Page 110 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Seacoast Angelica/Wild Celery,

Angelica lucida (APIACEAE)

SEACOAST ANGELICA/WILD CELERY, Wild Parsnip,
or Seawatch is a stout herb in the parsley family, native
to coastlines of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic coasts
of North America and the Russian Far East. Plants can
reach 2-5 feet (1-1.5m) in height.

FLOWER: Compound flower umbels have 20-45 rays
from 1-3 inches (2-7cm) across and have hundreds of
tiny, greenish-white flowers, measuring less than 0.12
inch (0.3cm) across. These umbels often merge, thus
André-Philippe D. Picard,
appearing as one large cluster up to 6 inches (15cm) Jacob W. Frank, CC-BY-2.0 CC-BY-SA-3.0
across. Flowers have 5 petals and bloom from June to
PICKLED SEACOAST ANGELICA STEMS: Place Sea-
August.
coast Angelica stem lengths in a 16 oz. (500 ml) jar
LEAF: Green leaves are pinnately compound, with each so they just fit without being crammed. Add 1 tsp.
petiole having 3 to 5 bunches of 3 to 5 leaflets. Leaves chopped garlic, 1 tsp. wild mustard seed, 1 tsp. pep-
are serrated, with 1.5-4 inches (4-10cm) ovate to wide- percorns, a sprig of wild dill and season to taste. Add
ly lanceolate leaflets, that are pointed at the tips and chilis for a spicy kick.
rounded at the base.
WARNING: Root is toxic. Do not consume.
EDIBLE PARTS: leaves and stems of young shoots only
POISONOUS LOOK-ALIKES: Water Hemlock, Cicuta
KEY MEDICINAL USES: Root can be used externally for
maculata – it has white umbel flowers that are more
pains, sores, cuts, blood poisoning, flatulence, and infec- spread apart than densely packed Angelica flowers,
tions. and their leaves are thinner than Angelica leaves.

HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Harvest young stems and These two plants may hybridize so be very careful
shoots only during the spring. Older plants tend to be with your ID.
tough. Do not eat the roots.

Seaside Arrowgrass, Triglochin

maritima (JUNCAGINACEAE)

SEASIDE ARROWGRASS, Common Arrowgrass, Sea
Arrowgrass, or Shore Arrowgrass is a perennial succu-
lent native to Northern hemisphere shorelines. Plants
can reach 8-30 inches (30-76cm) tall and can be found
growing in brackish and saltwater marshes, wet sandy
beaches, damp grasslands, and bogs.
FLOWER: The plant blooms from May to August. Flow-
er stalks resemble those of Sea Plantain and may reach
5 ft. (1.5m) tall with flowers blooming along their tops.
Greenish flowers have 3 petals with purple edges and Meneerke bloem, CC-BY-SA-3.0 Olivier Pichard, CC-BY-SA-3.0
they measure 0.13 inches (2mm) across. Green or brown
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: The white bases of
perianths have 6 sepal-like parts with a leafy texture.
leaves can be harvested in late spring, prior to flow-
Dry fruit pods contain 6 seeds, each 0.08-0.2 inches (2-
ering, and can be eaten raw or cooked. They have a
4.5mm) long.
sweet flavor when raw, but give off an unpleasant
LEAF: Dark, green, fleshy, basal, half-rounded, grass-like odor when cooked. Seeds can be roasted and ground
leaves grow in clumps reaching 6-18 inches (15-45cm) as a coffee substitute.
tall and 0.05 inches (1.4mm) wide. RECIPE: Enjoy the white leaf bases as a snack while
EDIBLE PARTS: only the white stem base of leaves, very foraging.
young flowering stems, and seed WARNING: Green parts of leaves are toxic.
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