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A long row of ready to eat Sea blite. Photo by Green Deane

Also ready for snacking is glasswort, still green at the beginning of its season. Photo by Green Deane

While some local fruits have missed their usual seasonal dates — a very dry spring is a possibile reason why — a delightful seasonal green, seablite (above) is flourishing. Mild and tasty, raw or cooked, it is a prime wild food positioned to become a commercial crop. A relative of Amaranth it is salt tolerant so seablite can be raised in unused tidal areas. We saw it in profusion Saturday in our foraging class at Ft. Desoto. Also in abundance was glasswort, tall and skinny, it’s not seasonal like seablite but edible all year tough it does get saltier as it ages.

Solanum americanum berries, photo by Green Deane

Ft Desoto also has something I have never see elsewhere, a persimmonhurst, a stand of persimmons. There was also a bit of mystery among the persimmons, one of the species in the “black nightshade complex.” Wild nightshades in the America have been controversial ever since European botanists first landed, and that hasn’t improve much in several hundred years. While I do eat ripe Solanum americanum berries often I usually don’t see solanum nigrum in my travels, except perhaps at Ft. Desoto and rarely in Ocala. Black nightshade fruit are usually larger than American nightshade fruit, and are dull when green and when black and ripe. The plant is sturdier also. We saw much of them at Desoto but eat didn’t many.

Foresteria berries, photo by Green Deane

Another semi-mystery at Ft. Desoto is a  Forestiera, presumably F. segregata. The species gets scant mention in ethnobotanical literature with the eminent Dr. Daniel Austin managing only a paragraph in his 900-page book Florida Ethnobotany. The blue fruit has been used for ink production and if one’s timing is good they can have non-offensive taste. A distant relative of olives one species in the genus reportedly has been eaten, Foresteria neo-mexicana aka foresteria pubescens var. pubescens.. I have brined the berries — like olives — and found them palatable but a lot of work for little payoff.

Watercress. Photo by Green Deane

Sunday in Melbourne, we saw, and tasted, what is left of this year’s watercress crop (left, Nasturtium officinale, left) A common wintertime find in streams and ditches in Central Florida it used to be a major commercial crop a century ago here and in Huntsville Alabama. While local stories say the species was first cultivated in Sanford, Florida, then moved to  Alabama others say it started in Alabama and in the early 1900s moved to Florida. At one time Sanford Fl. was a major agricultural area of the state. It is there where the first railroad was built terminating in St. Petersburg (not far from Ft. Desoto.) If one wants to eat wild watercress raw it is best to harvest it immediately down stream from a spring or boil and cook it to kill any liver flukes on the leaves. As the deadly water hemlock likes the same location harvest watercress carefully. One water hemlock leave can kill an adult. There is no antidote.

Foraging classes are held rain or shine, heat or cold. Photo by Nermina Krenata

Nice weather might prevail for foraging classes this weekend, Saturday mid-state at winter Park and Sunday near the west coast at Eagle Lake Park, Largo.

Saturday, June 1st, Mead Garden: 1500 S. Denning Dr., Winter Park, FL 32789.  Meet at the bathrooms. 9 a.m. to noon. 

Sunday, June 2nd, Eagle Park Lake,1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. Meet at the pavilion near the dog park. 9 a.m. to noon.

For more information on these classes, to prepay or sign up go here.  The cost is $30 per adult (the class is usually three hours long and examines five-dozen or so species.) If cost is a hardship email me at: Green Deane@gmail.com. 

Green Deane Forum

Tired of Facebook and want to identify a plant? The Green Dean Forum is up and running again. Have you come to dislike Facebook, then join us on the forum. Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, and forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. 

You get the USB, not the key.

172-video USB would be a good end of spring present and is now $99. My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been phased out. The USB videos are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have their own copy.  Most of the 172 USB videos have to be copied to your computer to play. If you want to order the USB go to the DVD/USB order button on the top right of this page. That will take you to an order form. 

Now in  second printing.

274 plants, 367 pages, index, nutrition charts and color photos. It’s available in many locations including Amazon.  Most of the entries include a nutritional profile.  It can also be ordered through AdventureKeen Publishing.

This is weekly newsletter #603. If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Black Cherries are coming into season. NOTE: The fruit is not pointed. Photo by Green Deane

Black cherries (Prunus serotina) are ripening, about a month late. Like chokecherries Black Cherries are bitter when ripe but can also have a some sweetness. Across the garden from where I grew up in Maine there were loads of chokecherries (Prunus virginiana) every year,  Pounds of them, all bitter enough to choke you, hence the name. One way to preserve the calories and nutrients from these small cherries was to make wine out of them.They might not have tasted better as wine but one did not care. Their wilted leaves and seeds were always a cyanide threat to our horses. Locally one looks for black cherries to ripen in April about the same time as blueberries and blackberries. But I found my first ripe ones this past week. 

Here in central Florida the most common edible cherry we see is the Black Cherry, though it grows throughout the eastern half of North America, lower parts of New Mexico and Arizona then south into Mexico and beyond. It has been naturalized in Europe. It’s easy to identify. Look at the back of several leaves. On other than a new leaf the mid-rib underneath will have hair on either side near the stem, blond when young turning rust colored to black when old.

Florida is the end of its Black Cherry’s range. Often its leaves are more lance shaped here than usual and can resemble the pin cherry (Prunus Pennsylvania) which does not grow this far south. So if you’re in Florida and you see a bird picking a little cherry it’s an odds on favorite to be the Black Cherry. Unlike the chokecherry, the Black Cherry is a favorite native tree. It has been used for food, woodworking and landscaping. Its inner bark has been concocted for centuries to make a cough syrup. While the Black Cherry makes a fast-growing attractive landscape tree, it is sometimes skipped over because it drops cherries and formal gardeners often don’t like that, though the birds and animals do.

Black Cherry fruits are important food many birds and mammals.  Numerous songbirds feed on Black Cherries as they migrate particularly farther north in the fall. Among the birds who favor the Black Cherry are the American robin, brown thrasher, mockingbird, eastern bluebird, European starling, gray catbird, blue jay, willow flycatcher, northern cardinal, common crow, waxwings, thrushes, woodpeckers, grackles, grosbeaks, sparrows, and vireos.  Black cherries are also important in the diets of the ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, wild turkey, northern bobwhite, and greater and lesser prairie chicken.  Animals that like the fruit include the red fox, raccoon, opossum, squirrels, rabbits and bears. White tail deer eat the leaves and twigs. Clearly a tree to watch if you want to see wild life.

