a cucumber. Cucumbers are crispy water with a delicate flavor and aroma. A cucumber wine that tastes like cucumbers is hard to make. A strong yeast could destroy the flavor and aroma (exactly the same problem with Star Fruit Wine.) When Tindora is ripe it is more like a sweet red pepper with a different color and constituents altogether. So a yeast that treats delicate floral aromas was called for rather than a broad-shouldered one that eliminates character but produces 18% alcohol levels. I’m aiming for 12%, You need at least 8% alcohol to preserve any wine. Also what color will the final wine be? Guessing it will be a blush the sugar goal is slightly sweet so not a lot of sugar was added at the beginning. A little will be added at the end to reach a certain level of desired sweetness. Wine making is a lot of little decisions and keeping clean. One common question is if using wild fruit why not use wild yeast, after all that’s how it was done in the past. 

Again, the issue is similar to making vinegar: Use wild or cultivated bacteria to pickle; use wild or cultivated yeasts to make wine. All fermenting bacteria and yeast do other things than just make acid or alcohol. They can “throw” flavors, good and bad because they can digest more than just the carbohydrates or sugar. They can also work too slowly letting worse bacteria or yeast to take over. They can under perform by not making enough acid or alcohol to preserve whatever you are fermenting. With wild yeast and bacteria you sometimes get a great performer but more often you get a poor one. Specifically bred yeast or bacteria do not improve your chances of success but they do reduce the number of things that can go wrong. I have an article and a video on collecting wild pickling bacteria here. I have the same for cider here and here.  And lastly I started a Facebook page called Florida Wine, Bread and Beer where I post my fermenting exploits. 

Classes are held rain or shine.

Unsettled weather this time of year makes schedule making weeks ahead of time a challenge and I’m trying to fit in some private classes as well. This weekend it’s classes in Orlando and Gainesville. 

Saturday, October 24th, Blanchard Park, 10501 Jay Blanchard Trail, Orlando, FL 32817. 9 a.m to noon. Meet at the pavilion by the tennis courts by the YMCA building. 

Sunday, October 25th, Boulware Springs Park, 3420 SE 15th St.,  Gainesville, FL 32641. Meet at the picnic tables next to the pump house. 9 a.m. to noon.

Sunday, November 1st, Dreher Park, 1200 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, 33405. Take exit 68 (Southern Boulevard) off Interstate 95 and go east. Entrance to the park is an immediate right at the bottom of the interstate bridge. Follow the convoluted signs to the science center (which is not where the GPS puts you.)  Park anywhere. We meet 300 feet north of the science museum near the banyan tees. 9 a.m. to noon. 

Saturday, November 7th, Bayshore Live Oak Park, Bayshore Drive. Port Charlotte.  9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the parking lot at Bayshore and Ganyard. 

Sunday, November 8th, Mead Garden: 1500 S. Denning Dr. Winter Park, FL 32789. Meet near the bathrooms. The entrance to the park is off Denning not Pennsylvania as some GPS say. 

To read more about the classes, to pre-pay or sign up, go here. 

The Chinese Tallow tree is also called the Pop Corn Tree.

Is it edible? Yes, no, maybe… The Chinese Tallow tree is both banned and championed. It’s edibility is also linked to why it’s even in the United States to begin with.  The tree was imported by none other than Ben Franklin (well… he sent some seeds to a friend.)  The purpose was to use the white external seed fat for making candles which beef suet, tallow, was once used for. Hence the tree’s name in English. In theory that small coating of saturated fat on the outside of the seed is edible. It is also very stable. But there are two problems. It can be very difficult to remove and inside the seed there is an oil toxic to humans. So the fat and the oil should not mix. Some people have experimented with crushing the entire seed and heating the mash thus melting the saturated fat along with releasing the toxic oil. When they settle the edible fat and the non-edible oil are separated.  In China, where the tree is valued, they steam the white saturated fat off. The tree, while an invasive species in some areas of North America — such as Florida — is being considered as a good candidate for bio-fuel. You can read my article about it here about it here. A later magazine article about the species is here.   

Caesarweed is in the hibiscus group.

Caesarweed is a common sight locally but right now it is being a seasonal extrovert and blossoming profusely. Like the Chinese Tallow tree above, Caesar Weed is another plant intentionally imported for industrial use, in its case making fiber for burlap bags and the like. It’s not strong enough to make a sturdy rope like Skunk Vine (which is also blossoming now and was imported to make rope.) But if thrown in water and allowed to rot for a few weeks long blast fibers are left over. The tasteless flowers are edible, the seeds can be ground and used like corn starch, and the leaves have medicinal uses besides being a famine food. They are hairy and upset the tummy. You can read about Caesar Weed here or see a video I did on it here. 

We don’t have the opportunity to often use the word “windfall” in modern society as it was originally coined: A benefit caused by the wind literally knocking something down. Roman armies gathered wind-felled wood for their camp fires. 

