1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,842 Rob: Hey everyone, I am here with my friend, Eric. 2 00:00:02,842 --> 00:00:07,479 We met two years ago in Florida, and I was 3 00:00:07,479 --> 00:00:09,604 blown away by his knowledge of the plants 4 00:00:09,604 --> 00:00:11,749 that he has been foraging for about a decade. 5 00:00:11,749 --> 00:00:15,302 He is a plant wizard with really seemingly 6 00:00:15,302 --> 00:00:16,313 infinite knowledge. 7 00:00:16,313 --> 00:00:18,540 I know there are things that he does not 8 00:00:18,540 --> 00:00:20,520 know, but it seems like he knows pretty 9 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,050 much every plant that we cross. 10 00:00:22,050 --> 00:00:24,283 I have been blessed to get to learn from him. 11 00:00:24,283 --> 00:00:26,299 I've been with him for the last day in 12 00:00:26,299 --> 00:00:28,009 Maryland and have learned so much. 13 00:00:28,009 --> 00:00:31,030 I am excited that he is going to share 14 00:00:31,030 --> 00:00:32,950 some of his favorite plants to help you 15 00:00:32,950 --> 00:00:34,831 get foraging, and first he is going to 16 00:00:34,831 --> 00:00:36,082 introduce himself a bit. 17 00:00:36,082 --> 00:00:38,082 Eric: My name is Eric, I am a plant-lover. 18 00:00:38,082 --> 00:00:40,938 permaculturist, and an avid forager, 19 00:00:40,938 --> 00:00:43,440 and I am just really grateful to be here 20 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,771 with you all today and share my top ten 21 00:00:45,771 --> 00:00:48,217 wild edible greens for the mid Atlantic. 22 00:00:48,217 --> 00:00:51,620 There is such an abundance of food in 23 00:00:51,620 --> 00:00:53,481 these fields and forests, so let us go 24 00:00:53,481 --> 00:00:54,568 see what we can find! 25 00:00:54,743 --> 00:01:00,250 (Music playing) 26 00:01:00,250 --> 00:01:02,199 My number one all time favorite wild 27 00:01:02,199 --> 00:01:05,864 edible green has to be Urtica dioica, or 28 00:01:05,864 --> 00:01:08,628 the mighty stinging nettle. 29 00:01:08,628 --> 00:01:11,036 There is a native North American species 30 00:01:11,036 --> 00:01:16,035 as well, Urtica gracilis, and also Laportea canadensis. 31 00:01:16,035 --> 00:01:18,016 I love it for so many reasons, it offers 32 00:01:18,016 --> 00:01:21,576 all kinds of amazing medicine, its flavor 33 00:01:21,576 --> 00:01:24,056 is incredible, it can be absolutely 34 00:01:24,056 --> 00:01:26,410 prolific in the wild, and it is very easy 35 00:01:26,410 --> 00:01:28,980 to cultivate for those of us that are gardeners. 36 00:01:28,980 --> 00:01:30,974 Not to mention that it will grow in full 37 00:01:30,974 --> 00:01:33,956 shade underneath black walnuts for the 38 00:01:33,956 --> 00:01:35,418 permaculturists out there. 39 00:01:35,418 --> 00:01:40,305 It can be made into dried green powders or 40 00:01:40,305 --> 00:01:44,812 blended up into pesto, or it can also be 41 00:01:44,812 --> 00:01:46,280 steamed and sautéed. 42 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:49,887 Any kind of heat will deactivate the 43 00:01:49,887 --> 00:01:51,576 stinging hairs and make it edible. 44 00:01:51,576 --> 00:01:55,016 Definitely my number one all time favorite 45 00:01:55,016 --> 00:01:56,665 has to be stinging nettle. 46 00:01:56,665 --> 00:02:01,143 Number 2 on my list of wild edible greens 47 00:02:01,143 --> 00:02:03,187 has got to be chickweed. 48 00:02:03,187 --> 00:02:06,077 This is another great friend to really 49 00:02:06,077 --> 00:02:09,082 connect with and bring in to the kitchen. 50 00:02:09,082 --> 00:02:14,283 This is Stellaria media, the common name is chickweed. 51 00:02:14,283 --> 00:02:17,729 I love this one because it is pretty easy 52 00:02:17,729 --> 00:02:20,591 to identify, it has these really cute 53 00:02:20,591 --> 00:02:22,578 little star shaped flowers on it, and 54 00:02:22,578 --> 00:02:24,809 opposite leaves. 