Page 188 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Kentucky Coffeetree, Gymnocladus

dioicus (FABACEAE)

KENTUCKY COFFEETREE is a medium-sized deciduous
tree with dark, irregularly fissured bark. It ranges from
40-80 ft. (12-24m) in height. Its stout trunk is 1-2 ft.
cultivar413, CC BY 2.o
(0.3-0.6m) in diameter.
FLOWER AND FRUIT: Greenish-white flowers are 0.75
inches (2cm) across, with 5 narrow petals. Male flowers
occur in 4 inch (10cm) long panicles, while female-flow-
ering panicles can reach 12 inches (30cm). fruit is
housed in flat, purplish-brown pods measuring 4-10
inches (10-25 m) long and 2.5 inches (6cm) wide. Gerd Eichmann, CC-BY-SA-4.0 R. A. Nonemacher, CC-BY-SA-4.0
LEAF: Large dark-green leaves are alternate and twice To destroy the toxic hydrocyanic acid present in the
compound. Central stalks are 1-3 ft. (0.3-1m) long, with seeds, you will have to roast them for at least 3 hrs. at
3-9 pairs of pinnate leaflets. Individual sub-leaflets are 300° F (150°C). The roasted beans will last from 2-6
1-3 inches (2.5-7.5cm) long, toothless, and oval. months in a sealed container.
EDIBLE PARTS: seeds (roasted) KENTUCKY COFFEE: Remove seeds from pods and
KEY MEDICINAL USES: Leaves have been used as a lax- rinse them thoroughly with warm water to remove
ative and insecticide. Tea made from the root bark is a the pulp. Pat them dry and place them in a roasting
diuretic. pan with the lid on. (This will catch any popping
seeds.) Roast for 3h. at 300°F (150°C). Grind into cof-
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Roasted seeds are eaten
like nuts or ground to produce a caffeine-free beverag- fee.
esimilar in taste to coffee. Harvest the seed pods as they WARNING: Raw seeds and the pulp within the pod
ripen to purplish-brown from October to mid winter. are poisonous. Only consume well-roasted seeds.

Lilac (Common), Syringa
vulgaris (OLEACEAE)

COMMON LILAC can be a large shrub or a small, multi-
stemmed tree and can grow up to 20 ft. (6m) tall with
a 15 ft. (4m) wide spread. It quickly loses its leaves, so
Maja Dumat, CC BY 2.0
while it may not have an abundance of fall color, it does
have an abundance of fragrant edible flowers.
FLOWER AND FRUIT: They have purple, lilac or some-
times white colored flowers. Multiple, small flowers
cluster together on a cone-shaped spike that can grow
up to 7 inches (18cm) long. Each individual flower is
about ⅓ inch (8mm) long. The fruits are held upright
and are oval shaped, ¾ inch (2cm) in length and eventu-
use them to garnish salads, brew tea or make syrup.
ally split to release 4 brown, winged seeds.
LILAC SYRUP RECIPE: Ingredients: 1 cup each of
LEAF: Green to blue-green leaves are 2-4 inches (5-
common lilac flowers, water, and sugar. Remove all
10cm) long. Leaves are 1-2 ½ inches (3-6cm) wide at
of the stems from the lilac flowers. Bring water and
the stem and taper to a pointed tip and are sometimes
honey to a boil, add flowers and simmer for 10 min.
heart-shaped.
Remove from heat, cover and allow to brew for 6-8
EDIBLE PARTS: flowers hrs. Strain away flowers and store the syrup for 2
KEY MEDICINAL USES: It contains lutein, which pre- weeks in the fridge.
vents macular degeneration and cataracts. WARNING: The bark of some varieties can be poison-
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Plant flowers from mid ous.
to late. Harvest flowers when they are at their peak, and
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