Don’t confuse Black cherry or chokecherry with the Carolina cherry laurel (Prunus caoliniana.) which is toxic with cyanide. It’s fruit is pointed and crushed leaves smell like almonds. 

Chickasaw Plum leaf tips have red terminal glands. Photo by Green Deane

This was a “Prunus” foraging week. While rummaging around my usual class locations I sampled Chickasaw Plums. They are just beginning to ripen and should be around for about a month. The Chickasaw Plums were not completely ripe but give them a week or two.  Black Cherries — above — are also ripening but are often more difficult to find because the birds also like them. Cherries and plums are in the same genus, Prunus, so it’s not surprising they are ripening at about the same time.  Also setting fruit are the Flatwood Plums but they are different story and are included in my related article. I have a video on the Chickasaw plum here, Black Cherry here. To read about the Black Cherry go here, the Chickasaw Plum, here.   

Podocarpus is setting. Photo by Green Deane

It’s a long ways to August but the Podocarpus is making seeds and that means edible arils in a few months. The species is a bit strange in that we don’t eat the mildly-toxic seed. We eat the aril next to it which are very grape-like. They can  be used as grapes, eaten off the bush or made into jelly and wine et cetera. The seeds are listed as toxic but I know of an adult who ate two at one time and had no issue. That said, don’t eat the seeds. When the Podocarpus fruits can be something of a guess. Locally I look for them in August. The fruit can last several weeks and are edible even when they begin to dry and look like raisins.  Oddly, in a local park in downtown Winter Park, a few Podocarpus have escaped trimming and have grown into moderate-size trees. Those fruit in December and my only guess as to why is perhaps they are a different species. My video on Podocarpus is here and you can read about it  here.

Two and a half gallons of Jambul Wine before racking. Photo by Green Deane

If any of you follow my Facebook page you will know I resumed making wine. I did it for literally 30 years. When I moved eight years ago I stopped but the Covid-19 lockdown got me back into it. (Couldn’t go too many places and there were fruit trees ripening in the neighborhood. Ya work with what ya got.) I actually kept most of the equipment and have made up for lost time with several musts going. Only two surprises so far. I misread a float that you use to record at the beginning and end of a fermentation to know how much alcohol and sugar you have. It indicated a reading that defied the laws of physics of this universe until I realized with older eyes I was missing a decimal point… or is it dismal point?… dim-sal point?  And a batch of orange wine was lollygagging so I gave it a stir then it geysered onto the floor. Perhaps why I stopped wine making is coming back to me now… I am working on some grape wine. I’m not as bad as Tom Good on the British show Good Neighbors. He was (in)famous for his “pea pod wine.”  I never made a video on crafting wine but I did one on making real vinegar from scratch. I also have one on making a quick one-week hard cider.

Blue Porterweed blossoms taste like raw mushrooms.

Do you like mushrooms but want to avoid some of dangers that come with fungi foraging? Then there is a subtle solution: Blue Porterweed. Found in flower gardens around the world and native to Florida the Blue Porterweed earned its name as a source for tea that tasted like porter beer. Someone had the fermenting idea to add yeast and sugar to a lot of tea and get a brew that tastes similar to porter beer, hence the name. The flower garden variety usually grows up and the local native grows horizontally. The blue flowers, raw, have a subtle flavor of mushrooms. You can read more about the Blue Porterweed here. Oh, and how did porter beer get its name? The same way porter steak did. Porters — baggage handles in old central London — worked all hours and needed quick food. Shops set up to meet that need and out of them came several dishes and named items.

Foraging classes are held rain or shine, heat or cold. Photo by Nermina Krenata

Foraging classes: Will have a foraging class on both coasts this weekend. 

Saturday, May 25th, Ft. Desoto Park, 3500 Pinellas Bayway S. St. Petersburg Fl 33715. There is an additional small entrance fee to the park. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the fishing pier parking lot. It’s a large parking lot, meet near the bathrooms.

Sunday, May 26th, Wickham Park: 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne, FL 32935-2335. Meet at the “dog park” inside the park. 9 a.m. to noon. 

For more information on these classes, to prepay or sign up go here.  The cost is $30 per adult (the class is usually three hours long and examines five-dozen or so species.) If cost is a hardship email me at: Green Deane@gmail.com. 

Green Deane Forum

Tired of Facebook and want to identify a plant? The Green Dean Forum is up and running again. Have you come to dislike Facebook, then join us on the forum. Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, and forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. 

You get the USB, not the key.

172-video USB would be a good end of spring present and is now $99. My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been phased out. The USB videos are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have their own copy.  Most of the 172 USB videos have to be copied to your computer to play. If you want to order the USB go to the DVD/USB order button on the top right of this page. That will take you to an order form. 

Now in its second printing.

274 plants, 367 pages, index, nutrition charts and color photos. It’s available in many locations including Amazon.  Most of the entries include a nutritional profile.  It can also be ordered through AdventureKeen Publishing.

This is weekly newsletter #602. If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Pineapple Guava blossoms are always attractive. Photo by Green Deane

Perhaps no ornamental has been championed by nurseries as much as the Pineapple Guava, aka Feijoa,  Acca sellowiana, Feijoa sellowiana. However the perfect shrub for many places never really caught on. There could be several reasons. It probably didn’t help that the Strawberry Guava is a severe invasive species in some locations, such as Hawaii.  The shrub also does not get showy. You have to hunt for the extroverted blossoms. While the entire blossom is edible most people only eat the petals. Five or six months from now they become a dark green fruit that stays green as it ripen. The fruit just gets softer. The shrub is easy to identify when in blossom as it is now. I have seen one in parks in Jacksonville, Ocala, and Winter Park. To read more about both guavas, go here.

Toothache tree berries. Photo by Green Deane

The Toothache tree  is coming into season. Also called Hercule’s Club, the thorns, bark and leaves have been used at least for centuries to numb aching teeth. It will also make you drool, a small inconvenience to silence an aching tooth. You can read about it here. Many Americans have actually eaten part of a relative of the Toothache Tree,  Zanthoxylum simulans (and Z. bungeanum.) AKA Szechuan Pepper. That spice is made from the seeds hulls of the species. We can use the seed hulls of our tree as well. The tree is covered with thorns so approach with care. We can eat one or two of the berries, but they will numb your mouth and are exceptionally strong in flavor. (Another thorny tree seen locally is Aralia spinosa, which is not related but is sometimes also called Hercules Club.) Edible Aralia parts are young spring shoots, raw or blanched/boiled. I think cooked is best, and safest. As it is in the order of araliaceae you detect a might detect a hint of parsley and or cilantro in the flavor. 