55 00:02:24,809 --> 00:02:29,656 It is really cool and juicy and the flavor 56 00:02:29,656 --> 00:02:31,028 is really awesome. 57 00:02:31,028 --> 00:02:33,373 It is one that I do like to cook because 58 00:02:33,373 --> 00:02:36,696 it is a little higher in the oxalic acid 59 00:02:36,696 --> 00:02:39,013 department. but it also makes a great 60 00:02:39,013 --> 00:02:41,825 pesto and can be dried into powders. 61 00:02:41,825 --> 00:02:44,976 I would definitely say that number 2 on 62 00:02:44,976 --> 00:02:46,104 the list is chickweed. 63 00:02:46,104 --> 00:02:49,582 Keep an eye out for this one in the spring and fall. 64 00:02:49,582 --> 00:02:51,314 It will disappear in the summer. 65 00:02:51,314 --> 00:02:55,209 Number 3 on my list is lambsquarters. 66 00:02:55,209 --> 00:02:57,803 This is one of the first friends that I 67 00:02:57,803 --> 00:03:00,171 really got tuned into when I was first 68 00:03:00,171 --> 00:03:02,828 starting to eat something wild every day. 69 00:03:02,828 --> 00:03:06,869 The Latin name is Chenopodium album, and 70 00:03:06,869 --> 00:03:11,993 is just an absolute super star from the spinach family. 71 00:03:11,993 --> 00:03:14,743 It is one of the most nutritious plants on earth. 72 00:03:14,743 --> 00:03:17,643 It is also one of the highest wild greens 73 00:03:17,643 --> 00:03:20,111 in oxalic acid. 74 00:03:20,111 --> 00:03:23,963 This is one that I definitely like to cook 75 00:03:23,963 --> 00:03:28,004 up, I like to steam it, boil it, pan fry 76 00:03:28,004 --> 00:03:33,818 it, anything to help cook out and denature those oxalates. 77 00:03:33,818 --> 00:03:36,768 But after that, it is an absolutely flavor 78 00:03:36,768 --> 00:03:38,690 packed, incredible edible. 79 00:03:38,690 --> 00:03:40,995 This is one that should be in all of the 80 00:03:40,995 --> 00:03:42,624 4 star restaurants, and it should 81 00:03:42,624 --> 00:03:44,410 definitely be on everyone's plate. 82 00:03:44,410 --> 00:03:48,254 So, Chenopodium album. Lambsquarters. 83 00:03:48,254 --> 00:03:49,396 Number 3. 84 00:03:49,396 --> 00:03:51,717 Number 4 on my list is definitely 85 00:03:51,717 --> 00:03:54,482 dandelions, Taraxacum officinale. 86 00:03:54,482 --> 00:03:56,918 This is one that most everybody is 87 00:03:56,918 --> 00:03:58,512 probably already familiar with. 88 00:03:58,512 --> 00:04:01,906 It is an absolute incredible edible. 89 00:04:01,906 --> 00:04:04,717 The leaves are great in salad, but they 90 00:04:04,717 --> 00:04:06,808 can also be boiled to remove some of the 91 00:04:06,808 --> 00:04:08,570 bitterness if you are not into that. 92 00:04:08,570 --> 00:04:11,290 They are loaded with all kinds of 93 00:04:11,290 --> 00:04:13,546 nutrients, tons of vitamin A, and they are 94 00:04:13,546 --> 00:04:16,709 the second highest source of boron of any 95 00:04:16,709 --> 00:04:18,934 of the wild greens, which is cool because 96 00:04:18,934 --> 00:04:22,366 boron helps to detoxify the body of fluoride. 97 00:04:22,366 --> 00:04:25,053 It is definitely an important one for us 98 00:04:25,053 --> 00:04:27,413 to bring into our diets, and it is also a 99 00:04:27,413 --> 00:04:29,642 great one for helping to support the 100 00:04:29,642 --> 00:04:31,728 liver health, and helping our body to 101 00:04:31,728 --> 00:04:33,604 detoxify in multiple different ways. 102 00:04:33,604 --> 00:04:37,897 Dandelion is definitely one for everybody 103 00:04:37,897 --> 00:04:41,521 to tune into, and bring home to the dinner plate. 104 00:04:41,521 --> 00:04:44,899 Coming in at number 5 is Alliaria 105 00:04:44,899 --> 00:04:48,350 petiolata, the garlic mustard. 106 00:04:48,350 --> 00:04:50,383 So this is a biennial plant in the 107 00:04:50,383 --> 00:04:53,108 brassicaceae family, the mustard family. 