Ok guys. Here are those tips and tricks I promised you along with that step by step guide to testing plants for edilbility. Its commonly known as the Universal Edibility Test. Let's start with the tips and tricks. They are much more basic and pretty easy to memorize.
The tips and tricks are simple guidelines and helpful hints to increase the likelihood of a foraging success on your excursion.
First off, know what you're looking for. I find its the most benficial if I study a specific plant and then try and find it. Start with research that helps you identify growing conditions and visuals of the plant so you can identify it in the wild. After a few weeks you will find your knowledge base filling out and coincidental finds will start to occur regularly. Knowledge, as always, is power.
Once you know the details, look at a map. Find an area in nature that looks like it boasts the proper growing conditions for the plant in question. When you find a suitable region take the time to hike around the area. Note that looking by small water bodies and creeks is a great place to look for edibles. Cattails and other easy to identify plants are abundant in these areas at the right time of year.
Trails are fine for finding your way through a nature reserve for instance, but they don't always serve as the best hunting grounds for wild food. Don't be afraid to venture deeper into the woods. Just make sure you don't get lost.
Travel slowly and methodically. This gives your eyes more time to adjust to their surroundings and increases the chances of a fruitful hunt. If you locate a desired plant or an area that looks promising initiate a more detailed search by starting at a central point and orbiting outward into larger and larger circles. This is very effective and works in multpile situations. Like I said in an earlier post I found onions and garlic by scent. Once I got that initial smell I put the orbit technique into practice to visually locate the plants.
When you do find something you consider a good find make sure you can come back. Use some sort of landmark to relocate the area in the future. If a plant has grown there once there is a good chance that it will again. Taking a few plastic bags and a digging tool is really quite helpful. Please don't leave trash in the woods though!
These tips are a solid base to start searching with. You will find after time that you will develop your own rules, ideas and techniques to increase your success. The trick is getting started. Be patient. Once you make your first discovery you'll be hooked and it only gets easier from there.
Organized searches aren't the only ways to find wild food. There is also trial and error. This, however, can be much more dangerous as you are working with little knowledge about an item and run the risk of poisoning. Here is a version of the Universal Edibility Test that allows you to taste unknown plants through trial and error much more safely.
Universal Edibilty Test
Step#1 Test only one part of the plant at a time so, if there is a reaction, you know where it came from. Some plants have edible and inedible parts, i.e. dandelions, you can eat the flowers and leaves but not the stems.
Step#2 Seperate the plant in question into its parts, i.e. roots, bulbs, stems, stalks, leaves, flowers, seeds, etc.
Step#3 Choose which part you want to test and perform the wafting technique with those pieces. Note severe odours or irritating reactions.
Step#4 Eat the test food on an empty stomach. Generally eight hours without eating before is enough time. This reduces the chances of a reaction from something else to happen during the test period.
Step#5 Testing for contact poisoning comes next. Just like poison ivy and oak, some plants give off reactions with direct skin contact. Simply put the plant parts on your inner forearm close to the elbow and leave in place for approximately 15 minutes. Remember to only drink water during the test period so as to not
Step#6 Wait an additional 15 minutes after application to the skin. With no reaction present you can proceed confidently.
Step#7 Prepare the plant for eating. For some this means washing, for others boiling or sauteeing. I prefer to eat something I am testing raw if possible. Some plants need to be cooked to be edible though. For instance fiddleheads need to be boiled or blanched to reduce the bitterness. There is a similar process for rhubarb.
Step#8 Now we are ready to test it on our lips. Place a small amount against the lips and wait three minutes. With no reaction you can proceed.
Step#9 The next step is similar but a more serious version of the lip test. Place a small amount on the tongue and hold it for approximately 15 minutes without swallowing. Hopefully there will be no reaction. We are getting close to being able to eat it, but not quite yet. I have found that keeping the item on my tingue for 15 minutes is difficult so if there is some shifting don't worry too much, but always be cautious.
Step#10 If all is still well then the next step is to chew a small piece of the plant. Make sure you chew enough to pulp the piece of plant. The idea is to release any internal irritants, poisons or toxins contained inside the plant that wouldn't cause a contact reaction.
Step#11 If no reactions are present, swallow the plant.
Step#12 Wait another eight hours. This may be difficult considering the eight hours we waited before the test. It is generally a good idea so try and stick with it. If any reactions occur induce vomiting and consult a doctor. So far in my experience, as long as you exercise some common sense, you tend to be A OK.
Step#13 The only thing left at this point is increasing the dosage. Sometimes a poison or toxin can be cummulative. Try eating double the amount of the previous test each time until you feel safe that its an edible food.
Step#14 Enjoy!
You can find a lot of similar test on a number of foraging and conservation sites. It is based on general survival training implemented by armed forces and survival groups around the world. Always consult an expert or certified guide before eating anything you are unsure of. Eat at your own risk.
Hope that wasn't to heavy an ending to this post. Next time I'm going to take some video of how to properly uproot and package a plant for safe transport. Until then, good hunting!!!
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