Once the snow melts, anticipation of spring ephemerals grows, and the yearning of finding that first edible mushroom of the year intensifies. Every year, more and more people become increasingly interested in learning how to forage for mushrooms. Often, enthusiasm overrides logic when heading into the woods and it can never be stated enough, many mushrooms can take your life. Some tips to help the novice forager: Find a wild food educator in your area to help you with in-person teaching. If you choose to use an app, use it as a guide. Some mushrooms are very difficult to id and an app is not ..read more

In recent months the pine tree has been a popular topic when it comes to helping alleviate a variety of ailments. Some pine species have been extensively studied and contain many constituents, minerals and vitamins that can benefit our health; yet many species have not. There are numerous websites that draw in their readers by making big statements about how pine trees boast anti-viral and other health benefits. Although some of the information may be accurate, many websites are not informing their readers as to which species of pine they are referring to. According to the American Conifer So ..read more

Burdock tea has a long list of health benefits such as detoxifying the body, healing the liver, preventing chronic disease, reducing inflammation, boosting the immune system, healing respiratory infections, improving hair health and soothing stomach disorders. However, this is a tea that should be consumed in moderation because too much of a good thing can be bad for some people. What Is Burdock Root Tea? This popular herbal tea is made by steeping the dried (or fresh) root of the burdock plant (Arctium lappa). It has been in use for thousands of years as a traditional medicine in parts of Eur ..read more

Every time you search for spider plants the search engines always come up with no shortage of links that tell us how to care for them. Now, put spider plants edible into a search engine and see what comes up! Yes – EdibleWildFood.com. Just about every houseplant has wild origins, in fact, golden pothos grows wild in southern Florida. Interestingly, this plant has medicinal qualities but whether it is edible or not I am not sure nor do I advocate trying to eat it. I merely mention this because many people don’t think to research if the houseplants in their home serve any benefit to us other th ..read more

Delicious raw or cooked, Belgian endive, curly endive, escarole, frisée endive and radicchio are part of the chicory vegetable family of leafy greens. Each variety offers an appealing hint (or sometimes more than a hint) of bitterness. But when was the last time you looked at a wild chicory plant and referred to it as a leafy green vegetable and not a weed? Cichorium intybus is a member of the Asteraceae family and this species is native to North Africa, Asia and Europe. Invited or not, this plant frequents grasslands, disturbed sites, meadows, lawns, waste places, roadsides, and fields. New ..read more

Hostas are a garden favourite because they liven up shady patches, borders and other difficult growing areas in ways no other plant can. Without a doubt, hostas are low maintenance, and are virtually like an artist’s palette of groundcovers. Best part of all – they are edible. Hostas belong to the asparagus family which is known for other famous relatives such as agave, yucca, and of course, the namesake asparagus. Although many people refer to this as a plantain lily there is a belief it is in the Plantago family, but it is not. There are 70 species of hostas and over 3,000 registered variet ..read more

Stinging nettle is a reservoir of micronutrients and nutritional elements which provides us with a wealth of nourishment for our bodies. The leaves are easily digested and high in minerals (especially iron), as well as vitamins A and K. However, eating them raw is not an option. The stinging pain and welts they cause led to their Latin name (Urtica) being used for any similar skin irritation, urticaria. Every one of us needs general nutritional support in order to stay well or become optimally healthy. There is mounting evidence that shows we are not getting the nutrients we need in store-bou ..read more

Flowers add colour and beauty to any garden so why not take advantage of what they have to offer us in the kitchen? Cooking and garnishing with flowers were, and still are, quite popular in many countries. When designing an edible landscape, think about adding in edible flowers because flower cookery has a long and most interesting history. Flowers were believed to be cleansing for the body and many varieties have medicinal properties. For example, roses are rich in antioxidants and marigolds are grown to extract lutein and zeaxanthin for supplements. The best antioxidants for eye care are lu ..read more

Cultivated for thousands of years in Japan, gobo, perhaps recognized more so as being burdock, is an escaped domestic vegetable that has made its home in almost every country in the northern hemisphere. It also has found its way to Uruguay, Chile, Australia and perhaps other countries in the southern hemisphere. Burdock – A Brief History Wrongfully labeled as a weed, this valuable source of nourishment has the distinction of being used as food and medicine for hundreds of years and by many different cultures. It was considered to be sacred to the “heavenly bear”, Thor, by the early Celts and ..read more

  Peppermint (Mentha peperita) is nothing short of being an exceptional plant that has enormous benefits for us and our homes. Out of the hundreds of species of mint, peppermint is the most widely used and best-known. Globally, the mint family (Lamiaceae) includes about 3,000 species, many having a long history of medicinal uses. The health benefits of peppermint are similar to other familiar plants in the mint family such as sage, basil, oregano, rosemary, lavender and thyme. Wild members of the mint family also have a long history of beneficial uses to humans such as catnip, motherwort ..read more