108 00:04:53,108 --> 00:04:56,854 Like the first 4 on our list, it is a 109 00:04:56,854 --> 00:05:00,981 European import that is very weedy and prolific. 110 00:05:00,981 --> 00:05:05,263 This one in fact is allelopathic, so it 111 00:05:05,263 --> 00:05:07,593 competes against other plants in the area. 112 00:05:07,593 --> 00:05:10,058 For that reason I really love encouraging 113 00:05:10,058 --> 00:05:12,431 people to consume these kinds of plants 114 00:05:12,431 --> 00:05:15,010 that are exotic to our region, so that we 115 00:05:15,010 --> 00:05:17,481 can help native habitats to thrive a 116 00:05:17,481 --> 00:05:19,189 little bit more, take some of the 117 00:05:19,189 --> 00:05:21,458 pressure off of the native plants in that way. 118 00:05:21,458 --> 00:05:23,711 This one was brought over from Europe 119 00:05:23,711 --> 00:05:25,831 because it is very highly nutritious. 120 00:05:25,831 --> 00:05:29,675 There are 190 milligrams of vitamin C 121 00:05:29,675 --> 00:05:32,413 per a 100 gram serving, which is very easy 122 00:05:32,413 --> 00:05:34,202 to consume in a batch of pesto. 123 00:05:34,202 --> 00:05:36,759 That is definitely one of my favorite ways 124 00:05:36,759 --> 00:05:38,697 to bring garlic mustard into the kitchen 125 00:05:38,697 --> 00:05:39,770 is in pesto form. 126 00:05:39,770 --> 00:05:41,725 It also makes a great cooked green, 127 00:05:41,725 --> 00:05:46,096 sautéed or even steamed up, or you can 128 00:05:46,096 --> 00:05:48,173 boil it when it gets older to take some of 129 00:05:48,173 --> 00:05:49,224 the bitterness out. 130 00:05:49,224 --> 00:05:53,939 Definitely number 5 on the list, is Alliaria petiolata. 131 00:05:53,939 --> 00:05:55,319 Garlic mustard. 132 00:05:55,319 --> 00:05:59,961 Number 6 on our list is basswood. 133 00:05:59,961 --> 00:06:04,262 This is the American basswood, Tilia americana. 134 00:06:04,262 --> 00:06:07,796 This is a native tree in the mallow family. 135 00:06:07,796 --> 00:06:10,826 I love this one because we do not get to 136 00:06:10,826 --> 00:06:12,707 eat a whole lot of tree leaves and this 137 00:06:12,707 --> 00:06:16,355 one is so mild and has such a nice flavor 138 00:06:16,355 --> 00:06:19,213 that it can actually be the basis for a salad. 139 00:06:19,213 --> 00:06:21,415 I love greens that we can eat raw. 140 00:06:21,415 --> 00:06:23,910 It also makes an excellent green powder, 141 00:06:23,910 --> 00:06:28,103 makes a fantastic sautéed greens, steamed, 142 00:06:28,103 --> 00:06:32,466 anyway that you prepare it, basswood is absolutely incredible. 143 00:06:32,466 --> 00:06:34,869 And the leaves also have this nice kind 144 00:06:34,869 --> 00:06:37,306 of mucilaginous quality to it that I think 145 00:06:37,306 --> 00:06:39,254 really helps to keep us hydrated in the 146 00:06:39,254 --> 00:06:42,698 summer time, and also makes for a 147 00:06:42,698 --> 00:06:45,173 wonderful tea when we have got a sore throat. 148 00:06:45,173 --> 00:06:49,324 Definitely number 6 on the list is 149 00:06:49,324 --> 00:06:53,455 basswood, Tilia americana. 150 00:06:53,455 --> 00:06:56,521 For number 7 on our list we have another 151 00:06:56,521 --> 00:06:58,932 tree leaf, and this is one that I bet a 152 00:06:58,932 --> 00:07:00,912 lot of you are already familiar with 153 00:07:00,912 --> 00:07:03,331 because it is world famous for its berries. 154 00:07:03,331 --> 00:07:06,391 And of course we are talking about the mighty mulberry. 155 00:07:06,391 --> 00:07:10,064 In the mid Atlantic, that would be either 156 00:07:10,064 --> 00:07:14,289 Morus alba, which is the Asian species, or 157 00:07:14,289 --> 00:07:16,505 Morus rubra, which is the native one. 158 00:07:16,505 --> 00:07:18,863 They both have edible leaves. 159 00:07:18,863 --> 00:07:23,306 There is an introduced species, 160 00:07:23,306 --> 00:07:27,246 Broussonetia papyrifera, that is a 161 00:07:27,246 --> 00:07:29,292 lookalike that is worth looking into, it 162 00:07:29,292 --> 00:07:31,270 is called the paper mulberry and it is in 163 00:07:31,270 --> 00:07:33,904 the same family but not as edible. 