Usnea, note the round stems. Photo by Green Deane

Almost all lichen are edible once leached of their bitter acids. The flavor ranges from bad to almost palatable. But, they are high in calories, have saved many a stranded hunter or downed pilot, and are found nearly worldwide. Lichens have been used in dyes, deodorants, laxatives, expectorants, tonics, and as one monograph put it, “healing pastes.” They are also an indicator of clean air. We’re more interested in Usnea than Ramalina for its medicinal qualities. Usnea is basically an antiseptic. While Ramalina and Usnea resemble each other there are three main differences: The Ramalina’s stems are flatish, Usnea is round; Ramalina does not appear to be hairy, Usnea looks hairy; and only Usnea — among all the many species of  lichen, has an elastic, white inner core. If you want to read more about lichen go here, for a video here. 

Minor’s lettuce, high in vitamin C.

Across the country in parts of California Miner’ Lettuce is making its spring run and will be blooming through May. Dry, summer heat ends its season.  This delectable comes from a family of other edibles — Claytonia — and was once lumped in with the purslane group. It doesn’t naturally get anywhere near Florida. The most distinctive feature of the Miner’s Lettuce is the leaf structure. Shaped like a saucer or cup the flower stalk pushes through the middle of the upper leaf. Difficult to mis-identify. It’s a resident of western North America with token populations in Georgia and northern New Hampshire. I have been unable to find any reference to it growing in Georgia in modern times. Miner’s Lettuce — which is high in vitamin C — is particularly common along the Pacific coast in shady spots and canyons. Its name comes from 1849 Gold Rush miners who ate it to ward off scurvy.

Paper Mulberries are related to bread fruit. Photo by Green Deane

Also nearing fruit is the Paper Mulberry. For many years it was in the same genus as the other mulberries but was farmed out on it’s own. Oddly it is closely related to the Jackfruit, a resemblance that can be seen in the unripe fruit center that looks a small Jackfruit about the size as a large marble. As the name implies the bark of the species was used for thousands of years to make paper and also clothes. It, too, has young leaves that are edible cooked but, like Kudzu, they have a fuzzy texture issue that cooking does not moderate. The core of the mulberry fruit grows a covering of hair that eventually makes the fruit look like a small orange pompom. That’s the part that is edible. Another sidelight of the Paper Mulberry is that its native habitat is a temperate forest. Apparently if it doesn’t get enough chill hours it doesn’t fruit, particularly here in sub-temperate Florida. Paper Mulberry fruit irregularly in the greater Orlando area. It does fruit in Ocala and further north. I have had reports of it fruiting south of mid-state but I have not seen good evidence of said. You can watch a video about it here or read about the Paper Mulberry here.

In European mountains look for a spring, there often is a village nearby. Photo of Karea, Greece by Deane Jordan

Where do you forage? It’s a question I am asked often and I will provide link to a newsletter three years ago where I explore the topic. The question I was asked this week was more in relation to cities. I am not opposed to foraging downtown and actually hold an annual foraging class in  downtown Winter Park. It only requires a little more attention to detail. The only significant problem with “reclaimed” water is that it is higher in nitrates. The plants grow better. As more plants — other than perhaps the Palmer Amaranth — don’t sequester nitrates plants watered with reclaimed water don’t bother me. Plants in planters don’t bother me if they are maintain. Removing weeds can remove unwanted chemicals. Watered beds above the drainage line of the street or parking lot are usually okay. It is lower areas where run off collects that I do avoid. Here is the link.

To a startled Land Blue Crab a leg is as good as a tree. Found at Princess Place Preserve. Photo by Green Deane

Foraging classes: We might have to dodge rain in Saturday’s class: 

Saturday, May 18th, the Princess Place Preserve, 2500 Princess Place Rd, Palm Coast, FL 32137, 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the parking lot by the cabin. 

Sunday, May 19th, Red Bug Slough 5200 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota, Fl.. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the parking lot. 

For more information on these classes, to prepay or sign up go here.  The cost is $30 per adult (the class is usually three hours long and examines five-dozen or so species.) If cost is a hardship email me at: Green Deane @ gmail.com. 

Green Deane Forum

Tired of Facebook and want to identify a plant? The Green Dean Forum is up and running again. Have you come to dislike Facebook, then join us on the forum. Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, and forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. 

You get the USB, not the key.

172-video USB would be a good end of spring present and is now $99. My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been phased out. The USB videos are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have their own copy.  Most of the 172 USB videos have to be copied to your computer to play. If you want to order the USB go to the DVD/USB order button on the top right of this page. That will take you to an order form. 

Now in its second printing.

274 plants, 367 pages, index, nutrition charts and color photos. It’s available in many locations including Amazon.  Most of the entries include a nutritional profile.  It can also be ordered through AdventureKeen Publishing.

This is weekly newsletter #601. If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Pineapple Guava blossoms are always attractive. Photo by Green Deane

Perhaps no ornamental has been championed by nurseries as much as the Pineapple Guava, aka Feijoa,  Acca sellowiana, Feijoa sellowiana. However the perfect shrub for many places never really caught on. There could be several reasons. It probably didn’t help that the Strawberry Guava is a severe invasive species in some locations, such as Hawaii.  The shrub also does not get showy. You have to hunt for the extroverted blossoms. While the entire blossom is edible most people only eat the petals. Five or six months from now they become a dark green fruit that stays green as it ripen. The fruit just gets softer. The shrub is easy to identify when in blossom as it is now. I have seen one in parks in Jacksonville, Ocala, and Winter Park. To read more about both guavas, go here.

Toothache tree berries. Photo by Green Deane

The Toothache tree  is coming into season. Also called Hercule’s Club, the thorns, bark and leaves have been used at least for centuries to numb aching teeth. It will also make you drool, a small inconvenience to silence an aching tooth. You can read about it here. Many Americans have actually eaten part of a relative of the Toothache Tree,  Zanthoxylum simulans (and Z. bungeanum.) AKA Szechuan Pepper. That spice is made from the seeds hulls of the species. We can use the seed hulls of our tree as well. The tree is covered with thorns so approach with care. We can eat one or two of the berries, but they will numb your mouth and are exceptionally strong in flavor. (Another thorny tree seen locally is Aralia spinosa, which is not related but is sometimes also called Hercules Club.) Edible Aralia parts are young spring shoots, raw or blanched/boiled. I think cooked is best, and safest. As it is in the order of araliaceae you detect a might detect a hint of parsley and or cilantro in the flavor. 