Cambium strips are easy to harvest from downed trees. Photo by Green Deane

From a foraging point of view downed oaks don’t provide much windfall. Only the ones that were masting are of interest and they were already dropping acorns. But there are a couple of tree species worth investigating if they are blown over. One is pines. It’s an opportunity to harvest cambium and or nearly ripe cones for their seeds. It’s fairly easy to strip “fillets” off downed limbs or young trunks. And one does not have to climb the tree for the cones. A second tree worth investigating is the Chinese Elm. It’s used in landscaping intensely. During the Great Depression of the 1930’s they were planted by the millions and perhaps are the most intentionally planted tree outside of the lumber industry.  A windfall of this species brings not only young leaves and samaras within reach but also provides easy access to the tree’s cambium which is edible. Every tree’s cambium grows differently and is the “living”part of the tree. It grows in two directions at once, in and out. The inner cambium become the wood of the tree. The outer cambium becomes the bark of the tree. This gives each tree it’s distinction wood and bark. And on the Chinese Elm (all Ulmus actually) and the pine (all Pinus) the cambium is edible.

Green Deane videos are now available on a USB.

Changing foraging videos:  My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been selling for seven years and are still available. They are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have a separate copy.  A second option is a16-gig USB that has those 135 videos plus 15 more. While the videos can be run from the DVDs the videos on the USB have to be copied to your computer to play. They are MP4 files. The150-video USB is $99 and the 135-video DVD set is now $99. The DVDs will be sold until they run out then will be exclusively replaced by the USB. This is a change I’ve been trying to make for several years. So if you have been wanting the 135-video DVD set order it now as the price is reduced and the supply limited. Or you can order the USB. My headache is getting my WordPress Order page changed to reflect these changes. We’ve been working on it for several weeks. However, if you want to order now either the USB or the DVD set make a $99 “donation” using the link at the bottom of this page or here.  That order form provides me with your address, the amount — $99 — tells me it is not a donation and in the note say if you want the DVD set or the USB. 

Green Deane Forum

Want to identify a plant? Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. 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.

Silk Floss Tree Bossom. Photo by Green Deane

What people actually do with plants and what people write about what people do with plants can vary greatly. Ceiba’s (SAY-bah) are a good example. There are ten trees in the tropical genus. Various parts of various species are eaten variously which makes sense as the greater Mallow Family is generally user-friendly (unprocessed cotton seed oil and ephedrine in Sida being two exceptions.)  Thus it is difficult to state specifically  what is edible on each species Ceiba. The names can also vary in English from Silk Cotton to Silk Floss to Kapok and numerous native and Spanish versions. The seed oil is edible on some species as are buds, blossoms, and young leaves on others. Even the wood ash can be used as a salt substitute. But some caution is called for as the trees have also been used to treat numerous medical conditions internally and externally. There are two species in Dreher Park in West Palm Beach where the winters are mild. I’ve seen three Ceibas planted in Orlando. One is near the West Orange Bike Trail in Winter Garden and is about 30 feet tall. They are twice that in West Palm Beach.  You can read a little more about the Silk Floss tree  here. 

This is weekly newsletter #428, If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

 To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Yellow Pond Lilly putting on a seed pod. Photo by Green Deane

Why don’t you see more Yellow Pond Lilly roots on a plate? Because they are not edible. Photo by Green Deane

Fall is a good time to look for Yellow Pond Lilys. While they fruit rather continuously these pond residents are putting forth a crop now. Plants may not have a brain they can have a strategy, or at least so it seems. Many of them protect their seeds in various ways until they are ready to germinate. The Persimmon Tree comes to mind. The fruit is astringent until the seeds are mature enough to germinate. Then the fruit turns sweet attracting various animals to eat it — those that can taste sweet — and spread the seeds around. The Monstera deliciosa has the same saccharin strategy. The seeds are acrid until ready to germinate then they turn sweet. They have a flavor reminiscent of pineapple and/or wild chamomile. The Yellow Pond Lily works in a similar fashion, almost. It does not turn sweet but the bitterness goes away. Seeds that are not ready to germinate are bitter. As the plant dies the floating seed pod rots over a three-week period. When the seeds are ready to germinate the protective bitterness is removed by enzymatic action. This also makes the seeds edible. Of course we humans can take advantage of the system by collecting the seed pods ourselves and controlling the rotting process. Then we get the seeds and dry them for use in various ways. You can read more about the Yellow Pond Lily here. 

