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Newsletter 14 January 2020

by Green Deane

Wild horses do it, deer do, perhaps wild bees don’t do it but most creatures forage in the winter and so can you. Photo by the Wild Horses of Alberta Society

It’s rather obvious that wintertime foraging varies where you live. In moderate Florida we can forage all year and the wintertime provides some of the best opportunities. But what of northern climates?

An edible turtle under ice. Photo by Richard Due.

I grew up where winter night temperatures easily dropped into the 30-plus below zero (-38 celsius.) Sometimes the schools had to close for several days because they could not be kept warm. And once we went skating at 50 below just to say we did. (Chilblains from that night some 60 years ago still bother me in air conditioned buildings. It’s wasn’t the skating with a bonfire that did permanent damage but rather the arctic one-mile walk home.) That was on Gowen’s Pond, our local natural skating rink. It had one tree-stump island, probably had been a water-tolerant hackmatack. That speck of protrusion through the ice was perhaps six square feet in total area. The ice was thinner there and one winter I saw a turtle under the ice feeding some some green pond plant. That generated several thoughts. One was that it was warm enough for the turtle to go looking for food. Two that the turtle found food, and, three that the turtle was food even in the winter. Like the turtle or the horses I grew up with you can find food in hostile winter climates if you know where to dig or browse. You can read more about that here.

Chickweed have five petals that look like ten Photo by Green Deane.

Chickweed stole the show this weekend. In well-watered spots chickweed was in green glory, lush, full, blossoming, happy to be alive. With such healthy plants it was easy to find the identifying characteristics: stretchy inner core, a single line of hair on the main stem that switches 90 degrees at the nodes, a five-petal blossom that looks like 10 petals, and uncooked chickweed tastes like raw corn. Also sprouting patches of green on the monoculture brown park were stinging nettles. It’s still early in the season for nettles with most of them no higher than four inches, just about the same height as our winter henbit also available for the picking. A private forage later on produced, surprisingly, some native mint and a lot of true thistles. Lot’s of food and flavor there. There were also ticks-a-plenty.

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

I’m teaching at a Mensa regional gathering in Cocoa Beach this Saturday afternoon so I am having a class in Melbourne Saturday morning. Sunday we are squeaking in a class in Jacksonville before really cold weather sets in next week.

Saturday, January 18th, Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne, FL. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the Dog Park inside the park.

Sunday, January 19th, Florida State College, south campus, 11901 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, 32246. 9 a.m. to noon. We will meet at building “D” next to the administration parking lot.

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

The spate of warm weather recently increased our wanderings. Here are some of the bounty we found in foraging classes: natal plum, swinecress (which we later found there) some and a couple of Milkweed Vine fruit. While we nibbled on many things among them were Turks Cap, Oxalis, Black Nightshade (see below), Violets, False Hawk’s Beard, Plantagos, Fireweed, and Hairy Bittercress which is barely hairy at all. Also noticed during the forage was a tasty False Roselle not yet done in by the cool weather. And although the Eastern Red Bud won’t flower in profusion for couple of months we found a couple of winter-daring blossoms to look at.

Use sublimed sulfur to thwart tick attacks.

Before the state of Florida went on the Internet most of the information it thought fit for its citizens to know was produced in pamphlet form. When the shift was made to the Internet some information got lost or was dropped. One useful bit of advice was using sublimed sulfur to keep ticks off. Available online or through local pharmacies or chemical supply stores you put it in an old sock or the like and dust your cuffs and collar with it before entering tick habitat. It either repels them or vastly slows them down from finding a place to grab on, giving you more time to find the hardy ones (to reduces chances of disease you should remove them within 24-hours. After that the chances of disease goes up exponentially with each passing hour.) I used sublimed for many years very successfully finding a tick or two on me now and then but not attached. That’s the good news. Now the bad news, for me at least. While I am not a biochemist I would suspect this would not be something you would do if you had a sulfur allergy. Indeed, after I used it for many years I developed an allergy to it (severe nasal congestion and eye watering.) So be careful. That’s said it did work well while I used it.

Weeds of Southern Turf Grasses

If you didn’t find a weed book you wanted under the Christmas tree here’s one you can pick up locally or order. The University of Florida has put out an unintentional edible weed book, Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses. What I mean is the book is not designed for foragers but rather land managers. However, the majority of the plants in the book are edible. It has 437 color photographs of 193 weed species found in the south usually on lawns and the like. As you can see by the link I have a list of the edibles and what pages they are on. Many of my students just print the list then paste each entry on the appropriate page or make notes on that page. There is also a link on the page to order it through the state of Florida. DO NOT ORDER IT THROUGH AMAZON OR OTHER BOOKSELLERS. Why? Because they will charge you from $38.67 to $59.66 for a book you can buy at a local extension office for $8. If you order it through the link I provide it is $14 plus shipping. (I actually found one bookseller in the past asking over $800 for it.) As it says on the link I do not get any money for recommending this book. It is just an inexpensive, handy book to have.

The Black Nightshade has berries.

I had a friend who thought of himself as an outdoorsman thus beyond needing to study edible plants. Many years ago he called me one day asking “how do I get the seeds out of the pigweed berries.” I knew there was a problem immediately. Our local “pigweed” does not have berries but our local nightshade does. Our “pigweed” is an Amaranth and has seed spikes. About the size of fingers or more they are covered with tiny flowers that produce a multitude eye-of-the needle seeds, tan to black. No berries involved at all. Conversely the nightshade (Solanum americanum) produces an umbrella-like spread of black shiny berries on one small stalk (photo to left.) It does have a lot of seeds inside the berries. So I thought I had better ask him why he wanted the seeds before I told him him the Amaranth didn’t have berries but the nightshade did. He wanted to grow some in his yard. They had been steaming the leaves and eating them like spinach! When I got done explaining he said “then that’s why we’ve all been getting headaches after eating the leaves.” Indeed. The leaves of this particular nightshade are edible but they must be boiled in one or two changes of water, not steamed.

The American Nightshade can have totally ripe and unripe berries at the same time. Photo by Green Deane.

My friend had skipped many details. The wrong identification also led to the wrong preparation compounding the error. Admittedly the plants did have a few things in common. They were both green, grew in Florida and had leaves that can vaguely be the same rough shape, diamondish. But the difference between a seed spike of small green flowers vs. a cluster of shiny black berries is not paying attention to details. Fortunately no great harm was done. No matter how much Details are important (even though it is my personality to dislike them.) Locally two plants you will commonly encounter that you need to know about are the edible elderberry and the deadly water hemlock. To the beginner they can look similar. To learn important details about them and how they differ click here.

Oyster Mushrooms. Photo by Green Deane

Most local edible mushrooms are in winter recess. Our Ringless Honey Mushroom season ended several weeks ago. Most of our terrestrial species will stay hidden until heavy spring rains. However during a foraging class this weekend we did see some Amanitas, of which there is no shortage of in the southeast. It was three examples of the same species, A. citrina. But the big find but not a winter surprise was were logs of Oyster Mushrooms, of the Pleurotus ostreatus complex. They say “complex” because the mushrooms can vary enough for mycologists to notice but not enough to be called a different species. I’ve seen them on Oaks in the winter as well as Sweet Bays and Sycamores. In warmer weather I see a related smaller species on palms. Oyster Mushrooms — which do not taste like oysters but can smell like anise — are considered one of the safer mushrooms to harvest because none of the possible look-a-likes are deadly… just sickening. And here’s a reminder that several facebook mushroom pages are associated with EatTheWeeds. They are Florida Mushroom Identification Forum, Southeastern U.S. Mushroom Identification, Edible Mushrooms: Florida, Edible Wild Mushrooms, and the Orlando Mushroom Group.

The Nine DVD set includes 135 videos.

Though your foraging may drop off during the winter it’s a great time to study wild edibles with my nine DVD set. Each DVDs has 15 videos for 135 in all. They make a great gift. Order today. 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. And I’m working on adding a tenth DVD. To learn more about the DVDs or to order them click 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. There are many needs left such as expanding the foraging teacher page, the page on monotypic edibles and the Plant Archive page. There’s always something and such things get more complex and expensive every year.

Do you know this tree with edible parts? You would if you read the 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 about, such as the one to the left. 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. Recent topics include: Asystasia gangetica aka Chinese Violet or Ganges Primrose, Armillaria mellea Ringed Honeys, Acorn Treatment Question, Acorn Questions Any Poisons? A Cure For The Common Cold, Lactifluus piperatus, Elderberry Capers? You can join the forum by clicking on the button on the upper right hand side of this page.

This is weekly newsletter 388, 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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Newsletter 16 April 2019

by Green Deane

If you are in the habit of eating wild mushroom then you’re waiting for the spring rains. Local this usually happens in latter April or early May. That and warmer ground temperature tells mushrooms to grow. As a prelude I had my first edible wild mushroom find of the season this week.

You can powder the dry stem then add it to salt for flavoring. Photo by Green Deane

Old Man of the Woods, Strobilomyces sp. is a rather distinct mushroom. There are a few variations — a microscope helps to sort them out — but they are all edible. There are at least three species in North America and are in a group of mushrooms called Boletes. These mushrooms do not have gills but rather pores on the underside. The saving grace is none of them cause lasting organ damage if you eat a toxic one. There is a short check list one can use to tell if a Bolete is a potential edible. In Europe most of the Boletes are edible, in North America most are not, and in The South if not Florida many are unidentified. Opinions vary on the Old Men. Some cook and eat the entire mushroom. Others just the cap with pores throwing away the stems, others just the cap throwing away the pores, and some not liking the texture dry the pore-less cap, powder it, and use it for flavoring. I like the cap with pores fried which is how I cooked the one at the top of the newsletter. To me they taste like Porcini mushroom. The only drawback is you find only one or two at a time.

Milk Caps exude a white liquid. Photo by Green Deane

One local trio of edible mushroom we are waiting for are called “Milk Caps.” When broken or scraped all three weep a liquid, often white. It is not a latex but is called that. The liquid, however, can also be light yellow or watery. That the mushroom is the weeping helps you identify the genus, sometimes the species. Common locally is the Lactifluus hygrophorides, L. corrugis, L. volemus var. volemus and L. luteolus. The latter is edible but smells strongly like a dead fish. I picked some twelve pounds of them last year. They’re a substantial mushroom with a good flavor and texture. They are also fairly easy to identify. It has a ruddy cap, slightly felt-like to touch, wide-space gills, and bleeds a white fluid that does not stain the mushroom.

Chanterelles are a different color inside than outside. Photo by Green Deane

Perhaps the most coveted wild mushroom locally is the Chanterelle. We have several species and sometimes they are difficult to sort out. That is not just in the field. The genus is, as they say, is under revision and the names are changing. Experts can’t agree exactly how many species there are and how many of them are found locally. It’s fairly easy to tell if one has a Chanterelle. It’s a bit more of a challenge to figure out which Chanterelle you have. I collected some 22 pounds of them last year. They are distinct enough in flavor and texture to hold their own in recipes. I like them sautéed with scrambled eggs.

Pineapple Guava blossoms are peppery. Photo by Green Deane

Perhaps no ornamental was championed as much as the Pineapple Guava. However the perfect shrub for many places never really caught on. There could be several reasons for that. It probably didn’t help that a close relative, the Strawberry Guava, is a severe invasive species in some locations. The shrub also does not get showy. It’s almost always drab. And while the blossoms are extroverted you have to hunt for them. While the entire blossom is edible most people only eat the petals. Five or six months from now they will be dark green fruit that stay green as they ripen. They just get softer. The shrub is easy to identify when in blossom. To read more about both guavas, go here.

Cooked blossoms are comfort food. Photo by Green Deane

Let us revisit what is blossoming this time of year: The Eastern Coral Bean. It is also sometimes called the Cherokee Bean. What is odd about this plant is the edible flowers produce toxic beans. So we do not eat the red and black beans. A few of the red blossoms are edible raw but they are usually boiled then mixed with other foods notably scrambled eggs. When you cook the blossoms they turn light green. The distinctive shape of the leaves makes the shrub easy to identify. Young leaves are edible cooked but are marginal fare. Like the Pawpaws above they prefer dry, sunny places. A few raw red blossoms seem okay but if eaten in larger amounts they can be mind altering and approaching dangerous. Boiled they are fine. (Juice from the shrub’s stems, by the way, has been used to treat scorpion stings.) You can read more about the Eastern Coral Bean here.

What’s the old saying? Close but no cigar. That might be the case with Foresteria segregata. Also called Florida Privet and Swamp Privet, you can find it anywhere from brackish waterways to an intentional ornamental in landscaping. The straight limbs were used for arrows and the blue berries possibly used for ink. I suspect the species has never worked its way into ethnobotanical literature because the berries taste bad. I’m not sure, however, if the story ends there. Yes, the berries are not considered edible. That said I have not found any references to toxicity but that might be because they are too foul to eat. However, it is in the Olive family and olives don’t taste good unless “cured.” What I wonder is 1) if the fruit are edible if 2) they are treated (meaning cured) like olives? It’s pure speculation on my part. They could be toxic for all I know. But it’s an idea.

Foraging classes are held rain or shine, heat or cold.

Foraging classes: Saturday’s class is in my own backyard, so to speak, Orlando, Blanchard Park. The rain should be past but it might be a little chilly. Sunday’s class is in Eagle Park Lake in Largo, a site we haven’t visited for several months.

Saturday, April 20th, Blanchard Park, 10501 Jay Blanchard Trail, Orlando, FL 32817. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet next to the tennis courts by the YMCA building.

Sunday, April 21st, Eagle Park Lake, 1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the pavilion near the dog park. Arrive earlier than later as it is Easter and the park can fill fast.

Saturday, April 27th, Red Bug Slough Beneva Road, Sarasota, FL, 34233. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the parking lot.

Saturday, May 4th, Colby-Alderman Park: 1099 Massachusetts Street, Cassadaga. Fla. 32706. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet by the bathrooms.

Sunday, May 5th: Ft. Meade Outdoor Recreation Area, 1639 Frostproof Highway, Fort Meade, FL 33841. (Frostproof Highway is also Route 98.) 9 a.m to noon. Meet at the brown bathrooms in the middle of the park which is due south from the highway.

Saturday, May 11th, Dreher Park, 1200 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, 33405. 9 a.m to noon. Meet just north of the science center in the north section of the park.

Sunday, May 12th, Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, 2045 Mud Lake Road, DeLeon Springs, FL. 9 a.m. to noon. A few hundred feet after crossing the railroad tracks on Mudlake Road there in the parking lot on your right. We meet there. This is a hike of approximately four miles, two out and back mostly native species, very few ornamentals. While the walking is easy we are exposed to the elements, sun on a clear day, wind on a cold day. Check the weather, dress appropriately. Bring water, wear suitable footwear. Know that as it is federal land it can be closed anytime for any reason without notice.

Saturday, May 18th, Florida State College, south campus, 11901 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, 32246. 9 a.m. to noon. We will meet at building “D” next to the administration parking lot.

Sunday, May 19th, Boulware Springs Park, 3420 SE 15th St., Gainesville, FL 32641. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the picnic tables next to the pump house.

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

Foraging is more than identifying edible wild plants. It also involves knowing how to cook them, when they are prime to harvest, and subject of this review, where to find them. In real estate the mantra is “location, location, location.” We could use that with plants but a refinement would be “environment, environment, environment.”

We know not to look for swamp plants in a desert, unless there is an isolated spring there such as an oasis. Likewise, few cactus grow in swamps though there are exceptions. We also usually find salt tolerant plants near the shore or inland near salt licks (and sometimes along northern roads salted every winter.) But some of those salt-tolerant plants will grow in your garden and do not need to be in a salty environment. Sea Purslane is found on the shore or near brackish water where its job is to build soil by forcing the wind to slow down and drop sand. But, it will also grow in your garden, no salt or wind needed. Other plants are more picky and won’t grow well if not in their preferred location.

For example, one species I am long-familiar with is Blueberries. They like soil on the acidic side, a pH below 7 on a 14-point scale. I grew up in poor-soil Maine where one could find 120-acre fields of nothing but Blueberries. Yet where I live in Florida Blueberries are found in small colonies in isolated pockets. Why? One answer is Florida is a limestone plate (alkaline not acidic) so it is a waste of time to look for Blueberries unless there are acid-producing pines, oaks or perhaps cypress nearby. I planted Blueberries specifically bred for Florida but one has to amend the soil — the amount of acid — nearly as much as one has to work daily to keep a pool from turning green. They eventually died, one of my few failures.

Another example is Dandelions. I have observed for several decades that Dandelions don’t like Florida, or at least the areas of Florida I visit. They like acidic soil. It might be it is not Florida’s heat they don’t like but rather the alkaline (“sweet”) soil. The few places I have seen Dandelions growing have been areas of acidic soil again near pines and often oaks. Dreher Park in West Palm Beach is a good example. What Dandelions there are there can be found growing in lawn grass amongst oaks. While I have also found Dandelions year round they tend to favor the winter months such as November through February.

Henbit, one of the few “sweet” springtime greens. Photo by Green Deane

Some plants can do well in nearly any soil. Henbit, Dead Nettle and Shepard’s Purse are good examples. However, a close relative of Shepard’s Purse, Poor Man’s Pepper Grass, likes soil on the alkaline side. This means you probably won’t find Pepper Grass near Pines and Oaks. Plants that like acidic soil (below a pH of 7.0) that you can find near Oaks and Pines include Eastern Bracken Fern, Curly Dock, Mullein, Nettles, Violets, Pineapple Weed, Plantagos, Wild Radish, Sheep Sorrel, Sow Thistle, and wild Strawberries. Plants that like it on the “sweet” or alkaline side besides Pepper Grass? Wild Carrots, Lamb’s Quarters, Amaranth, Pokeweed, White Mustard, and Purslane. Don’t look for those in an oak scrub or with a lot pines around.

Besides the pH of soil the kind of soil can make a difference. Chicory likes “heavy” soil meaning lots of clay, or rocks. Also liking heavy soil is Broadleaf Dock, Daisies, Milkweed, Plantains, true Thistles, and Wild Garlic. Plants that can endure hard packed soil include Field Mustard, Morning Glories — some of which are edible — and Pineapple Weed (it used to grow in our gravel driveway.) Going the other directions, plants that like sandy soil include Goldenrods, Sandspurs , Horsemint, and Spurge Nettle. Plants too look for in agricultural soil include chickweed, Dandelions, Lambs Quarters, Plantains, Amaranth and Purslane. And while Florida Betony can grow edible roots in rich loam or sand it tends to grow larger and easier to harvest roots in sand.

By their very presence some plants can tell you about what’s in or not in the soil. Burdock likes soil very high in iron and sulfate but low in calcium and manganese. Chickweed and Dandelions like low-calcium low-phosphorus soils. Crabgrass likes very low levels of calcium, phosphorus but high levels of chlorine, magnesium and potassium. Oxalis and Hop Cover, however, prefer low levels of calcium but high levels of magnesium. Purslane and Mustard like high phosphorus levels.

If you see a healthy patch of White Clover you know the soil is lacking in nitrogen. Or said another way, you won’t find happy White Clover in nitrogen-rich soil. I suspect that holds true for other members of the pea family as well. Because of preferences you will usually not find amaranth and clover growing together. Red Clover, however, prefers to grow in areas of soil high in potassium. Wild Garlic also likes high potassium as well along with chlorine, magnesium, and sodium.

All My Videos are 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 for a total of 135 videos. 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. The DVDs make a good gift for that forager you know especially as spring is … springing. Individual DVDs can also be ordered or you can pick and choose. You can order them by clicking on the button on the top right hand side of this page (if your window is open wide enough.) Or you can go here.