Usnea, note the round stems. Photo by Green Deane

Almost all lichen are edible once leached of their bitter acids. The flavor ranges from bad to almost palatable. But, they are high in calories, have saved many a stranded hunter or downed pilot, and are found nearly worldwide. Lichens have been used in dyes, deodorants, laxatives, expectorants, tonics, and as one monograph put it, “healing pastes.” They are also an indicator of clean air. We’re more interested in Usnea than Ramalina for its medicinal qualities. Usnea is basically an antiseptic. While Ramalina and Usnea resemble each other there are three main differences: The Ramalina’s stems are flatish, Usnea is round; Ramalina does not appear to be hairy, Usnea looks hairy; and only Usnea — among all the many species of  lichen, has an elastic, white inner core. If you want to read more about lichen go here, for a video here. 

Minor’s lettuce, high in vitamin C.

Across the country in parts of California Miner’ Lettuce is making its spring run and will be blooming through May. Dry, summer heat ends its season.  This delectable comes from a family of other edibles — Claytonia — and was once lumped in with the purslane group. It doesn’t naturally get anywhere near Florida. The most distinctive feature of the Miner’s Lettuce is the leaf structure. Shaped like a saucer or cup the flower stalk pushes through the middle of the upper leaf. Difficult to mis-identify. It’s a resident of western North America with token populations in Georgia and northern New Hampshire. I have been unable to find any reference to it growing in Georgia in modern times. Miner’s Lettuce — which is high in vitamin C — is particularly common along the Pacific coast in shady spots and canyons. Its name comes from 1849 Gold Rush miners who ate it to ward off scurvy.

Paper Mulberries are related to bread fruit. Photo by Green Deane

Also nearing fruit is the Paper Mulberry. For many years it was in the same genus as the other mulberries but was farmed out on it’s own. Oddly it is closely related to the Jackfruit, a resemblance that can be seen in the unripe fruit center that looks a small Jackfruit about the size as a large marble. As the name implies the bark of the species was used for thousands of years to make paper and also clothes. It, too, has young leaves that are edible cooked but, like Kudzu, they have a fuzzy texture issue that cooking does not moderate. The core of the mulberry fruit grows a covering of hair that eventually makes the fruit look like a small orange pompom. That’s the part that is edible. Another sidelight of the Paper Mulberry is that its native habitat is a temperate forest. Apparently if it doesn’t get enough chill hours it doesn’t fruit, particularly here in sub-temperate Florida. Paper Mulberry fruit irregularly in the greater Orlando area. It does fruit in Ocala and further north. I have had reports of it fruiting south of mid-state but I have not seen good evidence of said. You can watch a video about it here or read about the Paper Mulberry here.

In European mountains look for a spring, there often is a village nearby. Photo of Karea, Greece by Deane Jordan

Where do you forage? It’s a question I am asked often and I will provide link to a newsletter three years ago where I explore the topic. The question I was asked this week was more in relation to cities. I am not opposed to foraging downtown and actually hold an annual foraging class in  downtown Winter Park. It only requires a little more attention to detail. The only significant problem with “reclaimed” water is that it is higher in nitrates. The plants grow better. As more plants — other than perhaps the Palmer Amaranth — don’t sequester nitrates plants watered with reclaimed water don’t bother me. Plants in planters don’t bother me if they are maintain. Removing weeds can remove unwanted chemicals. Watered beds above the drainage line of the street or parking lot are usually okay. It is lower areas where run off collects that I do avoid. Here is the link.

To a startled Land Blue Crab a leg is as good as a tree. Found at Princess Place Preserve. Photo by Green Deane

Foraging classes: We might have to dodge rain in Saturday’s class: 

Saturday, May 18th, the Princess Place Preserve, 2500 Princess Place Rd, Palm Coast, FL 32137, 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the parking lot by the cabin. 

Sunday, May 19th, Red Bug Slough 5200 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota, Fl.. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the parking lot. 

For more information on these classes, to prepay or sign up go here.  The cost is $30 per adult (the class is usually three hours long and examines five-dozen or so species.) If cost is a hardship email me at: Green Deane @ gmail.com. 

Green Deane Forum

Tired of Facebook and want to identify a plant? The Green Dean Forum is up and running again. Have you come to dislike Facebook, then join us on the forum. Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, and forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. 

You get the USB, not the key.

172-video USB would be a good end of spring present and is now $99. My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been phased out. The USB videos are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have their own copy.  Most of the 172 USB videos have to be copied to your computer to play. If you want to order the USB go to the DVD/USB order button on the top right of this page. That will take you to an order form. 

Now in its second printing.

274 plants, 367 pages, index, nutrition charts and color photos. It’s available in many locations including Amazon.  Most of the entries include a nutritional profile.  It can also be ordered through AdventureKeen Publishing.

This is weekly newsletter #601. If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Dioscorea alata root. Photo by Green Deane

The first Eat The Weeds newsletters more than a decade ago were monthly, and had to be mailed individually. Now they are weekly and cost $80 to send. Over the years there have been more than 10,000 subscribers. While pondering what to put in the 600th issue something unusual presented itself: A yam root.

The two most common yams locally are Dioscorea Bulbifera and Dioscorea alata. Locally the latter almost always puts on a large edible root, the former does not. Their seasons are also staggered, the Bulbifera first up in the spring first to die off in the fall. Last week I went to a location near Deland where I have dug up many Alata roots. As the vines are not sufficiently up now I did not find any vines to follow to locate roots. Except one. Thus I dug it up and it was not an Alata root, below right. It seems like a Bulbifera root — new to me — different shaped than the Alata and a common edible in Australia (after processing. There it is called the cheeky yam.) 

Dioscorea Bulbifera roots? Photo by Green Deane.