True Turkey Tails. Photo by Green Deane

Turkey Tails are fairly easy to identify medicinal mushroom.  For a common type of mushroom I don’t see them that often… two or three times a year. I see False Turkey Tails far more often. More on that later.  A seven-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health found Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) boosted the immunity in women who had been treated for breast cancer. Researchers at the University of Minnesota and Bastyr University conducted the study in women with stages I-III breast cancer who had completed radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Results showed that immune function was enhanced in the women who took daily doses of Turkey Tail in pill form. They reported that the improved immune response was dose dependent and that none of the subjects suffered any adverse effects. Trametes versicolor can be chewed whole, eaten ground, or made into a tea, or a tincture. The question that always follows such comments is are False Turkey Tails, Stereum ostrea, medicinal?  Informally one hears herbalists saying False Turkey Tails can be used but there are few specifics though it has a long herbalism history.  A study in 2007 found that water extracts of Stereum ostrea were antibacterial and antifungal. That’s not cancer fighting or immune system stimulating but useful nonetheless. You can read that article here. 

Classes are held rain or shine.

Hopefully Hurricane Delta will stay west enough this week to bring tolerable rain here. Saturday I have a class in Largo at Eagle Lake Park. Always an interesting area to visit. Sunday we are having our second Orlando Mushroom Group (OMG) outing. This is a mushroom hunt in Lake Mary. The two big if’s are whether the weather will cooperated and what will be up for mushrooms. The season for terrestrial mushrooms is not over but this month they do diminish. 

Saturday, October 10th, Eagle Park Lake, 1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. Meet at the pavilion near the dog park. 9 a.m. to noon. This is presuming the weather will cooperate. We might be ducking Gulf-of-Mexico storms that weekend. 

Sunday, October 11th. Shall we try an end-of-the-season mushroom class? Mushrooms are as fickle as the weather so whether we will find any is luck of the draw. Long-range weather forecasts say will could have a lot of rain between now and then so who knows. Maybe there will be a late-season flush. We should at least find some to study.  This class is taught with Joshua Buchanan and the fee for this particular class is $10 per adult. Time 9 a.m. to noon. Location: 8515 Markham Road, Lake Mary Fl. 32746. There’s ample parking, drinking water, and rest rooms. Do not bring mushroom baskets. If you are going to collect (for study of course) put them in a back pack or bag or the like. If you have any questions email me: GreenDeane@gmail.com.

Saturday, October 17th, Bayshore Live Oak Park, Bayshore Drive. Port Charlotte. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the parking lot of Bayshore and Ganyard Street. We walk beside the Peace River and do a neighborhood wander. 

Saturday, October 18th, Seminole Wekiva Trail, Sanlando Park, 401 West Highland St. Altamonte Springs, Florida 32714 (at the intersection with Laura Avenue.) We meet in the first parking lot on your right immediately after the entrance. 9 a.m. to noon. This compact tour I do once or twice a year includes unmanaged woods, a park, baseball fields, and a visit to the Little Wekiva River. 9 a.m. to noon. 

Saturday, October 24th, Blanchard Park, 10501 Jay Blanchard Trail, Orlando, FL 32817. 9 a.m to noon. Meet at the pavilion by the tennis courts by the YMCA building. 

Sunday, November 1st, Dreher Park, 1200 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, 33405. Take exit 68 (Southern Boulevard) off Interstate 95 and go east. Entrance to the park is an immediate right at the bottom of the interstate bridge. Follow the convoluted signs to the science center (which is not where the GPS puts you.)  Park anywhere. We meet 300 feet north of the science museum near the banyan tees. 9 a.m. to noon. 

For more information about the classes, to pre-pay, or to sign up go here. 

Sida leaves and roots  has ephedrine.

Is it Sida (SEE-dah) or is it Sida (SIGH-dah)? Either either it would seem… There are several members of the Sida genus locally and they blossom nearly all year. This weekend, however, Sida cordifolia was particularly happy. Taller and softer than some of the other genusmates, it’s a plant with a little bit of legal history. Plants in the genus tend to have ephedrine in them to varying amounts. Sida cordifolia, however, is the only Sida species mentioned in the Florida Statutes. If you make a pill using the plant it cannot be given to anyone under the age of 18. I doubt the problem is bootleg diet pills but rather youthful experimenting with ephedrine. Adults can apparently do what they want with the plant.  S. cordifolia is not native. The species I see the most often is S. rhombifolia, which means diamond shape. The lower part of the leaves of that species do not have teeth on them. We also saw one during our class in Jacksonville Sunday. That might have been Sida acuta. You can read more about Sida here. 

Winged Sumac. Photo by Green Deane

Our Sumacs are happy. Everywhere you go now they are sporting terminal clusters of garnet-colored berries. It is time to harvest Sumacs for use today or later. There’s a wide variety of Sumacs. Perhas 325 in the genus.  Locally it’s the “Wing Sumac.” In other areas of the country it can be the Staghorn Sumac which I grew up nibbling in Maine. Shapes and quality vary but they always have terminal clusters of garnet-colored berries, give or take a hue. The berries have hair on them. And on the hair is malic acid, the acid that makes apples tart. You can rinse the acid off the acid and make a lemonade-like drink. The berries can be dried, their coating knocked off then ground and used as a spice. Surprisingly Sumacs are high in the B vitamins but rather low in ascorbic acid which is nature’s form of vitamin C. I currently have three gallons of Sumac wine working. I hope to bring some to classes next fall. In the springtime the shoots can be peeled and eaten raw or cooked. If you are worried about Poison Sumac it grows only in wet spots, has a much different leaf, and when in fruit has white berries positioned farther down the stem, not terminal clusters. Also Poison Sumac leaves have bright red stems.

