Burdock

 I know it's been a long time since I have written a post. The winter was long and cold and I felt I didn't have much new to say so I put things off for a while.
  Last year I bought some Burdock seeds because since I have been living in NC I haven't seen any Burdock in the wild. Where I come from it was very common and I missed my old friend. I planted the seeds in part of my Medicinal Herb Garden. The garden got over run with unwanted plants and it wasn't till the Fall that I noticed some small Burdock leaves amongst the rubble. This Spring the plants really started to grow well and are out competing the other plants so far.

The large leaves of the Common Burdock

  Burdock is a grandiose plant. The leaves are large and somewhat heart shaped and are more fuzzy than shiny. I have seen Burdock leaves over 12" long not including the leaf stem. The leaf stem looks a lot like Celery with the base usually a purple color, especially in older plants.

Celery shaped leaf stems, purple at the base.

   While out mowing, I saw a large Burdock plant on a part of my property I don't frequent very often and was surprised to see it there. I got so excited, I went back to get my shovel with thoughts of finally having something to write about. 

  Burdock has a long, usually straight tap root that is almost impossible to get out of the ground in one piece. I dug the shovel in as deep as I could working around the plant, than started to pry hoping to get as much of the root as I could. While prying I heard that familiar SNAP! as the plant gave way and popped out of the ground. As soon as I saw the root I realized I made a big mistake. You see, Burdock is a Biennial and the first year roots are what you are looking for. The second year roots are large, woody and fibrous, where the first year roots are solid, succulent and tender.

 As soon as I saw the large woody root I realized I let my excitement cloud my experience and knowledge, and I destroyed a plant that would have flowered this year and would have spread seed around to grow more plants. The only silver lining I can rationalize is the fact that I got such a small part of the root that most of it was still in the ground and hopefully will grow into a new plant. Also, I stuck the plant back in the ground in a different spot hoping it will continue to grow. 

  While working my way back, I started to notice a couple of younger Burdock plants growing in other places. I dug out a small one and actually got most of the root, it was a good one too! Interesting that I had never seen Burdock on my property before now it is in multiple places. Coincidence, or did birds take the seeds I planted and deposit them in other places?

Whole young Plant

This tap root was over 9"long!

  So, why go through all this trouble anyway? Burdock is a prized Edible and Medicinal plant used in many parts of the world. Most people use the roots but the leaf stems are also an important survival food source. The leaf stems are eaten in any way you would use celery. They can be eaten raw or cooked. Before using them though, the fuzzy coating should be removed. The easiest way to do this is to hold a knife perpendicular to the stem and scrape the stem till clean. It comes off easily and can also be done with your finger nail.

The celery like stems cleaned and ready to eat!

 The real prize of the Burdock is the root. I have seen burdock root for sale in health food stores for $26 a pound! As with most plants, collect the root in the late Fall or early Spring as to get all the stored energy and nutrients. The root can be eaten raw or cooked and when young and succulent, they are delicious. Use them in salads, stews or stir fry's.

  I first learned about the Medicinal qualities of Burdock Root a long time ago when I learned about a very famous Cancer Cure called Essiac. Burdock root is one of the main ingredients in this formula because it is considered a superb Blood Cleanser. You can dry the Root or make a Tincture for future use.

 Most people would think I am crazy because it is considered a noxious weed, but I am glad to see Burdock growing on my property and I hope it spreads around to provide me with food and Medicine as I need it.

Peace

PS Later on in the summer when Burdock blooms, you will be treated to some very beautiful Thistle like flowers!

Burdock Flower

If you think you would like to grow Burdock, I have some seeds for sale HERE

Chufa

  Chufa ( Cyperus esculentus), also known as Nutgrass is not a grass at all but is a member of the Sedge family. I'll never forget the rhyme that helps me remember and helps me teach others how to differentiate between  three narrow leaved lookalikes; "Rushes have ridges, Sedges have edges and Grasses are all round". The "edges" in this rhyme refer to the triangular shaped stem of Sedges.
  I learned about Nutgrass or Chufa many years ago but never had much luck in the wild finding the"nuts". Than I came across the seeds in an Ethnobotanical seed catalog and decided to put them in the garden to see what would happen. Well, what happened is, they took over  a large section of my garden! I have since learned that they are considered a noxious "weed" in many parts of the country as they are very aggressive multipliers. I suggest if you decide to plant them you put them in a raised bed to tame their aggressiveness.
  Even though they have gone crazy in my garden, I don't regret planting them. They are one of my favorite tasting wild edibles. The Tubers are the "nut" part that you eat. Even though they are relatively small and not that easy to harvest, they are so good, it is worth it. They are sweet, succulent and taste like Almonds to me, maybe that's why another common name is Earth Almond.
  As with most root crops, it is best to harvest the Tubers after the plant dies back for the winter and you can continue to harvest them till they start growing again in the spring. Harvesting is a bit tedious so I will go through the steps I have come up with through trial and error. 