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 who eat first then ask questions later. You can join the forum by clicking on “forum” in the menu.

This is weekly issue 351.

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Newsletter 15 January 2019

by Green Deane

A common blossom that’s easy to identify is the wild violet. It’s cultivated brethren is the pansy. There are a huge variety of violets in North America ranging from field pansies to those that like to grow down hill from the septic tank. 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. You can read about violets here. I have a video about them here.

What is the prime mistake made by foragers? That’s easy to answer: They make the plant fit the description. It happens to beginners and old hands as well. The beginners don’t see the details and the more experienced are irritated the plant doesn’t fit so they stretch the definitions. But as the bromide warns the “devil is in the details.” I will readily admit I loathe details. It is not me by mindset or personality. I am sympathetic with those for whom details make their glaze over. But details, as much as we might not like them, are what foraging is all about. If I can suppress my irritation with details and work with them so can you. The good part is that you can get to know a plant well enough that the details make a whole picture and you don’t have to think about them as much with plants you know. Besides making a plant fit the description what is the most over-looked plant detail? Leaf structure.

BCompound leaves can be confusing. Leaves are either simple or compound. A simple leaf is one leaf whereas a compound leaf is comprised of several leaflets. Compound leaves are divided into two to several dozen leaflets.

A leaf is attached to a stem. There is also a bud there. When it is attached to the main stem it is simple. When it is attached to a stem which is in turn attached to a main stem with a bud it is compound. Where the bud is, is the key. Oaks have simple leaves as do birches, sycamores, and elms. Hickories have compound leaves, as do many trees in the greater pea family. Compound leaves can also be called pinnate, which means feather because someone thought they looked featherish. Compound leaves can be bipinnated and tripinnated. And they can be palmately pinnated.

In the diagram above left there is a simple leaf, a compound leaf, and a doubly (bipinnated) leaf. It would be tempting to call all the green things leaves but they are not. The simple single leaf is a leaf, but the rest are leaflets. They can also be even or odd depending on whether there is a leaflet at the end, see diagram two at right. Also they can be palmate (think like a palm and fingers.) Clover and oxalis are two more examples of compound leaves. In the clover there are three leaves at the end of the stem, shaped like a T. In the oxalis there are three leaves at the end equally distributed around the stem. That is sometimes called a terminal compound leaf.

My foraging classes are on the east coast of Florida this week, Melbourne Saturday, West Palm Beach Sunday. Should be great weather both days.

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

Saturday, January 19th, Wickham Park: 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne, FL 32935-2335. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the “dog park” inside the park .

Sunday, January 20th, Dreher Park, 1200 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, 33405. p a.m. to noon. Meet just north of the science center.

Saturday, January 26th, Colby Alderman Park, 1099 Massachusetts Street Cassadaga, Fl. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet by the bathrooms.

Sunday, January 27th, Bayshore Live Oak Park, Bayshore Drive, Port Charlotte . 9 a.m. to noon. Meet in the parking lot across from Ganyard Street.

Saturday, February 2nd, 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, February 3rd, Blanchard Park, 10501 Jay Blanchard Trail, Orlando, FL 32817. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet near the tennis court near the YMCA building.

For more information about the classes go here.

The Florida Herbal Conference is February 22-24. It’s their eighth annual event and for the eighth year I will be teaching there. You can learn quickly at conferences because you are getting a distillation of information from teachers with years of experience. Any questions can be answered quickly and to the point, no rummaging around to resolve an issue. You’re also with like-minded folks so there’s instant camaraderie. You are the majority. For more information go to: Florida Herbal Conference.

Also called Camel Foot Tree. Photo by Green Deane

I’ve received some questions regarding Bauhinias, which are found in warmer areas of several states and countries. “Discovered” in Hong Kong, the blossoms are edible and on some, the seeds are edible as well which presents a problem. First, there are several hundred of them — including hybrids — and you might not see them often enough to know exactly which Bauhinia you are looking at. It becomes an issue of familiarity, particularly regarding which ones have edible seeds. So it’s a pretty tree, has edible blossoms but when it comes to the seeds you need to be careful and do your homework. To read more about this attractive tree click here.

The entire plant is edible. Photo by Green Deane

Also making itself better know this spring is a Dandelion relative, the False Hawk’s Beard. While one can find it all year the edible favors the spring. It’s a very common lawn invader and can occasionally get up to a couple of feet tall. Young leaves are eaten raw, older leaves which can be tougher and a bit bitter, can be boiled. I have a Croatian friend who also cooks up the roots, too. They can be easily distinguished from the Dandelion by the flower stalk which is branched (unlike the Dandelion which has one straight stalk.) Also the False Hawk’s Beard can have blossoms in all stages of development at the same time, unopened, open, and going to seed. I have a video on it here . You can read more about the False Hawk’s Beard here.

Green Eyes smell like chocolate but are not edible.

As far as I know this next plant is not edible or medicinal and probably should not be mentioned in a newsletter about edible wild plants. However, it’s commonly seen, people do inquire about it, and for a “Daisy” it has if not a unique aroma certainly an unusual one.” Locally called Green Eyes, Berlandiera lyrata has blossoms that smell like cocoa or unsweetened chocolate. The fragrant parts of the blossom are the stamen which attract beneficial insects. Also called the “Chocolate Daisy” it grows in moderately moist to moderately dry areas and can be as tall as two feet. I seem to always find it in dryer areas. Stalks are leafless. The “green eye” portion is the center of the flower before its covered with tiny blossoms which then gives it a maroon color. You can pull the rays to smell the chocolate or crush a blossom. Locally it can bloom nearly year round.

This week I saw a tree I had not seen in many years, Foresteria segregata. Also called Florida Privet and Swamp Privet, you can find it anywhere from brackish waterways to an intentional ornamental in landscaping. The straight limbs were used for arrows and the blue berries possibly used for ink. I suspect the species has never worked its way into ethnobotanical literature because the berries taste bad. I’m not sure, however, if the story ends there. Yes, the berries are not considered edible. That said I have not found any references to toxicity but that might be because they are too foul to eat. However, it is in the Olive family and olives don’t taste good unless “cured.” What I wonder is 1) if the fruit are edible if 2) they are treated (meaning cured) like olives? It’s pure speculation on my part. They could be toxic for all I know. But it’s an idea.

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 for a total of 135 videos. 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. The DVDs make a good gift for that forager you know especially on long, cold winter months. Individual DVDs can also be ordered or you can pick and choose. You can order them by clicking on the button on the top right hand side of this page (if your window is open wide enough.) 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. There are many needs left such as expanding the foraging teacher page and the page on monotypic edibles. Several functions were also lost when we transitioned to the new website. I’m still having a hard time finding articles I wrote! There’s always something and such things get more complex and expensive every year. Indeed, the average email cost to send each newsletter is $20.

Swinecress, is low-growing and found mostly in lawns. It’s in the mustard family so the general taste is identifiable quickly. Swinecress is also among the few plants whose botanical name helps us identify the species. Sometimes a plant will have two names that honor two botanists which doesn’t help us with identification. Swinecress, however, is Coronopus didymus. Coronopus means Raven Foot, or we would say crow foot. To some, or at least the naming botanist, the leaf resembles a crow’s foot. And while that might be so it is the Didymus part that makes the plant easy to identify. Didymus means two testes and indeed it takes very little imagination to see that imagery in the arrangement of the species seeds. Swinecress is edible raw or cook. It has a mild flavor at first that then grows stronger as you eat it. To read more about this micro-mustard go here.

*Clathrus columnatus* has an aroma only a vulture could appreciate. Photo by Green Deane

Many cheeses have a strong aroma. My mother likened them to dirty socks. She was not a cheese eater, nor did she eat mushrooms. Just as well. We have a very smelly mushroom which when young smells quite tasty but when past the juvenile stage smells like a dead animal. It’s the stink horn. There are many stink horns. This one is Clathrus columnatus. Opinions vary whether it is edible in the “egg” stage. I don’t conveniently see them that often in the “egg” stage to give them a try. Also note I recently uploaded a video on Ringless Honey Mushrooms.

Oh…. I almost forgot: A decade ago I wrote and read an editorial for National Public Radio Holland. They put music to it and it was on their “Earth Beat” site for many years. I thought it a good essay and had it on my site until the link went down. This week I dug up the three minute audio, imported it into Imovie and put photos with it. It’s called Lawns Aren’t Green:

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

This is weekly issue 338.

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Newsletter 10 July 2018

by Green Deane

Magnolia Grandiflora, the big evergreen tree of the South.

Some people batter and fry the petals.

A life time ago I was a foreign exchange student. I attended Whiteland College which was part of the University of London. I remember well three things about my time there. One was that they use Magnolia Blossoms as a condiment. I thought that strange at the time. It’s a very intense flavor. You can make it yourself by dicing then lacto-fermenting the blossoms for a few days, draining, then storing it in the frig adding a little white wine and sugar. You can do the same thing with Nasturtium seeds. They smell horrible for three days but they taste great once drained and stored. You can also flavor vinegar with the white petals.

Magnolia virginiana leaves are easy to identify.

Magnolia Grandiflora leaves can be used like a bay leaf. In fact a close relative, the “Sweet Bay,” Magnolia virginiana, has been used that way for at least centuries and is highly esteemed for that use. The “Sweet Bay” a very common tree in damp areas and easy to identify. You can read about the Magnolias here. And what were the other two memorable items from the exchange? All the hallways in the college — which is now an upscale condominium — were named after local streets. So you didn’t live in room 213. It was 213 Wadsworth Way or the like. And right across the hedgerow was a hospital with the most awful name on a huge wrought iron banner over the drive way. It was: The Royal Hospital for the Incurably Ill.

A red mold turns other mushrooms in to edible.

Lobsters… no, not the kind from the sea but the woods: Lobster mushrooms. As with many things the common name for Hypomyces lactofluoum can mislead. Lobster Mushrooms aren’t really mushroom but they also are… It takes some explaining. Hypomyces lactifluoum is a mold that infects certain species of mushrooms changing them into edible mushrooms. It usually infects mushrooms in the genera Russula and Lactiaria (though that last genus is ungoing changes so they might now be Lactifluus.) It creeps over the outside of the mushroom and takes over, turning it a reddish orange like a cooked lobster. And, it also changes the flavor of the mushroom towards tasting like seafood. One local mushroom it is known to commandeer is L. piperatus, which is too peppery to eat naturally. Once the mold has done it’s magic the “Milk Cap” still has “latex” but is not as peppery. The orange crust on the outside is flecked with little white pimples which is how the mold reproduces. When growing with pines they can look like orange peelings covered with needles. They can be found summer through fall. And specimens too old to eat can be used for dye.

Foraging classes are held rain or shine, heat or cold.

Foraging Classes: Foraging classes this weekend are in Orlando and Largo, some 130 miles apart. The class in Seminole County is around the tennis park at Sanlando Springs. So, if you live on the Seminole-Wekiva Bike Trail you might find that particularly interesting. Eagle Lake Park in Largo used to be a working ranch and grove providing a good array of edible wild plants to see. One interesting find in last week’s class in Ocala were a couple of edible mushroom species, Chanterelles and Old Man of the Woods. There’s a good environment for Chanterelles at Eagle Lake. Perhaps we’ll see some.

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.

Saturday, July 28th, Florida State College, south campus, 11901 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, 32246. We will meet at building “D” next to the administration parking lot. 9 a.m.

Sunday, July 29th, Venetian Gardens, 201 E. Dixie Ave, Leesburg, FL 34748. 9 a.m. Meet at the parking lot near the pool.

Saturday, August 4th, 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, August 5th, Boulware Springs Park, 3420 SE 15th St., Gainesville, FL 32641. Meet at the picnic tables next to the pump house. 9 a.m.

Saturday, August 11th, Dreher Park, 1200 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, 33405. As this is the hot summer time do you want to meet at 8 a.m.? Just north of the science center.

Carpetweed

One of the more common edible weeds underfoot in North America is Carpetweed, Mollugo verticillata. We saw it Sunday in Ocala. Scraggly if not scrawny the wispy plant does have the saving grace that it is all edible, raw or cooked and it requires very little cooking. Add it last. There are several non-edible species that can resemble it so there are some of key points to remember. First, it does not have any white sap, it grows in a circular mat, and the blossoms have five white sepals but usually only three stamens, sometimes four or five but usually three, which is a bit odd for a five-sepal plant. Look for it in dry, sandy locations including waste ground. For all of its wide-spread presence in North America it is actually native to the tropical Americas. You can read about Carpetweed 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. You can join the forum by clicking on the button in the menu line.

Green Deane DVD Set

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.

For more information about the classes go here.

This is weekly issue 312.

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.

Bacterial Considerations

Dick Deuerling

I would go foraging some 24 years ago with the legedary Dick Deurling and Dr. Jose Gotts. Dr. Gotts, a professor at the University of Central Florida, was a character. Short, bald and portly he often went on a forage wearing only white shorts and dark horn-rimmed glasses. No shirt, no shoes… And nearly every time he would eat something controversial. I once saw him taste a Lubber, which is a large, toxic grasshopper. That would be about the time when Dick would announce to the group not to do what Jose had just done because Gotts grew up in war-torn Algeria and had an immune system primed differently than the rest of us. It was an interesting warning. Should you, for example eat fruit that has fallen on the ground? I do so the question perhaps is- – is this a harmful practice? The answer is a clear maybe yes maybe no.

Surprisingly there has been research on how much bacteria dropped food can pick up. It depends on what is dropped and where it lands. For example watermelon dropped on a tiled floor picks up a huge amount of bacteria almost instantly whereas a dry gummy bear on carpet very little. The harder the surface not only the more bacteria but the longer the bacteria can live which seems counter intuitive. Essentially it is the type of surface the food lands on that is important then how much bacteria is on that surface and lastly what kind of bacteria.

Excluding wild food, Americans get up to 800,000 cases of food poisoning a day… yes a day. And the rate of food poisoning from commercially grown food has doubled since 2000. About a third of it is from commercial fruits and vegetables and usually that’s contaminated with the bacteria E. coli, sometimes salmonellosis, rarely a Cyclospora parasite. Most wild plants and fruit don’t have that those pathogens. Another problem with commercial fruits and vegetable — compared to wild food — is that they can be handled by several customers and store personnel before you pick it up. Thus generally said wild food that is only touched by you is safer and usually the soil not contaminated. More so washing in plain water can also get rid of 98% of bacterial on such food though truth be told I can’t remember the last time I washed any wild food before consuming it. Not a worry high on my list.

If there is a high count of bacteria on a wild fruit or vegetable it will usually be on a bruised or rotting spot. I make jokes in classes about plants being watered by poodles but that’s not really a concern. Urine is fairly sterile and the rain washes off nearly everything. Where one does need to exercise some caution is where dogs (and especially cats) go to the bathroom. Their scat, particularly cats, can foster parasites in the soil. It might be that if you have pets your own back yard is the most hostile soil near you. Indeed most parasites in children come from pet-contaminated soil in their own yard, and usually from cat scat.

So what am I usually eating off the ground — usually dry sandy ground– or sidewalks? Persimmons, Jambul fruit, sea grapes come to mind and mulberries. I also eat purslane — mentioned earlier — where I find it not bothering to wash it unless it is a dusty location. And also note most research and commentary on food bacteria was written about commercially contaminated food and before we had a greater interest in our gut biome. It just might be that eating wild food adds diversity to our gut bacteria and increases our resillience.

We can detect at least two themes regarding food and bacteria: Commercial food is usually contaminated with stuff from human waste, so food grown over the septic drain field might be questionable. And some soil can be contaminated by cat or dog waste, usually your own back yard. I think it wise not to forage around a dog park and don’t let your dog or cat use your garden for a bathroom. That said I grew up in a house with a septic drain. Wild violets grew in that ditch profusely and my mother ate them raw all the time. She almost made it to 90 and would have made a century if she hadn’t smoked.

And while we should have some concerns about the wholesomeness of wild food I think a greater concern than bacteria is whether the ground or water has been polluted by non-bacterial means.

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Newsletter 10 April 2018

by Green Deane

Pineapple Guava blossoms are edible and peppery. Photo by Green Deane

Perhaps no ornamental was championed as much as the Pineapple Guava. However the perfect shrub for many places never really caught on. There could be several reasons. It probably didn’t help that a close relative, the Strawberry Guava, is a severe invasive species in some locations. The shrub also does not get showy. You have to hunt for the extroverted blossoms. While the entire blossom is edible most people only eat the petals. Five or six months from now they will be dark green fruit that stay green as they ripen. They just get softer. The shrub is easy to identify when in blossom. To read more about both guavas, go here.

Surinam Cherries, which are not really cherries, can have a wide fruiting period. So far this season I have found shrubs with tiny green fruit to a large tree-shaped specimen already dropping ripe fruit. I think the latter has jumped the season significantly. There are two varieties, black fruited and deep red fruited. Surinam Cherries taste awful until totally ripe. Even then many folks do not like the flavor. Your pallet will either say this is food or this is not. No in betweens. Seriously. You either will eat them again or never again. But if you are going to eat them make sure they are very ripe. In the black/dark purple variety they are indeed black when totally ripe. With the red-fruiting variety you want a deep fire-truck red (with blue tones) not an orange Ferrari red. To read more about Surinam Cherries go here.

Pawpaws are easy to spot now.

Once you’re done reading this newsletter turn off the computer and go find some Pawpaws. Now is the time locally to identify one of the more common species we have. The photo to the left is from a pasture in Volusia County near Gemini Springs. There are hundreds of Pawpaw blossoming there now and all along the bike trail through the area (as well as true thistles and Maypops.) In a few months there will be a lot of fruit here if the woodland creatures don’t get to them first. It is, after all, their grocery store. We have Pawpaws with cream-colored blossoms and some dwarf versions with purple blossoms. While you can find them in nearly any dry location pastures are a good place to look because pastures are easy to find and livestock tend to not eat them. This is one species you can also find while driving. Just look for five-foot shrubs with cream-colored blossoms as you go by. You will see Pawpaws. To read more about Pawpaws go here.

Humming birds like the Eastern Coral Bean

Also blossoming this time of year is the Eastern Coral Bean, sometimes called the Cherokee Bean. What is odd about this plant is the edible flowers produce toxic beans. So we do not eat the red and black beans. A few of the red blossoms are edible raw — with precautions — but they are usually boiled then mixed with other foods notably scrambled eggs. When you cook the blossoms they turn light green. The distinctive shape of the leaves makes the shrub easy to identify. Young leaves are edible cooked but are marginal fare. Like the Pawpaws above they prefer dry, sunny places. A few raw red blossoms seem okay but if eaten in larger amounts they can be mind altering and approaching dangerous. Boiled they are fine. (Juice from the shrub’s stems, by the way, has been used to treat scorpion stings.) You can read more about the Eastern Coral Bean here.

Partridgeberry. Photo by Green Deane

In the Carolinas in August I see a lot of Partridgeberries, also called Twin Berries because the separate blossoms fuse into one berry. They are edible but mild. That said partridgeberries are attractive with striking red berries and deep green leaves. They are not extroverted but if you see them the little fruit are attractive. I have seen them Gainesville and Wekiva State Park just north of Orlando. According to the USDA chart the species is not in the county but U.S.D.A. maps are often quite out of date. Seasonally Florida and the mountains of North Carolina are — as far as the Partridgeberries are concerned — about five months apart. As with the Carolinas these were spotted in damp but not inundated soil. You can read more about them here.