Lyre-Leaf Sage. Photo by Green Deane

In his book Edible Plants of North America, Francois Couplan writes on page 384: “the leaves of the S. lyrata, Eastern North America, contain an acrid principle and should not be ingested. They have been used to remove warts.” That said I know an herbalist who makes a tea from the leaves and a foraging instructor who cooks the young leaves and eats them. I’ve heard other reports of them being eaten. That can leave a person in a tough spot as to what to do with the plant. To eat or not to eat, that is the question.

This sage made me wretchedly ill.

Another example is also a sage, Salvia coccinea, also known as Tropical Sage. A small piece of the blossom of this species — a very tiny piece, 1/8 inch square — made me horribly sick for several weeks. It attacked my stomach with viciousness and I was go-to-the-emergency room miserable. Coca-cola syrup and Pepto-Bismol combined were my salvation from doubled-over pain.  I was actually “field testing” this plant for edibility at the time, one reason why I am very opposed to field testing. Yet, I know of two people who have eaten the young leaves with no problem. Perhaps it was a personal allergy on my part. I don’t know. But I do know I will never eat any part of that plant again. Ever. Lesson painfully learned. Yet it might be edible, or maybe some folks really do have cast iron stomachs. I know I don’t. Eating this Sage is one of those “you’re on your own” kind of things.

Richardia is generally not edible.

A third plant that falls into the crack between edible and not edible is Richardia scabra, aka Florida Pusley. It is in a genus that has species used to make you throw up. In fact one is called Richardia emetica. That is not encouraging. Some people mistake R. scabra for chickweed, which is a Stellaria, a totally different genus.  The plants vaguely resemble each other if one ignores several details and that fact that real chickweed only grows here in the winter time. R. scabra is a species for which I have never found any ethnobotanical references to regarding edibility. In fact it is one of three common plants that seems to have either not been used by the natives or somehow were not reported. The other two are Amaranthus australis and Hibiscus moscheutos. I know from modern reports that A. australis is edible but as for the H. moscheutos I have no idea though it comes from a very edible genus. Thus R. scabra is not on my site as an edible because I can’t find any historical reference to its use. Curiously the internet now calls it “edible.”  I do know two people who mistook it for chickweed and ate it for quite a while. And I know two people who did not mistake it; they know it is a Richardia and they eat it from time to time. That might be a key element. Without any ethnobotanical reference perhaps a little now and then is okay but a steady diet of it is not. It is one of those unknown things. Sometimes eating little bits of this or that do not rise to the level of making you ill. I know a person who mistook Oak Leaf Fleabane (Erigeron quercifolius) for for Plantago major and ate some for quite a while without an apparent problem. And I have personally seen someone eat a leaf of Oak Leaf Fleabane against my advice. She was still standing at the end of class. So there are definitely edible plants, and there are definitely non-edible plants. But there can be some fog in between.

Green Deane videos are now available on a USB.

Changing foraging videos:  My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been selling for seven years and are still available. They are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have a separate copy.  A second option is a16-gig USB that has those 135 videos plus 15 more. While the videos can be run from the DVDs the videos on the USB have to be copied to your computer to play. They are MP4 files. The150-video USB is $99 and the 135-video DVD set is now $99. The DVDs will be sold until they run out then will be exclusively replaced by the USB. This is a change I’ve been trying to make for several years. So if you have been wanting the 135-video DVD set order it now as the price is reduced and the supply limited. Or you can order the USB. My headache is getting my WordPress Order page changed to reflect these changes. We’ve been working on it for several weeks. However, if you want to order now either the USB or the DVD set make a $99 “donation” using the link at the bottom of this page or here.  That order form provides me with your address, the amount — $99 — tells me it is not a donation and in the note say if you want the DVD set or the USB. 

Green Deane Forum

Want to identify a plant? Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. 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.

This is weekly newsletter #426, If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

 To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Tallow Plums turn bright yellow when ripe and are easy to identify. Photo by Green Deane

Last Sunday’s foraging class — Haulover Canal — was a hot one with a lot of walking. Thanks for hanging in there. It’s not easy this time of year. The mosquitoes weren’t bad but the ankle-scratching vines left their mark. Unlike a few weeks earlier the drawbridge was working and we got to cover all four compass points of the canal. On the southwest bank there were many unripe Tallow Plums. Give them a month. The Passionvines were fruiting as was an easy-to-access hickory.  We also saw several of the salt tolerant species such as Sea Blite, Glasswort, Beach Carpet and some fruitless Goji Berries. Look for them starting around Christmas.