Chufa mixed with Rocks and Debris on screen

 First, I have a screen with 1/4" holes that I originally made for collecting Fossil Sharks Teeth but has become my go to screen for lots of other Pursuits. The "nuts" I go for are not that deep so I skim the surface to about 3"down with a shovel. I shovel it into the screen and shake it till most of the finer soil and debris has fallen through, than break up the clumps with my hands and shake some more. Now what I have is Chufa and lots of rocks and debris left behind.
  

Debris Floating on Top

  The next step is to wash the rest of the dirt from the screen with a hose. I blast it the best I can and than take the contents of the screen and put them in a jar or a bucket and run water into it. Everything that floats can be skimmed off and the water can run till it is relatively clear.

Clear Water with Chufa and Rocks

  The trickiest part of this whole process is separating the Chufa from everything else left in the jar. Originally I would just pick them out one by one, but this became rather tedious when I had a quantity to do. I had to think of another way. I decided to try some Physics. I recently did a Science program on Density for the Seniors I work with using some demo experiments I used to use when I taught kids as an Environmental Educator. 
  I noticed that the Chufa were more dense than water but not as dense as he rocks and sand in the jar. So to get the Chufa to float but not the rocks I needed to increase the Density of the water just enough to get the Chufa to float and leave the Rocks behind. The easiest and cheapest way to do this was to add salt to the water. I began adding salt to the water and as I added more salt the Chufa began to float.

Chufa Nuts Floating On Surface of Water

 All that was left to do now was to strain the Chufa out of the water and to rinse all the salt off.

Cleaned Chufa Nuts Ready to Eat

 The tubers are great just as they are and make a Delicious snack. They can also be dried and stored for future use. One of by favorite ways to use them is to make a "nut" milk out of them. Just place in a blender with water and blend till you have a thick milky liquid. Strain and drink, no sweetener needed, they are sweet on their own. As a matter of fact, the Spanish have a drink they call "Horchata de Chufa"which is basically a Chufa nut milk with sugar and cinnamon in it. Save the ground up Chufa as an addition to pancakes or muffins. The Chufa can also be dried and ground into nutritious flour.
  Chufa is also famous as a food for Wild Turkeys and Ducks. It is often planted by hunting clubs to attract Wild Turkeys to an area.
Peace

Poke as Medicine

POKE  ROOT

 I have written about Poke before and it's many varied uses. From food to dye, Poke is an incredibly useful plant.
 One thing I haven't written about before is Poke as Medicine. There are a couple of reasons for this. As you know, especially if you have been reading this Blog, is that Poke is toxic and the root is the most toxic part of the plant. Even when using the leaves as food, there is a specific process and the toxins are boiled out of the plant.Well, the Root is the part used as Medicine and it is used raw! The other reason is that I am not an herbalist. I write from experience and there is always a chance that the plant can be misused by someone. Using Poke as Medicine is not like other plants I have written about that are used as Medicine. You can't mess up using, lets say, Plantain on a scrape or Echinacia for a cold. But Poke on the other hand should not be used by anyone other than a trained Herbalist because of it's potential Toxicity. Remember, these are MY Ethnobotanical Pursuits, not advice in any way. Please be responsible.
  The best time to gather the Roots is when the plant has died back in the Fall or before it starts to come up again in the Spring. The roots of some older poke plants can be quite large and the chance of getting the whole root is slim to none. As you can see in the photo above, all three are broken at the main tap root. That's OK though, as the root left in the ground will most likely produce another plant so you don't have to worry about loosing your Spring supply of food. The other thing is that you only need a small quantity as the dosage of the medicine is very small and a little will go along way.

Top of the Root where next Springs plants will sprout from

 Even though the Root is huge it is quite succulent and cuts easily with a knife. I usually make a Tincture of my Poke so this is the procedure I will discuss.

Beautiful pure white roots

  It is extremely easy to make a Tincture. Basically all I do is cut the Root into as small a pieces as I can, put those pieces in a jar and cover them with Vodka. Let them stay together for a minimum of six weeks than I strain the root from the tincture, toss the root into the compost pile, label the Tincture, store away from sunlight and  place it where no one who shouldn't can reach it. I actually put a skull and crossbones on mine just to be sure.

