Manual Juicers for Wheat & Wild Grass, Prices, Info, Wild Edibles

[FirstGarden]

With a Greenstar juicer costing around $500, and others like the Champion -- great in it's own right -- but not designed to juice grasses, the price of a manual juicer begins to look very attractive. They're durable, simple to use and to clean. The market price looks at around $63 - $75, depending where you buy it.

More and more people are now getting the impulse to juice grasses; not only flat beds of wheat grass that you can grow or buy, but the wild grasses that grow rich & free. The info on that is scant out there, but I'll provide more & more links here as I find them.

MANUAL WHEAT GRASS JUICER

Miracle MJ400 $63.74

In demand for 75 years, the Miracle MJ400 is the world's most popular WG juicer. Designed for easy use and cleaning. The MJ400 is a practical juice extractor for wheatgrass and all soft fruits, berries and leafy vegetables. Very high yield, and low foam with an inexpensive price.

http://www.healthclassics.com/product_detail.asp?ProductID=57886

Here's a link on a wild grass discussion:

http://www.rawfoodsupport.com/read.php?3,39774,45968

[FirstGarden]

This juicer runs goes for $44.95. Obviously not the same quality as the last one, but maybe pretty good. The brand name seems elusive though, so I don't know. The all metal ones appear to be the best value, probably lasting a lifetime.

http://877myjuicer.zoovy.com/product/HEALTHYJUICER?META=bizrate-HEALTHYJUICER

[Stina]

I've heard three different people say that manual juicing grass is very hard. Any disagreements?

[FirstGarden]

I'm glad you brought that up, Stina. I didn't know this. Let's see if we can get more info about that. I thought I saw them use a manual juicer at Jamba Juice, but I'm not 100% sure. I check that out too.

Either way, I will try to find more info on wild grasses. It seems too good NOT to be true. Hey, I think I just made up a new saying. :cool:

[Stina]

I'm fixing up a cabin out in the woods that doesn't have electricity. I like to escape out into the incredibly beautiful forest there and meditate and fast. If I could use a manual juicer for grass out there- can you imagine! I'd be soaring:p

[FirstGarden]

I'm fixing up a cabin out in the woods that doesn't have electricity. I like to escape out into the incredibly beautiful forest there and meditate and fast. If I could use a manual juicer for grass out there- can you imagine! I'd be soaring:p

I must get one of these cabins!

[FirstGarden]

What is cereal grass?

Cereal Grass is the young green plant which will grow to produce the cereal grain. All cereal grasses, including the green leaves of wheat, barley, rye, and oats are nutritionally identical. These young grasses are, in their chemical and nutritional composition, very different from the mature seed grains.

Several growth stages are required for the development of nutritionally complete cereal grasses. Suitable soil, moisture,and temperature conditions are essential for the young wheat plant to pass through these developmental stages. The nutrients in the plant reach their peak values as they approach the brief, but critical, jointing stage.

The nutrient profile of cereal grass is similar to those of the most nutritious dark green leafy vegetables. The importance of green foods in the diet is now being validated scientifically. Because dehydrated cereal compares favorably with other greens with respect to both nutrients and cost, it is an excellent and convenient source of green food nutrients.

Cereal Grass For People

The cereal grasses (wheat grass, barley grass, rye grass, oat grass) have been used as human food supplements since the 1930's. Scientists originally studied these plants as sources of blood-building factors. When, in 1931, it was observed that the nutritional level of milk fell when cows did not consume young green leaves, systematic research began on the health benefits of cereal grasses.

As essential nutrients were isolated and identified, the cereal grasses were found to be excellent sources of beta-carotene, vitamin K, folic acid, calcium, iron, protein, and fiber, as well as good sources of of vitamin C and many of the B vitamins. In addition, the cereal grasses were shown to contain unidentified factors which provide a variety of health, growth,and fertility benefits to animals and to humans.

