edible & medicinal wild plants

“Today I found Sweet Woodruff (galium odoratum) in the woods. Since old times it is used to add scent and flavour to the infamous 'May-punch'. This potion is mainly enjoyed in the germanic culture area. The weed has an intensive sweet scent, that becomes even more distinct as it wilts and releases cumin. The cumin adds an extra 'kick' to the punch. Mind you, in high doses cumin is used in rat poison! So, do not overdose on Woodruff, or else the May-punch will give you a bad headache for sure.

Enjoy

PS: later tonight I might report to 'the drinking thread' :-)”

“Why am I having a Macbeth flashback?”

“flashback...?! What have you been indulging on? Too much rat poison?”

“nooooooooooooooooooooooooo..... LOL

(... though I have heard that the mechanism at work with psilocybin mushrooms is that you are actually poisoned to a degree)

Rat Poison always makes me think of that movie with Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton --- ha!”

“I like to put a bit of Cumin in chili.

Isn't that ground corriander?

Eye, Chihuahua!!”

“oh, I forgot...10 stalks of Sweet Woodruff per bottle rosé or white wine. Collect the Woodruff befor it blossoms and let it wilt for a couple of hours. Soak the stalks for 20 to 30 mins in the wine.”

“Cumin is from a different plant. Corriander is the seed and cilantro the leaves.”

“Now   we're getting somewhere....”

“...uups! Sorry. Wrong translation. Obviously it's not CUMIN. It is COUMARIN in Woodruff. Coumarin - a white vanilla-scented crystalline ester, used in perfumes, flavourings and as an anticoagulant.”

“Hmmmm, maybe I'm coagulous and could therefore use some of that.

I'll just have some coffe instead.”

“Don't forget Deadly Nightshade. Also, I've heard tell of a plant that isn't often ingested solo, but goes really well with brownies. Anyone familiar with it?”

“The good news is that it is totaly save if you put cumin in chili.”

“...huh? Nimble, are you talking about space cookies?”

“And let's not forget the fresh cilantro!!

And jalepeno!!

And garlic!

And un-yawn!!

NEVER kidney beans!!”

“...uhm Nimble, be careful with Deadly Nightshade, or, even better, stay away from it. It's extremly unpredictable. If it doesn't kill you, you might end up right in the mental ward.”

“Yes, I know, hence the name. Medicinally, I believe it's known as Tincture of Belladonna, if I recall my pharmacology.

Space Brownies, yes indeed. Good name.”

“I thought you were posting from the rubber room already, Nimble.”

“Yerp --- redundancy alert.”

“love this kind off thread!!
so what herb can I take that will help me sleep?”

“I think one of the most potent herbals to induce sleep is Valerian. It is supposed to be non addictiv, does not cause a hangover tierdness at the next morning and seems to be alright even with patients suffering from sleep apnoe.
For more information look at Wikipedia.”

“but what i find hard is WHERE do you find these herbs? i can go to china town but that is hard cause no one really speaks english”

“Don't worry. You can buy the herb in any pharmacy. And there are lots and lots of Valerian products available, such as tea, pills and tinctures. that is probably the savest way to get Valerian.

When collecting plants and herbs in the wild, you must know which are the (potentialy dangerous) lookalikes. Be aware, the amount of potent substance in wild plants may vary greatly, depending on their location and the season!”

“Note: Though Valerian is known to be very calming and sleep inducing to humans, it has the very contrary effect on your feline friends! It's pure dope to cats. They may act very agitated and excited.”

“are you talking about catnip? that is pure evil sh^t”

“...pure evil sh^t ?

Why? Was your cat on it and you had to pay for the rehab clinic to get him off?”

“Euro, you just gotta make it to FYAO VIII. Whatchya thimk, guys, er, eh?”

“Maple. you can buy valerian at wal mart in the supplements aisle. That's where I got mine. Just be warned that valerian has a strong taste, even when encapsulated.”

“Hey Maple try some White Oleander, it is supposed to make you sleep really well. Just make a tea out of the leaves. The only problem is that you might never wake up!

Just kidding Oleander is a deadly poison that is untraceable. Or so the guide in Charlestown SC told us, they think it explains alot of the untimely deaths in Charlestown.”

“I thought it would be a jolly good idea to introduce a thread devoted mainly to 'edible' plants. I was hoping to exchange tested and approved cooking recipes for true wildernes food.
Instead there are more suggestions for brewing up all the poisonous and toxic ingredients...iiek.

Well, maybe it is good to talk about poisonouse plants too?”

“I miss Euell Gibbons.”

“Poisoned?”

“yeah and his odd book titles like _Stalking the Wild Asperagus_”

“I recently got a great book on Ethnobotany of the Yellowstone region, by a friend of mine and fellow Idahoan, Ray Vizgirdas. We were on Nordic Ski Patrol together and both teach outdoor classes at Boise State U. The information in the book really applies to all the Rockies, and has great info on all kinds of uses of plants. Its large, and not cheap. $30, but worth it if you are interested in that sort of thing.”

“From March on you can collect Stinging Nettle. Later in the year, when the Nettle has grown very large collect only the 4 or 6 upper leaves.

For 2 person:
0.30 lb leaves from Stinging Nettle
0.80 lb freshly boiled and slightly cooled down potatoes
1 egg
0.20 lb grated Parmesan
0.20 lb flour
0.15 lb semolina
garlic
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Butter

Thoroughly wash and rinse the Stinging Nettle. Remove all stalks. Boil the leaves for a minute in salted water, or just until soft (just like spinach). Drain in a sieve and squeeze out excess water. Chop finely. Peel potatoes and mash them up. Add the egg, Parmesan, flour, semolina and nettle. Stir and mix well. If you like, add a glove of garlic. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Form small dumplings (maybe the size of a golf ball or slightly larger) and give them into a large pot with salted, boiling water. Let the water boil up for a second then turn down the heat and keep it just at the simmering point. Keep simmering for 10-15 mins. The dumplings are ready when the start floating at the surface.
Serve the dumplings with melted, browned butter and some grated Parmesan.
Enjoy.

Next week: we learn to turn water into elderflower wine.”