Tincture in the making

  I cannot talk about things like dosage etc. as I have no qualifications to do so, remember this is for a trained Herbalist only.
 Many Herbals talk about the uses of Poke as Medicine and Poke is used for various conditions in various ways. Personally I only use it after having a cold as it is said that Poke Root is one of the best lymphatic cleansers in the Herbal world.
Peace

Edible Canna Part 2

  If you read "Edible Canna" ( http://ethnobotanist128.blogspot.com/2013/08/edible-canna.html ) you may remember that I mentioned that Canna edulis is grown for the starch in it's edible tubers.
  The best time of the year to harvest the tubers are in the Fall and Winter when the foliage has died back and all the starch and nourishment is being stored in the roots for the plant to use in the spring to start growing again. As you can see from the photo above a hard frost killed the my Canna rather quickly this year and it wasn't long after I decided to give the starch extraction a try.
  First, of course, I dug up some tubers. The tubers were full of mud and dirt so I took them to the hose and used a strong jet of water to remove all the dirt etc from around the roots and tubers. I was amazed at how many rootlets there were growing from the tubers.

 I decided to remove the rootlets from the tubers before processing thinking there probably was not much starch in them anyway.

 

  Now, I have processed starch from Cattail Rhizomes before and I figured this wasn't going to be much different. I idea is to pound the Tubers in water and allow the starch to settle out, pour off the water, rinse the starch and continue till the water is clear. I decided to cheat this time and use a blender because I didn't get that many tubers and I wanted to get as much starch out of them as I could.

 I cut them up with a knife before putting them in the blender. This is also when I took the opportunity to taste the tubers for the first time. They were very bland with a hint of sweetness to them, certainly not bad, and I think I could eat a quantity if I had to in a survival situation.

  I added all the cut tubers to the blender and added about twice as much water as tubers so they would blend well. Something unexpected started to happen as the water started to sit, it started to turn brown! I figured it was some chemical in the Tuber reacting with the oxygen and hoped the starch was not turning brown also.

I blended the mixture well and it started to turn darker and darker. I dumped it into a jar through a strainer, to get the big stuff out, and let it sit awhile. The starch started to settle out almost immediately. I let it sit till I thought all the starch settled than carefully poured off the water. The starch was compacted at the bottom of the jar so this was easier than I expected. I added fresh water and  let it settle again and repeated the process till the water was clear.

I was happy to see the starch was white. One last time I poured off the water and this time I scraped the starch out onto a paper towel to get most of the water out than put it on a plate to fully dry.

As you can see the starch is pure white and powdery like Arrowroot or Kudzu starch. I tasted it but it really had no flavor, which is good, so it doesn't impart a flavor to the dish you are thickening. All that's left to do is store it in a moisture proof jar and wait till I cook up some dish that calls for a thickener.
Peace

Hops

 When you mention Hops most people think Beer. The uses for Hops, Humulus Lupulus, go far beyond flavoring a fermented beverage. Hops has been revered as an Edible and Medicinal plant for century's.
 The young leaves of the Hop plant are Edible. The older leaves are also but they get tough and course as they get older and also start to get bitter. I always taste some new leaves in the Spring just to see how they taste but I have never made a meal of them.

Young Hops Leaves

Older Vine with Mature Leaves

 

 Hops really shines as a Medicinal Plant. It is a great Nervine for things like anxiety, sleeplessness, nervous tension and has a general calming effect on the system. You may have heard of Hops Pillows used to help people fall asleep faster and have a good nights sleep. This calming also works as an anti-spasmodic and is good for calming cough's. It is also a strong bitter and works as a Carminitive for upset stomach, gas and bloating. It also has anti-inflammatory properties. Recently, using Hops for its anti-microbial properties have been showing up in Natural product like deodorants. 

 The parts used are the Strobiles, the cone like structures, or Catkin like structures of the female plant. 

