Eating Local

Sweet grass syrup and blueberry sauce.

Long ago, in elementary school, I tried to make bread from foraged grass. I took the feathery tops, smashed them on a rock, mixed it with water and a little dirt, and let it cook in the hot Texas sun. It was much more interesting than whatever sports game was going on nearby for whichever sibling.

No, it did not make bread, but it is my earliest memory of wanting to know what grows around me. While serious foraging didn't start until my college years, I've wanted to know all the plants and wildlife of the land I was living on. This is where, in my opinion, the foraging community still needs work because truly, who will we learn from better than the tribes and nations who lived here for eons?

Bison meatballs with blueberry sauce.

So when it comes to foraging recipes, my first stop is usually one (or many) of the cookbooks I've collected of Native American recipes. I think one reason for my delay to truly get into foraging is the information was so limited. During those years, I had to rely on some gems like Delena Tull for a smattering of ideas of turning foragables into something unique. Thankfully, since then, we've had voices like Sean Sherman breakthrough and open the way for many more.

All of which to say, when a friend has a million blueberry bushes, and you have more than you can eat raw before they start looking a little sad, you need ideas. 

1. Blueberries, Vaccinium sp. (information)

There are many varieties of blueberries. Of all plants out there, this genus is one of the safest to eat as there is only a single known toxic blueberry: in the cloud forests of South America. There is a story involved here from my old botany professor, of a colleague trapped overnight, consuming some blueberries as, before that moment, it was considered the safest plant to consume. Nature can always surprise us, though, even those who make a living identifying plants. Yes he lived, but the night was supposedly incredibly unpleasant as they waited for rescue.

Sakari Farms and A Feather And A Fork cookbook.

A recipe posted by Crystal Wahpepah long ago has always intrigued me: bison meatballs with blueberry sauce. She recently came out with a cookbook and stated that this recipe is her most requested, and after having made it, I can absolutely see why. My only two changes were to keep the sauce chunky, and to mix in some of the purchased blueberry hot sauce into what I made for a bit of heat.

But the recipe itself is also very intriguing in the ingredients: blue cornmeal, cedar salt, bison, and blueberries. All items that can be found or gathered from the land I live on. Of course, I am not going to be hunting bison, but you can find it for sale here. Bonus for the times? Bison meat doesn't get imported. The smoked cedar salt was tempting to make for myself, but similar to the blue cornmeal, I decide to outsource it and find a place to purchase it that also supported those I want to support.

Navajo Tea, Ch’ilgohwéhí’deí.

No this is not a sponsored post. Again, I write for myself and secondarily for those who want to read along. This is for me to remember down the road, on the chance I forget, of Sakari Farms. The nice thing is, I don't always have to forage for myself. The smoked cedar salt purchase supports a farm with products I want to see more of, and people who have the knowledge of these plants. I can try other plants I may have a harder time of getting such Navajo Tea, a lovely and important plant, which was refreshing and reminiscences of chamomile tea.

All of which to say, this is one of the ways I choose to eat local. These are the cuisines that support local and are good for the environment. I'm certain I'll post future recipes and purchases that help me satisfy the curiosity I have for the place where I live.

So Is It Poisonous?

 

1. Eastern Black Nightshade, Solanum ptycanthum (information)

The word "nightshade" is a loaded term that make most people think poisonous. Some may point out that many of our most common foods are in the nightshade family so not all of them are bad, but those uncultivated ones? Definitely bad, right? Maybe not.

When it comes to the nightshade family, the main concern is an alkaloid known as solanine, hence the genus name of Solanum. Like so many other plant chemicals, good and bad for us, it is primarily produced by the plants as protection from fungi and insects. Sometimes, like capsicum, it backfires and we eat it more, but other times, like solanine, it makes us sick.

From the journal article linked: "Solanine poisoning primarily manifests itself with gastrointestinal and neurological disorders. Symptoms typically appear within the first 2-24 hours. If ingested in very high concentrations, symptoms may appear within 30 minutes. These symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, throat irritation, headache, dizziness, and irregular heart rhythms. In more severe cases, hallucinations, loss of consciousness, paralysis, fever, jaundice, dilated pupils, and hypothermia have been reported."

If the case isn't serious? You'll usually recover within 24 hours. But cases are rare, as most our commercial produce is store properly, and in any case, solanine imparts a bitter flavor, like so many other things bad for us, so most people don't eat enough to cause more than some mild GI distress.

