0:00:00.000,0:00:02.842 Rob: Hey everyone, I am here with my [br]friend, Eric. 0:00:02.842,0:00:07.479 We met two years ago in Florida, and I was 0:00:07.479,0:00:09.604 blown away by his knowledge of the plants 0:00:09.604,0:00:11.749 that he has been foraging for about a [br]decade. 0:00:11.749,0:00:15.302 He is a plant wizard with really seemingly 0:00:15.302,0:00:16.313 infinite knowledge. 0:00:16.313,0:00:18.540 I know there are things that he does not 0:00:18.540,0:00:20.520 know, but it seems like he knows pretty 0:00:20.520,0:00:22.050 much every plant that we cross. 0:00:22.050,0:00:24.283 I have been blessed to get to learn from [br]him. 0:00:24.283,0:00:26.299 I've been with him for the last day in 0:00:26.299,0:00:28.009 Maryland and have learned so much. 0:00:28.009,0:00:31.030 I am excited that he is going to share 0:00:31.030,0:00:32.950 some of his favorite plants to help you 0:00:32.950,0:00:34.831 get foraging, and first he is going to 0:00:34.831,0:00:36.082 introduce himself a bit. 0:00:36.082,0:00:38.082 Eric: My name is Eric, I am a plant-lover. 0:00:38.082,0:00:40.938 permaculturist, and an avid forager, 0:00:40.938,0:00:43.440 and I am just really grateful to be here 0:00:43.440,0:00:45.771 with you all today and share my top ten 0:00:45.771,0:00:48.217 wild edible greens for the mid Atlantic. 0:00:48.217,0:00:51.620 There is such an abundance of food in 0:00:51.620,0:00:53.481 these fields and forests, so let us go 0:00:53.481,0:00:54.568 see what we can find! 0:00:54.743,0:01:00.250 (Music playing) 0:01:00.250,0:01:02.199 My number one all time favorite wild 0:01:02.199,0:01:05.864 edible green has to be Urtica dioica, or 0:01:05.864,0:01:08.628 the mighty stinging nettle. 0:01:08.628,0:01:11.036 There is a native North American species 0:01:11.036,0:01:16.035 as well, Urtica gracilis, and also [br]Laportea canadensis. 0:01:16.035,0:01:18.016 I love it for so many reasons, it offers 0:01:18.016,0:01:21.576 all kinds of amazing medicine, its flavor 0:01:21.576,0:01:24.056 is incredible, it can be absolutely 0:01:24.056,0:01:26.410 prolific in the wild, and it is very easy 0:01:26.410,0:01:28.980 to cultivate for those of us that are [br]gardeners. 0:01:28.980,0:01:30.974 Not to mention that it will grow in full 0:01:30.974,0:01:33.956 shade underneath black walnuts for the 0:01:33.956,0:01:35.418 permaculturists out there. 0:01:35.418,0:01:40.305 It can be made into dried green powders or 0:01:40.305,0:01:44.812 blended up into pesto, or it can also be 0:01:44.812,0:01:46.280 steamed and sautéed. 0:01:46.280,0:01:49.887 Any kind of heat will deactivate the 0:01:49.887,0:01:51.576 stinging hairs and make it edible. 0:01:51.576,0:01:55.016 Definitely my number one all time favorite 0:01:55.016,0:01:56.665 has to be stinging nettle. 0:01:56.665,0:02:01.143 Number 2 on my list of wild edible greens 0:02:01.143,0:02:03.187 has got to be chickweed. 0:02:03.187,0:02:06.077 This is another great friend to really 0:02:06.077,0:02:09.082 connect with and bring in to the kitchen. 0:02:09.082,0:02:14.283 This is Stellaria media, the common name [br]is chickweed. 0:02:14.283,0:02:17.729 I love this one because it is pretty easy 0:02:17.729,0:02:20.591 to identify, it has these really cute 0:02:20.591,0:02:22.578 little star shaped flowers on it, and 0:02:22.578,0:02:24.809 opposite leaves. 