Strobiles

I learned a lot about picking the Strobiles this year. You have to wait till they feel "papery" and make a dry sound when you squeeze them. Also, if they are not ready they will stay squished when you squeeze them but if they are ready they will bounce back after squeezing.  Also, cut the Strobile open and make sure there are lots of yellow sacks, these are what hold the medicinal oils. Yellow Sacks inside the Strobile

I have read that women who pick hops for a living can have side effects due to the Estrogenic effect of some of the chemical compounds in Hops. Some even stop Menstruating during harvest season. If you feel Phytoestrogens can be a problem to you, please do further research before using the Herb. Peace

Edible Canna

 Another plant I learned about after moving South is the Canna Lily. Not a true Lily, again, don't be confused by the common names of plants. They are tall plants with huge leaves and topped by beautiful delicate flowers. Generally the foliage is more impressive than the flowers but many cultivars have been bred to accentuate the flowers.
 When I moved into my new home it was winter so I had to wait till the Spring to see what plants and flowers were planted around the property. When Spring finally arrived, I noticed what looked like a bulb beginning to break the surface of the ground. As the summer progressed they got taller and taller till they were over my head, than a flower spike started to grow and beautiful red flowers began to appear. By this time I noticed these plants growing all over the place. Apparently a very popular garden plant in NC.
 I never really pursued any further knowledge of the plants till one day I was looking through my Ethnobotanical Catalog of Seeds and saw Canna listed. Turns out there are a couple of Edible species of Canna grown around the world. Of course I had to buy some seeds!
 Canna edulis is grown in parts of the world for its Edible tubers. They are grown for the starch that is used to thicken soups and stews etc.( like Arrowroot or Kudzu) and also for the tubers to be eaten like Potatoes.
  I planted mine in the early spring in pots so I could bring them in to protect from frost. They grew easily and I was excited that only one seed didn't come up. They grew rapidly and were ready to transplant as the weather got warmer. I really didn't expect to see flowers this year but to my surprise when they were about 4.5 feet tall they started to flower. These are spectacular plants. The foliage is magnificent and the flowers beautiful.
 I tried a taste of the leaves but they were bitter. Apparently you need to get them when they first come up and before they are unfurled. The young flower stem is supposed to be good cut up and sauteed, though I was not willing to sacrifice a new plant to try this. We will see next spring. I did try the flowers and they were good, though again, I wasn't willing to eat too many as I wanted to collect the seeds to grow more next year.
I also tried the young seed pods and they were also good, slightly sweet and a little mucilaginous. The mature seeds are rock hard so I wasn't willing to risk a broken tooth just to try them. I read somewhere one of the common names of the plant is 'Shot Plant' because the seeds are used as shotgun pellets.
 So, the adventure of the Canna Lily is just beginning. This fall I will dig some of the tubers and see if they have reproduced enough to sacrifice a few to taste then and to try extracting the starch to use as a thickener. Next year I will try the stems etc.
 If I try anything new with the Canna I will keep you abreast of the results.
Peace

Orach

Orach (Cultivated Variety)

 Orach is one of those Wild Edible Plants I have known for a long time. I remember the first time I found a stand of Wild Orach at a beach in Nova Scotia, I was so excited I made it part of our meal at our campsite that night. Along with other Wild edibles, mostly of the Mollusk and Crustacean type , we had a great free meal, compliments of Mother Nature!
 The Wild Orach, also known as Saltbush, is found in sandy soil at the beach. There are many plants in the Genus Atriplex and it is sometimes difficult to ID the species, to top it off , it looks a lot like Lambs Quarters to the untrained eye. The Wild Orach is best eaten when it is young and succulent as the older leaves can be bitter but the young leaves are very tasty.
  When I first started my garden, I was looking through my Ethnobotanical Catalog of seeds, and low and behold, I saw Orach listed! Of course I had to buy some seeds and have Orach in my garden. The seeds were easy to grow and before I knew it I had more Orach than I could eat! I did notice it was not the Orach I was used to seeing in my travels. The leaves were larger and lighter in color and more delicate than the wild variety.

Orach is used anyway you would use Spinach. It can be eaten raw or cooked and the cultivated varieties come in many colors. This year I bought some seeds for the magenta variety, vary cool looking plant.

Magenta Variety

 Orach makes a prolific amount of seeds and I have been saving my seeds from year to year so I don't have to buy them again. If you have a garden, I recommend giving Orach a try, it is a great tasting and nutritious vegetable and you don't have to live by the beach to enjoy it.
Peace