Foresteria segregata

Odds and ends of the weekend: What’s the old saying? Close but no cigar. This weekend I saw two plants, one I had never seen and one I had not seen in many years. The latter was Foresteria segregata, in Largo, Florida. Also called Florida Privet and Swamp Privet, you can find it anywhere from brackish waterways to an intentional ornamental in landscaping. The straight limbs were used for arrows and the blue berries possibly used for ink. I suspect the species has never worked its way into ethnobotanical literature because the berries taste bad. I’m not sure, however, if the story ends there. Yes, the berries are not considered edible. That said I have not found any references to toxicity but that might be because they are too foul to eat. However, it is in the Olive family and olives don’t taste good unless “cured.” What I wonder is 1) if the fruit are edible if 2) they are treated (meaning cured) like olives? It’s pure speculation on my part. They could be toxic for all I know. But it’s an idea.

Rumex paraguayensis

The other plant looked like a “dock” to me, also called Rumex. There’s about a dozen and a half Rumex in North America, many of them native while several imported. Merritt Fernald, who was the main botany Ph.D. at Harvard for half a century, said they were all edible but most of them bitter. We have several locally: R. hastatulus and R. acetosella are tart, the latter not native. R. verticillatus, the Swamp Dock, is also commonly seen and bitter. Two other introduced species locally — and in the rest of North America — are Rumex obtusifolius and Rumex Crispus, the latter also know as edible Curly Dock. The “dock” we saw in Cassadaga, Fl, didn’t seem to be any of those. Because there were a lot of small leaves on the flower spike it could be R. paraguayensis, which is reported in the state but in limited locations. If it is R. paraguayensis is it edible? That took a bit of digging. I found an article called “Wild Food Plants and Fungi Used By The Polish Community in Misiones, Argentia” published in the Journal of Human Ecology, December 2015. The fifth entry on Table One says R. paraguayensis leaves were eaten raw in salads and cooked in soups. It was also not listed as a famine food. You can read the full article here.

And another reminder that loquats are in full fruit now and wild garlic is in season. In fact at our Largo class were were taken to a wild garlic location. Thanks Carolyn! Oh yes, in last week’s top photo the edibles were Dandelions, Oxalis, Commelina, and False Hawk’s Beard. There’s also a young nightshade that if allowed to grow probably would have been Solanum americanum. I say been because the lawn has since been mowed.

Green Deane Forum

Green Deane DVD Set

Spring orders have started their annual increase. All of Green Dane’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.

Classes are held rain or shine or cold.

Foraging Classes: Foraging classes this week range from mid-state in Orlando to the southwest side and Sarasota. While some winter plants remain the spring edible are making their seasonal run so there’s plenty to see and taste.

Saturday, April 14th, 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, April 15th, Red Bug Slough Preserve, 5200 Beneva Road, Sarasota, FL, 34233, 9 a.m.

Saturday, April 22nd, Spruce Creek, 6250 Ridgewood Ave. Port Orange, 32127, 9 a.m., meet at the pavilion.

Saturday, May 5th, Florida State College, south campus, 11901 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, 32246. 9 a.m. We will meet at building “D” next to the administration parking lot.

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

Donations to upgrade EatTheWeeds.com and fund a book are going well and has made the half way mark. 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. Recent upgrades have been paid now the Forum needs work and several function problems need to be fixed specifically the search and categories. A new server also being considered. The other issue is finding an indexing program or function for a real book. Writing programs used to do it automatically if you designated a term for indexing. Now that most books are ebooks most writing programs do not provide and indexing function.

Sea Purslane tolerates salty ground.

Blueberries, Roan Mt. North Carolina.

For example, one species I am long-familiar with is Blueberries. They like soil on the acidic side, a pH below 7 on a 14-point scale. I grew up in poor-soil Maine where one could find 120-acre fields of nothing but Blueberries. Yet where I live now, in Florida, Blueberries are found in small colonies in isolated pockets. Why? One answer is Florida is a limestone plate (alkaline not acidic) so it is a waste of time to look for Blueberries unless there are acid-producing pines, oaks or perhaps cypress nearby. I planted Blueberries specifically bred for Florida but one has to amend the soil — the amount of acid — nearly as much as one has to work daily to keep a pool from turning green. They eventually died, one of my few failures.

Dandelions like acidic soil.

Another example is Dandelions. I have observed for several decades that Dandelions don’t like Florida, or at least the areas of Florida I visit. They like acidic soil. It might be it is not Florida’s heat they don’t like but rather the alkaline (“sweet”) soil. The few places I have seen Dandelions growing have been areas of acidic soil again near pines and often oaks. Dreher Park in West Palm Beach is a good example. What Dandelions there are there can be found growing in lawn grass amongst oaks. While I have also found Dandelions around the year they tend to favor the winter months such as November through February. With environment in mind let’s survey some plants and what soils and conditions they like.

Henbit, one of the few “sweet” springtime greens. Photo by Green Deane

Wild Garlic likes thick soil.

Besides the pH of soil the kind of soil can make a difference. Chicory likes “heavy” soil meaning lots of clay, or rocks. Also liking heavy soil is Broadleaf Dock, Daisies, Milkweed, Plantains, true Thistles, and Wild Garlic. Plants that can endure hard packed soil include Field Mustard, Morning Glories — some of which are edible — and Pineapple Weed (it used to grow in our gravel driveway.) Going the other directions, plants that like sandy soil include Goldenrods, Sandspurs and Spurge Nettle. Plants too look for in agricultural soil include chickweed, Dandelions, Lambs Quarters, Plantains, Amaranth and Purslane. And while Florida Betony can grow edible roots in rich loam or sand it tends to grow larger and easier to harvest roots in sand.

Crab Grass likes low calcium soil.

Clover prefers low nitrogen soil.

This is weekly issue 299.

If you would like to donate to Eat The Weeds please click here.

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Browse Newsletter

by Green Deane

475
His name was Will Endres and he was a North Carolina herbalist…Poison ivy, foraging classes, horse mint, ground cherries, foraging USBs, the Green Deane Forum, Southern Wax Myrtle, https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-475-september-21-2021/474
https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-474-september-14-2021/

Chance happens in foraging.

Coralwood, Kudzu, Foraging Classes, Favolus Mushrooms, learning edibles, foraging USB, the Green Deane forum, aroma and cyanide

473

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-473-september-7th-2021/

It would be convenient if Pindo Palms fruited regularly.

Pindo palms seeds, Canna, Foraging classes, Ghost Pipes, Labor Day, Tallow Plums

472

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-472-august-31-2021/

Are there any Shiitake mushrooms locally?

Train Wrecker, Chicken of the Woods, Foraging Classes, Dogwood, Hackberries, Kudzu, foraging DVDs and the Green Deane Forum

471

A white Water Hyacinth was seen recently in the Little Econ River east of Orlando.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-471-august-24th-2021/

Water hyacinth, Foraging Classes, Wild grapes, Tumble Weed, Goldenrod, Swamp Mallow, Foraging USBs, the Green Deane forum, Donations

470

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-470-august-17th-2021/

One way northern and southern climates differ is the greater array of non-native species that are constantly being imported and or found in southern climates.

Torell’s Eucalyptus, Chaya, Guavas, Java Plum, Ground Cherries, Coco-plums, Natal Plum, Dragon Fruit, Podocarpus, Persimmons, Foraging USBs, Green Deane Forum, Donations, the Two-Leaf Nightshade

469

Plants remind one that weather is less dependable than we might think.

Jambul, Chanterelles, Cactus Fruit, Sugarberry, Doveweed, Foraging Classes, Isabelline, Foraging USBs, the Green Deane Forum, and Donations

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-469-august-10-2021/

468

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-468-august-3-2021/

Yes, there are land crabs in Florida and the rest of the gulf coast.

Land crabs, Foraging classes, Grapes, Podocarpus, Horsemint, Saw Palmetto, Goldenrod, Russian thistle, USBs, Green Deane Forum, donations.

467

Candyroot, Foraging Classes, Wild Grapes, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Donations, Saw Palmetto, Barnyard Grass, Brookweed

Is it the season or is it the rain?

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-467-july-27th-2021/

466

This summer’s foraging classes at Putney Farm in Honea Path South Carolina are now history

Foraging in South Carolina, American Beech, Sourwood, Birches, Moringa, foraging Classes, Sumac, Country Wine, Saw Palmetto, foraging USB, Green Deane Forum, and Donations

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-466-july-20th-2021/

465

Newsletter #465, July 13th, 2021

Kousa Dogwood, Sassafras, Wild Carrots, Birches Apples

Apples, Mushrooms, Podocarpus, Foraging Classes, Knotweed, Cactus, Peppervine, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, donations,

464

In real estate it is location, location, location.

Blue Indigos, Milk Caps, Jelly Fungus, Strawberry Guava, Foraging Classes, Pandamus Grass, Smilax, Foraging DVDs, Green Deane Forum and Donations

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-464-july-6th-2021/

463

Podocarpus are not fickle but they are slightly unpredictable.

Podocarpus, Java Plum, Stillwater Canoe, Mushrooms, Foraging classes, Atamasco Lily, foraging USBs, the Green Deane Forum, and donations

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-463-june-29th-2021/

462

If you think you are not allergic to poison Ivy …

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-462-june-22-2021/

Poison Ivy, Socks and Pythons, Black Cherries, Pokeweed, Yuck, Foraging Classes, Cashews, USBs, the Green Deane Forum, Donations.

461

Sycamores, bacteria, Foraging Classes, Beautyberries, USBs, the Green Deane Forum, Donations, Sweet Acacia

Sugar maples are famous for their syrup but how many species of trees can you actually tap?

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-461-june-15th-2021/

460

What can be said about the Jambul Tree?

Jambul, Foraging Classes, Maypops, Pindo Palms, Chaya, Foraging USBs, Green Deane Forum, Donations,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-460-june-8th-2021/

459

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-459-june-1st-2021/

For more than 60 years I have associated Lilacs with June.

Lilacs, American Lotus, Foraging Classes, Chinese Tallow Tree, Eastern Hemlock, foraging USBs, the Green Deane Forum, Donations, toxic Atamaso Lilies.

This week’s debatable question is “can you eat elderberries raw?”

Elderberries, Two-leaf Nightshade, Foraging Classes, Morning Glories, foraging USBs, the Green Deane forum, donations, Jack in the Pulpit

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-458-may-25th-2021/

457

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-457-may-18th-2021/

Acres of wild blackberries….

Blackberries, foraging is illegal, Sea Blite, Foraging classes, Sea Purslane, foraging videos on USBs, the Green Deane Forum,

456

The Bunya Bunya and Norfolk Pine are closely related.

Bunya Bunya, Norfolk Pine, Allergic reactions, foraging classes, Chickasaw Plums, Blue Mushrooms, cattails, foraging videos on USBs, and the Green Deane Forum,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-456-may-4th-2021/

455

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-455-april-27th-2021/

Is it edible?

Evening Primrose, False dandelions, Yucca, Foraging classes, foraging videos on USBs, the Ghreen Deane Forum,

454

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-454-april-20-2021/

Pineapple Guava, Hercule’s Club, Usnea, Miner’s Lettuce, Foraging Classes, Paper Mulberry, Where do you forage, Foraging Videos, the Green Deane Forum, Brookweed,

Perhaps no ornamental has been championed as much as the Pineapple Guava

453

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-453-april-13-2021/

It’s about time to make a prediction.

Ringless Honey Mushrooms, Eastern Coral Bean, Foraging Classes, Watercress, Marlberries, Foraging Videos, Green Deane Forum, Donations,

452

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-452-april-6th-2021/

On the east coast of my native state of Maine about seven miles south of Portland is the Town of Scarbrough.

Paper Mulberries, Foraging Classes, Deer Mushrooms, Hercules Club, USB Videos, Green Deane Forum, Donations.

451

Which tree has more life, the Mulberry or the Moringa?

Mulberry, Atamasco lily, Foraging Classes, Blueberries, Huckleberries, Watercress, Foraging USBs, the Green Deane Forum, Smilax,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-451-march-30th-2021/

450

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-450-march-23-2021/

wisteria, Cherokee Rose, Deer Mushrooms, Foraging Classes, Hydrilla, Garlic, video USBs, Green Deane Forum, Donations

The weather may be chilly still it’s a hot time of year for foraging.

449

It’s not June that’s busting out all over but rather Vacciniums, mostly blueberries.

Vacciniums, groundnuts, evening primroses, foraging classes, video USBs, Pawpaws, Florida Pennyroyal,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-449-march-16-2021/

448

The Greeks were perhaps the first people to call things what they were such as “yoke mate” for spouse or “shiny leather” for the Reishi mushroom.

Bottlebrush tree, Candyroot, Loquats, Mulberries, Foraging classes. USB, the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-448-march-09-2021/

447

Fireweed, Latex Strangler Vine, Foraging Classes, Clover, Bacopa, Violets, USBs, Cashews

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-447-02-march-2021/

Fireweed/burnweed has a flavor chefs love.

446

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-446-feb-23-2021/

Loquats, Loquat wine, Wild Garlic, Foraging Classes, Chickweed, Lamb’s Quarters, Toxic Butterweed, Bulrush, USBs, and the Green Deane Forum,

While driving around have you seen a tree with large, dark green leaves and yellow fruit?

445

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-445-feb-16-2021/

Can you eat red mangroves?

Mangroves, foraging classes, plantagos, Passion Flowers, Black Medic, USBs&DVDs, Alligator pendent, and the Green Deane Forum

444

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-444-february-9th-2021/

Young and tender describes them best: Elm leaves we nibbled during our foraging class in Gainesville Saturday.

Elms, Eastern Red Bud, Foraging Classes, Ragweed, Cattails, Coquina, Mole Crabs, USBs & DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, nickerbeans, alligator tooth.

443

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-443-february-2-2021/

If you look across local lakes now you will see ruby red splotches on the horizon.

Maples, Drymaria, Foraging Classes, Seaweed, USBs & DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, Jabuticaba,

442

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-442-january-26-2021/

Violets, False Hawk’s Beard, Foraging Classes, Stink Horns, Weed Seeds, USB & DVDs, the Green Deane Forum

A common blossom that’s easy to identify is the wild violet.

441

Our mighty stinging nettles are up.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-441-january-19-2021/

Stinging nettles, Sow Thistle, Foraging Classes, Chickweed, Wild Geraniums, Silverthorn, USBs & DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum

440

The Western Tansy Mustard is one of our shortest-lived wintertime forageables.

Western Tansy Mustard, Eastern Gamagrass, Begonias, Foraging Classes, Spiderworts, USBs&DVDs, the Green Deane Forum,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-440-january-12th-2021/

439

Our tasty winter green chickweed is in its glory.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-439-january-05-2021/

Chickweed, Sheep Sorrel, Oxalis, Latex Strangler Vine, Pellitory, Black Medic, Geranium, Horsemint, Henbit, Shepherd’s Purse, Plantain, Wild Mustard Radish, Canna, Cattails, Foraging Classes, Botany Builder #12, USB & DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum

438

What difference can 172.4 miles make?

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-438-december-29th-2020/

Goji berry, Sea Rocket, Black Medic, Harlequin Glorybower, Foraging Classes, Nagi Tree, Glasswort, USBs & DVDs, the Green Deane Forum

437

At what point does a “wild” plant become an edible plant?

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-437-december-22-2020/

Florida Thatch Palm, Sleepy Hibiscus, Cereus, Bauhinia, Foraging Classes, Cockroach Berry, Silverthorn, USBs and DVDs, the Green Deane Forum

436

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-436-december-15th-2020/

Usually we see Christmas Berries about April.

Christmas Berries. Foraging Classes, Sow Thistle, Mustards & Radishes, Black Calabash, USBs & DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum

435

Our first sighting of one of our winter comestibles happened Saturday

Chickweed, Ringless Honey Mushrooms, Foraging Classes, Henbit, Wild Geraniums, Peltate, Is this Plant Edible? foraging USB & DVDs, the Green Deane Forum,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-435-december-08-2020/

434

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-434-december-01-2020/

Winter Podocarpus, Acerola, Foraging Classes, Chufa, Redflower Ragweed, Weeds of Southern Turf Grasses, foraging USBs &DVDs, the Green Deane Forum.

Actually there’s nothing wrong with the photo per se, it’s the time of year that’s different.

433

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-433-november-24-2020/

Every April of so we go looking for Wild Garlic…

Wild Garlic, Big Caltrop, Foraging Classes, Ghost Pipes, Balm of Gilead, USBs & DVDs, Green Deane Forum

432

We are shifting mushrooms seasons from terrestrial to trees or ground to wood.

Lion’s Mane, Gooseberries, Foraging classes, Sea Purslane, Foraging in urban areas, USB and DVDs, the Green Deane forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-432-november-17th-2020/

431

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-431-november-10-2020/

While looking for the yellow-blossomed Dandelions…

Dandelions, Mustard and radishes, Plantains, Foraging Classes, Brazilian Pepper,Skunk Vine, USBs & DVDs, the Green Deane Forum

430

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-430-november-3-2020/

During our foraging class in West Palm Beach Sunday we saw inch-high sprouts of the winter edible Pellitory.

Pellitory, Poor Man’s Peppergrass, Foraging classes, Seaweed, Jelly Fish, Southern Wax Myrtle, Stinkhorns, Jack Ol Lanterns, USBs & DVDs, the Green Deane Forum.

429

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-429-october-27-2020/

During our foraging class Sunday in Gainesville we dug up a couple of Winged Yams.

Winged Yams. Tropical Almond, Foraging Classes, Roses, Bay Leaves, Citron Melon, the Honeycomb Mushroom, USBs and DVDs, the Green Deane Forum.

428

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-428-october-20-2020/

Country Wine, Foraging Classes, Chinese Tallow Tree, Caesarweed, Cambium, USBs and DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, and Ceibas

Three reasons prompted me to resurrect my wine-making past.

427

Mother Nature has her own schedule.

Ringless Honey Mushrooms, Golden Rain Tree, Foraging Classes, Dragon Fruit, Partridgeberry, DVDs & USB, the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-427-october-13-2020/

426

Fall is a good time to write about Yellow Pond Lilys.

Yellow Pond Lilys, Persimmons, Monstera deliciosa, Turkey Tails, Foraging Classes, Sida, sumacs, two sages and a pusley, USBs and DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-426-october-6-2020/

425

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-425-september-29th-2020/

The question isn’t whether Reishi mushrooms grow in North America.

Reishi mushrooms, Wax Myrtle Berries, Foraging Classes, American Beautyberries, Sea and Wood Oats, Ground Cherries, Anoles, Chestnut Bolete, DVDs and USB, the Green Deane Forum.

424

Horsemint is in season and easy to find.

Horsemint, Crowfoot Grass, Foraging Classes, Apples, the aroma of wild food, plant pronunciations, foraging DVDs and USB, the Green Deane Forum,

423

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-423-september-15th-2020/

No one told the Ringless Honey Mushrooms it isn’t November.

Ringless Honey Mushrooms, the Syzygiums, Foraging Classes, Heartwing Sorrel, Bacopa, Groundnuts, USB and DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum

422

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-422-september-8th-2020/

Pindo and Queen Palms, Canna, Indian Pipes, Foraging Classes, Scrumping, USBs and DVDs, the Green Deane Forum.

421

In the backwoods of Maine where I grew up Dogwoods were small.

Perennial Peanut, Kousa Dogwood, Sugarberry/Hackberry, Foraging Classes, Ground Cherries, foraging DVDsUSBs, the Green Deane Forum.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-421-september-01-2020/

420

Gracie gets the prize.