0:02:24.809,0:02:29.656 It is really cool and juicy and the flavor 0:02:29.656,0:02:31.028 is really awesome. 0:02:31.028,0:02:33.373 It is one that I do like to cook because 0:02:33.373,0:02:36.696 it is a little higher in the oxalic acid 0:02:36.696,0:02:39.013 department. but it also makes a great 0:02:39.013,0:02:41.825 pesto and can be dried into powders. 0:02:41.825,0:02:44.976 I would definitely say that number 2 on 0:02:44.976,0:02:46.104 the list is chickweed. 0:02:46.104,0:02:49.582 Keep an eye out for this one in the spring[br]and fall. 0:02:49.582,0:02:51.314 It will disappear in the summer. 0:02:51.314,0:02:55.209 Number 3 on my list is lambsquarters. 0:02:55.209,0:02:57.803 This is one of the first friends that I 0:02:57.803,0:03:00.171 really got tuned into when I was first 0:03:00.171,0:03:02.828 starting to eat something wild every day. 0:03:02.828,0:03:06.869 The Latin name is Chenopodium album, and 0:03:06.869,0:03:11.993 is just an absolute super star from the[br]spinach family. 0:03:11.993,0:03:14.743 It is one of the most nutritious plants [br]on earth. 0:03:14.743,0:03:17.643 It is also one of the highest wild greens 0:03:17.643,0:03:20.111 in oxalic acid. 0:03:20.111,0:03:23.963 This is one that I definitely like to cook 0:03:23.963,0:03:28.004 up, I like to steam it, boil it, pan fry 0:03:28.004,0:03:33.818 it, anything to help cook out and denature[br]those oxalates. 0:03:33.818,0:03:36.768 But after that, it is an absolutely flavor 0:03:36.768,0:03:38.690 packed, incredible edible. 0:03:38.690,0:03:40.995 This is one that should be in all of the 0:03:40.995,0:03:42.624 4 star restaurants, and it should 0:03:42.624,0:03:44.410 definitely be on everyone's plate. 0:03:44.410,0:03:48.254 So, Chenopodium album. Lambsquarters. 0:03:48.254,0:03:49.396 Number 3. 0:03:49.396,0:03:51.717 Number 4 on my list is definitely 0:03:51.717,0:03:54.482 dandelions, Taraxacum officinale. 0:03:54.482,0:03:56.918 This is one that most everybody is 0:03:56.918,0:03:58.512 probably already familiar with. 0:03:58.512,0:04:01.906 It is an absolute incredible edible. 0:04:01.906,0:04:04.717 The leaves are great in salad, but they 0:04:04.717,0:04:06.808 can also be boiled to remove some of the 0:04:06.808,0:04:08.570 bitterness if you are not into that. 0:04:08.570,0:04:11.290 They are loaded with all kinds of 0:04:11.290,0:04:13.546 nutrients, tons of vitamin A, and they are 0:04:13.546,0:04:16.709 the second highest source of boron of any 0:04:16.709,0:04:18.934 of the wild greens, which is cool because 0:04:18.934,0:04:22.366 boron helps to detoxify the body of [br]fluoride. 0:04:22.366,0:04:25.053 It is definitely an important one for us 0:04:25.053,0:04:27.413 to bring into our diets, and it is also a 0:04:27.413,0:04:29.642 great one for helping to support the 0:04:29.642,0:04:31.728 liver health, and helping our body to 0:04:31.728,0:04:33.604 detoxify in multiple different ways. 0:04:33.604,0:04:37.897 Dandelion is definitely one for everybody 0:04:37.897,0:04:41.521 to tune into, and bring home to the dinner[br]plate. 0:04:41.521,0:04:44.899 Coming in at number 5 is Alliaria 0:04:44.899,0:04:48.350 petiolata, the garlic mustard. 0:04:48.350,0:04:50.383 So this is a biennial plant in the 0:04:50.383,0:04:53.108 brassicaceae family, the mustard family. 