Ozark Country Homestead

Ozark Country Homestead

Menu

9 Early Spring Edibles Coming To The Woods Near You

By /

Spring is such a refreshing time of year and there is lots of little green things coming up. If you would like to know if you can eat some of them, you're in luck! Many early spring plants around your homestead are good to eat. Nothing beats a picture to help you remember, so we've put together a list. You can get this page easily on your phone, so carry it with you when strolling out in the yonder.

[vop id='27']

Ozark natives, by their character are risk takers. So before we go any farther I want to state the ground-rules. Proper identification is the responsibility of the harvester. This article has some clues and tips as to how to identify things, it is your job to confirm them with reliable sources to your own satisfaction. If you are ever in the slightest doubt about a plant or mushroom–don't eat it. Also, don't harvest edibles from areas that may be contaminated. This would include areas that may have been exposed to pestasides, fungasides and weed-killers, areas near highways or busy streets, areas that may have had industrial or chemical run-off, and areas where people walk their dogs. I know, sometimes you just want to eat something to see what it will do, so be sure to leave a note with your next of kin before leaving – so they will know where to find you.

Chickweed

Chickweed starts to sprout up at the first signs of spring and is so common it can be found all over! Chickweed is also very nutritious, is succulent, and has a very mild flavor. Chickweed will disappear with warmer weather of late spring and summer, so take advantage of it while you can!

chickweed
Chickweed has 4 edible parts – the leafy stem tips, the leaves, buds and flowers. The plant is a nutritional powerhouse, high in iron and zinc. Chickweed loves nitrogen-rich soil, so look for it in and around compost piles and garden beds.

Garlic Mustard

If you harvest Garlic Mustard after spring, it’s much too bitter to eat. Plants growing in poor soil or in full sun will be much more bitter. So look in early spring and harvest young leaves in good soil.

garlic mustard
If you are a garlic lover, I think you’ll especially enjoy this wild green. It’s one of the most nutritious leafy greens – higher in fiber, beta-carotene, Vitamins C and E, and zinc than either spinach or kale! The root mixed with vinegar makes a great substitute for horseradish.

Wintercress

Wintercress, sometimes known as Garden Rocket, thrives wonderfully in the spring, when the weather is a bit cooler, however leaves of wintercress can harvested all throughout the year.

wintercress
Wintercress is abundant in Vitamin C and is a wonderful bitter green to aid in digestive benefits.

Wild Garlic

Although it looks and tastes like a cross between a garlic and an onion, it’s considered to be wild garlic. Be sure to smell it, though. If it looks like onion or garlic but lacks the characteristic smell, it could be a toxic lily. Actually in the Ozarks you will find both wild onion and wild garlic.

wild onion
Wild garlic loves to grow in yard lawns, fields and along roadsides. Use the bulb just like you would garlic, or you can snip the leaves and use it them as you would chives.

Dandelion

Everyone's favorite part of the dandelion is the flower–which is at it's peak in April and May. It is much sweeter than the greens, but use only the yellow and white portions, the base if pretty bitter.

Dandelion greens are exceptionally nutritious and contain high levels of minerals, Vitamin A, calcium and potassium. You can eat the dandelion root, or make a coffee tasting type beverage by roasting the root. You can also eat the dandelion flower petals!

Nettles

There are 2 kinds of nettles which are commonly eaten–the wood nettle and the stinging nettle (actually both nettles sting) . Stinging nettle is leafy, and used more as a pot-herb, and wood nettle is tall and mostly stalk, used for the shoot.

stinging nettle
Nettles are superfoods–being rich in both vitamins and calcium! Stinging nettles start in in April, and run through May, wood nettles start in May and run through June.

Burdock

Harvest Burdock for the root, which can be up to 3 feet long, before the flowering stalk shoots up. Once the plant has begun to flower, the root will be tough and flavorless.

burdock
For harvesting burdock root you'll need a shovel to harvest–not a trowel. The root should be sliced thinly, and cooked long and slow. When done, it will be soft and have a delicate, artichoke flavor. It also has medicinal properties, it helps detoxify your body and purify your liver.

Yellow Dock

Go easy on Curly dock, also known as Yellow dock. It's best eaten in moderation because it contains high levels of oxalic acid, which inhibits the body's ability to absorb calcium.

curly dock
Use only the smaller, younger leaves, as bigger leaves tend to be bitter and tough and contain more oxalic acid. Rich in vitamin C, Curly dock can be eaten in salads, soups, and as a cooked green. Enjoy it now, before late spring and summer makes it too bitter to eat.

Plantain

You can find Plantain in early spring, and it may be harvested and used until freezing weather kills it. Not only is it good for food, but you can use it as a poultice to treat snake bites, insect bites, cuts and rashes. Young plantain leaves are like spinach– use raw or cooked. The flavor is mild and they're tender when young.

plantain
Plantain has a vast history of medicinal use – naturally antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, plantain makes an excellent component in healing salve.

Pretty But Poisonous

Mayapple

Mayapple is one of the first forest herbs to cover the ground with green. However, the leaves, stem, seed and root are deadly poisonous. The roots have value as a medicinal herb, so they are OK to dig. Mark the patch though because root digging is best in fall after the above ground plant has died away.

mayapple
The edible fruit of Mayapple doesn't ripen till August. By the time the fruit is ripe, Mayapple leaves and stems have died back, and finding the fruit becomes very difficult. By noticing the location of dense patches of Mayapples now, you can return in a few months for your summer harvest. Don't eat the seeds, very bad for you.

Just Kinda Poisonous

Poke Greens

Here in the Ozarks Poke Greens are an herb that is looked forward to in early spring. When they are young and completely green they make a great pot herb. BUT, if they grow over 18″ and/or start turning red on any part of the plant, don't eat it. It's hard to imagine how we found this out – I'm sure by trial, error, sickness and death.

poke weed
Young, completely leaves are really good greens – BUt, The ROOTS are ALWAYS poisonous. The BERRIES are ALWAYS poisonous. The Mature Leaves, Stems and Stalk are ALWAYS poisonous. Don't harvest if the plant is over 18 inches tall, has any hint of red on the leaves or stem or has begun to form berry clusters.

Spring Reconnaissance

Early in the year is a great time to mark the location of plants you will harvest later in the year, since you will see them easier without all the heavy growth. Look for signs of these Ozark natives for summer harvest.

  • Blackberry
  • Dewberry
  • Gooseberry
  • Wild Grape
  • Wild Strawberry
wild strawberry
Wild strawberries are edible and delicious, However there are two types of “wild” strawberries. Wild Strawberries have white blooms, will have a strong strawberry scent when crushed, and dangle on the vine. Mock Strawberries have yellow blooms, don’t smell like anything when crushed, and point straight up.

Going into the woods early in the year gets you ready to find treasures all year long. You won't need as much insect spray, but you should still be prepared for ticks. If you have GPS on your phone you can mark the location of honey holes to check later on.

Author

 

 

 

 

Scroll to Top