The Alata root is usually vertically orientated like a lumpy liter bottle with a hard stiff top (see top picture.) The ones I dug up were more horizontal, smaller, less lumpy  and hairier. The question is did a Bulbifera put on a root here in Florida? And if so what to do with it? In Australia their Bulbifera root is roasted, then riced and soaked in a river for a day to remove “toxins ” (which might be the plant steroid, diosgenin.) Then it is roasted a second time and eaten. What is confusing is the vine with the “bulbifera” roots resembled the Alata  vine, that is it had pointed leaves rather than heart-shaped. And the vine had the Alata Z-twist. Besides the roots being the wrong shaped, it was also way out of season for the Alata and was the only Dioscorea vine up. Perhaps it is a hybrid. At the present it is a mystery though a local adult hog tried to carry the root away, so perhaps edible. 

HARVESTING NOW: Wild garlic, this tasty member of the allium genus begins it seasonal growth in December, and by March hasn’t changed much in appearance except larger. But in April it begins to put small garlic-like cloves on top. Over the month they grow roots, and drop off just in time for seasonal rains to float them downstream to start anew. We also found a few ripe blackberries which usually ripen in April as well. Judging by the number of pink unripenen fruit blackberry season is a bit slow this year. And without more rain the mushroom season will be late, as it has been for several years. 

Foraging classes are held rain, shine, hot or cold. Photo by Nermina Krenata

Foraging classes: The classes this weekend will be mid-state and the southwest coast. 

Saturday, May 11th, Mead Garden: 1500 S. Denning Dr., Winter Park, FL 32789.  Meet at the bathrooms. 9 a.m. to noon.

Sunday, May 12th, Bayshore Live Oak Park, Bayshore Drive. Meet at Ganyard Rd and Bayshore. 9 a.m. to noon.

For more information on these classes, to prepay or sign up go here.  The cost is $30 per adult (the class is usually three hours long and examines five-dozen or so species.) If cost is a hardship email me at: Green Deane @ gmail.com. 

Green Deane Forum

Tired of Facebook and want to identify a plant? The Green Dean Forum is up and running again. Have you come to dislike Facebook, then join us on the forum. Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, and forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. 

You get the USB, not the key.

172-video USB would be a good end of spring present and is now $99. My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been phased out. The USB videos are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have their own copy.  Most of the 172 USB videos have to be copied to your computer to play. If you want to order the USB go to the DVD/USB order button on the top right of this page. That will take you to an order form. 

Finally, the book Now in its second printing. 274 plants, 367 pages, index, nutrition charts and color photos. It’s available in many locations including Amazon.  Most of the entries include a nutritional profile.  It can also be ordered through AdventureKeen Publishing.

This is weekly newsletter #600. If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

I have not found any ripe cherries so far this season. Photo by Green Deane

Blueberries, are a bit late this year, Photo by Green Deane.

Several observations suggest the seasons are off. April is our target month for several wild fruit ripening such as Black Cherries, blue berries, blackberries, mulberries, Surinam cherries and loquats, The first three have been late and are only beginning to ripen. The amount of rain has also been light so traditional mushrooms seasons have not started. By now we are usually picking blueberries, and plenty of blackberries, and sampling black cherries. Not so this early May.  Mulberries and Loquats, have performed well.The Suriname Cherries have been spotty.

Candyroots vary in height. Photo by Green Deane

In the realm of plant populations there is endangered, threatened then rare. But there is a huge distance between rare and common. The yellow bloomer to the leftt — Candyroot — is not on any about-to-disappear list but one doesn’t see them that often. You have to be at the right place — seasonally damp pine scrub — and the right season, April and May in Florida but it can be found later in the year.  Candyroot comes in two colors, yellow that can sometimes make it to orange. Native Americans and early Europeans would chew the roots, which have a spearmint-esque flavor, or wintergreen, and to some palates licorice. The tap root is also rather small, so it’s not much of a chew. Kind of like a woodland breath mint. To read more about Candyroot you can click here. 

Yellow pond lily, blossom and seed pod. Photo by Green Deane.

Yellow ponds, that’s how I think of it, or in some places, yellow rivers. That’s because the American Lotus is in blossom. The first time I saw a small lake of these blossoms was when an old dry lake was deepened for a housing development. The next spring suddenly what was for decades a dry lake was full of American Lotus blossoms. This is because the seeds can stay viable some 400 years, or so the experts report. Talk about a survival food! There are multiple edible parts on the American Lotus but I prefer the seeds. I also think when collecting by hand the seeds proved to be the most calories for the amount of work. The roots are edible but digging them up can be a messy, laborious job. Locally American Lotus are easy to find now: Just look for a lake with large yellow blossoms on long stems. Further north and west they are a favorite sight on rivers such as the Mississippi. To read more about the American Lotus go here.

Foraging classes this weekend: 

Foraging classes are held rain, shine, hot or cold. Photo by Nermina Krenata

Saturday, May 4th, Eagle Park Lake, 1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. Meet at the pavilion near the dog park. 9 to noon. 

Sunday, May 5th, Boulware Springs Park, 3420 SE 15th St.,  Gainesville, FL 32641. Meet at the picnic tables next to the pump house. 9 a.m. to noon.

For more information on these classes, to prepay or sign up go here

Eggs come in many colors and sizes. Photo by Green Deane

Though demonized, forgiven, and demonized again eggs have always been a large part of my diet. I eat ancestrally and eggs were definitely on the menu. The local farm store has sales that sometimes includes duck eggs which I grew up eating. We also had chickens (and pet squirrels, rabbits, dogs, cats and horses… my mother collected horses and I had to take care of them so much that in 1969 I volunteered for the Army to get away from horses and haying.) Three local turkeys provide their large pointed eggs and I find ducks eggs often in parks with a quacking population. A few years ago I noticed that most “survivalist” and or “prepper” sites and articles just did not mention eggs. That prompted me to write a large article on eggs, birds to fish. You can read it here. 

Green Deane Forum

Tired of Facebook and want to identify a plant? The Green Dean Forum is up and running again. Have you come to dislike Facebook, then join us on the forum. Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, and forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. 

You get the USB, not the key.

172-video USB would be a good end of spring present and is now $99. My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been phased out. The USB videos are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have their own copy.  Most of the 172 USB videos have to be copied to your computer to play. If you want to order the USB go to the DVD/USB order button on the top right of this page. That will take you to an order form. 

Finally, a physical copy of the book.

Now in its second printing is EatTheWeeds, the book. It has 274 plants, 367 pages, index, nutrition charts and color photos. It’s available in many locations including Amazon.  Most of the entries include a nutritional profile.  It can also be ordered through AdventureKeen Publishing.