Black Trumpets, Persimmons, foraging classes, Kudzu, Wild Apples, the toxic False Parasol, foraging USBs and DVDs, and the Green Deane forum.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-420-august-25th-2020/

419

Last Sunday’s foraging class — Haulover Canal — was a hot one with a lot of walking.

Tallow Plums, Foraging Classes, Goldenrod, Saw Palmettos, White Spiderling, Sumac, foraging DVDS & USBs,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-419-august-18th-2020/

418

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-418-august-11-2020/

There is probably some Syzygium in your kitchen.

Bunya Bunyas, Syzygiums, Chanterelles, Cactus Tuna, Sugarberry, Doveweed, Isabelline, foraging DVDs and USB, the Green Deane Forum…

417

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-417-august-04-2020/

Wild mints can be prima donnas.

Horsemint, Russian Thistle, Foraging Classes, Goldenrod, Swamp Mallow, foraging videos, Green Deane Forum, Pindo Palms

416

With apologies this newsletter is starting with the foraging class schedule.

Wild Grapes, foraging class schedule, Pepper Vine, Podocarpus, Country Wine Update, Sumacs, Saw Palmettos, Foraging Videos, Green Deane Forum, Black Gum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-416-july-29th-2020/

415

July is passing and that means many different things to foragers depending upon your location on the rotation.

Forked-tendril grapes, pindo palms, cactus, foraging classes, the false roselle, barnyard grass, strawberry guava, foraging DVDs & USB, the green Deane Forum,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-415-july-21-2020/

414

It’s called Pandanus and Screw Pine and a lot of other names as well.

Pandanus Grass, Smilax walteri, Foraging Classes, Knotweed, Pineapple Weed, Tamarind, Toe Biters, foraging videos on USB, and the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-414-july-14th-2020/

413

Is it time to rethink Magnolias?

Magnolias, Foraging Classes, Podocarpus, Florida Wine, Bread and Beer, Foraging Videos on USB, Green Deane Forum, Strawberry Guavas

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-413-july-7-2020/

412

First an apology to those who showed up for a class last Sunday at Haul Over Canal to find, like me, the road closed.

Chamberbitters, foraging classes, Grapes, Magnolias, videos on USB, Green Deane Forum, and Bacopa

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-412-june-30th-2020/

411

What can be said about the Jambul Tree?

Jambul Tree, Foraging Classes, Morning Glories, Boletes, Poke Sallet, Tindora, Foraging Videos on USBs, and the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-411-june-23-2020/

410

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-410-june-16th-2020/

Sugar maples are famous for their syrup but how many species of trees can you actually tap?

Tapping trees, grapes, foraging classes, American Beautyberries, Creeping Fig, Richardia, videos on USBs and the Green Deane Forum

409

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-409-june-9-2020/

There’s an old song “what a difference a day makes.”

Mushroom class, foraging classes, Natal Plum, Surinam Cherries, Foraging videos on USBs, the Green Deane Forum.

408

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-408-june-2-2020/

Yellow ponds, that’s how I think of it, or in some places, yellow rivers.

American Lotus, Jack in the Pulpit, Black Cherries, a toxic lily, Chinese Tallow Tree, Foraging Classes, Maypops, Videos on USBs, and the Green Deane Forum.

407

In the realm of plant populations there is endangered, threatened then rare.

Candyroot, American Lotus, Foraging Classes, Eggs, USBs and the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-407-may-26-2020/

406

This was a “Prunus” foraging week.

Chickasaw Plums, Indigo Milk Cap, Black Medic, Foraging Classes, Cattails, Foraging Videos, Podocarpus, Wine Making, Blue Porter Weed, Green Deane Forum, Wild Pineapple.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-406-may-19-2020/

405

We are in between mushroom seasons, so to speak.

Boletes, Society Garlic, Gopher Apples, Foraging Classes, Foraging DVDs/USBs, Botany Builder #28, Maypops, Toxic Cherry Laurel, Cochineal Dye, and the Green Deane Forum.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-12-may-2020/

404

This week’s debatable question is “can you eat elderberries raw?”

Elderberries, Grapes, Common Plant Names, Redflower Ragweed, Fakahatchee Grass, Ground Nuts, Foraging Classes, Foraging videos, Wild Coffee and Coralberry, the Green Deane Forum.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-05-may-2020/

403

Now is a good time to go looking for blackberries.

Blackberries, Pineapple Guava, the Bacopas, Foraging Classes, Foraging Videos now on USB drives, Eastern Coral Bean, Coquina, Green Deane Forum, and Cotton

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-28-april-2020/

401-402

At one time there were just Opuntias.

Cactus, Gopher Apples, Deerberries, Foraging Classes, Mushrooms, Foraging DVDs, Persimmons, Avocados, Paper Mulberry, Pawpaw, Smartweed, Green Deane Forum and YUCK!,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-april-14-21-2020/

400

Watercress grew in a ditch behind an apartment complex I lived in near Sanford, Florida…

Watercress, Wild Garlic, Marlberries, Chokeberries, American Nightshade, Chamberbitter, Green Deane Forum, Donations, DVDs

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-7-april-2020/

399

Blossoming this time of year is the Eastern Coral Bean, sometimes called the Cherokee Bean.

Eastern Coral Bean, Sea Blite, Foraging Classes, Pineapple Guava, Foraging DVDs, Variegated Mahoe, Australian Pine, Bananas, Green Deane Forum, Donations, Making Wine

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-31-march-2020/

398

If you have an established ivy gourd…

Ivy Gourd, Swinecress, Foraging Classes, Cashews, Henbit, Purslane, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Donations, Basswood,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-24-march-2020/

397

A common blossom that’s easy to identify is the wild violet.

Violets, Seablite, Loquats, foraging classes, Redflower Ragweed, Latex Strangler Vine, Green Deane Forum, Donations, DVDs, Ivy Gourd

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-17-march-2020/

396

Fireweed/Burnweed has a flavor chefs love.

Fireweed/Burnweed, Clover, Foraging Classes, Waning Weeds, Fungi, Creeping Cucumber, Bacopa, Pennyroyal, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Donations

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-10-march-2020/

395

A few newsletters ago it was mentioned the Mulberries were in blossom.

Mulberries, foraging classes, Pawpaws, Time Change, Dandelions and False Dandelions, Winter Plants and Wintergreen, Green Deane Forum, DVDs, Donating, and foraging photo #19

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-3-march-2020/

394

Species in the Rumex genus can be difficult.

Rumex, Foraging Classes, Citron Melons, Loquat, Clover, Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDS, Donations,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-25-february-2020/

393

What are those white blossoms?

Plums, Hawthorns, Pawpaw, Foraging Classes, Blewit, Wild Garlic, Plantagos, Green Deane Forum, DVDs, Donations, Botany Builder #38.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-18-february-2020/

392

It’s time for my annual warning about Butterweed

Butterweed, Bulrush, Foraging Classes, Wild Pineapple, Red Powder Puff, DVDs, Creeping Indigo warning, Green Deane forum, donations,

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-11-february-2020/

391

Most trees in the Pea Family are toxic but not all of them.

Eastern redbud, Cattails, Pines, Foraging Classes, Coquina and Mole Crabs, Acorns, Plantagos, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-04-february-2020/

390

While driving through the middle of the peninsula this week I noticed Lambsquarters in their most common seasonal place: Citrus groves.

Lambsquarters, Foraging Classes, Passifloras, Doveweed, Axils, Jelly Fish, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, Donations

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-28-january-2020/

389

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-21-january-2020/

Cladonia is a large genus of edible but not tasty lichen.

Lichen, foraging classes, Botany Builder 28, Wild Lettuce, Removing Invasive Species, Botanical Names, Black Medic, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, Donations

388

It’s rather obvious that wintertime foraging varies where you live.

Winter Foraging, Chickweed and edible friends, Foraging classes, Sublimed sulfur, A cheap foraging book, Details and Solanum Americanum, Oyster Mushrooms, DVDs, Donations and the Green Deane Forum.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-14-january-2020/

387

Eastern Gamagrass, aka Fakahatchee Grass, is an edible you don’t see and then you do.

Eastern Gamagrass, Ivy Gourd, Foraging Classes, Teas, Botany Builder #10, Carpetweed, Donations, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-7-january-2020/

386

There’s no reason to buy mustard greens now.

Wild mustard and radish, Butter and Ruby Boletes, Foraging Classes, Edible Blossoms, Surinam Cherries, toxic Creeping Indigo.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-31-december-2019/

385

It’s a good time to mention the toxic Butterweed and Rattlebox.

Butterweed, Foraging Classes, Roses, Hawthorns, Euell Gibbons and Nutrition, Rattlebox

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-24-december-2019/

384

Plants give you something to look forward to especially if you know where and when to look.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-17-december-2019/

Wild Garlic, Chickweed, Goosegrass, Sow Thistle, Stinging Nettles, Dandelions, Sycamore, Foraging Classes, Tar Vine, Desert Horse Purslane, Green Deane Forum, DVDs, Go Fund Me, Urban Crawl

383

Mother Nature can be fickle and it’s almost always tied to weather.

Grapes, Swinecress, Silverthorn, Foraging Classes, False Hawk’s Beard, Jelly Ears, Botany Builder #31, Cactus, the Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, Go Fund Me

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-10-december-2019/

382

Pyracanthas are furious in the fall.

Pyrachanthas Chinese and Siberian Elms, Silverthorn, Foraging Classes, Drymaria, Botany Builder #30, Magnolia Blossoms, Ginkgo, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, Go Fund Me, Pollination in a word, and Remembering Nefertiti

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-3-december-2019/

381

This time of year two wintertime foragables come up, one quite esteemed the other barely edible.

Henbit, Wild Geraniums, Foraging Classes, Chickweed, Horse Nettle & Tropical Soda Apple, Bananas

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-26-november-2019/

380

wild Mustards and radishes, Toxic Water Hemlock, Smartweed, Foraging Classes, Golden Rain Tree, Skunk Vine, Scat Contamination, Lady Bugs, and Lion’s Mane

Many foraging books are what I call “Ohio-centric.”

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-19-november-2019/

379

Dandelions, Seaweed, Foraging classes, Jellyfish, Wax Myrtle Berries, the Stinkhorn and Jack O’Lanterns, Mustards and Radishes, the Green Deane Forum, Donations, and foraging DVDs

Dandelion blossoms, ten pounds of sugar, and two cakes of bread yeast became my first batch of wine.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-05-november-2019/

378

Edible Mushrooms, Foraging Classes, Tie Change, Blue and Red Sages and Oakleaf Flea Bane, Chinese Elm, Christmasberries, Wild Mustards, donations, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum.

Unusual rains last week coaxed more life out of several edible mushroom species that were seasonally put to bed a month ago.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-29-october-2019/

377

Cucumber Tree, Paul Dreher, Sida, Turkey Tails, Foraging Classes, Palmate Leaves, Richardia, Perennial Peanut, Caesarweed, Botanical Names, Donations, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum.

Foraging is treasure hunting for adults

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-22-october-2019/

376

As is often the case one can walk past edible species many times and not notice them.

Cinnamon, Dragon Fruit, Foraging Classes, Sumac, Persimmons, Yellow Pond Lily, Donations, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-15-october-2019/

375

The fruiting of species can be a mystery.

Cocoplums, Simpson Stopper, Coconut borer, Southern Wax Myrtle, Foraging Classes, Ringless Honey Mushrooms, White American Beautyberries, Wood Oats, Donations, foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-08-october-2019/

skipped a week, wordpress down

374

Panicum is a very common group of edible native and non-native grasses in Florida and North America.

Panic Grass, Aromas, Plant Pronunciations, Foraging Classes, Purslane, Pindo Palm Wine, Donations, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-24-september-2019/(opens in a new tab)

373

It’s the time of year to talk about Saw Palmetto berries.

Saw Palmettos, Tallow Plum, Foraging Classes, Wild Apples, Elevation, Donations, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum

Newsletter 17 September 2019

372

Seagrapes are coming into season.

Seagrapes, Doveweed, Foraging near roads. Foraging Classes this week, Black & Sweet Gums, Isabelline and Mushrooms of the Gulf South.

Newsletter 10 September 2019

371

Newsletter 03 September 2019

Labor Day used to mean more than hurricanes threatening the east coast from Florida to Maine.

Labor Day, Creeping Fig, Foraging Classes in spite of Hurricane Dorian, Liatris, Poke Weed, Yellow Pond Lilly, Poke Weed, Mosquitos & Beer, Lawns Aren’t Green, donations,

370

It’s the time of year when Horsemint is easy to find.

Horsemint, Cocoplums, Natal Plumbs; Mushroom, Chitin, Arsenic and Insects; Stevia and Ragweed, Foraging Classes, Railroad Tracks, Goldenrod, Go Fund Me

Newsletter 27 August 2019

369

I never receive mail about Lion’s Ear.

Newsletter 20 August 2019

Lion’s Ear, Brazilian Nightshade, Foraging Classes, Sida, Gopher Apples and Tallow Plums, White Chicken of the Woods, Go Fund Me, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum.

368

The Water Hyacinth is blooming and no doubt many people are irritated by that.

Newsletter 13 August 2019

Water Hyacinth, Milk Cap Mushrooms, Foraging Classes, Kudzu, Green Deane Forum, DVDs, Go Fund Me, and I need a webmaster.

367

Bunya Bunya get no respect

Bunya Bunya, Red Spiderling, Goldenrod, Sugarberry, Foraging Classes, Horsemint, Sweet Gum/Black Gum, The False Parasol: A mushroom to avoid, Green Deane Forum, Russian Thistle and railroad tracks, Foraging DVDs, Go Fund me, and I need a webmaster.

Newsletter 6 August 2019

366

What’s in season to forage? Many species now perhaps because of unusual weather pattens this year.

What plants can you forage for now, what mushrooms can you forage now, foraging classes, Blue Porter Weed, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, Go Fund Me

365

It’s common yet uncommon, that is, not rare but you don’t notice it too often.

Hawthorns, American Lotus, Upcoming foraging class schedule, Chanterelles, Burgoo and Loblollies, Donations, the Green Deane Forum, foraging DVDs

Newsletter 23 July 2019

364

One more abbreviated newsletter with schedule because I have been teaching out-of-state.

Newsletter 16 July 2019

Newsletter 23 July 2019

363

Newsletter 9 July 2019

This and next week’s newsletters (July 9 & 16, 2019) are abbreviated because…

362

One would think that with a name like “Barnyard Grass” one would find the species in barnyards.

Barnyard Grass, Strawberry Guava, Seaside Gentian, Spanish Needles, Toxic polypore, Foraging Classes, Teaching in South Carolina, Go Fund Me, the Green Deane Forum, foraging DVDs

Newsletter 2 July 2019

361

Yes it is edible but….

The other White Chicken-of-the-Woods, Two-Leaf Solanum, Norfolk Pines and the Bunya Bunya, Foraging Classes Florida, Foraging Classes South Carolina. Go Fund Me, the Green Deane Forum, and foraging DVDs

Newsletter 25 June 2019

360

Ground cherries locally tend to have two seasons, spring and fall.

Ground Cherries, South Carolina Foraging Classes, new food crops, Florida Foraging Classes, the Winged Yam, Passion Flower, the toxic Cherry Laurel, Go Fund Me, the Green Deane Forum, foraging DVDs

Newsletter 18 June 2019

359

Yellow ponds, that’s how I think of it, or in some places, yellow rivers.

American Lotus, South Carolina Foraging Classes, Local Foraging Classes, the toxic Atamasco Lily, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Juniper Berries, Go Fund Me, Green Deane Forum, DVDs, the Chinese Tallow tree

Newsletter 11 June 2019

358

From a foraging point of view it was a very berry weekend starting with Coastal Ground Cherries, Physalis angustifolia in Port Charlotte.

Ground Cherries, Cassine, Marco Island, Classes in South Carolina, Foraging Classes Florida, How Safe Is Foraging, Go Fund Me, the Green Deane Forum, DVDs

Newsletter 4 June 2019

357

The first time I ever saw red poppies growing was in Athens on my first visit to Greece

Corn Poppies, Impatiens, Smartweed, Mushroom Update, Foraging Classes, Botany Builder #28 Echinate, Blue Porterweed, Green Deane Forum, Go Fund Me, DVDs, and Wild Pineapple

Newsletter 28 May 2019

356

If you were starving and came upon a patch of cattails you would have great cause for celebration.

Cattails, Kudzu, Acorns, Lantana, Foraging Classes, Gopher Apples, Go Fund Me, and foraging DVDs

Newsletter 21 May 2019

355

The American Nightshade is a much-maligned plant

American Nightshade, Ground Cherry, Blueberries et cetera, Carolina Bristle Mallow, Foraging Classes, Juniper Berries, Donations, the Green Deane Forum, foraging DVDs

Newsletter 14 May 2019

354

There’s an odd kind of mulberry here in Florida.

Basswood (The Linden/Lime Tree) Chestnut Bolete, Foraging Classes, Kudzu, Wild Pineapple, Winged Yam, Foraging DVDs, Ivy Gourd, Donations, Gamagrass/Fakahatchee Grass, the Green Deane Forum

Newsletter 7 May 2019

353

There’s still time to look for Sea Blite, a seasonal salt-tolerant species that’s here this month, gone next month

Sea Blite, Sugarberry, Foraging Classes, the Mahoe, Partridgeberry, Marlberries Revisited, DVDs, Donations and the Green Deane Forum.

Newsletter 30 April 2019

352

By April Stinging Nettles are usually gone for the season.

Newsletter 23 April 2019

Stinging nettles, Green Mushrooms, Suriname Cherries, Wild Garlic, Foraging Classes, Miner’s Lettuce, Confederate Jasmine, Florida Pennyroyal, Redvein Abutilon, DVDs, Go Fund Me, and the Green Deane Forum

351

If you are in the habit of eating wild mushrooms

Newsletter 16 April 2019

Five Edible Wild Mushrooms, Pineapple Guava, Eastern Coral Bean, Forestiera segregata the Florida Privet, Weekly Foraging Classes, Wild Edibles and locations they like, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, and Go Fund Me

350

Watercress/Wintercress grew in a ditch behind an apartment complex I lived in…

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-09-april-2019/

Watercress, Wild Garlic, Upcoming Foraging Classes, Marlberries, Chokeberry, Making You Own Vinegar, Usnea, DVDS, Green Deane Forum, Go Fund Me, A Leafing Hickory

349

Tallow Plums are something of a botanical mystery.

Newsletter 2 April 2019

Tallow Plums, Wild Garlic, Blueberries and relatives, Toothache Tree as a source of pepper, Foraging Classes, Eastern Coral Bean, American Nightshade, Soon it will be mushroom season, Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, Go Fund Me.

348

A few newsletters ago it was mentioned Mulberries were in blossom…

Newsletter 26 March 2019

Mulberries, Creeping Cucumber, Coco-plums, Foraging Classes and a new location, toxic Butterweed, Suriname Cherries, Green Deane Forum DVDS, Fermenting Spiderwort, Go Fund Me…

347

Pawpaws can be among the most difficult and easy wild fruits to find.

Newsletter 19 March 2019

Pawpaws, Eating Grass, Foraging Classes, sickening Tropical Sage, Wisteria, Gladiolus, Raceme vs Spike, the Green Deane Forum, DVDs, Go Fund Me.

346

With an impossible scientific name and strong aroma Fireweed is often over looked by the foraging community.