164 00:07:33,904 --> 00:07:37,955 This one is not as ... some of them are 165 00:07:37,955 --> 00:07:41,228 acceptable as a salad crop but more so I 166 00:07:41,228 --> 00:07:43,153 think of mulberries as being great for 167 00:07:43,153 --> 00:07:45,688 green powders or cooked greens, either 168 00:07:45,688 --> 00:07:48,998 steamed, sautéed, or otherwise kind of 169 00:07:48,998 --> 00:07:50,548 cooked down a little bit. 170 00:07:50,548 --> 00:07:53,457 Yeah, I love mulberries because they are 171 00:07:53,457 --> 00:07:55,528 so easy to identify and they are so 172 00:07:55,528 --> 00:07:58,026 prolific, and they have these deep roots. 173 00:07:58,026 --> 00:08:01,678 They are just beautiful, amazing, awesome trees. 174 00:08:01,678 --> 00:08:05,554 Number 7 is the mighty mulberry. 175 00:08:05,554 --> 00:08:07,740 Morus alba, Morus rubra. 176 00:08:07,740 --> 00:08:10,411 Coming in at number 8 on our list is 177 00:08:10,411 --> 00:08:13,733 purslane, Portulaca oleracea. 178 00:08:13,733 --> 00:08:17,278 This is a really great cooking green. 179 00:08:17,278 --> 00:08:20,752 It can also be added raw to salads, the 180 00:08:20,752 --> 00:08:22,285 flavor is great. 181 00:08:22,285 --> 00:08:24,734 It is kind of high in oxalic acid so I do 182 00:08:24,734 --> 00:08:27,861 prefer to cook it myself personally, but I 183 00:08:27,861 --> 00:08:30,238 have heard of people adding it to smoothies. 184 00:08:30,238 --> 00:08:32,713 It has got a little bit of a sliminess to 185 00:08:32,713 --> 00:08:35,653 it that adds a great mucilaginous kind of 186 00:08:35,653 --> 00:08:38,183 throat coating quality to it. 187 00:08:38,183 --> 00:08:40,797 One of the other things that is amazing 188 00:08:40,797 --> 00:08:44,288 about this plant is its remarkably high 189 00:08:44,288 --> 00:08:46,855 omega-3 fat content. 190 00:08:46,855 --> 00:08:50,239 This is a great source of omega-3 fats 191 00:08:50,239 --> 00:08:55,161 from a local, wild, plant based source. 192 00:08:55,161 --> 00:08:58,888 Definitely let us say number 8 is 193 00:08:58,888 --> 00:09:02,873 Portulaca oleracea, purslane. 194 00:09:04,483 --> 00:09:09,072 Number 9 on our list is Asclepias syriaca. 195 00:09:09,072 --> 00:09:12,926 This is a native perennial that grows in 196 00:09:12,926 --> 00:09:15,339 open fields all throughout the country. 197 00:09:15,339 --> 00:09:19,532 This one is absolutely, incredibly delicious. 198 00:09:19,532 --> 00:09:21,772 It is important to boil this one twice 199 00:09:21,772 --> 00:09:24,304 because it does have cardiac glycosides 200 00:09:24,304 --> 00:09:26,790 known as cardenolides in it that are pretty toxic. 201 00:09:26,790 --> 00:09:30,472 So I like to boil it in 2 changes of water. 202 00:09:30,472 --> 00:09:32,746 Another thing to be aware of with this 203 00:09:32,746 --> 00:09:35,600 plant is that it looks very similar to 204 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,944 another native that is poisonous and that is dogbane. 205 00:09:38,944 --> 00:09:41,754 This is the dogbane right here and you 206 00:09:41,754 --> 00:09:43,688 can see that they obviously grow in the 207 00:09:43,688 --> 00:09:47,522 exact same habitat and so superficially 208 00:09:47,522 --> 00:09:49,518 it can be difficult to tell the two of 209 00:09:49,518 --> 00:09:51,670 them apart, but when you get into the 210 00:09:51,670 --> 00:09:54,559 core of it you can see that the inside of 211 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:57,283 the milkweed is hollow, where the inside 212 00:09:57,283 --> 00:09:59,163 of the dogbane is solid. 213 00:09:59,163 --> 00:10:01,999 And so that is a very key distinguishing 214 00:10:01,999 --> 00:10:04,572 feature that makes it easy to tell the two apart. 