Laboratory research on the health benefits of cereal grasses increased over the past two decades in the United States and Japan. At the same time, the use of wheat grass as an alternative therapy for chronic diseases became popular. These two movements, together with the increased availability of suitably prepared American-grown cereal grass, have been responsible for a renaissance in the use of cereal grasses as human foods.

Chlorophyll and Blood Regeneration

There are many reasons why cereal grass and other dark green plants can be considered "blood-building" foods. The vitamins and the minerals in cereal grass are essential to the synthesis and function of the components of healthy blood. But perhaps the most interesting connection between green foods and blood is the similarity in the structures of the two colored pigments, heme and chlorophyll. The biological relationship between these two molecules, though studied for over 60 years, is still not completely clear. It does appear, however, that small amounts of the digestive products of chlorophyll may stimulate the synthesis of either heme or globin or both in animals and humans.

Chlorophyll as Therapy

Healing has been associated with the color green throughout history. Prior to the widespread use of antibiotic drugs, the green pigment chlorophyll was intensively investigated for its ability to heal and deodorize wounds of the skin and of internal body surfaces. The effectiveness of chlorophyll in wound healing is due to its ability to stimulate growth of new cells while limiting the growth of bacteria. Chlorophyll therapy has no toxic side effects.

There is evidence which suggests that green foods may inhibit the damage caused to cells by X-radiation. Foods highest in chlorophyll provide the most protection.

The investigators in recent years have demonstrated that chlorophyll and its derivatives reverse the mutagenic capacity of some cancer-causing chemicals. Work in this area may provide future applications of a therapeutic role for chlorophyll.

The Nutrients in Cereal Grass

Wheat grass, barley grass, and all the dark green vegetables contain a wide variety of essential vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are combined by nature with high quality vegetable protein and fibers, to provide naturally potent foods. Green foods have been an essential part of the human diet for thousands, perhaps millions, of years. Today, we are able to identify many of the specific nutrients found in green foods, and the reasons why we can't do without them. Even with all this information, we may only be beginning to understand why green foods are so good for us.

[FirstGarden]

Wheatgrass

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quality wheatgrass grows slowly through the winter in a climate like that of Kansas in the United States. Compared to the rapidly grown indoor wheatgrass above, it is much darker green in color, which indicates more chlorophyll and other green food nutrients.

Wheatgrass is a young plant of the genus Agropyron, (especially Agropyron cristatum, a relative of wheat). Fresh leaf buds of this plant can be crushed to create a juice or dried to make a powder; the unprocessed plant contains fiber, which promotes colon health. Wheatgrass, whether in juice or dehydrated whole leaf form, provides chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes.

Some wheatgrass products are made from Triticum aestivum (common wheat).

For more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatgrass

[Revvell]

Better price on the Healthy Juicer unless you live in Ca. Then tax is extra. Shipping is included in the price. http://rawretreat.com/ (scroll down) This is the one used at the Optimum Health Institute in Fla. so it HAS to be sturdy.

Manual juicing is quite easy. Just takes a bit more time.

Revvell

[Raw Mom]

http://www.hippocratesgreenhouse.com/

Here's my brother's website. He's a master wheatgrass grower at Hippocrates in West Palm Beach. He talks a lot about juicers. He's used the manual at health expo's, juicing ALOT in one day and said it was great. I was with him when we experimented with the electric and manual ones. See his site for results. I am in the process of starting a business selling wheatgrass/seed/ and all the fixin's to grow your own. I will send a thread when that happens. (It runs in the family) Should be within the month.
:cool:

[FirstGarden]

Better price on the Healthy Juicer unless you live in Ca. Then tax is extra. Shipping is included in the price. http://rawretreat.com/ (scroll down) This is the one used at the Optimum Health Institute in Fla. so it HAS to be sturdy.

Manual juicing is quite easy. Just takes a bit more time.