Classes are held rain or shine. Tropical storms and hurricanes are exceptions.

This foraging week’s classes are a bit of something old and something new (And while we are not dodging tropical storms this weekend next week’s classes might have to be adjusted. I study the weather a couple of weeks out when scheduling class locations.) This Saturday’s class is in Mead Garden, centrally located, full of edible species, easy walking. Sunday’s class is free though donations will be accepted. Why is Sunday’s class free? It’s a new location I’ve never been to. So it’s really a scouting trip for a class location north of Daytona but south of Jacksonville (who knows when that campus will be open regularly again.)  Unlike already-chosen locations I don’t know what plants this site will produce. 

Saturday, August 22nd, Mead Garden: 1500 S. Denning Dr., Winter Park, FL 32789.  9 a.m. to noon. The entrance is on the west side of Denning. Some GPS maps put it wrongly on the east side off Pennsylvania.

Sunday, August 23rd, Princess Place Preserve, 2500 Princess Place Road, Palm Coast, FL, 32137. 9 a.m. to noon? This class will be donations only. No charge. I have not been to this location but am visiting it to perhaps make it a permanent class location. As to where to meet … how about the parking lot? Discover the park and plants with me. 

Saturday August 29th, Colby-Alderman Park: 1099 Massachusetts Street, Cassadaga. Fla. 32706. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet by the bathrooms. 

Sunday August 30th, Eagle Park Lake, 1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. Meet at the pavilion near the dog park. 9 a.m. to noon. 

For more information, to pre-pay, or to sign up of a class go here.

Some goldenrod tastes like anise. Photo by Green Deane

In blossom now and seen last week at Haulover is Goldenrod. It is a bit of a treasure hunt and disappointment. The treasure hunt is that one species is better than all the rest for tea, Solidago odora. It does grow here, has an anise flavor, but is hard to find. It’s reported in most counties but is not common. Goldenrod grows in about half of the United States, southwest to northeast. Other Goldenrod species can also be made into tea, perhaps all of them particularly for herbal applications, but they don’t taste anywhere near as good.  In fact, after the “Boston Tea Party” of 1773 halted tea imports colonialists drank Goldenrod tea and even exported some to China. It did not catch on. However, every time I see a Goldenrod I pull off a leaf and crush it hoping to detect the tell-tale anise smell. It’s a golden treasure hunt.

Saw Palmetto berries go from green to gold to black.

The “revolting” flavor of ripe Saw Palmetto berries will soon be upon us. I’m not sure they are an “acquired” taste or a tolerated one. You will either be able to eat them or not. Basically they tastes like vomit. To be a little more gracious they taste like an intense blue cheese with some burning hot pepper tossed in. Once you get used to them they are… endurable. But if you were hungry you would crave them in that they have all the amino acids humans need to be healthy. They are good for you even if you don’t like them and should be on the top of every vegetarians list of go-to plants. As with some fruit — Durian for example — the smell is enough to dissuade many people from eating them, hungry or not. Saw Palmetto berries will be ripening for the next few weeks. They start out green, turn to gold, then ripen to black. If you are adventurous you have been forewarned. 

Boerhavia erecta, a Florida native.

As mentioned above foraging is like treasure hunting. While pedaling once in Apopka I had to stop at an intersection and noticed some Boerhavia diffusa. It’s a common barely edible probably from India or near there. One usually finds it in somewhat trashy ground such as sidewalk cracks, parking lots, and dumps. So when I stopped at the intersection it was no surprise to see Boerhavia growing there. But growing next to it was a white Boerhavia. That I had never seen. And the leaves were more pointed than the common species. A little bit of research suggests I found B. erecta, which surprisingly is a Florida native. It has spread to other parts of the world, however, and is reportedly edible and medicinal like B. difussa. After a bit more research I might have to update my article on the species. Until then you can read about the ruby-blossomed B. diffusa here.

Sumacs are in blossom. Photo by Green Deane

What is that? It’s a common question locally now that sumacs are in bloom. Their creamy terminal blossoms stand out looking somewhat exotic among the dark green foliage. The most common species here is Winged Sumac which is also one of the most widely-distributed sumac in North America. It’s found nearly everywhere though in different locales other species may dominate.  Where I grew up in Maine Staghorn Sumac was the common species and grew quite tall. I see them often when I visit North Carolina. The key to making sure you have an edible sumac and not toxic Poison Sumac or Brazilian Pepper is location of the blossom and subsequent fruit. Edible sumacs have terminal clusters of medium to dark red berries covered with fine hair. In this case “terminal” means they are on the very end of  the branch, like the blossom on the left. Brazilian Pepper has pink berries that are further down the branch. Poison Sumac, which only grows only in wet places, has dull cream to green-cream berries also further down on the stem. To read more about sumacs go here. 

Green Deane videos are now available on a USB.