This is weekly newsletter #599. If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

The red ripe fruit is sweet and acidic, not everyone likes them. Photo by Green Deane

Surinam cherries are like small eight-ribbed pumpkins. If deep red they are tasty, but not all people like them. If orange red they are unripe and taste awful, like their seeds. One species has ripe fruit that is dark purple, almost black, and is very sweet.  Some fruits are beginning to ripen now though their season is just starting.

Gall on a Hawthorne. photo by Green Deane

Shall we get technical? Most foragers would look at this picture right and say that is a gall. beginners might think it’s a strange fruit .  Plant galls are defined as abnormal plant growths caused by a gall-maker; the gall-maker being certain insects, mites, fungi, and bacteria. Locally Persea Borbornia usually has a lot galls — one of the identifying characteristics — and one particular scrub oak gets galls that look like cranberries.

This is a gall on a Hawthorn fruit and is a fungus, Gymnosporangium clavipes, which is responsible for the disease known as Cedar-Quince Rust. The “cedar” in the relationship is actually the eastern red cedar, which is really a juniper, Juniperous virginana.  This fungus must alternate between junipers and a member of the rose family, such as quince, hawthorn, crabapple, etc., to complete its life cycle.  It spends a year on plant in the two groups then a year on the other plant. 

Ripe Hawthorn fruit. Photo by Green Deane

Hawthorns are an unusual group of trees and can live to 400 years old. No one really knows how many species there are two hundred or 1,200. It is safe to say they vary a lot so identifying which one you have can be quite frustrating. The fruit is edible but not the seeds, and the fruit and leaves dried as a tea can be used for high blood pressure. Three grams of dried powdered leaves morning and night has been validated as an effective beta blocker and lowers blood pressure.

Across the dirt road I grew up on in Maine was a large hawthorne with two-inch thorns. Different species of birds would nest in the tree at the same time, because the thorns dissuaded egg and chick predator. Unnecessary tarring and widening of the road eliminated the tree.

Range of the one-seeded Hawthorn

Historically hawthorns have been used to make hedgerows and “haw” means hedge. The fruit is a source of pectin. In fact one, Crataegus monogyna, the one-seed Hawthorn can be made into a no-cook jelly. Put the berries in a bowl and quickly crush them thoroughly with your hands. The resulting liquid should be about the consistency of pudding just before it sets. It should be that consistency naturally. If you’ve had a dry year add some water to get to that consistency. Work quickly. Squeeze the seeds out of the berries then quickly filter the thick slurry into a bowl. In about five minutes the liquid will jell. Flip it over onto a plate. It can be eaten as is or sliced or sun dried. It will be sweet and will last for many years. Remember just ripe berries have more pectin than over-ripe berries. To see a video on this go here.

Blak medic resemles Hop clover. Photo by Green Deane

You’re probably seeing a lot of this or will be seeing a lot of it and wondering what the  species is. This little plant with the little yellow blossom is Black Medic. It’s generally considered edible and like many weeds is from Europe. That kind of excludes it from being a significant Native American food (though some sources call it that… It’s a long story.) The headache is that from a distance of about five or six feet (where most people’s eyes are from the ground) Black Medic can look like Hop Clover. Here’s quick way to tell them apart: Hop Clover tends to have red stems, Black Medic has green stems covered with fine white hair and has a longer stem on the center leaf. After the two species go to seed they are easy to sort out: Black Medic has black seeds… hence the name. Hop Clover brown seeds. I personally don’t view Black Medic as much of an edible but you can read more about it here.

If you were starving and came upon a patch of cattails (blossoming now) you would have great cause for celebration. You have found food and water. You will survive. But if you are not starving and do not have all the time in the inter-connected world you just might find cattails highly overrated. It is true that no plant can produce more starch per acre than cattails, about 3.5 tons under cultivation. And it can produce a lot of starch economically if you can mechanize the extraction. But hand extraction is time-consuming and labor intensive. It is also wet, smelly work all of which can be worsened significantly by harvesting in cold weather. So yes, cattails are food but the time demand is such that harvesting food has to be your prime occupation. A similar argument can be made for kudzu, though a lot more effort i required. The roots do have edible starch but it takes a gargantuan amount of work to get the starch out, literally hours of steady pounding. It is not a calorie positive activity. That moves you closer to starvation. But, mechanize the process with some hammers run by falling water — or hammers run by a horse fed on an endless supply of grass — and kudzo becomes a reliable calorie-positive food. You can see my video on cattails here.  I also have an article on Finding Caloric Staples with links to relevant videos. 

With the moderation of the weather foraging classes become more enjoyable.

Classes are held rain or shine (but not during hurricanes.)

Saturday, April 27th, Mead Garden: 1500 S. Denning Dr., Winter Park, FL 32789.  Meet at the bathrooms. 9 a.m. to noon.

Sunday, April 28th, Colby-Alderman Park: 1099 Massachusetts Street, Cassadaga. Fla. 32706. meet at the bathrooms, 9 a.m. to noon. 

Saturday, May 4th, Eagle Park Lake, 1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. Meet at the pavilion near the dog park. 9 to noon. 

Sunday, May 5th, Boulware Springs Park, 3420 SE 15th St.,  Gainesville, FL 32641. Meet at the picnic tables next to the pump house. 9 a.m. to noon.

For more information on these classes, to prepay or sign up go here. 

Green Deane Forum

Tired of Facebook and want to identify a plant? The Green Dean Forum is up and running again. Have you come to dislike Facebook, then join us on the forum. Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, and forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. 

You get the USB, not the key.

172-video USB would be a good end of spring present and is now $99. My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been phased out. The USB videos are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have their own copy.  Most of the 172 USB videos have to be copied to your computer to play. If you want to order the USB go to the DVD/USB order button on the top right of this page. That will take you to an order form. 

Finally, a physical copy of the book.

Now in its second printing is EatTheWeeds, the book. It has 274 plants, 367 pages, index, nutrition charts and color photos. It’s available in many locations including Amazon.  Most of the entries include a nutritional profile.  It can also be ordered through AdventureKeen Publishing.

This is weekly newsletter #598. If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Blossoming elderberries are a common sight locally now. Photo by Green Deane.