Revvell

Revvell - Thanks so much for the info! :)

[FirstGarden]

http://www.hippocratesgreenhouse.com/

Here's my brother's website. He's a master wheatgrass grower at Hippocrates in West Palm Beach. He talks a lot about juicers. He's used the manual at health expo's, juicing ALOT in one day and said it was great. I was with him when we experimented with the electric and manual ones. See his site for results. I am in the process of starting a business selling wheatgrass/seed/ and all the fixin's to grow your own. I will send a thread when that happens. (It runs in the family) Should be within the month.
:cool:

Thank you, Raw Mom.

I will be adding more about the other edible/juiceable grasses tomorrow.
These include barley, rye, oat and other edible grasses and their description/pics. ;)

[FirstGarden]

Grasses for Grazing

It seems reasonable that what vegetation animals can eat, we can also.. or at least drink. Cows hac four stomachs and we don't. So, grasses may not make ideal dining, though good in a pinch for survival.

FG

Winter forage production is important to most types of livestock in Mississippi. Beef cattle producers depend heavily on winter annual forages, particularly in stocker grazing programs and where fall and winter calving is practiced. These forages also make excellent feed for horses and other livestock.

Winter Grazing Crops Small Grains (Cereals)–Wheat, oats, and rye are the major small grains used for winter grazing. Grains are best adapted to tolerate the heat following early plantings in this order: oats, rye, and wheat. In extreme south Mississippi, wheat often is damaged by the heat when planted around September 1.

Mixtures with Legumes–Cool-season annual legumes grow well with winter annual grasses. The need to improve forage quality and reduce nitrogen costs can make the winter annual legume-grass mixtures ideal for many situations.

The most common annual clovers that best fit these mixtures are crimson, arrowleaf, berseem, subterranean, and ball.

Red clover, a biennial, is increasing in popularity as a legume to grow with ryegrass and ryegrass-small grain mixtures. Red clover grows well alone or mixed with other clovers such as crimson. Red clover grows well throughout the cool season and extends spring production because it grows later into the spring than other annual clovers except Meechee arrowleaf.

For more info:

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:xQ5aQYHCR-4J:msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1022.pdf+grasses+for+grazing&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=safari

[Stina]

Better price on the Healthy Juicer unless you live in Ca. Then tax is extra. Shipping is included in the price. http://rawretreat.com/ (scroll down) This is the one used at the Optimum Health Institute in Fla. so it HAS to be sturdy.

Manual juicing is quite easy. Just takes a bit more time.

Revvell

Thanks for the feedback. I'd like to give that a try then.

[FirstGarden]

VEGETATION MANAGEMENT GUIDELINE
Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.)
SPECIES CHARACTER

DESCRIPTION
Kentucky bluegrass is a perennial grass that may form a dense mat of short creeping rhizomes. Leaves are usually smooth, 0.08-0.4 inches (2-9 mm) wide, up to 15.8 inches (40 cm) long, flat to folded, with a boat-shaped tip. Sheaths surrounding the flowering stalk are rounded or flattened with ligules 0.03-0.2 inches (1-5 mm) long. Stems are numerous in a tuft and grow 12-36 inches (30-91 cm) high. The erect panicles are up to 36 inches (1 m) tall and pyramidal at top with distinct whorls of branches in the
inflorescence. Flowers occur in oval spikelets from 0.1-0.2 inches (3-6 mm long) with three to six individual flowers in each spikelet.
Bluegrasses (the genus Poa) are distinguished by their flat leaf blades, 2-6 flowered panicles, 1-3 nerved glumes (sterile scales at the base of a spikelet) and a tuft of cobwebby hairs at the base of the 5-nerved lemmas (small scales at the base of a floret).

DISTRIBUTION
Kentucky bluegrass occurs throughout Canada and south to Mexico. It is widespread in the United States, occurring in all 50 states, but is less common in the South.

HABITAT
Kentucky bluegrass is widely planted for lawns and is used for forage
in some regions. It occurs in a variety of disturbed habitats including
pastures, fields, roadsides, grazed or open woods, semi-shaded areas, and
meadows. It prefers moist conditions and can withstand flooding. It thrives
in calcareous soils, but not in acid or sandy soils.

