Left without resources in the middle of the woods? Escaping into the wilderness after the doomsday? Knowing how to specify what plants you can and can’t consume is one of those talents that may not be necessary to modern people. Yet, it can clearly make camping or hiking a bit more enjoyable. Of course, this is only if you protect yourself from wild animals! What’s more, it is an exceptional talent to incorporate into your life resume. There is a theory, it could surely save your life. So, what are these 12 Wild plants you can eat when camping or hiking? Let’s dive in for more details!
What are some of the wild plants you can eat when hiking or camping? From the variety of berries, and wild onion, to the Broadleaf plantain, there are many more!
Table of Contents
- 1 12 Wild Plants You Can Eat When Camping or Hiking
- 1.1 #1 Elderberry (Sambucus)
- 1.2 #2 Mulberry (Morus alba)
- 1.3 #3 Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)
- 1.4 #4 Juniper Berry (Juniperus)
- 1.5 #5 Wild Onion (Allium)
- 1.6 #6 Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum)
- 1.7 #7 Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
- 1.8 #8 Chickweed (Stellaria media)
- 1.9 #9 Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major)
- 1.10 #10 Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)
- 1.11 #11 Wild Leeks (Allium tricoccum)
- 1.12 #12 Hickory Nuts
12 Wild Plants You Can Eat When Camping or Hiking
Before we dig deeper into this article, we wanted to explain that this is not pointed to be a vivid compass to plant identification. Recognizing edible plants takes a lot of preparation. It is highly advisable that you test it with someone more skilled primarily if you can. With that in mind, we expect that these informative tips will encourage you to take the time to glance at the plants around you slightly more closely, learn a valuable talent, and appreciate some fascinating tasting formulae.
Understanding which plants are flavorful, which are just edible, and which are dangerous demands a smallish acquisition of time in learning several fundamental skills. Anyone can learn them. Yet, not abiding the time to do so can signify the disparity between a tasty snack in the forest and two days of terrible abdomen pain, or worse. Mind that there are many toxic plants that can ruin your hike. So what are those 12 plants you can eat when camping? It’s time to take a look at them now, so read on!
#1 Elderberry (Sambucus)
Elderberries are a tasty type of fruit that can strengthen the immune system. Black elderberry woody plant is to be seen in damp habitats in whole or light coloring. You’ll usually see them on lake and pond beaches as well. You can recognize this edible wild plant by examining for small spots along with the woody bark. The leaves are oval with pointed saw-toothed edges. They are placed in opposing pairs with 5 to 7 leaves on every stem.
It is relatively effortless to identify during its flowering phase as the elderberry plant delivers a collection of tiny white flowers. When the flower becomes a berry, it evolves to be dark purple to nearly black. Elderberries should not be consumed raw but are safe to eat when cooked or dried for making teas.
#2 Mulberry (Morus alba)
Mulberries are a delicious delight that has an abundance of vitamin C. These types of berries grow in temperate to subtropical areas in the northern as well as the southern hemispheres. There are various species of mulberry with berries varying from colorings of dark purple or white, black, and red.
The berries grow in clusters almost like blackberries. If you find a tree with short leaves and the ground is heart-shaped, then it is presumably a black mulberry. If the leaves have circular teeth on the edges, in that case, it is a white or red mulberry. Mulberries are fleshy and sweet. You can by all means eat them fresh or you can use them for other intentions such as making herbal tea for instance.
#3 Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)
Salmonberries have housing in humid seaside woods along the shoreline. These berries are orange-red and grow in groups equivalent to the blackberry or raspberry. The leaves are trifoliate and retain jagged edges.
These berries are rather bland, without a taste, whereas they can be ingested fresh. They are more popularly utilized for making jams, wines, and baking some things. This truly goes without saying!
#4 Juniper Berry (Juniperus)
Juniper berries are prominent medicine for numerous various intents. The berries are edible, even though when eaten fresh in enormous quantities, they could be a little harmful. They are more traditionally used for spices in cooking or used as an infusion for drinks as a matter of fact.
This berry grows on an effortlessly identifiable pine tree primarily in the Western United States. The berry is spheroidal and light to dark blue in color. They have a fresh, woodsy, pine taste, per se.
#5 Wild Onion (Allium)
Wild onion is a plentiful and safe plant that lives in woods throughout the country. More than a hundred species can be seen in North America! They typically grow in clusters varying from hundreds to even thousands of them. Therefore if you misstep upon one, you may have an absolute afternoon harvest. It’s most useful to harvest the biggest shoots and leave the little ones – take only 10 to 20 percent of any provided patch.