0:04:53.108,0:04:56.854 Like the first 4 on our list, it is a 0:04:56.854,0:05:00.981 European import that is very weedy and [br]prolific. 0:05:00.981,0:05:05.263 This one in fact is allelopathic, so it 0:05:05.263,0:05:07.593 competes against other plants in the [br]area. 0:05:07.593,0:05:10.058 For that reason I really love encouraging 0:05:10.058,0:05:12.431 people to consume these kinds of plants 0:05:12.431,0:05:15.010 that are exotic to our region, so that we 0:05:15.010,0:05:17.481 can help native habitats to thrive a 0:05:17.481,0:05:19.189 little bit more, take some of the 0:05:19.189,0:05:21.458 pressure off of the native plants in that [br]way. 0:05:21.458,0:05:23.711 This one was brought over from Europe 0:05:23.711,0:05:25.831 because it is very highly nutritious. 0:05:25.831,0:05:29.675 There are 190 milligrams of vitamin C 0:05:29.675,0:05:32.413 per a 100 gram serving, which is very easy 0:05:32.413,0:05:34.202 to consume in a batch of pesto. 0:05:34.202,0:05:36.759 That is definitely one of my favorite ways 0:05:36.759,0:05:38.697 to bring garlic mustard into the kitchen 0:05:38.697,0:05:39.770 is in pesto form. 0:05:39.770,0:05:41.725 It also makes a great cooked green, 0:05:41.725,0:05:46.096 sautéed or even steamed up, or you can 0:05:46.096,0:05:48.173 boil it when it gets older to take some of 0:05:48.173,0:05:49.224 the bitterness out. 0:05:49.224,0:05:53.939 Definitely number 5 on the list, is[br]Alliaria petiolata. 0:05:53.939,0:05:55.319 Garlic mustard. 0:05:55.319,0:05:59.961 Number 6 on our list is basswood. 0:05:59.961,0:06:04.262 This is the American basswood, Tilia[br]americana. 0:06:04.262,0:06:07.796 This is a native tree in the mallow [br]family. 0:06:07.796,0:06:10.826 I love this one because we do not get to 0:06:10.826,0:06:12.707 eat a whole lot of tree leaves and this 0:06:12.707,0:06:16.355 one is so mild and has such a nice flavor 0:06:16.355,0:06:19.213 that it can actually be the basis for a [br]salad. 0:06:19.213,0:06:21.415 I love greens that we can eat raw. 0:06:21.415,0:06:23.910 It also makes an excellent green powder, 0:06:23.910,0:06:28.103 makes a fantastic sautéed greens, steamed, 0:06:28.103,0:06:32.466 anyway that you prepare it, basswood is [br]absolutely incredible. 0:06:32.466,0:06:34.869 And the leaves also have this nice kind 0:06:34.869,0:06:37.306 of mucilaginous quality to it that I think 0:06:37.306,0:06:39.254 really helps to keep us hydrated in the 0:06:39.254,0:06:42.698 summer time, and also makes for a 0:06:42.698,0:06:45.173 wonderful tea when we have got a[br]sore throat. 0:06:45.173,0:06:49.324 Definitely number 6 on the list is 0:06:49.324,0:06:53.455 basswood, Tilia americana. 0:06:53.455,0:06:56.521 For number 7 on our list we have another 0:06:56.521,0:06:58.932 tree leaf, and this is one that I bet a 0:06:58.932,0:07:00.912 lot of you are already familiar with 0:07:00.912,0:07:03.331 because it is world famous for its[br]berries. 0:07:03.331,0:07:06.391 And of course we are talking about the[br]mighty mulberry. 0:07:06.391,0:07:10.064 In the mid Atlantic, that would be either 0:07:10.064,0:07:14.289 Morus alba, which is the Asian species, or 0:07:14.289,0:07:16.505 Morus rubra, which is the native one. 0:07:16.505,0:07:18.863 They both have edible leaves. 