[Raw Mom]

Better price on the Healthy Juicer unless you live in Ca. Then tax is extra. Shipping is included in the price. http://rawretreat.com/ (scroll down) This is the one used at the Optimum Health Institute in Fla. so it HAS to be sturdy.

Manual juicing is quite easy. Just takes a bit more time.

Revvell

Actually, It's Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida. And they don't use this juicer, but they do recommend it for a great home use juicer. Hippocrates uses the stainless steel ones. More durable for juicing mega ounces a day.:D

[Revvell]

Well then, I guess Brian Clement lied to me. He told me they used it there and sold it to me personally. You're right it is HHI. My bad. :o


Actually, It's Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida. And they don't use this juicer, but they do recommend it for a great home use juicer. Hippocrates uses the stainless steel ones. More durable for juicing mega ounces a day.:D

[FirstGarden]

A word on wild grasses & other wild edibles:

It was stated on another thread that indoor grown grass is better; that common lawn grass is tougher and harder on a juicer; that cows have very different digestive systems. I think these are all valid concerns.

I believe that this will also vary, based on which grass we're talking about. Wheat grass has been selected as the most commercially viable in the juicing industry. What all the factors are behind that decision, I don't know. I suppose they are good reasons like the predominantly, relatively soft blades, ease of growing in various climates; and maybe more economic because it is so common. But it caught on, and so wheat grass is "it." Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Grown indoors or outdoors? Not so sure this really matters, much. It seems to me that more sunlight would be preferable in that plants use the process of photosynthesis to convert sunlight to chlorophyll. On the other hand, indoor growing gives us a more controlled environment, providing protection from various elements.

I think the fascination for grasses and other wild edibles is threefold:

1) Economics - Though we can afford to grow our own, some of us just love the thought of finding it plentifully in the wild, much like having fruit trees around and gathering at will.

2) A Hobby - It's fun. And knowing where to find it, and how to identify it is part of the challenge.

3) And a very distant 3rd place - some of us have that survival bent in us. Not that we live in fear, but we'd just like to know how to take care of ourselves in this day of potential 911s and greater catastrophic events.

(No one wants to think about it, but experts say it's a matter of "when," not "if." That's a whole other thread, and I do have predictions. But I'm not inclined to start such a fear-oriented conversation on such an unpopular subject. :eek:)

[sweet pepper]

about cereal grasses. I learn so much on this site.

I wanted to address the first post about juicers - I have the Green Star Juicer and one of the reasons I chose that one is because it does juice grasses. I grow my own wheatgrass and have been juicing it with my Green Star. I just didn't understand why you said it would not. Is it that it doesn't get all the juice? It seems to leave the fiber really dry.

Swt Pepper

[FirstGarden]

about cereal grasses. I learn so much on this site.

I wanted to address the first post about juicers - I have the Green Star Juicer and one of the reasons I chose that one is because it does juice grasses. I grow my own wheatgrass and have been juicing it with my Green Star. I just didn't understand why you said it would not. Is it that it doesn't get all the juice? It seems to leave the fiber really dry.

Swt Pepper

Hi sweet pepper - Sorry, my bad.. the orig post read like this:

"With a Greenstar juicer costing around $500 and others like the Champion -- great in their own right -- but not designed to juice grasses, the price of a manual juicer begins to look very attractive."

It should have read: "the Champion -- great in it's own right..."

This was in reference to the Champion, not the Greenstar - which is apparently a totally awesome juicer! German built, they do have cheaper models, but I believe that their best model is needed for grasses. For economic reasons, most will find the manual alternative appealing.

Have a Awesome Juicing Day! :)

p.s. day by day, I plan on putting together a guide of sorts for wild edibles, beginning with the grasses. (It's quite time-consuming, but LOTS of fun!) There's only so much you can cover on a juicer, so I guess this thread morphed into a field guide, lol. And there are soooo many varieties of each kind within the grass family! For instance, there could be dozens of barley grasses. As such, I will try to refer to the most general or common versions found in various regions. If interested, anyone with a printer could print out the images for convenience.