Lambs Quarters

A Patch of Lamb's Quarters

  Lambs Quarters (chenopodium album) is one of those plants that has taught me a lesson. When I first got interested in plants, I resisted learning the Scientific names of plants. Not that I didn't like science, on the contrary, I loved Science! I guess I felt learning the Science would would keep me from getting to know the plant on a personal, more spiritual level. Than I started teaching and soon learned that common names are confusing because different people from different places call the same plant different things. Some of the names Lambs Quarters is known by are Pigweed, (because it was raised to feed Pigs) Goosefoot (because it is a member of the Goosefoot Family and has leaves shaped like a gooses webbed foot)
  Where I come from many people call Lamb's Quarters, Pigweed, where I live now the plants know as Pigweed are many different plants from the Amaranth family. Very confusing, and possibly dangerous, when trying to learn to use plants as food or medicine.
 Lambs Quarters is also one of those plants that are considered "weeds", and most will do away with it if they see it. Yet, like most other "weeds" Lambs Quarters is really a very nutritious vegetable. According to Euell Gibbons, lab analysis shows, Lambs Quarters is one of the top nutritious Wild Edibles you can find. One hundred grams of plant contains; 4.2mg of protein,  100mg iron, 11,600 IU vitamin A, 80mg ascorbic acid (vit C) and 309mg calcium. (all bioavailible, unlike milk which almost none is bioavalible . Some thoughts on drinking milk:  http://yougoddabekiddin.blogspot.com/2011/08/not-milk.html). As you can see this "weed" blows away many of your widely accepted Veggies.

White powdery look of the new leaves

 Lambs Quarters is pretty easy to ID. One of the distinguishing characteristics is the white powdery looking new leaves. The mature leaves are triangular in shape and deeply lobbed. The stem has purple where the branching stems meet the main stem:

Purple at the base of the branching stems.

and  the main stem is often vertically stripped light/dark green. I have seen the stem of some plants have some purple stripping also.
  Speaking of purple, you are able to find seeds for a purple variety of  Lambs Quarters in most Organic Seed Catalogs. I bought some this year and am growing them in my herb garden:

Purple Variety

 One word of caution. I have read many times that Lambs Quarters will take up and store toxic heavy metals from polluted soil. I don't know if this is one person parroting another, or if there is a real concern here as I have never seen the original research on this. But just to be cautious be sure you are harvesting in a non polluted area (which you should be doing anyway). This includes areas like the average toxic green lawn that has been sprayed or fertilized with petroleum based fertilizers.
Peace

Lady's Thumb

Lady's Thumb Flower Spike

 Lady's thumb is another one of those plants that many people recognize but considered a "weed". It can be quite invasive and will take over a garden in no time flat if allowed to go to seed but I think it is a very pretty plant when it is naturally on the landscape.
 Lady's Thumb ( Polygonum persicaria ) is a member of the Smartweed or Buckwheat family and there are many species the have similar characteristics. Called Smartweed because some of the species are sour in taste, though Lady's thumb itself lacks that characteristic. The "Thumb" part of the name comes from the prominent reddish brown triangle mark in the center of each leaf that looks like a thumb print.

"Thumb" print on the leaves

Another prominent feature are the Reddish "rings" around the stem where the leaves attach, and

Reddish Rings around stem

of course, the most prominent feature is the pink flower spikes that are so familiar in the summer time. (see first photo)
 The leaves flowers and stems of the Lady's Thumb plant are Edible. I remember when I first learned that the flower spikes were edible and I used to use them as a trail nibble when takings kids on hikes though the woods. Of course most of them thought I was crazy but others were brave enough to try them. Now that I have used the plant more extensively, the flowers are my least favorite part. The leaves don't have a strong taste so it is a good Wild Edible to show those who are wary of eating wild things.
 I have read that some American Indians used the plant as medicine but I have no experience with the medicinal qualities of this plant.
Peace

Grape Vine Fun

Tendrils

 Grape vines are just incredible plants. There is just so many things you can use them for, from eating the fruit and leaves to making baskets and dying wool. Grapes, of course, are the most important and delicious part of the vine and the one that most people think of when you mention Grape Vine. The leaves are also edible and many cultures take full advantage of this part of the vine.
 One part of the vine most people don't know is edible are the Tendrils. The Tendrils are that part of the vine that wraps around things to support and hold up the vine as it climbs. I think the Tendrils are just plain fun to eat and I use them as a snack when ever I run into them whether on the trail or in my yard. Kids love to eat Tendrils and have a ball when you show them that they ere edible. One cool thing about Tendrils is the fact that they try to wrap themselves around anything that they touch, this sometimes makes for some interesting shapes. Another reason I like the Tendrils is that they are sour in taste and I like sour. Try to get the newest most succulent ones as they get woody as they get older and stronger.
 Be careful, there are many Vines that use Tendrils to climb, so not all Vines with Tendrils are Grape Vines. Some vines even have grape like fruit but are not Grapes. Some vines are toxic or even poisonous so be sure what you have is a GRAPE Vine and not something else.Have Fun!
Peace