The deadly water hemlock flower is umbrella shaped and is composed of smaller umbrellas. Photo by Green Deane

Want to find elderberries later on? Look for the blossoms today. Locally elderberries can blossom and fruit any time of year, buy they favor the spring. In damp places, look for shrubs about 10 feet high with large white blossoms on top.Those clusters are comprised of hundreds of small five-petal flowers. Important: the cluster is called a flat-top. It is NOT umbrella shaped. The toxic water hemlock likes the same conditions as the elderberry. It’s blossoms are also five-petaled. However, the blossom is shaped like an umbrella and is comprised of smaller umbrellas. It is deadly and there is no antidote.

Partridgeberry has two dimples where twin blossoms were. Photo by Green Deane

It is the season  for partridgeberries. While they can be found locally they are more a cooler climate species. I used to find them occasionally in Gainesville Fl at Boulware Springs before a hurricane wiped out their habitat. I also saw them often in western North Carolina in the area of Boone. Botanically Michella repens, the species has been used for food and as a diuretic and for the pain associated with menstrual cramps and child birth. M. repens is a vine that does not climb. It does make an excellent ground cover. The berry is favored by the ruffed grouse hence the name Partridgeberry.

Mexican poppy likes dry ground such as railroad tracks. generally considered toxic. Photo by Green Deane.

No, it’s not edible. Depending on the weather I receive numerous emails wanting me to identify a yellow- or white-blossomed extremely prickly plant (right).  It’s almost always Argemone mexicana, the Mexican Poppy. Some years they bloom as early as Christmas or can still be blossoming in May. The species is found in dry areas in much of eastern North America avoiding some north mid-west states and northern New England. Highly toxic, the Mexican Poppy tastes bad and is so well-armed that accidental poisonings amongst man or beast are few. It is a plant that does not want to be eaten. However people have tried to use its seeds for cooking oil resulting in severe edema (water retention.) Herbalists, however, use the plant extensively (which brings up the importance of knowing what you’re doing.)  Toxicity reportedly occurs only when large quantities are ingested and the plant might have primitive uses in treating malaria. In one study it helped three quarters of the patients but did not completely get rid of the parasitic load. The most common places to see the very prickly plant is beside roads and railroad tracks.

Undeveloped seeds in the Norfolk Pine cone. Photo by Green Deane

The Bunya Bunya and Norfolk Pine are closely related. Neither look good in landscaping though the Norfolk Pine is far more common than the Bunya Buyna locally. They both awkwardly stand out. Unlike cones of the Bunya Bunya, which one finds regularly, Norfolk pine cones are more rare. And like their relative they, too, have edible seeds. During a class in Port Charlotte we saw an immature Norfolk Pine cone. The undeveloped seeds were intensely pine flavored.   The Bunya Bunya fruits about every three years. One sees Norfolk Pines regularly but not their cones. Hopefully this tree will drop some dryer more mature edible cones in August which is also about when the champagne mangos in the area ripen (and rot on the ground.)

Foraging classes are held rain or shine, heat or cold. Photo by Nermina Krenata

FORAGING CLASSES: The rainy weather is supposed to hold off until after foraging classes this weekend. 

Saturday, April 20th, Blanchard Park,  2451 Dean Rd, Union Park, FL 32817, meet beside the tennis courts, 9 a.m. to noon.

Sunday, April 21st, Wickham Park: 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne, FL, meet at the dog park. 9 a.m. to noon.

Saturday, April 27th, Mead Garden: 1500 S. Denning Dr., Winter Park, FL 32789.  Meet at the bathrooms. 9 a.m. to noon.

Sunday, April 28th, Colby-Alderman Park: 1099 Massachusetts Street, Cassadaga. Fla. 32706. meet at the bathrooms, 9 a.m. to noon. 

Saturday, May 4th, Eagle Park Lake, 1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. Meet at the pavilion near the dog park. 9 to noon. 

Sunday, May 5th, Boulware Springs Park, 3420 SE 15th St.,  Gainesville, FL 32641. Meet at the picnic tables next to the pump house. 9 a.m. to noon.

For more information on these classes, to prepay or sign up go here. 

Green Deane Forum

Tired of Facebook and want to identify a plant? The Green Dean Forum is up and running again. Have you come to dislike Facebook, then join us on the forum. Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, and forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. 

You get the USB, not the key.

172-video USB would be a good end of spring present and is now $99. My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been phased out. The USB videos are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have their own copy.  Most of the 172 USB videos have to be copied to your computer to play. If you want to order the USB go to the DVD/USB order button on the top right of this page. That will take you to an order form. 

Finally, a physical copy of the book.

Now in its second printing is EatTheWeeds, the book. It has 275 plants, 367 pages, index, nutrition charts and color photos. It’s available in many locations including Amazon.  Most of the entries include a nutritional profile.  It can also be ordered through AdventureKeen Publishing.

This is weekly newsletter #596. If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.

Allium canadense also called Meadow Garlic, the blue blossoms are spiderwort (also edible.) Photo by Green Deane

Wild Garlic usually cloves in April making it easier to spot. Photo by Green Deane

It’s April and locally that means wild garlic month. Allium canadense, starts its annual cycle in December. For several months is looks like grass with a small onion bulb. Then approaching April it puts three or more cloves on top making it quite distinct. One does not find this species often but when you do it is usually prolific. We marveled over them last week during a foraging class at Eagle Lake in Largo. They can be found in several locations near Gainesville, and a few east of Orlando. Email me if you want more specific locations. (GreenDeane@gmail.com)

The cloves can be used like commercial garlic (as can the rest of the plant.) Or they can be used like seeds to grow more garlic. The species like sunny damp spots (roadside ditches is a favored location.) The onion bulb on the bottom end is often about six inches deep in the soil. Further north in the South there is allium carolinianum which is actually native to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, western China, and Mongolia not the carolinas. It is far taller around two feet and has smaller cloves. It is also a prime example of why plant name’s can or cannot be changed. As it is native to western Asia and not the Carolinanas, the specie name cannot be changed because the region is wrong. There has to be a botanical reason to change a name. Pinus palustris has the same problem. Palustris means it likes to grow in swamps whereas it prefers dry soil. Just because the location is wrong the name can’t be changed. You can watch my video on wild garlic here.

These prime Ringless Honey Mushrooms are cespitose, all growing out of one spot. Photo by Green Deane

Maybe it’s about time to make a prediction. Locally we had several inches of chilly rain.  The ground temperature has not greatly warmed up from winter, nights are still cool. It is April. Those are acceptable conditions for a spring flush of edible Ringless Honey Mushroom. They don’t do it every April but the conditions might be right this year. Ground temperature and rain directly affect fungi production. Cool rain and cool ground in April equals Ringless Honey Mushrooms. Warm rain and warm ground in May/June equals Chanterelles.  