Changing foraging videos:  My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been selling for seven years and are still available. They are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have a separate copy.  A second option is a16-gig USB that has those 135 videos plus 15 more. While the videos can be run from the DVDs the videos on the USB have to be copied to your computer to play. They are MP4 files. The150-video USB is $99 and the 135-video DVD set is now $99. The DVDs will be sold until they run out then will be exclusively replaced by the USB. This is a change I’ve been trying to make for several years. So if you have been wanting the 135-video DVD set order it now as the price is reduced and the supply limited. Or you can order the USB. My headache is getting my WordPress Order page changed to reflect these changes. We’ve been working on it for over three weeks. However, if you want to order now either the USB or the DVD set make a $99 “donation” using the link at the bottom of this page or here.  That order form provides me with your address, the amount — $99 — tells me it is not a donation and in the note say if you want the DVD set or the USB. 

Green Deane Forum

Want to identify a plant? Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. 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.

This is weekly newsletter #419, If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

 To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Wild Grapes are coming into season a little early this year. This single-tendril species tends to be high in acid.  We saw these in Melbourne Fl. You can read about them here. Photo by Green Deane

With apologies this newsletter is starting with the foraging class schedule. Because of Word Press issues non-moving ads covered last week’s schedule resulting in one class with no attendances. That said only one class is scheduled this weekend and while there is an approaching storm we should have good weather for that class in Mead Garden (Winter Park) Saturday. (It was changed to Saturday because of the pending storm.) Perhaps no location has such a large concentration of wild edibles. The week after that I have a class at Ft. Desoto south of St. Pete presuming little damage from passing storm.

Saturday, August 1st, Mead Garden: 1500 S. Denning Dr., Winter Park, FL 32789.  9 a.m. to noon. The entrance is on the west side of Denning. Some GPS maps put it wrongly on the east side off Pennsylvania.

Sunday, August 9th, Ft. Desoto Park, 3500 Pinellas Bayway S. St. Petersburg Fl 33715. There is an entrance fee to the park. Meet at the fishing pier parking lot. 9 a.m to noon. (Same pier as the ferry.) 

For more information, to pre-pay or sign up for a class go here. 

Peppervine got that name for a reason.

Putting on black fruit now is the controversial Pepper Vine, Ampelopsis arborea. It is closely related to the edible grape but also closely related to the toxic Virginia Creeper. It’s one of those plants that some folks say is definitely toxic and others say definitely edible. My personal experience is that it is not edible but I know some credible foragers who say they have eating the ripe berries for a long time with no issue. No doubt the problem has to do with annual calcium oxalate production. In small amounts it’s tolerable. In higher concentrations it can cause skin problems or internally upset digestion. Pepper Vine (so-called because the fruit can give a pepper-like burn) apparently can make little to a lot of the chemical each year, varying greatly. Another possibility is method of preparation. Some people juice the berries and let the juice sit in the refrigerator which allows the acid to precipitates. The juice is then carefully decanted through two coffee filters and used. Not for me but if you do said proceed with caution. The other caution is that Pepper Vine and Wild Grapes can grow intertwined and you can get some Pepper Vine fruit in with your grapes. This also can happen with Virginia Creeper. Pick your grapes carefully. 

Podocarpus arils are edible. The seeds are not. Photo by Green Deane

This is a reminder that now is prime Podocarpus harvesting. Granted, most folks think of the Podocarpus (macrophyllus) as a hedge rather than a fruit but it has food nonetheless. The fleshy aril is edible and very grape-like. The seed, however we don’t eat. Break it off and toss it away. Like the Yaupon Holly, the Podocarpus is an extremely common hedge plant. It’s difficult to find a subdivision or public building that doesn’t have some shaping up the landscape. Where you must be careful is to not confuse the Yew for the Podocarpus (which can be a problem because the Podocarpus is often wrongly called “The Southern Yew.”) The non-edible seed of the Podocarpus is on the end of the stem, the aril closer to the main plant. With the Yew the seed is inside the aril, like a ball in a cup. Avoid the Yew until you know what you are doing. Its aril is edible but the seed deadly. Yew arils can be red or yellow. But again, the toxic Yew seed is inside the aril again like a ball in a cup. Do not eat the seed. Do not eat the seed of either species. 

Adding Champagne yeast to three gallons of cactus pads and limes. Photo by Green Deane

Country Wine Update: A country wine is usually anything other than grapes made into wine. I have made wine for literally over 60 years (with some time off for bad behavior.) My first batch was Dandelion Wine way back in the early 60’s BC (Before Computers.)  My latest pitch is Cactus Pad wine as we have a lot of them around. Usually such wine is made from the “Tuna” the purple fruit of the Cactus. This is reasonable in that they are sweet and can have a raspberry flavor (don’t forget to wash off the glochids and be careful of the seeds, they can break teeth.) You could make wine out of cactus blossoms only but it would be a delicate white wine and probably would be better off as a flavoring for mead. As I am using tender young Nopales pads and aiming for a dry or semi-dry wine I decided to add a good amount of lime to see what that combination might produce. Cactus pads are edible as long as they are pads and have no white sap. White sap means you have made a mistake and have a Euphorbia. They are toxic. Also fermenting in my one-room winery is St. John’s Mint Wine. I have decided to put that in seven-ounce bottles so I have a couple of dozen I can share with future classes. The biggest problem to making wine is finding bottles to put it in.  