All of which brings me to the question: are the ripe berries of Black Nightshade poisonous? Years ago, I read that no, they are not, you can eat them when they are ripe. Much like green potatoes, you shouldn't touch the green berries, but black and ripe? They're fine.

Or maybe they are not. Maybe they're so toxic you'll drop dead from them. It IS a nightshade after all, right? THE poison of poisons.

In reading another essay about them, it seems there's a high possibility of a mistranslation, not unheard of in the New World, and a mix-up of plant identifications. In addition, there are some reported livestock deaths and a human one from the green berries, but what about the ripe ones?

Once upon a time, an old friend told me she worried she'd find me dead one day on the trail. Which is to say, of course I tried it. I've wanted to for years and some popped up in my yard. Curiosity has gotten us so far in civilization so why stop now?

All that said, I do try to be smart about it, much like the linked essay. A nibble one day, a half berry the next day, a full berry two days later, and another full berry there. And you know what? I'm not dead, I didn't have any GI discomfort, and the berries were quite sweet without a single hint of bitterness.

Given they are the nightshade family, as are tomatoes, I likely should have guessed they'd taste similar, and they do. Small, slightly sweet tomatoes. For all the energy and research we put into trying to cultivate black tomatoes, why are we not putting it into nature's own? Why recreate the wheel?  

From one study I found, the conclusion is practically predictable: the dose makes the poison. Eaten in moderate amounts, the lab rats were fine, and in small amounts, absolutely fine. Higher amounts did seem linked to anemia down the road after a couple weeks, but truly, who is going to have 5-25% of their diet be these berries? But even the higher dose rats didn't experience any distress for weeks.

So I'll keep slowly snacking on them, looking into the research, and experiment with them. I've tossed a few fruits from the random spot this plant sprouted by my driveway into my native garden bed so I hopefully have another harvest next year. I may not be up to making a bruschetta yet as I weed out the bad information on this weed, but my curiosity about these fruits has only intensified.

It's Berry Season!

A variety of raspberries.

Well, technically last month was berry season. I just hadn't gotten around to writing anything up about it. Personally, July is one of my least favorite months. It's hot and humid and I'm ready for it to cool down. That said, on the flip side, it is one of the best foraging months for all the berries you can find.

1. Black Raspberry, Rubus occidentalis (information)

These are prolific growers spread easily by bird droppings. While I do have a patch where I used to harvest, I now finally have my own yard and a berry wall. The black raspberries are native while the golden raspberries are not, unfortunately (but still delicious). There are numerous native berry species in New York alone. My flowering raspberries, while gorgeous in July, haven't been as prolific this year for fruiting. Hopefully I'll have some fruit soon to post about.

A small, wild dwarf raspberry.

2. Red Raspberry, Rubus idaeus (information)

Only a few of these were around to be harvested this year, but the plant still needs to establish itself. Given I do not treat my yard, for some reason the spider mites and other invertebrates have really gone after the raspberry, especially the smaller red raspberry. There are many cultivars of this one as well, but it's the most familiar to most people.

3. Dwarf Red Raspberry, Rubus pubescens (information)

If you can recognize raspberry leaves, you can find other types. I was able to find a small patch of dwarf red raspberries when hiking in New Hampshire, hidden if not for the leaves making me look for fruit. I do regret not taking some seeds home to try to plant in my own yard.

4. Canada Bunchberry, Cornus canadensis (information)

A member of the dogwood family, this short plant goes from beautiful white flowers to clusters of small red berries. They don't have a taste, really, but their texture? Oddly addicting. They're more seed than fruit, but I could see these being used in anything needing a nice crunch to it. These were along numerous of the hiking paths in New Hampshire, but this time, yes, I did get some seeds. Also, yes, I made sure they grew in the area around me naturally, and they do. We'll see if any of them sprout next year.

5. Highbush Blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum (information)

While my lowbush blueberry is still trying to decide if it wants to live (it is growing, but not flowering this year), the highbush was prolific with berries. Mind you, it's because it was already flowering and being pollinated when I bought it at the nursey earlier this year, but those berries developed and I was able to harvest them. Just like with raspberries, there are numerous types of blueberries, but more importantly, they have different flowering times which is important for pollination and fruiting. Thankfully, I have a friend with very mature blueberry bushes so I've been living off my small haul and multiple large hauls from foraging in her yard.

Now I did have one fig in July, but I often have a single fig that grows before the others. My hope is to have the rest ripen in August as they're another reason to tolerate summer heat...