Fireweed, Mayflowers, Lilacs, Pussy Willows, Foraging Classes, Mistetoe, Green Deane Forum, DVDs, Go Fund Me, Drying Loquats

Newsletter 12 March 2019

345

Most foragers know Smilax tips are edible.

Newsletter 5 March 2019

Smilax berries, Marlberries, Daylight Saving Time, True Thistles, Coquina & Mole Crabs, Botanical Names, Foraging Classes, the Green Deane Forum, DVDs, and Go Fund Me

344

Heads up, literally: Loquats are ripening.

Newsletter 26 February 2019

Loquats, Blackberries, Mulberries. Maypops, Creeping Cucumbers, Dollarweed, Strange Time of Year, Foraging Classes, Eau de Rodent, Turkey Berry, Toxic Tomatoes, the Green Deane Forum, DVDs, Go Fund Me,

343

Lamb’s Quarters… Fat Hen… and where to find it.

Newsletter 19 February 2019

Lamb’s Quarters, Citron Melons, Last Average Frost Date, Maple Seeds, Eastern Red Bud, Pink Tabebuia, Loquats, Pawpaws, Surinam Cherries, Cocoplum, Wild Mustard, Wild Radish, Blackberries. Agaricus campestris, Foraging Classes, Go Fund Me, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Plantago rugelii

342

The Western Tansy Mustard is one of our shortest-lived winter-time forageables.

Newsletter 12 February 2019

Western Tansy Mustard, Bittercress, Micro-Mustards, Black Medic, Foraging Classes, Florida Herbal Conference, Doveweed, the Larch, Tulips, Go Fund Me, Green Deane Forum, DVDs,

341

Going north to forage is always pleasant this time of year.

Newsletter 5 February 2019

Wild Garlic, Black Cherry vs Laurel Cherry, Elderberries, Foraging Classes, Lawns Aren’t Green, Florida Herbal Conference, Go Fund Me, the Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs

340

Yeah… that’s a mouthful…

Male Pine Cones, Poorman’s Pepper Grass and Maca, Perennial Peanut, Foraging Classes, Seaweeds, Dandelions, Nicker Beans, Florida Herbal Conference, Go Fund Me, the Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, and Trametes lactinea.

Newsletter 29 January 2019

339

An often overlooked wild edible is Bulrush.

Newsletter 22 January 2019

Bulrushes, Candyroot, Florida Pennyroyal, Sow Thistle, Wild Pineapple, Florida Herbal Conference, Calliandra, Foraging Classes, Blewits, Magnesium Deficiencies, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Go Fund Me, Spanish Cherries

338

Newsletter 15 January 2019

A common blossom that’s easy to identify is the wild violet. It’s cultivated brethren is the pansy.

Violets, foraging mistakes, upcoming foraging classes, the Florida Herbal Conference, Bauhinias, False Hawks Beard, Green Eyes, Florida Privet, foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, Go Fund Me, Swinecress, Stink Horns, and Lawns Aren’t Green.

337

Newsletter 08 January 2019

There are Plantains that look like tough bananas and there are Plantains that are low and leafy plants.

Plantains/Plantagos, Fleabane, Goji Berry, Sycamore tree, Sublimed Sulfur, Richardia, Foraging Classes, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, Go Fund Me.

336

Newsletter, 01 January 2019

Newsletter, 01 January 2019

Making their winter debut are our stinging nettles and they might have the second-worst nettle sting on earth.

Stinging nettles, Sow Thistles, Chickweed, Foraging Classes, Podocarpus Mystery, Hen Bit, the “Bills”, Wax Myrtle Berries, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, Go Fund Me

335

Newsletter 18-25 December 2018

Newsletter 18-25 December 2018

Newsletter 18-25 December 2018

A winter edible you should be scouting for is Galium aparine, or Goosegrass…

Goosegrass, Jelly Ears, False Hawk’s Beard, Roses, Nickerbeans, Christmasberry, Dandelion, Lemon Bacopa and it’s evil bitter sister Water Hyssop, Foraging Classes, Pinellas County, Foraging Videos, Go Fund Me, Green Deane Forum, Thistle Seeds, 8th Annual Urban Crawl

334

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-11-december-2018/

Pyracanthas are furious in the fall. Their brilliant red berries stand out in every landscape

Pyracanthas, Gingko, Chickweed, Hibiscus, Bauhinia, Foraging Classes, Death By Apple Seeds, Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, Go Fund Me, can you ID the edibles?

333

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-04-december-2018/

Both the Chinese and Siberian elms have several edible parts.

Chinese and Siberian elms, if an animal can eat it, West Indian Chickweed, upcoming Foraging Classes, Passiflora lutea, the Green Deane Forum, Go Fund Me, Foraging videos, and oaks

332

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-27-november-2018/

Foragers benefit from bad ideas.

Silverthorn, Little Mustards, Creeping Cucumber, Foraging Classes, Go Fund Me, Wax Myrtle, Green Deane Forum, Indian Pipes, Foraging Videos,

331

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-20-november-2018/

The seasons are changing and so is the foraging with a shift into not only fall but winter plants.

Christmasberry, Sugarberry, Foraging Classes, Carpetweed, Beefsteak Polypore, Go Fund Me. Green Deane Forum, Foraging videos

330

Common plant names can be so misleading.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-13-november-2018/

Silk Floss Tree, Pandanus Grass, Sand Spurs, Stinging Nettle, Foraging Classes, Chicken of the Woods, Go Fund Me, Foraging DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum

329

We don’t have the opportunity to often use the word “windfall”…

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-november-06-2018/

Chinese elm, pines and inner bark, jellyfish, wild oaks and sea purslane, foraging classes, personal notes, donations, DVD and the Green Deane Forum

328

The tree is easy to find but is it edible?

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-30-october-2018/

Golden Rain Tree, Daylight Saving Time, Back Yard Foraging and Pets, Foraging Classes, Smartweed, Go Fund Me, DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum

327

Learning about edible wild plants seem intimidating at first.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-23-october-2018/

Ringless Honey Mushroom, Foraging Class Schedule, Morning Glories, Go Fund Me, DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum,

326

Our Sumacs are happy.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-16-october-2018/

Sumacs, Persimmons, What is Edible? Foraging Classes, Perennial Peanut, Sea Grapes, Go Fund Me, Green Deane Forum, foraging DVDs,

325

This might be a good time to write about Yellow Pond Lilys.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-09-october-2018/

Yellow Pond Lily, Papaya and Castor Beans, Sida, Turkey Tails, False Turkey Tails, Foraging Classes, DVDs, Go Fund Me, Green Deane Forum.

324

Is it edible? Yes, no, maybe…

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-2-october-2018/

Chinese Tallow Tree, Caesarweed, Horsemint, Oyster Mushrooms, Foraging Classes, DVDs, Go Fund Me, the Green Deane Forum.

323

Seasons can be subtle

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-25-september-2018/

Seasons, Jambul Tree, Mushrooming, Saw Palmaettos, Foraging Classes. Toxic Caterpillars, Foraging Videos, and the Green Deane Forum.

322

It was on the side of the bike trail, half squished.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-18-september-2018/

Persimmons, Ringless Honey Mushrooms, Bananas, Foraging Classes, Peppervine, Foraging Videos, Green Deane Forum,

321

In the backwoods of Maine where I grew up Dogwoods were small.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-11-september-2018/

Kousa Dogwood, Canna, Ground Cherries, Cocoplums, Foraging Classes, Foraging DVDs, Go Fund Me, the Green Deane Forum, OMG!, Carpetweed, Indian Pipes

320

In the olden BC days… before computers…

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-04-september-2018/

Fall foraging, foraging classes, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Go Fund me, Creeping Fig

319

Still unpacking from my road trip (which is my excuse for this shorter-than-usual weekly newsletter.)

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-28-august-2018/

Mushroom class, foraging class in South Carolina, Foraging Classes, Kudzu, Radium Weed, DVDs, Go Fund Me, the Green Deane Forum

318

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-21-august-2018/

This is an abbreviated newsletter

Foraging class schedule for August and September 2018

317

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-14-august-2018/

Bunya Bunya get no respect in countries where people have plenty of food.

Bunya Bunya, Norfolk Pine, Black Gum, Sugarberry, Erect Spiderling, Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, Foraging Classes, Go Fund Me,

316

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-08-august-2018/

There’s an old phrase: “Sometimes you have to bow to the absurd”

Chanterelles, Black Trumpet, Sumac, Foraging Classes, Horsemint, Green Deane Forum, DVDs, Go Fund Me,

315

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-31-july-2018/

Putting on black fruit now is the much-debated Peppervine, Ampelopsis arborea.

Peppervine, Pindo Palms, Foraging Classes, Americaln Lotus, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Where the wild food is.

314

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-24-july-2018/

Our foraging class in Port Charlotte this past week was above and beyond if you like fruit.

Cocoplums, Jambul Tree, Mangos, Ground Cherries, Foraging Classes, Fermenting Mushrooms, Blue Porterweed, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum,

313

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-17-july-2018/

Millions of dollars and many decades have been spent trying to eradicate the edible pictured above.

Latex Strangler Vine, Beefstake Polypore, Sugarberry, Foraging Classes, Eastern Gammagrass, Purslane, Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, Lawns Aren’t Green,

312

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-10-july-2018/

Lobsters… no, not the kind from the sea but the woods: Lobster mushrooms.

Magnolias, Lobster Mushrooms, Foraging Classes, Carpetweed, Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, Bacterial Considerations,

311

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-3-july-2018/

There’s a wonderfully aromatic plant that prefers to hide most of the year.

Horsemint, Tallow Plum, Orlando Mushroom Group, Pecan Truffles, Foraging Classes, and DVDs

310

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-26-june-2018/

Podocarpus does not, as they used to say, have an attitude.

Podocarpus, Simpson Stopper, Orlando Mushroom Group, Foraging Classes, Jack In The Pulpit, Green Deane Forum, and foraging DVDs.

309

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-19-june-2018/

Paper Mulberries are related to bread fruit.

Paper Mulberries, St. John’s Mint, Black Gum, Podocarpus, Poison Sumac, Foraging Classes, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Blue Porterweed

308

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-12-june-2018/

Sorting out Morning Glories, Maypops and plants with cyanide, a Bolete with no name, Foraging Classes, Eating Little Red Bugs, the Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs,

307

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-05-june-2018/

Yellow ponds, that’s how I think of it…

American Lotus, Black Cherry, Foraging Classes, Toxic Atamasco, Milk Caps. The Old Man of the Woods, Green Deane Forum, Chinese Tallow tree, foraging DVDs,

306

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-29-may-2018/

Yucca is not Yuca. Or said another way: YOU-ka is not YUK-ka.

Yucca, Matchhead, Oaxaca Lemon Verbena, Doveweed, Ficus Racemosa, American Nightshade, Foraging Classes, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Eastern Hemlock

305

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-22-may-2018/

The Orlando Mushroom Group (OMG!) met Sunday for their first fungal foray of the year.

Orlando Mushroom Group, Pawpaws, Foraging Classes, Pregnancy and Plants, Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, Go Fund Me, and Chanterelles.

304

Spiderworts got me in trouble once

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-15-may-2018/

Spiderworts, Pond Apples, Sea Oxeye, Foraging Classes, OMG mushroom hunt, Go Fund Me, Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, Botany Builder 26,

303

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-08-may-2018/

Not all of botany is settled.

Grapes, Ivy Gourd, Eastern Gamagrass, Foraging Classes, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Go Fund Me, the Orlando Mushroom Group,

302

Sea Purslane and Purslane are not the same species

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-01-may-2018/

Sea Purslane, Sargassum, Morning Glories, Foraging Classes, Foraging DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Orlando Mushroom Group, Go Fund Me, Jack in the Pulpits,

301

The American Nightshade is poised to fruit heavily.

https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-24-april-2018/

American Nightshade, Blackberries, Orlando Mushroom Group, Common Fungi of South Florida, Foraging Classes, Ivy Gourd, Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, Go Fund Me,