[FirstGarden]

Barley Grass (Hordeum vulgare)

Barley grass is one of the green grasses - the only vegetation on the earth that can supply sole nutritional support from birth to old age. Barley has served as a food staple in most cultures. The use of barley for food and medicinal purposes dates to antiquity. Agronomists place this ancient cereal grass as being cultivated as early as 7000 BC. Roman gladiators ate barley for strength and stamina. In the West, it was first known for the barley grain it produces.

Astounding amounts of vitamins and minerals are found in green barley leaves. The leaves have an ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. When barley leaves are 12-14 inches high, they contain many vitamins, minerals, and proteins necessary for the human diet, plus chlorophyll. These are easily assimilated throughout the digestive tract, giving our bodies instant access to vital nutrients. These include potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, beta carotene, B1, B2, B6, C, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. Indeed, green barley juice contains 11 times the calcium in cows' milk, nearly 5 times the iron in spinach, 7 times the vitamin C in oranges, and 80 mg of vitamin B12 per hundred grams.

Barley also contains a -glucan, a fiber also found in oat bran and reported to reduce cholesterol levels. The root contains the alkaloid hordenine which stimulates peripheral blood circulation and has been used as a bronchodilator for bronchitis. Barley bran, like wheat bran may be effective in protecting against the risk of cancer.

Part Used: Grain, left when barley hull is removed.

Common Use: Barley is widely cultivated grain used as a food and in the brewing process. It is an additive for human and animal cereal foods. It also makes a flavorful flour for use in baking breads and muffins.

Care: It is a very hardy plant and can be grown under a greater variety of climatic conditions than any other grain, and a polar variety is grown within the Arctic Circle in Europe.

More Info:
http://www.kcweb.com/herb/barley.htm

[Revvell]

I just didn't understand why you said it would not. Is it that it doesn't get all the juice? It seems to leave the fiber really dry.

Swt Pepper

Who said that? It's one of the best for greens of all kinds.

Revvell

[FirstGarden]

Who said that? It's one of the best for greens of all kinds. Revvell

Revvell, you're right about the Greenstar. What sweet pepper said was based on a misunderstanding. She thought that *I* was saying that, but I wasn't. I was refering to the Champion regarding the grass juicing limitations. But in my original post, it looked like I was referring to both juicers in this regard. I did go back to correct my original post. Maybe that's where the confusion is coming in. :cool:

[Revvell]

Ahhh, okies. I'd read the Champion in the first post so was very confuseled. :p


Revvell, you're right about the Grrenstar. What sweet pepper said was based on a misunderstanding. She thought that *I* was saying that, but I wasn't. I was refering to the Champion regarding the grass juicing limitations. But in my original post, it looked like I was referring to both juicers in this regard. I did go back to correct my original post. Maybe that's where the confusion is coming in. :cool:

[sweet pepper]

Hey First Garden! Thanks! I really enjoy your writing on the cereal grasses. I have learned alot.

Sorry for the confusion Revvell!:o :D

Sweet Pepper

[FirstGarden]

Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes of the Northern United States
Edward Knobel,

Book Description:
With its clear descriptions and accurate drawings, this easy-to-carry little volume will allow you to differentiate over 370 of the most common species: timothy, rye, foxtail, fescue, bluegrass, many more. Key. 500 illustrations. Updated nomenclature by Mildred F. Faust.

Publisher: Dover Publications (1977-06-01)
Price: $4.95


Grasses: An Identification Guide
(Sponsored by the Roger Tory Peterson Institute)

Book Description: How to identify 135 of the most common species of North American grasses, sedges, and rushes, with their economic and ecological importance.
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (1992-04-30)
Price: $16.00


How To Identify Grasses: And Grasslike Plants
H.D. Harrington,

Book Description: There is no easy was to identify grasses. And no one understood this better than H.D. Harrington, who observed thousands of students struggle and learn. His clear, concise, and well-organized guide will continue to be a basic and essential text for use in the classroom or in the field. The book contains over 500 drawings and an illustrated glossary.
Publisher: Swallow Press (1977-01-01)
Price: $11.95