Onion bulbs grow in the earth and have long bland green leaves. The most suitable way to appraise if the plant is onion is by utilizing your nose. If it senses like onion, then it’s onion. Regardless, if it smells like something or else, or does not have a scent at all, it’s soundest to dump it instantly, as it might be a deadly death camas!
Wild onions include lying leaves as opposed to their relative, wild garlic, whose leaves are spheroidal.
#6 Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum)
Just like a wild onion, wild garlic can be found in large quantities. You will find these edible plants in shadowy, moist woodlands. The leaves are luminous green, extended, and indicated with a smooth edge. When wild garlic blooms there will be groups of slim white flowers. This is the unwritten rule!
To know whether it is garlic or not you can select up a leaf and pat it between your hands in the pursuit of that typical garlic smell. All parts from the bulb, to the leaves, and blossoms are edible. Likewise, many individuals enjoy eating Garlic Mustard – a widely discovered interfering species. That is a fact!
Note: Make sure you understand all the tips and tricks to avoid rattlesnakes while hiking. This is significant!
#7 Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Dandelion is one of the most common plants that you will see either in your vicinity or out in the woods. This plant is filled with all types of nutrients that help our body detox in multiple extra ways. Dandelions are easily identifiable with their bright yellow blooms and lobed leaves that grow from the bottom of the stem with milky sap.
The whole plant is edible, although when eaten raw it has a bitter taste. You can either add them to salads or boil them to get rid of their bitterness. You can likewise harvest the root and make teas or a coffee alternative.
The soundest time to harvest dandelion leaves is during early spring when the leaves are most delicate. You can also look for younger plants grown in shaded areas as they are less bitter than ones grown with full sun. The best time to harvest the root is in the fall when all the power-packed nutrients have seeped down into the ground.
#8 Chickweed (Stellaria media)
Chickweed is a typical yard weed that is totally tasty. This plant can be viewed as similar in taste to spinach or nodes and is rich in nutrients that our bodies require. You can ingest the plant raw or dry it out and make tea.
Chickweed lives just a few inches up off the base. The leaves are little and teardrop-shaped with a sharp tip. The leaves grow contrary to each other in the direction of the stem. Flowers are short with five white petals that have deep cracks, which means they may appear as if there were ten petals. There are also leaves around the base of the flower hidden behind very adequate hairs.
To specify the plant, look for adequate hairs on just one side of the stem in one band. Each overhead-ground part of the plant is palatable from the stem to the leaves, including the flower. The best point to harvest this one is in the spring and autumn. You’ll often see this plant in shady wet areas and grows prolifically in refined areas.
#9 Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major)
Broadleaf plantain is a pleasurable wild green that you can uncover in meadows, playgrounds, pathways, and near roadsides. It chooses bothered habitats with low-grade, packed soil. It’s full of vitamins A, C, and K.
Wild plantain can be identified by its dark green leaves that grow really near to the ground at the base of a central flower spike that’s wrapped in undersized flowers. This plant not only tastes fantastic when eating the leaves uncooked, yet it can likewise be utilized to treat bug bites, cuts, or rashes by munching on the leaf and spreading it to the skin to make an application. It also has antibacterial, and antimicrobial features.
Tip: Insects can sometimes ruin your camping trip! Think of using a bug net for your hammock to minimize the encounter with these unwanted visitors!
#10 Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)
Sheep Sorrel is one more fantastic wild edible that you can discover in many soil classes. You can determine this plant by its distinctive arrow-like leaves and when in bloom the branch delivers red flowers in females and yellow-green blossoms in males. This goes without saying!
Sorrel is known for its distinguishing spicy, lemon-flavored leaves which can be consumed plain or cooked. Sheep Sorrel, like all other types of sorrel, contains oxalic acid which could be slightly harmful in large abundances. The oxalic acid scatters when you cook this plant.
Tip: What are some amazing spots for camping in Finland? There are plenty of mind-blowing places for campers!
#11 Wild Leeks (Allium tricoccum)
Wild leeks, also known as wild ramps, live in decadent, moist, deciduous woodlands. Each plant has two leaves and it’s landed below the foundation by a white bulb. A useful indicator to find out whether it is a wild leek or not is if the branch contains a red hue that ranges from the bottom of the leaf to the bulb.
The whole plant is edible and can be eaten raw or cooked. Simply like the wild onion, you should solely take what you require. Note: Make sure you prepare yourself for camping and think about measures to avoid snakes crawling in your sleeping bag at night. This could be not so pleasing experience!
#12 Hickory Nuts
If you are a person who is East of the Great Plains, then you can locate plenty of hickory nuts on your terrific venture. Hickory nuts are a protein-full snack assembled from hickory trees. They maintain an external husk and internal surface and taste slightly like pecans. To spot a hickory nut, they are quite similar to pecan.