Newsletters in chronological order
29 November2016: https://www.eattheweeds.com/newsletter-6-december-2016/ Issue 235: What do you see #25, Beautyberries, Simpson Stoppers, Wild Pineapples, Where To Find Wild Edibles. Foraging Classes, A possible edible shrub? Bananas, Foraging DVDs and the Green Deane Forum
22 November 2016: Issue 234 Dandelions, Goji Berries, Wapato, Foraging Classes, Foraging DVDs, the Green Deane Forum
15 November 2016: Issue 233: Chinese Elm, Wild Lettuce, Horsemint, Smartweed, Beautyberry, Brazilian Pepper, Winged Sumac, Foraging Classes, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum,
08 November 2016: Issue 232. Cucumber Weed, Honey Mushrooms, Creeping Cucumber, Tallow Plum, Christmasberry, Foraging Classes, Green Deane DVD, and the Green Deane Forum.
01 November 2016: Issue 231: Edible Wild Radish, Deadly Water Hemlock, Peppery Smartweed, Crushed Acorns, Foraging Classes, DVDs and the Green Deane Forum
25 October 2016: Issue 230: Tropical Almond, How Kids Learn, Foraging Classes, Dove Plums, the Green Deane Forum and foraging DVDs.
18 October 2016: Issue 229: Do you need to know the botanical names? Morning Glories, Persimmons, Yam A, Foraging Classes, Green Deane Forum, DVDs, Acorn Bread.
11 October 2016: Issue 228: Harvesting windfall, is the ground polluted? the Green Deane Forum and foraging DVDs
04 October 2016: Issue 227: Carpetweed, foraging and bacteria, foraging classes, the Green Deane Forum, and foraging DVDs.
27 September 2016: Issue 226: Acorns, Creeping Fig, Jewels of Opar, Foraging Classes, Ft. Desoto, Chaya, Green Deane Forum, foraging DVDs.
20 September 2016: Issue 225: Hackberry – Sugarberry, Kudzu, Skunk Vine, Foraging Classes, Persimmons, Green Deane DVDs and the Green Deane Forum.
13 September 2016: Issue 224: Water Hyacinth, Panic Grass, Foraging Classes, DVDs, Pindo Wine, the Green Deane Forum
06 September 2016: Issue 223: Learning how to forage, what’s in season now, foraging classes, Green Deane DVDs, the Green Deane Forum.
30 August 2016 was a fifth Tuesday. No newsletter was published.
23 August 2016: Issue 222: Beautyberries, grapes, Pindo Palm, Simpson Stopper, Horsemint, Saw Palmetto, Persimmons, Maine Blueberries, milkweed pods, foraging classes., DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, medicinal and edible mushrooms.
16 August 2016: Issue 221: Horsemint, Pindo Wine, Begonias, Goldenrod, Foraging Classes, Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, Beautyberries,
09 August 2016: Issue 220: Black Cherry, Black Gum, Black Pepper Vine Fruit, the North American Ebony, persimmon, foraging classes, DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum.
02 August 2016: Issue 219: Pindo Palms, White Boerhavia, Water Hyssop and memory, Hackberries, Foraging Classes, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, and Wild Grpaes
26 July 2016: Issue 218: The Jambul Tree, Norfolk Pine, Hairy Cow Pea, Magnifying Glass, Foraging classes, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum, and Simpson Stoppers.
All data on site between April 16 and June 8th were lost because of Hostgator’s incompetence. That included many newsletters.
12 April 2016: Issue 203: Finding Pawpaws, blossoming Eastern Coral Bean, fruiting Mulberries, the Mahoe, Partridgeberries in Florida! Upcoming foraging classes and ForageFest, the Green Deane Forum and DVDs.
5 April 2016: No newsletter because of hacking attempt.
29 March 2016: Issue 202: Ivy Gourd or Tindora, Bidens alba, Fermenting, Loquats, Foraging Classes and DVDs.
22 March 2016: Issue 201: Linden Tree, Fermenting Spiderwort, Avocado Seeds, Foraging Classes, DVDs
15 March 2016: Issue 200: Identifying Garden Weeds, Loquats, Butterweed, New Class Location, Upcoming Foraging Classes, the Green Deane Forum, Foraging DVDs, 200th Newsletter!
8 March 2016: Issue 199: Garden weeds, finding edible weeds, Western Tansy Mustard, Foraging Classes, Sow thistles, Green Deane Forum and DVDs.
1 March 2016: Issue 198: Florida Herbal Conference 2016, Poor Man’s Pepper Grass and Maca, Foraging Classes, Seaweed, Free Mustard Seeds, Green Deane DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum.
23 February 2016: Issue 197: The Eastern Redbud and Chickasaw Plum, Wild Radishes and Mustards, Earthskills and Florida Herbal Conference 2016, Upcoming Foraging Classes, Free Mustard Seeds, Green Deane DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum.
16 February 2016: Issue 196: Sow Thistles, Thorns, Spines and Prickles, the Green Deane Forum, Foraging Classes. Florida Herbal Conference, Free Mustard Seeds, Green Deane’s DVDs.
9 February 2016: Issue 195: Silverthorns, Plantagos, Foraging Classes, Florida Herbal Conference, Foraging DVDs, free Red Mustard seeds.
2 February 2016: Issue 194: Tulips, Mustards, Dandelions, Doveweed, Florida Herbal Conference, Foraging Classes, Green Deane Videos, Free Mustard seeds, and the Green Deane Forum: Did you ever eat a larch?”
26 January 2016: Issue 193: Eastern Gamagrass, Florida Herbal Conference, Sea Blite, Queen and Pindo Palms, Opuntia and Nopales, Foraging Classes, Green Deane DVDs.
19 January 2016: Issue 192: Silverthorn, Sheep’s Sorrel, Free Red Mustard Seeds, Stinging Nettles, Henbit, Chickweed, Foraging Classes, DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum
12 January 2016: Issue 191: Roots revisited: Ivy Gourd. Wild Teas. Foraging Classes, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum.
5 January 2016: Issue 190:Stinging nettles, Purslane, Oxalis, Mystery Root, Foraging classes, DVDs, Green Deane Forum.
29 December 2015: Issue 189:Goosegrass, Christmasberry, Natal Plum, Yaupon Holly, Bananas, Nicker Bean, Ground Cherry, Sea Purslane, Sea Blite, Coral Berry, Gracilaria, CLasses, DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum
22 December 2015: Issue 188: Ringless Honey mushrooms, Deer Mushrooms, Tamarind, Mahoe, Tropical Almond, Fifth Urban Crawl, Foraging Classes, DVDs, Green Deane Forum,
15 December 2015: Issue 187: Silverthorn, Peppergrass, Chickweed, Foraging Classes Green Deane Videos, the Green Deane Forum, fifth annual Urban Crawl.
8 December 2015: Issue 186: Wild lettuce, Osage Orange, Ginkgos, Cashew Trees, Pineapple Guava, Turk’s Cap, Foraging Classes, DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum.
1 December 2015: Issue 185: Tropical Soda Apple aka Horse Nettle, Henbit, Stork’s Bill and Cranesbill,
24 November 2015: Issue 184; Chickweed, pomegranate peelings, pines, homemade mustard, foraging classes, the Green Deane Forum, and DVDs
17 November 2015: Issue 183; Seaweed and Lichen, where to forage, Foraging Classes, DVDs, Green Deane Forum.
10 November 2015: Issue 182:Wild Drinks, a book review; Wax Myrtle Berries, Wild Radish, Foraging Classes, the Green Deane Forum, and DVDs
3 November 2015: Issue 181:Black gum, Seagrapes, Doveweed, Foraging near Roads, Classes, Green Deane Forum, and Videos.
27 October 2015: Issue 180:Foot fruit: Podocarpus and Cashews, Sandspurs, Pony Foot, Foraging Classes, the Green Deane Forum and Videos
20 October 2015: Issue 179:What is a Ceiba and how do you say it? Partridgeberry, Ringless Honey Mushrooms, Red Bays and Magnolias, Laurel Wilt, Pellitory aka Cucumberweed, Foraging Classes, and the Green Deane Forum
7 October 2015 no newsletter published because site had to be backed up because of hackers.
6 October 2015: Issue 178:Tallow plum, White Beautyberries, Sumac, Sea and Wood Oats, Cactus and Nopales, Foraging Classes, Green Deane Forum,
29 September was a fifth Tuesday, no news letter published then.
22 September 2015: Issue 177: Frost, and ripening vegetables and fruit, Foraging Classes, the Green Deane Forum
15 September 2015: Issue 176:Purslane and a look-alike, Pepper Vine, Upcoming Foraging Classes, Heartwing Sorrel, Green Deane Forum,
8 September 2015: Issue 175: 18 edibles along the Seminole-Wekiva Trial, Foraging Class Schedule, and the Green Deane Forum.
1 September 2015: Issue 174: Kudzu, wild apples, mountain foraging, upcoming classes, the Green Deane Forum
18 and 25 August, no newsletters as Green Deane was on vacation hiking in the Carolinas.
11 August 2015: Issue 173:Horsemint, Foraging along railroad tracks, Goldenrod, Swamp Rose Mallow, Foraging Classes, Green Deane Forum.
4 August 2015: Issue 172:Ripening grapes, saw palmetto fruit, Yellow Anise, Green Maypops, Large Boletes, Foraging Classes, Green Deane Forum.
28 July 2015: Issue 171:Citron Melons, three edible mushrooms; Blue Lactarius, the Old Man of the Woods, and Chanterelles. Lone Star Ticks and Armadillos in the news, Foraging Classes and the Green Deane Forum
21 July 2015: Issue 170:Tasty Tamarind, Tropical Almonds, the lesser-known Silk Bay, Foraging Classes, The Green Deane Forum, Are the Seasons Changing?
14 July 2015: Issue 169: Are all Portulacas edible? Which yam is it? Elderberries. Foraging Classes. Taking a Bee Hive Home, and The Green Deane Forum.
7 July 2015: Issue 168: Paper Mulberries, Pindo Palm, Yaupon Holly, The Timucua, Pawpaws, plant books, upcoming foraging classes, the Green Deane Forum.
30 June 2015: Fifth Tuesday, no newsletter.
23 June 2015: Issue 167: Sea Blite, Glasswort, Creeping Fig, Foraging Classes, Green Deane Forum.
16 June 2105: Issue 166:Laco-fermenting, toxic Atamasco Lily, Smilax, Sword Ferns, Foraging Classes, Green Deane Forum,
9 June 2015: Issue 165: Latex Strangler Vine, American Lotus, Dock Seeds, foraging mistakes, early season Podocarpus, Reishi mushrooms, foraging classes, Green Deane Forum
2 June 2015: Issue 164: Ivy gourd, Honey Mushrooms, Wild Food Plants of Hawaii, Classes, Green Deane Forum.
26 May 2015, no newsletter because of hackers.
19 May 2015: Issue 163:Gopher Apples are blossoming as are Groundnuts. Candyroot is getting showy, Blueberries are ripening. The Simpson Stopper has three kinds of leaves. Wild Coffee and Coralberry Confusion, Upcoming Classes, and the Green Deane Forum,
12 May 2015: Issue 162: Watercress, Wild Garlic, Upcoming Foraging Classes, Green Deane Forum, Botany Builder 28, Does anyone want to guess?
5 May 2015: Issue 161:Wild Pineapple, Ground Cherries, Horsemint, Three kinds of wild grapes, upcoming foraging classes, Botany Builder 27, edible Pluteus petasatus, the Green Deane Forum
28 April 2015: Issue 160:Blackberries, Pickling Betony roots, Elderberry, Smilax, Juniper Berries, Upcoming Classes, Green Deane Forum, What Do You See #24.
21 April 2015: Issue 159: Distance and Elevation, Paper Mulberry, Red Mulberry, Basswood, False Hawk’s Beard, Upcoming Foraging Classes, Green Deane Forum, Botany Builder #26,
14 April, 2015: Issue 158: Pineapple Guava, the Tallow Plum, where to look for edible plants, upcoming foraging classes. the Green Deane Forum, and What Do You See #23
7 April 2015: Issue 157: ForageFest 2015, Lantanas, Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses, A Beginner’s Guide of Edible Florida, foraging in Port Charlotte, non-edible Nicker Beans, foraging classes, the Green Deane Forum, and What Do You See #22
31 March 2015: Issue 156: Is it time to reassess Nuphar roots? Identifying the Simpson Stopper. Foraging Instructors. What ’s in Season, Foraging Class Schedule, Green Deane Forum, What do you see #21.
24 March 2015: Issue 155: Mulberries, Wild Cucumbers, Edible Palms, Sea Rocket, Which Blueberry? Green Deane Forum. Upcoming Foraging Classes, What Do You See #20.
17 March 2015: There was no newsletter.
10 March 2015: Issue 154:Paw paws, Pennyroyal, Dandelions, Green Deane Forum, Foraging Classes, Daylight Saving time, What Do You See #19
3 March 2015, Issue 153: Florida Herbal Conference 2015, Turpentine Pines, Banning Mulberries, Foraging Classes, the Green Deane Forums, Bird Peppers, and What Do You See #18
24 February 2015: Issue 152: Eastern Redbud, Plums, Limequat, Foraging Classes, Seasonal changes and Mulberries, Florida Herbal Conference, Green Deane Forum, and What Do You See #17.
17 February 2015: Issue 151: Pepper Grass, Wild Geraniums, Paper Mulberry, Foraging Classes, Guest article: Bees, Butterflies, and Moths, Florida Herbal Conference 2015, the Green Deane Forum, and Winter Buds10 February 2015: Mystery diced root, Florida Earthskills 2015 is history, Florida Herbal Conference 2015 is next, foraging classes, Green Deane Forum, the 150th newsletter.
27 January 2015: The Wax Myrtle, Mustards & Radishes, Hairy Cowpea, Green Deane Forum, Earthskills 2015, Florida Herbal Conferece 2015, How Ungreen of Us.
20 January 2015: Goji berries, Plantagos, Black Medic, Green Deane Forum, Earthskills 2015, Florida Herbal Conference 2015, and Chain of Contamination
13 January 2015: Poorman’s Pepper Grass, Creeping Cucumber, Bulrush, Green Deane Forum, Earthskills 2015, Florida Herbal Conference 2015, classes, Wild Pineapple, Creeping Indigo warning, Calliandra haematocephala, What Do You See #16.
6 January 2015: False Hawk’s Beard, Roses, Earthskills gathering, 2015 Florida Herbal Conference, Foraging Classes, Pellitory, Goosegrass, Less Money More Weeds
30 December 2014: New Year Leaves, Bauhinias, Pansies, Classes, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, Earthskills Conference, Florida Herbal Conference, Janus, the Roman God who looks both ways, 4th Annual Urban Crawl.
23 December 2014: Are cattails really that good? Is the Moss Rose edible? FORAGER! Classes, DVDS and the Green Deane Forum.
16 December 2014: Sycamores, Wild Mustards, When a Description Doesn’t Fit, Upcoming Classes, Green Deane DVDs, The Green Deane Forum, Florida Herbal Conference
9 December 2014: Wild edibles in downtown Savannah, Georgia, Pyracanthas, Ginkgop, Swinecress, Henbit, herbalism vs foraging, upcoming foraging classes, Green Deane DVDs, and the Florida Herbal Conference.
2 December 2014: The Cabbage Palm, Sow Thistle, Weeds vs. Cultivated Crops, DVDs, Green Deane Forum, and the Florida Herbal Conference.
25 November 2014: Pellitory, Usnea, Thanksgiving, foraging classes, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum and the herbal conference.
18 November 2014: Persimmons, Indian Pipes, Cactus fruit, Lantana, foraging classes, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum and the herbal conference.
11 November 2014, no newsletter as Green Deane had dental surgery.
4 November 2014: Making Vinegar, Marlberries, Wintercress, Florida Herbal Conference, Upcoming Classes, DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum, all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.
28 October 2014: Ground Cherries, Cocoplums, Simpson Stopper, Elderberries, Lemon Bacopa, Bananas, Lactarius Indigo, Upcoming Classes, DVDs, The fourth Florida Herbal Conference, and Florida Gulf Coast University.
21 October 2014: Roses, Book Review: The Wild Wisdom of the Weeds, upcoming foraging season, classes, DVDs, and the Green Deane forum.
Oct 7and 14 no newsletter because Green Deane attended an out-of-state memorial service.
30 September 2014: Date Palms, Mushroom Season, Red Tide, Foraging Classes, DVDs, Green Deane Forum.
23 September 2014: Is Portulaca pilosa edible? Gopher Apples, What’s in Season, Class Schedule, DVDs, the Green Deane Forum.
16 September 2014: The Tallow Plum, a neat way to clean tunas, looking for yams, the beautyberry is happy, upcoming classes, DVDs, and the Green Deane Forum
9 September 2014: The passion fruit, where is it safe to forage, the Jambul Fruit, Puss Moth Caterpillar, Classes, DVD, and the Green Deane Forum.
2 September 2014: Sumac, Bananas, Cana, Old Man of The Woods, Podocarpus, Answer to What Do You See #16, Green Deane Forum, DVDs.
26 August 2014: Pine nuts, wild cucumbers, hiking in North Carolina, foraging classes, What Do You See #16, Green Deane Forum and DVDs.
19 August 2014: No newsletter, Green Deane hiking in the Carolinas.
12 August 2014: No newsletter, Green Deane hiking in the Carolinas.
5 August 2014: No newsletter, Green Deane hiking in the Carolinas.
29 July 2014: Bunya Bunya, Ganoderma mushrooms, upcoming classes, where to find the strangler latex vine, the Green Deane Forum and DVDs.
22 July 2014, American lotus, Fifth Annual Mushroom Intensive, Portulacas, Foraging Classes, The Green Deane Forum, and Podocarpus
15 July 2014, Black Cherries, Strawberry Guava, Horsemint, Basswood, Mushroom Workshop, White Indigoberry
July 1st and 8th, no newsletter as Green Deane was on vacation.
24 June 2014: Drehear Park, Jambul, Purslane, Classes, DVDs, changing servers.
17 June 2014: Chickasaw Plums, the deadly Water Hemlock, a Monsoon of Mushrooms, the answer the What Do You See #15, upcoming classes, the Green Deane Forum and DVDs.
10 June 2014: Jack In The Pulpits, Seasonal Changed, Podocarpus, Junipers, What Do You See 15, Answer to What Do You See 14, Foraging Classes, the Green Deane Forum, and DVDs.
3 June 2014: No newsletter because of attempted hacking.
27 May 2014: Memorial Day and the Corn Poppy. Where do you forage? What Do You See #14.
2o May 2014: Discovering Chaya; a new loop; Florida’s Wild Edibles, a book review; classes and DVDs.
13 May 2014: Caloric staples: Cattails, Kudzu, Acorns; Seasonal Changes; “Giant Hog Weed” on the Green Deane Forum; Upcoming Foraging Classes; DVDs; What Do You See 13 Answers, all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.
6 May 2014: Blackberries, the Water Hyacinth, Of Butterflies and Bees, What Do You See #12 and 13, Green Deane Forum and DVDS.
29 April 2014: Fifth Tuesday of the month. No newsletter published that date.
22 April 2014: Wild Garlic and Onions, Fleabane, Surinam Cherries and Mulberries, What Do You See 12, the answer to What Do You See 11, the Green Deane Forum, Classes and DVDs.
15 April 2014: Florida pennyroyal, Pawpaws, A new edible Redvein Abutilon, Birds and Loquats, What Do You See #11, answer to What Do You See #10, upcoming classes, DVDs
8 April 2014: Mulberries, Magnolia Vinegar, Surinam Cherries, What Do You See 10, answer to What Do You See 09, Upcoming Foraging classes, Book Review: Foraging With Kids, DVDs.
1 April 2014: The Tropical Chestnut, the Eastern Redbud, Miner’s Lettuce, Upcoming Foraging Classes, What do You See #09, answers to What Do You See 08, Book Review: Guide To Wild Foods And Useful Plants, DVDs, Barbie…
25 March 2014: Finding “wild” edibles, Wild Cucumber, Basswood, Black Medic and Hop Clover, Upcoming Classes, Brevard Botanical Garden Plant sale, What Do You See 08, answer for What Do You See 07, and DVDs.
18 March 2014: Golf courses revisited, rain brings the mushrooms, spring greens are putting on, got an article for the newsletter? Classes, DVDs, What Do You See #07, answers to #06, Birmingham Plant Sale, Book Review: Foraging & Feasting.
11 March 2014: Finding wild edibles, Dandelions, False Dandelions, Time Change, What Do You See #06, Spring is Here, Upcoming Classes, DVDs, Guest Articles Request.
4 March, 2014: Winging it with maple seeds, Turk’s Caps, Florida Herbal Conference 2014 is history, how to avoid the toxic Cherry Laurel, What Do You See? #05 and the answers to #04, looking for a travel trailer and holding classes in west Florida and beyond.
25 February, 2014: Sheep Sorrel, mystery mushroom, upcoming classes, Botany Builder 39, What Do You See? #04, Answer to What Do You See 03, DVDs and close encounters of the slithering kind.
18 February 2014: Nettle season, the evergreen Water Hyssop, White Clover, Boletes, our guest article: Plant Nutrition, upcoming classes, the Florida Herbal Conference nears, What Do You See #3 and the answer to What Do You See #2,
11 February 2014: Blewit Mushroom, Wild Garlic, Botany Builder #38, Plantago Power, Guest Article: Is it really Global Warming? What Do You See #2 and last week’s answer and more all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.
4 February 2014: What is White Snow? The Silverthorns are fruiting. Which Ganoderma is it? Botany Builder #37. What Do You See #1, and new feature. EarthSkills gathering Florida is this week, Florida Herbal Conference is this month, all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.
28 January, 2014: Cooking up mustard roots, Botany Builder #36, why doesn’t epazote freeze? Class Schedule, EarthSkills 2014, Florida Herbal Conference, DVDs, looking for Mr. Good Transportation, and guest writers.
21 January 2014: Tansy Mustard, Swine Cress, Botany Builder #35, Part II of guest writer Dewayne Allday’s To Shroom or not to Shroom, EarthSkills 2014 gathering, Florida Herbal Conference 2014, and upcoming foraging classes.
14 January 2014: Start looking for Silverthorn fruit, Henbit, Amaranth and Bitter Cress in local garden, Botany Builder #34, guest writer Dewayne Allday, To Shroom or not to Shroom, EarthSkills 2014 gathering, Florida Herbal Conference 2014, and upcoming foraging classes,
7 January 2014: Plantagos are ready for harvesting, Chickweed by Heather Pierce with recipes, Botany Builder 33, How safe is foraging? Class schedule, the Florida Herbal Conference, and Green Deane’s DVDs.
31 December 2013: No newsletter published that date.
24 December 2013: Vibrant chickweed, abundant pellitory, eat your Christmas tree? The Third Annual Urban Crawl with violet recipe, the common sow thistle, Botany Builder #32, Bottled scallions and the Green Deane Forum, what is foraging? upcoming classes and DVDs,
17 December 2013: The Green Deane Forum, the Tropical Almond, Botany Builder 31, Over Foraging, ETWs Archive, Mushrooms to be found, three thefts, Green Deane DVDs.
10 December 2013: Wild Radishes and Mustards, Juniper Berries, Amelia Island, Egan Creek Greenway, The Blue Heron Inn, and Botany Builder #30: Peltate. From the Archive: Is this Plant Edible?
3 December 2013: Sow thistles are sprouting, the wild lettuce is up. How many raw elderberries should you eat? The Silverthorn is in blossom, swinecress will soon be here, and Botany Builder #29.
26 November 2013: Strangler Latex Vine still fruiting, seasonal Little Mustards, Stinging Nettles, Forest Kindergarten, a dear visitor, Florida Herbal Conference, Foraging DVDs, and Botany Builder #28: Lianas.
19 November 2013: Chickweed is back! Along with stinkhorns, train wreckers, making dandelion wine, walnuts in the news, Florida Herbal Conference, DVDs, and foraging instructor updates.
12 November 2013: Sargassum, other sea veteables, eating jellyfish, cooking with sea purslane, the wood oats alternative, classes, DVDs, Florida Herbal Conference and an insect invasion.
5 November 2013: The seasonal change is upon us and winter foraging should be picking up. There’s acorns to be collected, a yam blossom to see, and a luffa surprise. The Florida Herbal Conference is coming up, and shoveling snow all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.
29 October 2013: No newsletter published that date.
22 October 2013: The Tropical Almond, Smartweed, Dudaim Melon, Polyporus Tenuiculus, Florida Herbal Conference, and Green Deane’s DVDs.
15 October 2013: A new edible, Perennial Pea; early-season cucumber weed; going out of season sea-grapes, persimmons, coco-plums, simpson stopper; begonias-hemlock, honey mushrooms, a calculating cat, Florida Herbal Conference, and DVDs.
8 October 2013: Black Gum, eating Anoles, the Green Deane Forum, Chestnut Bolete, 2014 Florida herbal conference, Green Deane’s DVDs, and 2000-year old seed sprouts.
1 October 2013: Sumac’s in season, persimmons, saw palmettos, creeping cucumbers, three iffy edibles, trust, the genus Lactarius, language and grazing.
24 Septemner 2013: Ever eat a Norfolk Pine? Snacking on Hairy Cowpeas blossoms. Dare you eat a Saw Palmetto berry? Persimmons are coming into season. Sign up early for the Florida Herbal Conference. Recent rains will stimulate mushroom sightings. Change in the newsletter policy. DVDs as selling.
17 September 2013: Cereus fruit, ground nuts, 5,000 questions, upcoming classes, herbal conference, my mystery mushroom, DVDS.
10 September 2013: Remembering wild apples, the aroma of wild plants, coming to terms with botanical names, a purslane recipe, the Florida Herbal Conference and DVDs,
3 September 2013: Blooming horsemint, Kudzu, classes, Ganoderma curtisii, make a berry picking bucket, upcoming conferences and DVDs.
27 August, 2013: Blossoming Coral Vine, Eastern Gamagrass, Grapes, Foraging Classes, Rattlesnakes, Poison Sumac, and Puffballs
20 August 2013: Podocarpus and fruit wines, thank you cards, class schedule, DVDs, and for what it’s worth.
13 August 2013: Fireweed is gourmet? Pindo Palms, Bitter Gourd, native grapes, Mt. Washington, Blueberries, persimmons, upcoming foraging classes and a common toxic mushroom the Green Parasol.
6 August 2013: Osage Orange, Saw Palmettos, foraging teachers, upcoming foraging classes, seasonal mushrooms, and how we love our pets.
30 July 2013: Getting Cereus about blooming cactus, the Monadas for medicine and spice, DVDs, our native Anise trees and remembering Dick Deuerling.
23 July 2013, Where to look for weeds, Pineapple weed, Toe Biters, 2 million views, DVDs, and a tribute to mom, Mae Lydia Putney Jordan.
9 July and 16 July 2013 no newsletter due to a death in the family.
2 July 2013: The tasty Bunya Pine Cone, natal plums, willows, botany builder, classes and your pick for a new vegetable.
25 June 2013: The orange Paper Mulberry, the orange Hackberry, Green Deane’s DVDs, Environmentalism, upcoming classes, and the Tree of Heaven all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green
18 June 2013: Chickasaw plums, ivy gourd, the false roselle, toxic daturas, hand lenses, classes, and who’s manipulating whom?
11 June 2013: Getting food out of the Chinese Tallow Tree, harvesting young wild yams, pickled Betony root, the deer are raining what? And upcoming classes.
4 June 2013: The maypops and pawpaws are putting on fruit, yucca are blossoming, black cherries are ripe and the black nightshade berries are ripening. That and a new class location, Seminole-Wekiva.
28 May 2013: Sea purslane, sea oats and wood oats, a profusion of coco-plums, easterngammagrass and how to eat cicadas
21 May 2013: The Prunus are a fruiting, the winged yam, where to find sea blite, should you eat Black Medic, Smilax are in blossom, and new video about Wild garlic/Onions.
14 May 2013: No newsletter that week
7 May 2013: Blackberries, Lemon Bacopa, Surinam Cherries, Basswood, Linden Tree, recent articles and the city of Winter Park spraying cattails because they are not aestheticallypleasing in the park.
30 April 2013: How to tell sow thistles apart, creeping fig, lawns, and why can’t I eat this?
23 April 2013: The sweet aroma of the candyroot, the surprising relative of the Hairy Cowpea, Barnyard Grass, the Rose Apple and releasing bio-controls.
16 April 2013: St. Nicholas Monastery and Tropical Almonds, Pellitory Itch, Vacant Lots, Bamboo Cove, Botany Builder #26, and the calming effects of nature.
9 April 2013: Pawpaws are blossoming, are there any poisonous look alikes, the bugs are coming, cold weather, and $1.6 million for a frog phobia.
2 April 2013: The wild onions/garlic are fruiting, how to tell the edible Black Cherry from the toxic Laurel Cherry, toxicity in Elderberries, and more Grass is God rebellion.
26 March 2013: Finding fireweed, digging up betony roots, drying loquats, Botany Builder #25, Coppicing, Road Kill, and spreading seeds.
19 March 2013: The Queen Palm, changing weeds from edible to noxious, velvet leaf, crabgrass, Botany Builder #24, Samaras, New Articles, House Calls, Suriname Cherries, Nopales, and The Drunken Botanist all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.
12 March 2013: Mulberries, Creeping Cucumber, Coco-plums, Smartgrass, Botany Builder 23, pinna, winter plant facts, time change, GD videos coming.
5 March 2013: Goosegrass, pawpaws, Christmasberry, Botany Builder 22 stipules, cultivating wild plants, Apps, Scrub jays.
26 February 2013: Sheep’s Sorrel, White Snow, new articles, shocking news about bees, the Australian Pine, hydrilla, and worms
19 February 2013: Loquats, poison hemlock, turkey berries, toxic tomatoes, conferences, Lake Woodruff, osage orange and turtle travails.
12 February 2013: The ever elusive chickweed, solar oven and nut sheller, the tale of two nettles, wild lettuce, more hard-headed government, new mushroom book, the Maslin technique, ragweed, upcoming classes and loss of habitat
5 February 2013: A close up of usnea, a likeable lichen. The silverthorn is in full fruit, find aromatic wild garlic, identify watercress. There’s also the Thistle Epistle, Frostbites, Mulberries, the herbal conference and up coming classes, all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.
29 January 2013: Smilax, non-edible nicker beans, seasonal eating, naughty knotweed, front yard gardening and decapitated grass, pool fish pond, and upcoming class schedule in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green
22 January 2013: What you can do with a wild wing yam, Florida Pennyroyal, a special Hawthorn you should know about, my latest videos and articles, is eating nutrition good for you? Don’t eat the rattlebox. Sugar Cane and winning environmental bar bets.
15 January 2013: Haulover Canal, Seablite, classifing plants, clovers, thistles, sow thistles, wild lettuce, Florida Herbal Conference, rising wheat prices.
8 January 2013: Maples are beginning to seed, find local Goosefoots, where the wild food is, the taste test, Florida Herbal Conference, microscopes, and Eugene Handsacker’s shell game