[FirstGarden]

An earthen sister entered the wood and came upon a clearing amid playful chirping birds flying overhead. Rabbits and other creatures whimsically frolicked in the morning air. White-winged butterlies flitted from flower to flower. Her long skirt flowed in the gentle breeze which played with her hair, as she delightfully recognized a familiar friend of her youth. Rich swaths of tall green grass adorned the meadow just ahead, glistening in the sunlight. She reached down and harvested enough to fill her antique wicker basket. Then she gracefully strolled home with her treasure, washed it off, shook it dry and juiced it in an ancient manual juicer affixed to a wooden counter. She then deeply imbibed the sweet essence of her divine elixer, and embarked on the sojourn of a beautiful day.

[FirstGarden]

California Oatgrass is usually found in transition areas between wet and dry places. This grass has been known to be on both sides of the Cascade Mountains. This perennial is often found in full sun areas and can grow 1-2 ½ ft. tall. Adaptation of this grass is very broad and are mostly sparse populations when found. This grass is found in open areas across when there is not a lot of taller competition and on the borders of forest tolerating some shade.

[FirstGarden]

THE HURRICANE WHEATGRASS JUICER $104.95

It has few parts to wash and assemble, it will never rust, and it will last you a lifetime.* It is comparable to any other stainless steel juicer on the market such as the Miracle Juicer .

Superb Extraction

Stainless Steel

Easy to clean

Mounts on Countertop

Lightweight*

Juices Wheatgrass, Barleygrass etc.

Five year warranty, 30-day full money back guarantee!

*TRADE IN PROGRAM

We have found that people don't want to invest in an electric wheatgrass juicer until they experience what wheatgrass can do for them so we have created the trade in program.

[FirstGarden]

Ryegrass

Ryegrass (Lolium) is a genus of nine species of tufted grasses, family Poaceae. Also called tares, these plants are native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but are widely cultivated and naturalised elsewhere. Ryegrasses are naturally diploid, with 2n = 14, and are closely related to the fescues Festuca.

Ryegrass should not be confused with Rye, which is a grain crop.

Turf-type Perennial Ryegrass can be grown as a permanent home lawn in the US, however, its adaptation range is limited to areas with mild winters and summers.

[FirstGarden]

Wild Edible Plants of the Midwest
By Deborah Lee Ph.D.