Sumacs are in blossom. Photo by Green Deane

What is that? It’s a common question locally now that Sumacs are in bloom. Their creamy terminal blossoms stand out looking somewhat exotic among the dark green foliage. The most common species here is Winged Sumac which is also one of the most widely-distributed sumac in North America. It’s found nearly everywhere though in different locales other species may dominate.  Where I grew up in Maine Staghorn Sumac was the common species and grew quite tall. I see them often when I visit North Carolina. The key to making sure you have an edible sumac and not toxic Poison Sumac or Brazilian Pepper is the location of the blossom and subsequent fruit. Edible sumacs have terminal clusters of medium to dark red berries covered with fine hair. In this case “terminal” means they are on the very end of  the branch, like the blossom on the right. Brazilian Pepper has pink berries that are further down the branch. Poison Sumac, which only grows only in wet places, has dull cream to green-cream berries also further down on the stem. To read more about Sumacs go here. 

Soon most Saw Palmetto Berries will be turning gold then black.

As we are approaching August Saw Palmetto Berries are turning from green to gold. In another month they will be black and edible (so to speak.) Many folks find the flavor of Saw Palmetto berries revolting. I am not sure they are an “acquired” taste or a tolerated one. You will either be able to eat them or not. Basically they tastes like vomit. To be a little more gracious they taste like intense blue cheese with some burning hot pepper tossed in. Once you get used to them they are… endurable. But if you were hungry you would crave them in that they have all the amino acids humans need to be healthy. They are good for you even if you don’t like them. As with some fruit — Durian for example — the smell is enough to dissuade many people from eating them. Saw Palmetto berries will be ripening for the next month or so thus you have plenty of time to try one.

Green Deane videos are now available on a USB.

Changing foraging videos:  My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been selling for seven years and are still available. They are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have a separate copy.  A second option is a16-gig USB that has those 135 videos plus 15 more. While the videos can be run from the DVDs the videos on the USB have to be copied to your computer to play. They are MP4 files. The150-video USB is $99 and the 135-video DVD set is now $99. The DVDs will be sold until they run out then will be exclusively replaced by the USB. This is a change I’ve been trying to make for several years. So if you have been wanting the 135-video DVD set order it now as the price is reduced and the supply limited. Or you can order the USB. My headache is getting my WordPress Order page changed to reflect these changes. We’ve been working on it for over three weeks. However, if you want to order now either the USB or the DVD set make a $99 “donation” using the link at the bottom of this page or here.  That order form provides me with your address, the amount — $99 — tells me it is not a donation and in the note say if you want the DVD set or the USB. 

Green Deane Forum

Want to identify a plant? Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. 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.

Black Gum seeds are easy to identify. Photo by Green Deane

Do you know why the Sweet Gum tree is called that? Because while it tastes mighty bad it is not as bad as the other “gum” trees, one of which is not season yet but is fruiting, the Black Gum.You have to like sour and bitter to like the Black Gum tree.  If you don’t the fruit is offensive and elicits comments that cannot be printed in wholesome publications. This did not stop settlers from adding a lot of sugar to the fruit and making jelly out of it. The seed itself is easy to identify in that under the pulp there are vertical striations covering the seed. The tree usually looks gangly and has branches that are often on a 90-degree angle to the trunk. It likes to grow in wet spots and swams and the like. To read more about the Black Gum and its nearly-offensive but edible relatives click here.

This is weekly newsletter #416, If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

 To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Tindora, or Ivy Gourd, is a hated and appreciated escaped vegetable. Photo by Green Deane

Ivy Gourd fruit ripens to red. Photo by Green Deane

If you have an established Ivy Gourd you know what this entry will be about: They are fruiting now and will do so until cold weather some eight or nine months from now.  The Ivy Gourd has a schizophrenic status. It’s an escaped Asian vegetable that grows well locally and is nearly pest free. It seems resistant to most virus and fungus but is attacked about now for three weeks by some lava. I just cut them out and eat the rest. Because the Ivy Gourd is so prolific and resistant it’s popular with home gardeners and permaculturists. On the other side of the issue as it’s not native it is on the radar of the Native Plant Society and the state as an invasive. I personally don’t know how invasive it is because while it’s available but I don’t see it too often in my wanderings.  I find it an excellent vegetable, either when green or ripe red. It will probably grow in popularity as more and more people follow permaculture and front yard gardening. To see a video about the Ivy Gourd go here, to read about Ivy Gourd go here.

Swinecress is an easy to identify mustard.

