Page 128 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Wild Carrot, Daucus

pusillus (APIACEAE)

AMERICAN WILD CARROT or Rattlesnake Weed is a
biennial that can grow in most soil types, but prefers
moist sunny spots.
FLOWER: Like other carrots, it has umbels of tiny white
or pinkish flowers. Each umbel has 5 to 12 tiny flowers,
each borne on a ray around 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. Each
flower has 5 round petals. Flower clusters resemble a
cup or bird’s nest at the stem tips at maturity. Seeds have
stiff bristles.
LEAF: Leaves are fern-like, divided into tiny segments,
and grow at alternate, widely spaced intervals along the washed and trimmed wild carrots, finely chopped
stem, ending in a whorl at the top, surrounding the ter- red cabbage, raisins, and sunflower seeds; 1 cup fine-
minal flower umbel. Its finely dissected leaves are cov- ly chopped green cabbage; 1 small chopped sweet
ered with white, bristly hairs. onion. For the dressing: ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tbsp.
EDIBLE PARTS: the small taproot apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. raw sugar, salt and pepper.
KEY MEDICINAL USES: A poultice made from the plant Mix dressing ingredients and set aside. Mix slaw in-
may help in case of snakebite. gredients well and add dressing. Let flavors marry in
the fridge for 1 h to overnight. Serve with foods such
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Taproots can be con-
as cold roast chicken, potato salad, and buns.
sumed raw or cooked. Identification is key. If it doesn’t
smell like a carrot, it might be poison hemlock, which POISONOUS LOOK-ALIKES: Poison Hemlock, Coni-
smells musty when crushed. um maculatum
WILD CARROT SLAW: Ingredients: ½ cup each of

Wild Garlic, Allium
ursinum (AMARILLIDACEAE)

WILD GARLIC, also known as Broad-leaf Garlic, Bear
Leek, Wood Garlic, Ramsons, and Bear’s Garlic, is a
bulbous, herbaceous plant found growing in moist for-
ests, mostly along streams. Bulbs form along branched
rhizomes and produce individual, bright green leaves,
which is a key identifier so as not to confuse Wild Garlic
with poisonous Lily of the Valley.
FLOWER: Flowers grow on leafless stalks in the spring,
producing umbels of 6 to 25 white, star-shaped flowers.
Flowers have 6, elongated, elliptical sepals 0.6 inches
(16 mm) across and produce capsules with black seeds.
first spring greens to eat. Harvest leaves starting in
LEAF: Bright green, elliptical leaves have smooth mar- March and stop when flowers begin blooming from
gins and grow individually from the plant’s bulb. Typi- April through June, as leaves lose their flavor. People
cally, they grow up to 10 inches (25cm) long and 3 inch- use them similarly to ramps in sautés, soups, pickled,
es (7cm) wide. Leaves emit a strong garlic aroma when in pesto, or salads.
crushed; smell can be used in identifying the plant.
WILD GARLIC PESTO: Grind 4 cups Wild Garlic
EDIBLE PARTS: entire plant (raw or cooked) greens, 2 cups chickweed, 2 oz. (60g) pine nuts, 3 oz.
KEY MEDICINAL USES: Wild Garlic is used for high (90g) parmesan cheese, and salt in processor while
blood pressure, high cholesterol, balancing intestinal drizzling olive oil.
flora, and cancer. POISONOUS LOOK-ALIKES: Indian Poke, Veratum
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Wild Garlic is one of the viride
127