1. Maple - inner bark, seeds
2. Wild Onion, Garlic, Leek - bulb, leaves
3. Amaranth - seeds, shoots, leaves
4. Groundnut - tubers (see glossary below for tubers, corm, etc)
5. Jack in the Pulpit* - corm (well dried)*
6. Horseradish - young leaves, root
7. Wild Ginger - rootstock
8. Milkweed - sprouts, leaves, flowers, buds, young fruits
9. Pawpaw - fruits
10. Burdock - root
11. Winter Cress - young leaves,* flower*
12. Birch - sap, inner bark, twigs
13. Wild Mustards - young leaves,*flowerbuds,* seeds
14. Shepard’s Purse - young leaves, seedpods
15. Hickory and Pecan - nuts
16. Chinquapin - nuts
17. Hackberry - fruits
18. Redbud - flowers, young pods
19. Lamb’s Quarters - young leaves and tops
20. Chicory - young leaves, root
21. Thistle - young leaves, inner stem (pith), 1st year root
22. Ox-Eye Daisy - young leaves
23. Spring Beauty - corm**
24. Day Flower - young leaves and stem
25. Hazelnuts - nuts
26. Hawthorn - fruits
27. Chufa, Nut Grass - tuber
28. Wild Carrot - root**
29. Persimmon - fruits
30. Fireweed - young shoots and leaves
31. Wild Strawberry - fruit, leaves*
32. Beech - nuts
33. Ash - fruits
34. Cleavers, Bedstraw - young shoots/leaves
35. Honey Locust - fruits
36. Jerusalem artichoke - tuber
37. Day Lily - young shoots, flower, flower buds, tuber
38. Cow-Parsnip - young stems/ leafstalks, seeds, root**
39. Black Walnut - nuts
40. Wild Lettuce - young leaves
41. Henbit - tips
42. Peppergrass - young leaves, seedpods
43. Bugleweed - tubers
44. Common Mallow, Cheeses, young leaves, green fruit
45. Pineapple-Weed - flowers
46. Indian Cucumber-Root - tuber
47. Wild mint - leaves
48. Partridgeberry - fruits
49. Mulberry - fruit
50. Watercress - young leaves and stems
51. American Lotus - young leaves, seeds, tubers
52. Yellow Pond Lily, Splatterdock, Cow-Lily - rootstocks, seeds
53. Water Lily - young leaves, flowerbuds, seeds, tubers
54. Evening Primrose - 1st year taproot
55. Prickly-Pear - young leaf pads,* fruit, seeds
56. Yellow Wood-Sorrels - leaves, fruit
57. Wild Parsnip - taproot
58. Reed, Phragmites - young stem, seeds, rootstock
59. Ground-cherry - fruits
60. Pokeweed - young leaves**
61. Plantain - leaves
62. May-apple, Mandrake - only mature fruit**
63. Japanese Knotweed - new bamboo-like tips
64. Pickerel Weed - shoots, seeds
65. Purslane - stems and leaves, seeds
66. Wild Plum - fruits
67. Wild Cherry (Choke, Black) - fruits
68. Bracken fern - fiddlehead
69. Ostrich Fern - fiddlehead
70. Crap Apple - fruits
71. Chokeberry, Chokecherry - fruits
72. Oak - acorns*
73. Meadow Beauty - tender leaves, tubers
74. Gooseberries, Currents - fruits
75. Black Locust - flowers (only)
76. Wild Rose - petals, fruits (hips)
77. Brambles (Blackberry, Raspberry, Dewberry, etc.) - fruits, leaves
78. Staghorn Sumac (and others) - fruit**
79. Sheep (or Common) Sorrel - tender leaves and stems
80. Dock, Curled and Yellow - young leaves
81. Arrowhead - tubers
82. Willow - leaves, inner bark
83. Elderberry - flower clusters, ripe fruit**
84. Sassafras - leaves, root (for tea)
85. Bulrush - shoot, pollen, seeds, rootstock
86. Catbrier, Greenbrier - young shoots and leaves, rootstock
87. Sweet Goldenrod - leaves and flowers
88. Chickweed - tender leaves and stems
89. Dandelion - leaves and root
90. Basswood - leaf buds and flowers
91. Spiderwort - shoot
92. Salsify, Oyster-Plant -young leaves and root
93. Red Clover -young leaves and flowers
94. Clover -young leaves, flowerheads
95. Cattails - young shoots and stocks (inner core), immature flower spikes, pollen, root
96. Stinging Nettle - young shoots and leaves*
97. Blueberry, Huckleberry - fruits
98. Corn-Salad - young leaves
99. Violet - leaves and flowers
100. Grapes - tender leaves and fruit**

* There is something about this plant that needs study before you either collect or eat it.

** Caution this plant either has a poisonous look-alike, or parts of it are toxic. Research.

[FirstGarden]

A BRIEF GLOSSARY:

TUBER - Tubers are different types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to storenutrients, they are used by plants to overwinter and regrow the next year and toreproduce. Three different groups of tubers are: potato tubers, stem tubers and root tubers.

CORM - A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem (usually one of the monocots) that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat. A corm consists of one or more internodes with at least one growing point, with protective leaves modified into skins or tunics. The thin tunic leaves are dry papery dead petiole sheaths formed from the leaves produced the year before and act as a covering that protects the corm from insects and water loss. Corms are not bulbs.