Found in abundance this past Sunday in Melbourne was Swinecress. I look for this mustard relative in lawn-like settings usually after the New Year and until warm weather. (This week we will be unseasonally in the 90’s.) There are a couple of notable aspects to Swinecress. One is that its flavor grows in intensity as you eat it. It begins mild and then expands. The other is that once it is seeding it’s nearly impossible to misidentify (and one of the few times the botanical name actually helps us identify the species.) From a flavor point of view it would make a good commercial crop but it’s usually a low grower and relatively small compared to other winter greens. I think it would be a fine plant for the home winter garden. You can read about “naughty” Swinecress here. 

Foraging classes are held rain or shine, heat or cold. Photo by Nermina Krenata

The foraging class Saturday, March 28th at Haulover Canal, Merritt Island, has been canceled because the federal area is close because of Covid-19. And no one signed up for the Sunday class at Spruce Creek. I will leave the April schedule as it is for now.  I am available for private classes. See my class page. 

Saturday, April 4th, Bayshore Live Oak Park, Port Charlotte, FL, 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the parking lot at the intersection of Bayshore Road and Ganyard Street.

Sunday, April 5th,  because of closures int Orange County this has been changed to Colby-Alderman Park in Cassadaga. 9 a.m. to noon, meet near the bathrooms. 

For more information about classes go here. 

A cashew apple is edible and used to make a drink called Feni.

One of the more strange trees is the cashew. The species is closely related to poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, edible sumac, mangos, and pistachios. The cashew itself is an exceptionally toxic tree. The cashew “seed” is actually an enclosed nut inside an enclosed shell. It is surrounded by a toxic sap. The sap is dangerous. The process of making the seed edible is dangerous. While the end product is a tasty nut it is among the least nutritious of tree seeds. Oddly the cashew “apple” is quite edible and before Hurricane Irma we saw them in West Palm Beach. The storm took them out. You can read more about the cashew here.

Leggy Henbit closing out our winter season. Photo by Green Deane

I saw some Henbit yesterday though we are approaching April. In northern climates it’s one of the first green plants to pop up after the snow goes (it and chickweed.) Locally Henbit likes the cooler months of the year. It was esteemed by the natives because among all the spring greens it’s not spicy but rather mild if not on the sweet side. Henbit is commonly used in salads but can get lost amid stronger flavors. It’s in the mint family but does not smell or taste minty. It does, however, have a square stem and the blossoms resembles mints. What can be confusing about it is that the leaf shape and stem length is different from young to old leaves. But they all have a scalloped shape. It also has a similar looking, darker relative that is also edible called Dead Nettle. I have a video about it here and an article here.

Extra large wild purslane. Photo by Green Deane

The Common Purslane is probably native to India or thereabouts (though that is debatable) and is found nearly around the world. Nearly everywhere it grows all above-ground parts are on the menu except in the United States. Why Purslane is not on  main stream grocery store shelves in this country is a mystery. I see it growing everywhere and a lot of it goes home with me for supper or transplanted into the garden. It’s not known for taking up bad chemicals so often all it needs is to be rinsed off. I saw some extremely large pusrlane that dwarfed my sunglasses. As for the commercial varieties of purslane one sees in nurseries and the like they are generally not considered edible. You can see a video here, To read more about Purslane go here. 

Foraging DVDs

Though your foraging may drop off  during Covid-19 travel bans it’s a great time to study wild edibles with my nine DVD set. Each  DVDs has 15 videos for 135 in all (that’s $1 a video.) They make a great gift. Order today by the set or individual videos. Some of these videos are of better quality than my free ones on the Internet. They are the same videos but many people like to have their own copy. I burn and compile the sets myself so if you have any issues I handle them personally. There are no middle foragers. I also made more to cope with the quarantines and replace lost class income. To learn more about the DVDs or to order them click here.

Green Deane Forum

Want to identify a plant? Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. Several hard-to-find books are there page for page. Recent posts this week include Spring 2020 Plantings, Light Purple Flowers and Fuzzy Leaves, Red Blossoms Hanging Down, Edible Privacy Fence, Tendrilizing, Calculating COVID-19 Mortality Rate, Nettle Spanakopita, Pawpaws Starting Early? What are those White Blossoms, Brazilian Pepper Revisited, Palmer Amaranth, In The Loop, Tomatoes: A Fruit First, a Vegetable Second, and Butterweed: Annual Warning.  You can join the Forum by going to the upper right hand top of this page. 

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.  There are many needs left such as expanding the foraging teacher page and the page on monotypic edibles. There’s always something and such things get more complex and expensive every year. 

This is weekly newsletter 398, If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

 To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Below is a Basswood Tree and in suburbia no less. One usually finds them about hammocks and the like. This time of year they are extremely easy to identify. They have a growth attached the fruiting body that resembles a tongue depressor. I have an article on the species here and a video here. 

Photo by Green Deane