1 January 2013: Chickweed, sublimed sulfur, herbal conference, Green Deane’s DVDs, Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses, Turks Cap, Oxalis, Violets, Plantagos, and the prime mistake foragers make.

25 December 2012: Christmas in Florida, identifying chestnuts, what about ground cherries, winter vines, the toxic Mexican Poppy, the annual urban crawl and natal plums, Canada’s maple syrup much-to-do,

18 December, 2012: How to tell a mustard from a radish. Which cactus pad should you pick? The February Florida Herbal Conference, a traditional urban crawl

11 December 2012: Finding sumacs, magnolia blossoms as spice, the Florida Herbal Conference, follow ups on pollination and Featherstonehaugh, fertilizer, Maygyver and Nefertiti.

4 December 2012: Finding Winged Yams, our little winter mustards, pollenating creatures, Florida Herbal Conference, the Green Deane Forum, Mushrooms a la David Spahr and Dr. Kimbrough, Alligators with marijuana and Featherstonehaugh, all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

27 November 2012: The mustards of wintertime, how to sort out hollies, learning about mushrooms, growing weeds from seeds, dandelions, and the fate of Edward Archboldall all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.
20 November 2012: It’s holly season, and wild mustard time along with seasonal little mustards. Also in the newsletter: The Pond Apple, Florida’s Herbal Conference, Thanksgiving lore, wild pumpkins, Botany Builder 21 and faded underwear, all From The Village Green.

13 November 2012: Going nuts with hickories and acorns;, Spanish Needle tea, good for some of what ails you, why bumble bees can’t fly, and the Florida Herbal Conference,

6 November 2012: Hackberries (Sugarberries) Fireweed, “bad” landscape trees, weighty issues, bikes, time and the 2013 Florida Herbal Conference, all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

30 October 2012: Which came first, grains or tubers? Groundnuts, wild rice, armadillos, clouds, a follow up on snails and Oh Deer, all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

23 October 2012: Oak trees are masting (dropping acorns) new articles, mushrooms, snails, turtles, False Hawk’s Beard, and more in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

16 October 2012: The winter greens of chickweed, bittercress and poor man’s pepper grass; Solanum americanum, when not to eat; solar oven update, Halloween rant, the impact of weeds, updated articles, the Untouchables, and ginkgo gastronomics.

9 October 2012: A new crop of sandspurs, confusing Poke berries and Elderberries, nettles for clothes, blue honey, new article about Pandanus, preserving fall foliage, cooking with pine needles and a cockroach eating contest.

2 October 2012: Pandanus and Ivy Gourd, digging sticks, growing zones and recording setting pumpkin.

25 September 2012: Chaya, confusing nettles, winter weeds, new articles, yams, the dangers of foraging, tales of a city lot.

18 September 2012: Fuzzy marbles, sweet and sour maypops, food and medicine, recently added articles, sumac hiar, vultures and belladona.

11 September 2012: Finding tart food, a look at sumac and the false roselle, a new herbalism book and resource, the Green Deane Forum, Sea-Grapes, and scorpions

4 September 2012: Get Gopher Apples while you can, Getting High, the effect of elevation on plant seasons, a yam for colder weather, a bike with no pedals, and is you cat making you ill?

14 August 2012: Maypops are coming into season; what do you know about cyanide; how to get rid of chiggers; Man of the Earth big root deep down; sorting out wild grapes, and earthworms.

7 August 2012: Eastern Gamagrass, Asian Clams, new articles posted, Creeping Cucumbers, Upcoming classes, Chinese Tallow Tree, Green Dean Forum, What’s the Buzz.

31 July 2012: Sea Purslane on the grill, when is a clover not a clover? What to do about spices. Archiving newsletters. Class schedule. Growing Patio Potatoes and yams. Fined for growing food and holding birthday party
all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

24 July 2012 : The Podocarpus is coming into season, grapes are early this year, where to hold a foraging class. my class schedule, making friction fire, is that really a strawberry and sonar sex… all in this week’s newsletter, From The Village Green by Green Deane

17 July 2012 : Coco-plums are in season, as is Silverhead. Why is Black Point in Maine called that and where does Bidens grow in Brazil? American Holly, scorpions, armadillos and how to make your own sourdough bread, all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

10 July 2012: A flower that tastes like a mushroom, fear of foraging, nutrition, what is a pirogue, and my class schedule, all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

3 July 2012: Sorting out ground cherries, hairs on plants and why we need to know them, Class Schedule, an upcoming road trip, a great garden party, and Lichen In Space, all in this week’s Green Deane’s Newsletter, From The Village Green.

26 June 2012: Sorting out blueberries, or, how to figure out what the plant is. Is This Plant Edible and changing views on edibility. And upcoming classes all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

19 June 2012: What to eat strawberry guavas, which wild edibles should pregnant women avoid, are you collecting seaweed for supper? Lawn grass and code enforcement. Upcoming classes all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

29 May 2012: Surinam Cherries are ripening but they aren’t cherries. Firethorn berries are green but wait a few weeks. Botany builder #20. What’s barnyard grass? Visit the Green Deane Forum. Bicycles in the news. How to tattoo a banana, all in this week’s Green Deane newsletter From The Village Green.

21 May 2012: Pineapples that don’t exist, Guerrilla Gardening, upcoming classes and exactly what is the meristem stage? All in this week’s newsletter “From The Village Green” by Green Deane.

7 May 2012: Can Rescuegrass rescue you? Why forage and what are “naked” seeds? This an more in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green by Green Deane.

23 April 2012: Wild Garlic is heading, spurge nettles are rooting, sea blite is ready for picking, and eastern coral beans are showing you where they are. Did Green Deane actually get poison sumac and what did the spam filter catch? That and more in this weeks newsletter From The Village Green.

9 April 2012: Peppery smartweed, the “yuck” factor, kudzu, the winged yam, pennyroyal, budget cut benefits, and more in this week’s From The Village Green, Green Deane’s Newsletter.

2 April 2012: Where the weeds are. Going to a gym. Compound leaves. Rumex, Topi mambo, Water Lettuce, Duckweed, Edible Flowers Part 19, Classes, Green Deane Forum and “For What It’s worth” all in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

26 March 2012: What’s in and out of season? The Florida Herbal Conference. How do you find edible plants? Pictures or drawings? Upcoming Classes, and more in From the Village Green, Green Deane’s newsletter.

19 March 2012: Where to find papaws. Can you eat grass? Four new articles: Sida, False Roselle, Edible Flowers Part 18, Gout Weed. Can you eat tropical sage? Botany Builder #14, that and more in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green.

5 March 2012: The Eastern Redbuds are confused. A 30,000 year old flower? What might you do if you catch the flu. Sorting out the Perseas. Five new articles. Arrest made in burning down the world’s oldest Cypress. Class schedule. Green Deane Forum update, all in From the Village Green, Green Deane’s Newsletter

20 February 2012: Wild Radish is turning fields yellow, harvesting nopales, milkweed vine and the evolution of the garden, two new articles, a forum update, this week’s classes, and ducks, all in “From the Village Green” this week’s Green Deane Newsletter.

6 February 2012: The Green Deane Forum, a place to meet other foragers and share questions and successes, Brazilian Pepper, a staple that grows in teh shade, Botany Builder 14, Herbal Conferencem, Cliamate change. All in this Green Deane’s newsletter this week, From The Village Green.

23 January 2012: What to do with Brazilian Pepper. Tapping Trees a new way. What’s the difference between a tree and a shrub? Herbal Conference, and I didn’t know that all in this weeks newsletter From The Village Green.

16 January 2012: Persimmons and frost, saving weed seeds, Botany Builder #12, an herbal invitation, African bees and more in this weeks newsletter from Green Deane.

9 January 2012: The stinging dwarf is back, who is Sunny Savage? Passiflora, epiphany and manatees; new articles, what’s the difference between roots and rhizomes? Wild cucumbers, upcoming classes and the newsletter.

2 January 2012: Pigging out on swinecress. A prescription for walnuts? Snow. New articles on reeds, dahlias, nutrias and edible flowers part nine; Botany builder #10, classes, and how many wild edibles should you know, in Green Deane’s newsletter this week From The Village Green

26 December 2011: A yam what am a yam; peppergrass; Janus the god of gates; Did you know? New articles; Urban Crawl and upcoming classes; Botany Builder; a Christmas memory and more in Green Deane’s newsletter this week, From The Village Green.

19 December 2011: Chickweed is up locally. Here’s another good reason to forage. What does -ifera mean? Turtle Mound. Canna Island update. Wild Radishes, and more in Green Deane’s newsletter this week, From The Village Green

12 December 2011: Pellitory’s in season. How many apple seeds can you really eat? Botany Builder #7, monocots and dicots. Classes this week. Why are two wheels not part of the green movement? All in Green Deane’s newsletter this week From The Village Green.

6 December 2011: The controversy over Palmer Amaranth, Tools of the Trail, Poison Plant Handbook, Botany Builder, Did You Know, and upcoming classes, in this week’s newsletter From The Village Green

28 November 2011: Crowfoot Grass, A grass dictionary, Botany Builder: blade and margin; Thanksgiving.

21 November 2011: The Chinese Elms are fruiting, what about what the animals eat, a chickweed relative, what is a pappus, a look at a yellow passion flower and a bit of reminiscing in Green Deane’s latest newsletter, From The Village Green.

14 November 2011: Telling the difference between a wild radish and a wild mustard. How many wild edibles are there? What do you need to know to get started? Why cook bamboo shoots? Botany Builder and this week’s classes, all in Green Deane’s latest newsletter.

8 November 2011: Look alikes, tell the difference between edible elderberry and toxic water hemlock, discoveries found during this week’s class, what’s peltate?

31 October 2011: The Halloween and foraging connection…. Seedlings… I.T.E.M.-izing. Battery Acid and pokeweed. Rev7, the Botany Builder and more in Green Deane’s newsletter this week, From The Village Green.

24 October 2011: Fresh this week: The new website is up. Are you harvesting sumac berries now or young sow thistles? A “new” edible was found during our foraging class. What about genetically modified foods? What every runner or bicyclist should hear about. And did Green Deane really get poison ivy and how you can avoid it. All in Green Deane’s latest newsletter.

1 September 2010 Cost of food, paper mulberry, liatris, pokeweed, wasabi

1 August 2010 Watervine, Smilax, Does’t Grow Here, Pomegranates

1 July 2010 Jelly Palm, Cactus, Clockwise, Birch Allergies

1 June 2010 Why forage, How safe is foraging, Sea Blite, Ilex vomitoria

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Newsletter 13 March 2018

by Green Deane

Pawpaws are blossoming heavily. Photo by Green Deane

I don’t play Flag Football. In fact I don’t think I have ever played any sport. But this time of year I do play Flag Pawpaw, Asimina obovata. How do I play? Driving down the road at 60 miles per hour…Okay, maybe not that fast. But, with care, I look for shrubs in pastures, shrubs one to six feet high with large, almost Magnoila-like blossoms. Those will be Pawpaws and now is the easiest time to find them. They won’t fruit for a couple of months but at least you’ll know where they are. And yes, Pawpaw were mentioned in a recent newsletter but the topic is worth revisiting because they are very easy to find now. Look for them.

Pawpaws seeds are not edible.

Grazing livestock tend to leave Pawpaws alone. It could be because the blossoms smell like rotting meat. That attracts a carrion fly which thinks there’s rotting flesh nearby but ends up pollenating the Pawpaw (that almost sounds like a poem or a country song.) I would also think the shrub and leaves also aren’t tasty or they would be eaten as well. But, that makes Pawpaw easy to spot. Often they are the only shrub in a pasture, their unpalatability increasing survivability. As humans we like Pawpaws and there are commercial varieties. But they also cause one in a million anaphylactic shock. So don’t eat your first Pawpaw by yourself. That liability keeps lawyers keeping Pawpaws off the market in the United States, or other places where product law suits are common. You can read about Pawpaws here.

Humming birds like the Eastern Coral Bean. Photo by Green Deane

Also easy to spot this time of year is the Eastern Coral Bean aka Cherokee Bean. It’s a skinny spike with long, tubular flowers, usually in dry places. During our foraging class at Haulover Canal this week they were in full bloom everywhere. While a few of the blossoms are edible raw, they are usually boiled then mixed with scrambled eggs. That’s been mom’s home cooking for many centuries from Southwestern United States into Mexico. Why that combination and why it is a tradition I do not know. Traditions often just happen. But I do know that when you boil the blossoms for a few minutes they turn green. Funny how foraging books in the past never mentioned that. Maybe the writers didn’t actually eat the blossoms. The flowers don’t have a particular flavor raw or cooked. In time the blossoms turn into large red beans with black tips. The beans are toxic. Don’t eat them. The young leaves, actually leaflets of three, are also edible cooked but little to write about. To read more about the Eastern Coral Bean go here.

The rings are the function of leaves on the Australian Pine.

Is it time to mention the Australian Pine again, which really isn’t a pine. Indeed there are many plants called “Pine” that are not pines… the Australian Pine, the Norfolk Pine, the Screw Pine. As they are not in the Pinus genus they usually are not used like true pines. As for the Australian Pine it is more closely related to the oaks but does have some edible parts, barely. You can drink the red sap. The dry sap also turns into a gum that is edible. Young cones, seeds and branchlets are also edible cooked but you have to be really hungry. The tree is also an indicator of fresh water, even on the shore. Where they grow there will be fresh water, either floating on top of salt water or in a swale. And, you can dig up the shallow roots for water. The tree has been in this part of the world for about 170 years. As with many invasive species the U.S. Department of Agriculture had a hand in their proliferation. Locally it was in Palm Beach by 1921 and within 20 years it was the most planted tree in Florida. Within 10 years after that ordinances were being passed to control it. You can read about the invasive species here.

Foraging classes are held rain or shine also cold or accompanied by piglets. Photo by Green Deane

Foraging Classes: This past week we wandered around Haulover Canal, north of the space center. It’s the longest class walk — four miles — and can be hot and dusty. It usually includes some climbing and scrambling along a skinny walkway under both sides of the bridge. We saw what one would expect to see in Oak Scrub except cool temperatures are moderated by the water there. One very odd-man out was Lambsquarters on the shore of Mosquito Lagoon. It’s usually found in rich agricultural soil but there it was. We also got to taste two common shore edibles, Sea Blite and Beach Carpet. Edible, but not so easy to catch, were three young wild pigs. The upcoming classes are:

Saturday, March 24th, Florida State College, south campus, 11901 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, 32246. 9 a.m. We will meet at building “D” next to the administration parking lot.

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

Saturday, March 31st, Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne, FL 32935-2335. Meet at the “dog park” inside the park, 9 a.m.

Saturday April 7th, Colby-Alderman Park: 1099 Massachusetts Street, Cassadaga. Fla. 9 a.m., meet near the restrooms.

Sunday April 8th, Eagle Park Lake, 1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. 9 a.m. Meet at the pavilion near the dog park

Saturday, April 14th, 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, April 15th, Red Bug Slough Preserve, 5200 Beneva Road, Sarasota, FL, 34233, 9 a.m.

Saturday, April 22nd, Spruce Creek, 6250 Ridgewood Ave. Port Orange, 32127, 9 a.m., meet at the pavilion.