0:07:18.863,0:07:23.306 There is an introduced species, 0:07:23.306,0:07:27.246 Broussonetia papyrifera, that is a 0:07:27.246,0:07:29.292 lookalike that is worth looking into, it 0:07:29.292,0:07:31.270 is called the paper mulberry and it is in 0:07:31.270,0:07:33.904 the same family but not as edible. 0:07:33.904,0:07:37.955 This one is not as ... some of them are 0:07:37.955,0:07:41.228 acceptable as a salad crop but more so I 0:07:41.228,0:07:43.153 think of mulberries as being great for 0:07:43.153,0:07:45.688 green powders or cooked greens, either 0:07:45.688,0:07:48.998 steamed, sautéed, or otherwise kind of 0:07:48.998,0:07:50.548 cooked down a little bit. 0:07:50.548,0:07:53.457 Yeah, I love mulberries because they are 0:07:53.457,0:07:55.528 so easy to identify and they are so 0:07:55.528,0:07:58.026 prolific, and they have these deep roots. 0:07:58.026,0:08:01.678 They are just beautiful, amazing, awesome [br]trees. 0:08:01.678,0:08:05.554 Number 7 is the mighty mulberry. 0:08:05.554,0:08:07.740 Morus alba, Morus rubra. 0:08:07.740,0:08:10.411 Coming in at number 8 on our list is 0:08:10.411,0:08:13.733 purslane, Portulaca oleracea. 0:08:13.733,0:08:17.278 This is a really great cooking green. 0:08:17.278,0:08:20.752 It can also be added raw to salads, the 0:08:20.752,0:08:22.285 flavor is great. 0:08:22.285,0:08:24.734 It is kind of high in oxalic acid so I do 0:08:24.734,0:08:27.861 prefer to cook it myself personally, but I 0:08:27.861,0:08:30.238 have heard of people adding it to [br]smoothies. 0:08:30.238,0:08:32.713 It has got a little bit of a sliminess to 0:08:32.713,0:08:35.653 it that adds a great mucilaginous kind of 0:08:35.653,0:08:38.183 throat coating quality to it. 0:08:38.183,0:08:40.797 One of the other things that is amazing 0:08:40.797,0:08:44.288 about this plant is its remarkably high 0:08:44.288,0:08:46.855 omega-3 fat content. 0:08:46.855,0:08:50.239 This is a great source of omega-3 fats 0:08:50.239,0:08:55.161 from a local, wild, plant based source. 0:08:55.161,0:08:58.888 Definitely let us say number 8 is 0:08:58.888,0:09:02.873 Portulaca oleracea, purslane. 0:09:04.483,0:09:09.072 Number 9 on our list is Asclepias syriaca. 0:09:09.072,0:09:12.926 This is a native perennial that grows in 0:09:12.926,0:09:15.339 open fields all throughout the country. 0:09:15.339,0:09:19.532 This one is absolutely, incredibly [br]delicious. 0:09:19.532,0:09:21.772 It is important to boil this one twice 0:09:21.772,0:09:24.304 because it does have cardiac glycosides 0:09:24.304,0:09:26.790 known as cardenolides in it that are[br]pretty toxic. 0:09:26.790,0:09:30.472 So I like to boil it in 2 changes of[br]water. 0:09:30.472,0:09:32.746 Another thing to be aware of with this 0:09:32.746,0:09:35.600 plant is that it looks very similar to 0:09:35.600,0:09:38.944 another native that is poisonous and that[br]is dogbane. 0:09:38.944,0:09:41.754 This is the dogbane right here and you 0:09:41.754,0:09:43.688 can see that they obviously grow in the 0:09:43.688,0:09:47.522 exact same habitat and so superficially 0:09:47.522,0:09:49.518 it can be difficult to tell the two of 0:09:49.518,0:09:51.670 them apart, but when you get into the 0:09:51.670,0:09:54.559 core of it you can see that the inside of 0:09:54.559,0:09:57.283 the milkweed is hollow, where the inside 0:09:57.283,0:09:59.163 of the dogbane is solid. 0:09:59.163,0:10:01.999 And so that is a very key distinguishing 0:10:01.999,0:10:04.572 feature that makes it easy to tell the two[br]apart. 