All parts of the plant are edible but the emerging shoots in Springtime are preferred. You can eat them raw or you can roast them by adding olive oil, salt, and pepper. You can determine the temp and time to your liking and fork test them for “doneness”. It should be noted that the composition of the plant may cause some children to have stomach cramps. They are not good for dogs, cats, and horses, but deer absolutely love them!

Foragers will suggest that it’s best to just do partial harvesting to ensure regrowth for the future. I like to suggest landscaping with edible plants, and hosta plants are a great mainstay for emergency situations.

The most common use for a straw is for drinking a liquid, primarily water. It is generally a matter of convenience and lessens the need to bow as low to drink out of a stream or shallow-dug well but there may be more difficult circumstances like a hollow in a rock or log that might prove difficult to access water otherwise.

Another use for a straw is to be used as a blow pipe for firecraft. Sometimes it’s expedient to focus airflow onto a struggling ember often to revive the remains of the previous night’s campfire. In this case the “longer the better” is advised to distance yourself from the ensuing heat. Yet another application of a straw is that it can be used as a turkey or varmint call when you make a “kissing” sound at one end. It helps to amplify and enhance the sound that you create and draws in your prey.

So, where do you find tubes in the field to fashion a straw? Here in Northwest North Carolina there are groves of bamboo that are excellent for this use but there is a native plant found throughout the Eastern U.S. that is similar in structure and is known as River Cane. Both of these plants have hollow segments that can be cut out from between the nodes. They are sturdy and can provide very usable lengths.

Realizing that other regions may not have those resources I began to look for other plants with hollow stems. At this writing it is Fall so stem conditions might be different than in the Spring but I was delighted to discover that Day Lilies have very suitable hollow stems that are long. I also found Jewel Weed stems to be hollow but shorter in length. Certain tall grasses have hollow stems at their base. Out of season now but tall dandelions have hollow stems and even though they ooze a milky latex when picked are safe and not toxic in such a small quantity. Umbriel type plants have hollow stems but beware of Poison Hemlock that has purple spots on the stem that may not show when dry in the Winter.

In any case, you might try using these natural straws and see if they make your bivouac experience a little easier and perhaps solve an emergency water access problem that you may encounter.

Yellow root requires moist rich soil and emerges in the Spring, growing to about fourteen inches in height. It has jagged parsley-like leaves with a brillant yellow root that is exposed when scraped with your fingernail. As it matures it will produce small purple flowers and a single green raspberry fruit that turns red in July.

The root is used in different ways… some folks just chew it but it can also be used to make a tea, tincture, salve, and more. Most folks consider it to be bitter but the medicinal benefits outweigh the taste. It is most effective in the first week but should not be used past three weeks. Yellow root should not be taken by infants or women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

The yellow root shown in the photo was given to me by a friend who collected it by a creek. I have replanted it by a creek close by as part of a collection of medicinal plants that can become a naturalpathic pharmacy for my use in the future.

As with most greens they can be eaten raw, sautéed or boiled. When boiling, any bitterness can be reduced by a change of water for a second boil. The new leaves taste best and the root can be used like horseradish. It is rich in vitamins A, B, B2, C and minerals. It also has medicinal properties and has been used as an antiseptic, a diaphoretic, and can be used both internally and topically to treat a variety of conditions including fever, congestion, eczema, and to help expel worms.

This is another edible /medicinal plant that is beneficial to become familiar with on a knowledge and experiential basis.

Chickweed is simple to identify with opposite pairs of small, teardrop shaped leaves with tiny white star-shaped flowers. The stem has a delicate almost hollow-like structure with a single line of hairs that run up one side. The flowers close at night and open in the morning and seem to respond to changes in air pressure as they stay closed during a low pressure system.

In common with most edible weeds, it is both edible and medicinal. It is very nutritious containing a high level of vitamin C as well as a variety of other vitamins and minerals. It can be eaten raw in the field or added to salads or cooked as a pot herb, tasting somewhat like spinach but without the bitterness associated with many other edible weeds. It has been used to treat skin ailments, obesity, and as a diuretic. Be moderate in consumption as too much can cause adverse effects like diarrhea.

As usual, plants should be collected from pollution-free areas – not by roadsides or areas sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. It wouldn’t hurt to stay clear of your pet’s trail as well!

The class viewed a 149 page Power Point presentation containing important guidelines, pictures, descriptions and recipes of various edible plants, highlighting their nutritional and medicinal properties. In addition, we had the opportunity to handle and taste various plants, both in the raw and cooked form. One of the things that I enjoy about gatherings of common interest groups is that there is a wealth of knowledge and experience by those who attend. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy being an exhibitor at various events, because I learn so much from those I meet.

I would encourage you to contact your local college, library or parks visitors center in order to find classes like this where you can learn from experienced folk about edibles. There are often flora walks that will show you what grows locally in your area. You can also acquire recipes that will expand your pallet and perhaps allow you to stretch your food budget while being prepared for any future interruption in the commercial food delivery system in the event of a natural disaster.

As shown in the photo, the plant appears prostrate with shiny paddle-shaped succulent leaves. When picking it, break it’s stem to confirm it has clear juice. It’s evil poisonous twin is known as spurge, and when the stem is broken oozes a milky sap. Purslane is a healthy food, but spurge will make you sick.

Purslane (also known as pigweed) used to be cultivated as a food crop in the United States, and is still a major food crop in many countries. It is rich in vitamin E, vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium, iron and quite high in protein. It is considered a better source of essential omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy plant.

Purslane grows from late spring to fall, so step outside and look around… you may find your next free salad…