Page 77 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Horehound, Marrubium

vulgare (LAMIACEAE)

WHITE/COMMON HOREHOUND is a drought tolerant
hardy wild edible that can be found in disturbed areas,
fields, and along roadsides. It is square stemmed, bushy,
and well branched. It grows 10-18 inches (25-45cm) tall.
FLOWER: Plant blooms in April-October, in its second or
third year. White flowers are ⅛ inch (0.3 cm) in size and
grow in clusters and spiral around the stem.
LEAF: Leaves are ¾-2 inches (2-5 cm) long, opposite,
wooly, and whitish-gray; have a sharp, bitter scent.

EDIBLE PARTS: flowers and leaves
KEY MEDICINAL USES: Helps with cough and colds. fresh leaves and flowers in 3 cups of boiling water.
May aid indigestion and induce appetite. Cover and steep for 15 min. Drain. Liquid is ready to
make a syrup by adding equal parts honey or sweeten-
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Harvest stems during
er. Or the liquid can be used as an addition to a sooth-
flowering. Trim top 6-8 inches (15-20cm). These can be
ing beverage or to make horehound candy or cough
bundled and dried, away from sun and heat. Once dry,
drops. A less concentrated decoction makes a nice tea.
strip leaves and flowers from stems and store in an air-
tight container for use as tea or seasoning. You can also WARNING: Large doses may affect heart rhythm,
use the leaves and flowers fresh in salads, stir-fry, soup, or blood pressure, and blood glucose. Best to use spar-
stew. They are bitter tasting so best to use in moderation. ingly and less than once a week.

HOREHOUND DECOCTION: Steep 1 cup dried/2 cups

Horsetail, Equisetum
arvense (EQUISETACEAE)

HORSETAIL is a fern-like perennial. It spreads ex-
tensively by 3 ft. (1m) long dark-felted rhizomes with
small tubers. In early spring, fertile unbranched stems
appear; are thick and succulent, brownish to whitish,
4-12 inches (10-30cm) tall, and topped with a cone-like
structure. These die back in late spring and are fol-
lowed by green, slender, vegetative stems that are 8-40
inches (20-100 cm) tall, leafless but have whorls of 6 to
8 branches. They have very high levels of silica.
FLOWER: Cones shed spores in early May; it has no true
flower.
sheaths. Root nodules are difficult to harvest being
LEAF: Pointed sheaths at nodes of both early cone-bear- small and deep; are edible cooked, or dried and then
ing plant and vegetative green plants. cooked. Use caution when eating roots.

EDIBLE PARTS: stems and roots HORSETAIL SAUTÉ: Soak shoots in cold salted water
KEY MEDICINAL USES: May treat wounds, burns, infec- for 5 min. Strain and blanch for 30 sec. in boiling salt-
tions. ed water with 2 tbsp. of vinegar. Plunge immediately
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: The brownish shoots of in the cold salted water for an additional 5 min. Pat
early spring can be used as asparagus. Pick when very dry and sauté in butter until crisping. Add a splash of
young, remove the node sheaths and cone tip, then fry balsamic vinegar.
or cook in at least one change of water; can be eaten raw WARNING: May be toxic to livestock. May rob the
but are better cooked. Vegetative new green shoots are body of vitamin B. Enjoy in moderation.
edible raw; pick before branches unfold and peel the

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