215 00:10:04,572 --> 00:10:07,225 Asclepias syriaca, number 9. 216 00:10:07,225 --> 00:10:12,249 Coming in at number 10 on our list is the mighty Bidens. 217 00:10:12,249 --> 00:10:15,652 Beggar's ticks, Spanish needles, and with 218 00:10:15,652 --> 00:10:18,450 this one we will go ahead and say the entire genus. 219 00:10:18,450 --> 00:10:22,044 As far as I know, every species is edible. 220 00:10:22,044 --> 00:10:24,821 Some are definitely better than others I have noticed. 221 00:10:24,821 --> 00:10:28,210 This one in particular is Bidens frondosa, 222 00:10:28,210 --> 00:10:32,991 and this one is a great weedy summer superstar. 223 00:10:32,991 --> 00:10:36,698 It is in the aster family and has a little 224 00:10:36,698 --> 00:10:39,771 bit of a kind of bitter sappiness to it so 225 00:10:39,771 --> 00:10:42,581 I do prefer to either boil or steam it 226 00:10:42,581 --> 00:10:45,054 before using it for pesto, but an 227 00:10:45,054 --> 00:10:47,548 absolutely incredible cooking green. 228 00:10:47,548 --> 00:10:50,553 It is loaded with nutrition and also has 229 00:10:50,553 --> 00:10:52,932 a medicinal component to it as well being 230 00:10:52,932 --> 00:10:58,873 very popular as a gentle but effective antibiotic. 231 00:10:58,873 --> 00:11:04,565 The common names beggars ticks and Spanish 232 00:11:04,565 --> 00:11:07,026 needles are a reference to the seed, and 233 00:11:07,026 --> 00:11:10,047 that make these very easy to identify, and 234 00:11:10,047 --> 00:11:13,055 you will see these all over the place 235 00:11:13,055 --> 00:11:14,816 once you start looking for them. 236 00:11:14,816 --> 00:11:15,999 Number 10, Bidens. 237 00:11:15,999 --> 00:11:18,553 Thank you so much for taking the time to 238 00:11:18,553 --> 00:11:21,633 get to know my top 10 wild edibles for the mid atlantic. 239 00:11:21,633 --> 00:11:25,443 I wanted to give a special shout out to 240 00:11:25,443 --> 00:11:29,242 definitely Rob Greenfield and your team. 241 00:11:29,242 --> 00:11:30,603 Thank you so much. 242 00:11:30,603 --> 00:11:33,214 I definitely want to give a lot of love 243 00:11:33,214 --> 00:11:35,185 to the folks at Meta Creative for helping 244 00:11:35,185 --> 00:11:37,200 me with all of this filming and putting 245 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,459 together all of the shots and scenes and 246 00:11:39,459 --> 00:11:42,607 just making this whole process so much 247 00:11:42,607 --> 00:11:44,736 more approachable for me. 248 00:11:44,736 --> 00:11:46,915 Thank you for your help and patience. 249 00:11:46,915 --> 00:11:52,615 I wanted to give thanks to The REED Center 250 00:11:52,615 --> 00:11:54,236 in Middletown, Maryland, 251 00:11:54,236 --> 00:11:56,745 Chesapeake Bounty in Saint Leonard, 252 00:11:56,745 --> 00:11:59,670 Maryland, and Plant Path Nursery in 253 00:11:59,670 --> 00:12:02,111 Knoxville, Maryland for hosting some of 254 00:12:02,111 --> 00:12:03,183 these video segments. 255 00:12:03,183 --> 00:12:07,028 Thank you so much. Peace! 256 00:12:07,028 --> 00:12:08,850 Rob: I hope you got a lot out of this 257 00:12:08,850 --> 00:12:11,082 video and can now implement these things 258 00:12:11,082 --> 00:12:12,127 into your life. 259 00:12:12,127 --> 00:12:15,217 Eric is a plant educator, an earth lover, 260 00:12:15,217 --> 00:12:17,126 and a permaculturist with so much 261 00:12:17,126 --> 00:12:18,649 knowledge to share with us. 262 00:12:18,649 --> 00:12:21,899 Check the links in this description to follow him. 263 00:12:21,899 --> 00:12:24,294 And make sure to subscribe to this channel 264 00:12:24,294 --> 00:12:26,383 there are many more inspirational and 265 00:12:26,383 --> 00:12:27,740 educational videos to come. 266 00:12:27,740 --> 00:12:29,692 I love you all very much, and I will see 267 00:12:29,692 --> 00:12:30,902 you all again real soon.