PITH - Pith is a light substance that is found in vascular plants. It consists of soft, spongyparenchyma cells, and is located in the center of the stem. It is encircled by a ring of xylem (woody tissue), and outside that, a ring of phloem (bark tissue). In most plants the pith is solid, but some plants, e.g. grasses and umbellifers, the pith has a hollow centre forming a hollow tube except at the points where leaves are produced, where there is a solid plate across the stem. A few plants, e.g. walnut, have distinctive chambered pith with numerous short cavities in the pith.

FIDDLEHEAD - Fiddlehead is a name referring either to a young fern or to the top part of immature fronds that appear curled. The fiddlehead, or circinate vernation, unrolls as the fern matures and grows due to more growth in the inside of the curl.

The fiddlehead resembles the curled ornamentation (called a scroll) on the end of a stringed instrument, such as a fiddle. It is also called a crozier, after the curved staff used by shepherds and bishops.

HIPS - the fruit of a rose plant

[FirstGarden]

Tips & References

1. Know what you are picking. Be absolutely sure it is the plant you seek. Learn how to key plants according to their features. Many edible plants have a poisonous look-alike.

2. As a further precaution once the edible plant has been identified, take a tiny nibble, then wait for 30 minutes to observe for any adverse reactions.

3. Be extremely careful when collecting mushrooms. Mistakes can be fatal.

4. Know what part to pick. One plant part may be safe to eat and another toxic. For example, elderberry blossoms and fruits are edible, but the leaves are an emetic and make you vomit.

5. Just because animals or birds eat a plant, does not always mean it is safe for humans.

6. Avoid collecting plants in commercially fertilized areas or where toxic herbicides or other chemicals may have been sprayed. Avoid collecting under power lines, in unfamiliar weed lots or lawns, beside commercial crop fields, or close to roadsides. Error on the side of caution!

6. Be grateful. Before picking or digging, pause for a moment and give thanks to the plant that is giving itself to you. Collect with consciousness. Make the area look as though you were not there. Take what you need, leaving plenty for wildlife and future years.

7. Once the food is collected, clean and sort it ‘in the field’. It is much easier there. No one wants a sink full of muddy roots mingled with grass blades and half an anthill.

8. Before you prepare a food, read. Many plants can be mildly toxic and may require cooking or parboiling (and then discarding) the first and second ‘waters’ before ingesting.

9. Practice moderation and avoid gorging yourself on unfamiliar wild edibles. They are powerful foods and you may need to adjust.

10. Learn to blend wild produce into a meal in subtle ways. Often the flavors are quite strong.

Suggested Books

Edible Wild Plants, Peterson Field Guide Series, by Lee Allen Peterson, Houghton Mifflin Company. Great Identification book. Color pictures.

Wild Edibles of Missouri, by Jan Phillips, The Missouri Department of Conservation. Well written reference material. Black and white sketches of plants.

Wild Foods Field Guide and Cookbook, by Billy Joe Tatum, Workman Publishing Company. Contains plant descriptions and 350 recipes.

http://www.swsbm.com/ManualsOther/Us...ul_Plants.html

[FirstGarden]

Useful Wild Plants Of The United States And Canada by Charles Francis Saunders (1920)

Illustrated By Photographs, And By Numerous Line Drawings by Lucy Hamilton Aring

http://www.swsbm.com/ManualsOther/UsefulPlants/Useful_Plants.html

Although little known these days, Saunders (1859-1941) cast a large shadow in the first several decades of the 20th Century, writing many widely read books on western wildflowers, the Anasazi, edible plants, and the Indian, Spanish and Anglo folklore and culture of California, the Sierras and the Southwest. He was also a major and influential contributer to Sunset Magazine in its salad years.

Original edition from 1920.

Wild Plants With Edible Tubers, Bulbs Or Roots

Wild Seeds of Food Value

The Acorn and Some Other Wild Nuts

Little Regarded Wild Fruits and Berries

Wild Plants with Edible Stems and Leaves

Beverage Plants

Vegetable Substitutes for Soap

Some Medicinal Wildings

Miscellaneous Uses of Wild Plants

Certain Poisonous Plants