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

Lambsquarters often has a mealy look. Photo by Green Deane

Lambsquarters was one of the first edible wild plants I learned about because they grew with wild mustard in our front lawn (which as one might guess was not really a lawn.) Other edibles around the house were wild raspberries, apples, grapes, choke cherries, strawberries, blueberries, dandelions, sand roses and violets near the septic tank. They were called “Johnny Jump UPs” and my mother loved them. As one might guess Lambsquarters (aka Pigweed and Fat Hen) was a common weed in rural Maine where I grew up. Besides our front lawn we had two neighbors who always had a huge unintentional stand of them. Here in Florida they are harder to find. I’ve had the most success in abandoned or poorly kept citrus groves. Indeed, one place where I used to harvest them regularly was just such an ignored grove. Now it’s a residential community and no Lambsquarters. So as mentioned above it was not only an uncommon find this past weekend but in a very unusual place, not ten feet from the brackish water of Mosquito Lagoon. You can read about the weed here.

The DVD set has 135 videos.

Donations to upgrade EatTheWeeds.com and fund a book are going well and is approaching the half way mark. 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. Recent upgrades have been paid now the Forum needs work and several function problems need to be fixed specifically the search and categories. A new server also has to be found by April. The other issue is finding an indexing program or function for a real book. Writing programs used to do it automatically if you designated a term for indexing. Now that most books are ebooks most writing programs do not provide and indexing function. The hunt continues.

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 who eat first then ask questions later. Recent topics include: Bacopa monnieri, Herbalist Question, Bittercress?, Pine Pollen, Pawpaw? Thistle Flower Buds, Gigantic Pony Foot, Beach Carpet? Lots of Smilax and early Grapes Showing UP, Some Kind Of Pennywort, Plants Called Bugle, and Partridgeberry. You can join the forum by clicking on “forum” in the menu.

As many who attend foraging classes have learned almost all seaweed is edible. But most of it does not taste good. Today let’s look a related topic: Is there arsenic in seaweed?

The answer is yes and no (and know Loquat fruit also have a bit of arsenic.) The debate has a couple of salient points: First is the arsenic natural or man-made? Natural (organic arsenic) usually comes from the digestion of arsenosugars (not unlike cyanide from the digestion of glyco-cyanides in non-agricultural cassava.) Upon digestion the arsenic is released. Then, secondly, there is the separate issue of contamination by man-generated inorganic arsenic which is also in a different chemical form.

Empty skate eggs and red Gracilaria. Photo by Green Deane

Two times in the last 12 years Canadian and British governments warned consumers to limit consumption of the seaweed Hijiki (Hizikia fusiformis) because of high levels of inorganic arsenic. It was not banned because there was little data on consumption of Hijiki and possible illness from arsenic compounds. The advice was to limit to consumption of that seaweed. The greatest threat from Hijiki appears to be an increase in liver cancer. Other commercial seaweeds were not included in the warning such as Arame, Nori, Kombu, and Wakame. They were found to be free of arsenic. A study last year found that brown seaweed has higher inorganic arsenic concentrations than red seaweed. Those would be Hijiki, Kombu, Wakame, Arame; red varieties were Nori and red seaweed. Agar and kelp noodles were relatively low in arsenic concentrations. Wakeme seemed to be the lowest among the brown ones. And actually in all samples the concentrations were “negibible” except Hijiki. A 2015 study again found Hijiki to be of the most concern. The Japanese government says they have no cases where consumption of Hijiki has lead to any know cases of illness related to organic arsenic. Hijiki is usually harvested off the shores of Japan and Korea. Hijiki had not only high organic forms of arsenic but also inorganic forms as well. Perhaps the plant has an affinity for arsenic no matter what its form. The metal is present in seawater naturally and by pollution. Again, other seaweeds tested had no detectable levels of inorganic arsenic. In most seaweed products the amount of inorganic arsenic is less than one part per million.

Sargassum: Edible but not the best of tastes. Photo by Green Deane

Separate from that a March 2016 report in the Caribbean says Sargassum has a high capacity for accumulating heavy metals such as arsenic and cadmium. The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupation Health and Safety, ANSES, recommended “prohibiting any possible food or feed uses of this seaweed until more in-depth studies can be conducted on the heavy metal contamination of seaweed.” Yet another 2016 report did not mention specific “marine pollutants.” It said among the Sargassums S. fluitains has the lowest amounts of organic arsenic. Sargassum has been used for both fertilizer and animal feed. It is 3 to 16% protein, average 12.8%. Lipid content is mostly PUFAs. It contains a long list of chemicals from polysaccharide to flavonoids and is 3 to 16% protein, average 12.8%. Lipid content is mostly PUFAs. Interestingly Sargassum only begins to decompose when it is on the beach.

Other than Hijiki seaweed seems a good food in its natural state and is not an arsenic concern, at least naturally. The real issue — as it is with most foraging — is how contaminated is the water. Here are some of my articles on seaweeds: Bladderwrack, Caulpera, Codium, Gracilaria, Sargassum, Sea Lettuce, and Tape Seagrass.

This is weekly issue 295.

If you would like to donate to Eat The Weeds please click here.

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Newsletter 28 February 2017

by Green Deane

Tubular spring blossoms of the Erythrina herbacea. Photo by Green Deane

Some wild plants make themselves difficult to miss like the Eastern Coral Bean above. It grows in a drab environment of saw palmettos and scrub oaks. To get pollinated by Hummingbirds it throws on a splash of red. That helps us find it, too. Later it displays large toxic red beans with a black spot (I think to mimic a bug.) Birds find those seeds and spread them around. We cannot eat the seeds but we can eat the blossoms. I boil them first (they turn green) then I mix them with scramble eggs. Some folks eat the red blossom raw. You can read more about it here.

Not seen at the conference but blossoming now, Florida Pennyroyal. Photo by Green Deane

The 2017 Florida Herbal Conference is now history. The weather and plants cooperated. It was the sixth annual conference and my sixth time there talking about edible wild plants. Herbal students over three days got to see a lot of seasonal edibles, some choice, some marginal. Among the plants we saw were: Bitter Gourd, Caesar Weed, Camphor Tree, Cucumber Weed, Dollarweed, Epazote, False Hawk’s Beard, Fireweed, Gotu Kola, Grapes, Lamb’s Quarters, Oaks, Oxalis, Pines, Poor Man’s Pepper Grass, Smartweed, Smilax, Sorrel, Southern Wax Myrtle, Spanish Moss, Spanish Needles, Sweet Bay, Sword Ferns, Tallow Plum, Turk’s Cap, Usnea, Violets, Water Hyacinth, Western Tansy Mustard, West Indian Chickweed, Wild Pineapple, and Willow.

An early Scrub Plum, Prunus geniculata, putting on bitter fruit. Photo by Green Deane

Among the medicinal plants I took to class (for show only as I am not an herbalist) was Mistletoe. Like everyone I have been trained to give this species (Phoradendron leucarpum) a wide berth because it’s “poisonous.” However we do have to remember the words of the Swiss-German botanist Paracelsus: “sola dosis facit venenum” the dose makes the poison. Modern doctors — at least the sharp ones — say a poison is dose, time and host response. I can remember when a TV newscaster here in Florida died from drinking too much water, not an uncommon way to die. And history records that some killers conditioned themselves with poison (usually arsenic) so they could withstand a fatal dose whilst they gave a fatal dose to a dining companion or spouse. So what might one mistletoe berry and one mistletoe leaf do to someone? I cannot say but I did see an herbalist consume one mistletoe berry and one mistletoe leaf. Interestingly among the side effects of Mistletoe “poisoning” is to lower blood pressure. As I am not an herbalist I can’t recommend said. But I can say I have seen, in person, someone eat Mistletoe and someone eat Poison Ivy. (Natives used the latter topically to get ride of warts.)

Weeping Willow. Photo by Green Deane

There were also a few conversations about whether Willow bark (the original crude from of aspirin) decreases clotting (like aspirin) and can it trigger Reyes Syndrome in children. Opinions were split on whether Willow bark reduces clotting (however moldy clover can.) And there was no clear view on Willow bark and Reyes Syndrome and probably never will be. Identified in 1926 only one child in a million gets Reyes from aspirin. While that is decades after the creation of modern asprin compounds it’s doubtful if a million children have ever been treated with Willow bark or ever will be. Unless there is an unfortunate chance example we will probably never know if Willow bark triggers Reyes in children.

Green Eyes smell like chocolate but is not edible. Photo by Green Deane

False Hawk’s Beard, a Dandelion relative. Photo by Green Deane

Also making itself better know this spring is a Dandelion relative, the False Hawk’s Beard. While one can find it all year the edible favors the spring. It’s a very common lawn invader and can occasionally get up to a couple of feet tall. Young leaves are eaten raw, older leaves which can be tougher and a bit bitter, can be boiled. I have a Croatian friend who also cooks up the roots, too. They can be easily distinguished from the Dandelion by the flower stalk which is branched (unlike the Dandelion which has one straight stalk.) Also the False Hawk’s Beard can have blossoms in all stages of development at the same time, unopened, open, and going to seed. You can read more about the False Hawk’s Beard here.

Classes are held rain or shine.

Foraging Classes: Except for hurricanes foraging classes usually are held as scheduled. We’re hungry when we are cold and wet so foraging classes are held when it is wet, when it is cold, and when it’s hot.

Sunday, March 5th, Bayshore Live Oak Park, Bayshore Drive. Port Charlotte. 9 a.m. Meet at the parking lot at the intersection of Bayshore Road and Ganyard Street.

Saturday, March 11th Blanchard Park, 10501 Jay Blanchard Trail, Orlando, FL 32817, 9 a.m. We meet at the tennis courts next to the WMCA building.

Sunday, March 19th, Dreher Park, 1200 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, 33405. 9 a.m. We meet just north of the science center.

Sunday, March 26th, Florida State College, south campus, 11901 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, 32246. 9 a.m. We will meet at building “D” next to the administration parking lot.

Sunday, April 2nd, Red Bug Slough Preserve, 5200 Beneva Road, Sarasota, FL, 34233. 9 a.m.

Sunday, April 9th, Wickham Park: 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne, FL 32935-2335. Meet at the “dog park” inside the park (turn right after entrance, go 1/4 mile, dog run on right, parking at run or on previous left.)

Saturday, April 29th, Bayshore Live Oak Park, Bayshore Drive. Port Charlotte. 9 a.m. Meet at the parking lot at the intersection of Bayshore Road and Ganyard Street.

To read more about the foraging classes go here.

The Nine-DVD set includes 135 videos.

Now’s the time to get a jump on spring. All of Green Dane’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 the 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.

Do you know this edible? You would if you read the Green Deane Forum. Photo by Green Deane

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. You can join the forum by clicking on the button on the upper right hand side of this page.

This is issue 246.

If you would like to donate to Eat The Weeds please click here.

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Newsletter 4 October 2016

by Green Deane

Honey is a wild forageable but the bees don’t always agree. Photo by Green Deane

Foraging class Sunday in southwest Florida was quite productive. We had the opportunity to sample Ground Cherries, Jambul Fruit, and Cereus fruit. Other nibbles included Hairy Cowpea blossoms, sea purslane, common purslane, arils, and Blue Porterweed blossoms. We even managed to see a bees’ hive but we left the honey alone. This week the foraging class goes about 120 east to West Palm Beach.

Low-growing Carpetweed

One of the more common edible weeds underfoot in North America is Carpetweed, Mollugo verticillata. Scraggly if not scrawny the wispy plant does have the saving grace that it is all edible, raw or cooked and it requires very little cooking. Add it last. There are several non-edible species that can resemble it so there are some of key points to remember. First, it does not have any white sap, it grows in a circular mat, and the blossoms have five white sepals but usually only three stamens, sometimes four or five but usually three, which is a bit odd for a five- sepal plant. Look for it in dry, sandy locations including waste ground. For all of its wide-spread presence in North America it is actually native to the tropical Americas. You can read about Carpetweed here.

Forager Dick Deuerling

Many years ago I would go foraging with the legedary Dick Deurling and Dr. Jose Gotts. Dr. Gotts, a professor at the University of Central Florida, was a character. Short, bald and portly he often went on a forage wearing only white shorts and dark horn-rimmed glasses. And nearly every time he would eat something controversial. I once saw him taste a Lubber, which is a large, toxic grasshopper. That would be about the time when Dick would announce to the group not to do what Jose had just done because Gotts grew up in war-torn Algeria and had an immune system primed differently than the rest of us. It was an interesting warning. Should you, for example eat fruit that has fallen on the ground? I do so the question perhaps is- – is this a harmful practice? The answer is a clear maybe yes maybe no.

Watermelon on a hard surface picks up the most bacteria.

E.coli causes most of the worst food poisonings.

Avoid cat bathrooms, and dogs, too.

Bumpy fruit, bumpy surface, down they go.

Mom’s favorite septic snack, Violets.

And while we should have some concerns about the wholesomeness of wild food I think a greater concern than bacteria is whether the ground or water has been polluted by non-bacterial means. How to assess for environmental contamination will be covered in a separate article.

Classes are held rain or shine.

Upcoming Foraging Classes:

Sunday, October 9th, Dreher Park, 1200 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, 33405. This class is cancelled because of Hurricane Matthew. While the weather might be good Sunday clean up, traffic and whether the park will be open are issues. The class has been rescheduled for October 23rd. Same time.

Sunday, October 16th, Florida State College, south campus, 11901 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville, 32246. 9 a.m.

Sunday, October 23rd, Dreher Park, 1200 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, 33405. 9 a.m.

To learn more about the classes go here.

Do you know this edible? You would if you read the 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 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. You can join the forum by clicking on the button on the upper right hand side of this page.

The Nine-DVD set includes 135 videos.

All of Green Deane’s videos are 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 the 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.

This is Newsletter 227.

If you would like to donate to Eat The Weeds please click here.

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Newsletter 8 March 2016

by Green Deane

Besides a lot of salad ingredients thus far I’ve pickled four quarts of collards, two of mustard greens, and dried three pounds of scallion tops. Peas are in blossom.

One of the advantages of being a forager is you know what weeds are edible in your garden. To a weed a garden is disturbed soil. If you do not weed a garden the weeds will take over. That’s a big hint they don’t need man to get the job done. It also suggests all you really need to do is harrow the ground then just leave it. Weeds will populate it. Although I recently down-sized I still have a small four-season garden, 15 by 30 feet. We are transitioning out of the winter garden into the spring garden. The winter garden is mostly members of the mustard family as they can take a light frost or freeze. Our spring garden is like a summer garden up north, as is the fall garden except with more insects. The summer garden is only plants that can take the heat such as sweet potatoes, Ivy Gourd, cherry tomatoes, Malabar spinach et cetera. The spring garden is by far the more enjoyable and productive.

Young Amaranth is a prime garden “weed.”

“Weeding” is an opportunity to add to the kitchen fare and get some sun-generated vitamin D (as is mowing a lawn. I am a strong advocate of sensible sun exposure and keep my D level around 80 ng/ml all year.) The most common non-edible weeds I see, which go to the compost pile, are Canadian Toad Flax and Cud Weed. Young edibles for the kitchen include Poor Man’s Pepper Grass, Spanish Needles and Amaranth. A weed that confounded me until I let one grow up was Western Tansy Mustard, quite edible but I wanted to be sure. Last year I let the Ivy Gourd have its way and this year it is coming up all over the garden. Like sweet potatoes it can provide ground cover to cool the summer soil and shade out unwanted weeds. Gardening is not difficult but gardens much like pools do require constant attention or you have problems that are hard to correct.

Piles of dirt are foraging opportunities. Photo by Green Deane

All of this does bring up a couple of foraging techniques. Disturbed ground is a good place to look for edible wild plants. This includes turned soil, new ditches, piles of dirt, and construction sites. Many weed seeds can remain dormant for decades even just a few inches below the surface of the ground. A shift in that can produce a bounty of edibles. In Port Charlotte, for example, a shack along the river’s edge was removed and the ground scraped and leveled. Within weeks it was covered with thousands of young Amaranth plants. The four places I always look for wild edibles is disturbed soil, ditches, water spots, and transition zones. The latter are the areas between two different kinds of growth patterns: Lawn to shrubs, field to forest, river to bank, deep shade to bright sun. Not only do plants flourish in these environments but it is also where wild animals travel which can also leave seeds for new plants.

Western Tansy Mustard growing up the side of a ditch.

Western Tansy Mustard growing up the side of a dry ditch. Photo by Green Deane

This is also a good time to expound a little on the little Western Tansy Mustard. It is very mild, even more so than the mild Shepherd’s Purse. It can also be found this time of year in the more northern areas of the state. The Tansy Mustard has very specific growing conditions: Cool and dry. At the Florida Herbal Conference last week it was a common site in the field that was used for a parking lot. I first found it decades ago around paddocks and other high, dry dusty areas. And while they are colonial they are sparsely so, not so much a bunch of them as a spread. I think their texture comes across as dry so while they are edible raw I prefer to cooked in something like soups or stews. Oh, and just to confuse things there isn’t an Eastern Tansy Mustard.

Foraging classes held rain or shine except for hurricanes.

Upcoming Foraging Classes:

Sunday, March 13th, Blanchard Park, 10501 Jay Blanchard Trail, Orlando, FL 32817. This is a new location. We will meet at the pavilion next to the tennis courts. I visited the location this week and saw about 40 edible species on my first viewing. As this is the first class in a new location there is no charge. We can explore the park together. 9 a.m.

Saturday, March 19, Colby-Alderman Park: 1099 Massachusetts Street, Cassadaga, Florida, 9 a.m.

Saturday, March 26th, Dreher Park, 1200 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, 9 a.m.

Sunday, April 3rd, John Chestnut County Park: 2200 East Lake Road, Palm Harbor, Florida, 9 a.m.

Sunday, April 10th, Wekiva State Park, 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, Florida 32712. 9 a.m.

Sunday, April 17th, Bayshore Live Oak Park, 2200 East Lake Road, Port Charlotte, Florida. 9 a.m.

Sunday, May 1st, Wickham Park: 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne, Florida 9 a.m.

For more information about classes go here.

A lawn full of sow thistles. Photo by Green Deane

Wild food is everywhere. I stopped at a neighbor’s house to take the picture to the right. Her lawn is studded right now with Spiny Sow Thistle. Don’t let the name dissuade you: The leaves are soft when young and quite tasty lightly cooked. She also had Oxalises, False Hawk’s Beard, Pellitory, Poor Man’s Pepper Grass, an ornamental sweet potato vine and yellow hibiscus in blossom. She was fretting that she needed to mow her lawn. I would call it a Front Yard Salad or the good making for a mess of greens. The only precaution is too many yellow blossoms can have a laxative effect, be they hibiscus or violets et cetera. Some of you have lawns now that are under snow but in a few months they will be producing wild edibles. Will you mow or eat them this year?

Do you know what these are? You would if you read the Green Deane Forum. Photo by Green Deane

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 about, such as the one to the left. 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. Recent topics include: New Mystery. Aesculus pavia. Bull Thistle? What A Waste. Like a Viola. Viola Bicolor. Urban Lawn Weed. Drymaria Cordata. Wild Blueberry blossoms? Foraging Group Ft. Lauderdale. Red Berries. New Member Jacksonville. Huge Thorns on Leaves. How Could An Infant Be Fed By Foraging? Antiseptic and Antihistamine. Gourmet Foraging. Conyza and Chlorophyll. And Can Anyone Tell Me The Name of This Plant? You can join the forum by clicking on the button on the upper right hand side of this page.

The nine-volume set has 135 videos

All of Green Deane’s videos are 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 the newsletter. If you want to see the videos without ads and some in lightly 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 videos 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.

And on a personal note I would like to thank everyone who attended the foraging class this past week in Jacksonville. It’s not easy being in such a large group but you made the day enjoyable. Thank you.

This is newsletter 199.

If you would like to donate to Eat The Weeds please click here.

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