0:10:04.572,0:10:07.225 Asclepias syriaca, number 9. 0:10:07.225,0:10:12.249 Coming in at number 10 on our list is the[br]mighty Bidens. 0:10:12.249,0:10:15.652 Beggar's ticks, Spanish needles, and with 0:10:15.652,0:10:18.450 this one we will go ahead and say the[br]entire genus. 0:10:18.450,0:10:22.044 As far as I know, every species is edible. 0:10:22.044,0:10:24.821 Some are definitely better than others I[br]have noticed. 0:10:24.821,0:10:28.210 This one in particular is Bidens frondosa, 0:10:28.210,0:10:32.991 and this one is a great weedy summer [br]superstar. 0:10:32.991,0:10:36.698 It is in the aster family and has a little 0:10:36.698,0:10:39.771 bit of a kind of bitter sappiness to it so 0:10:39.771,0:10:42.581 I do prefer to either boil or steam it 0:10:42.581,0:10:45.054 before using it for pesto, but an 0:10:45.054,0:10:47.548 absolutely incredible cooking green. 0:10:47.548,0:10:50.553 It is loaded with nutrition and also has 0:10:50.553,0:10:52.932 a medicinal component to it as well being 0:10:52.932,0:10:58.873 very popular as a gentle but effective[br]antibiotic. 0:10:58.873,0:11:04.565 The common names beggars ticks and Spanish 0:11:04.565,0:11:07.026 needles are a reference to the seed, and 0:11:07.026,0:11:10.047 that make these very easy to identify, and 0:11:10.047,0:11:13.055 you will see these all over the place 0:11:13.055,0:11:14.816 once you start looking for them. 0:11:14.816,0:11:15.999 Number 10, Bidens. 0:11:15.999,0:11:18.553 Thank you so much for taking the time to 0:11:18.553,0:11:21.633 get to know my top 10 wild edibles for the[br]mid atlantic. 0:11:21.633,0:11:25.443 I wanted to give a special shout out to 0:11:25.443,0:11:29.242 definitely Rob Greenfield and your team. 0:11:29.242,0:11:30.603 Thank you so much. 0:11:30.603,0:11:33.214 I definitely want to give a lot of love 0:11:33.214,0:11:35.185 to the folks at Meta Creative for helping 0:11:35.185,0:11:37.200 me with all of this filming and putting 0:11:37.200,0:11:39.459 together all of the shots and scenes and 0:11:39.459,0:11:42.607 just making this whole process so much 0:11:42.607,0:11:44.736 more approachable for me. 0:11:44.736,0:11:46.915 Thank you for your help and patience. 0:11:46.915,0:11:52.615 I wanted to give thanks to The REED Center 0:11:52.615,0:11:54.236 in Middletown, Maryland, 0:11:54.236,0:11:56.745 Chesapeake Bounty in Saint Leonard, 0:11:56.745,0:11:59.670 Maryland, and Plant Path Nursery in 0:11:59.670,0:12:02.111 Knoxville, Maryland for hosting some of 0:12:02.111,0:12:03.183 these video segments. 0:12:03.183,0:12:07.028 Thank you so much.[br]Peace! 0:12:07.028,0:12:08.850 Rob: I hope you got a lot out of this 0:12:08.850,0:12:11.082 video and can now implement these things 0:12:11.082,0:12:12.127 into your life. 0:12:12.127,0:12:15.217 Eric is a plant educator, an earth lover, 0:12:15.217,0:12:17.126 and a permaculturist with so much 0:12:17.126,0:12:18.649 knowledge to share with us. 0:12:18.649,0:12:21.899 Check the links in this description to [br]follow him. 0:12:21.899,0:12:24.294 And make sure to subscribe to this channel 0:12:24.294,0:12:26.383 there are many more inspirational and 0:12:26.383,0:12:27.740 educational videos to come. 0:12:27.740,0:12:29.692 I love you all very much, and I will see 0:12:29.692,0:12:30.902 you all again real soon.