Ringless Honey Mushrooms have a good texture and taste. Photo by Green Deane

“Honeys” come with some conditions and warnings. Not all people can eat them. I know at least four folks for whom Honeys give severe gastro-intestinal distress, to put it mildly. This includes cooking them twice such as parboiling them first then frying. So the first time you try Honeys eat only a small amount. Next is method of preparation. Some people can’t eat them just fried, they have to parboil them first then fry them. I just fry them but much longer than store-bought button mushrooms. And parts…. most folks eat just young caps. They use the stems for flavoring. Honeys, in my opinion, is a good stewing mushroom. They holds its flavor and texture in a wet medium though frying the caps is my most common means of cooking them. Once they are cooked then I add other ingredients to the pan. I have a video about them  here  and an article. 

The Eastern Coral Bean is easy to spot this time of year. Photo by Green Denne

Also blossoming this time of year is the Eastern Coral Bean, sometimes called the Cherokee Bean. What is odd about this plant is the edible flowers produce toxic beans.  So we do not eat the red and black beans. A few of the red blossoms are edible raw — with precautions — but they are usually boiled then mixed with other foods notably scrambled eggs. When you boil the blossoms they turn light green. The distinctive uterine shape of the leaves makes the shrub easy to identify. Young leaves are edible boiled but are marginal fare. Like Pawpaws they prefer dry, sunny places. A few raw red blossoms seem okay but if eaten in larger amounts they can be mind altering and approaching dangerous. Boiled they are fine. (Juice from the shrub’s stems, by the way, has been used to treat scorpion stings and the toxic beans have a chemical that is close in structure to the alkaloid curare which can cause breathing paralysis.)  You can see my video about the species here or read more about the Eastern Coral Bean here. 

Marlberries aren’t too edible. Photo by Green Deane

Marlberries and I don’t meet too often, about once or twice a year and then usually while I’m conducting a class so I don’t have the time to get acquainted better. There is also a certain lack of motivation because even at its best marlberry is not a great trailside nibble. A complicating headache is there are several malberries of varying quality. They are also related to the invasive species Coral Berry, Ardisia crenata, which has been implicated in cattle poisoning. Reportedly found mid-Florida and south I have found Marlberries in Dreher Park in West Palm Beach, LaStrange Preserve in Ft. Pierce, and Emerson Point near Sarasota.  Around the same time and in the same habitat you find Marlberries you can also see Rapanea punctata, Colicwood, one of those mystery pants one finds in wet woods this time of year. It looks like a drab cross between a mangrove and a beautyberry and used to be called Myrsine guianensis. Colicwood’s small yellow blossoms and black fruit grow directly on the branches, helping you identify it. There’s not a whole lot of literature on the species so the berries are probably not edible. As it is called “Colicwood” suggest some medicinal uses. To read more about the Marlberry and its strange relatives go here.

Foraging classes are held rain, shine, hot or cold. Photo by Nermina Krenata

Foraging classes: Steady weather prompts more foraging classes:

Saturday, April 13th, Red Bug Slough 5200 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota. 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at the parking lot.

Sunday, April 14th, Bayshore Live Oak Park, Bayshore Drive. Meet at Ganyard Road and Bayshore. 9 a.m. to noon.

Saturday, April 20th, Blanchard Park,  2451 Dean Rd, Union Park, FL 32817, meet beside the tennis courts, 9 a.m. to noon.

Sunday, April 21st, Wickham Park: 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne, FL, meet at the dog park. 9 a.m. to noon.

Saturday, April 27th, Mead Garden: 1500 S. Denning Dr., Winter Park, FL 32789.  Meet at the bathrooms. 9 a.m. to noon.

Sunday, April 28th, Colby-Alderman Park: 1099 Massachusetts Street, Cassadaga. Fla. 32706. meet at the bathrooms, 9 a.m. to noon. 

Saturday, May 4th, Eagle Park Lake, 1800 Keene Road, Largo, FL 33771. Meet at the pavilion near the dog park. 9 to noon. 

Sunday, May 5th, Boulware Springs Park, 3420 SE 15th St.,  Gainesville, FL 32641. Meet at the picnic tables next to the pump house. 9 a.m. to noon.

For more information on these classes, to prepay or sign up go here. 

Pineapple Guava blossoms are always attractive. Photo by Green Deane

Also starting to blossom is the Pineapple guava. Perhaps no ornamental has been championed as much as the Pineapple Guava, aka Feijoa,  Acca sellowiana, Feijoa sellowiana. However the perfect shrub for many places never really caught on. There could be several reasons. It probably didn’t help that the Strawberry Guava is a severe invasive species in some locations.  The shrub also does not get showy. You have to hunt for the extroverted blossoms. While the entire blossom is edible most people only eat the petals. Five or six months from now they will be dark green fruit that stay green as they ripen. They just get softer. The shrub is easy to identify when in blossom. To read more about both guavas, go here.

Green Deane Forum

Want to identify a plant? The Green Dean Forum is up and running again. Have you come to dislike Facebook, then join us on the forum. Perhaps you’re looking for a foraging reference? You might have a UFO, an Unidentified Flowering Object, you want identified. On the Green Deane Forum we — including Green Deane and others from around the world — chat about foraging all year. And it’s not just about warm-weather plants or just North American flora. Many nations share common weeds so there’s a lot to talk. There’s also more than weeds. The reference section has information for foraging around the world. There are also articles on food preservation, and forgotten skills from making bows to fermenting food. 

You get the USB, not the key.

172-video USB would be a good end of spring present and is now $99. My nine-DVD set of 135 videos has been phased out. The USB videos are the same videos I have on You Tube. Some people like to have their own copy.  Most of the 172 USB videos have to be copied to your computer to play. If you want to order the USB go to the DVD/USB order button on the top right of this page. That will take you to an order form. 

Finally, a physical copy of the book.

Now in its second printing is EatTheWeeds, the book. It has 275 plants, 367 pages, index, nutrition charts and color photos. It’s available in many locations including Amazon.  Most of the entries include a nutritional profile.  It can also be ordered through AdventureKeen Publishing.

This is weekly newsletter #596. If you want to subscribe to this free newsletter you can find the sign-up form in the menu at the top of the page.

To donate to the Green Deane Newsletter click here.