This past Wednesday was the first class of the year from The Growing Project University, called Foraging Roots and Shoots: Asparagus and Cattails. There was a great turnout, with 17 people braving the cold weather to learn about and sample some of the area’s naturally-occurring edible plants. If you are considering foraging in your own yard or town, there are two important points to keep in mind. First, do not eat anything you cannot positively identify! If you are unsure about a particular plant, do not eat it! The second thing to keep in mind when foraging is be certain that the plants you are harvesting have NOT been sprayed with any sort of chemical or herbicide. While this is an easy thing to know about your own yard, you may want to consider reaching out to your town officials or park rangers to enquire about chemical use in your local park before chowing down!
 The class listening to Nicholas talk about cattails (This photo contributed by TGP volunteer, Catherine) |  Clipping some Curly Dock to sample (This photo contributed by TGP volunteer, Catherine) |
The first plant sampled during the class was one that is likely growing out in your yard right now, the dandelion. The dandelion is a familiar foe to gardeners who see this plant pop up in their yards and open beds alike. Instead of viewing these plants with resentment, instead consider them a snack from nature’s pantry to yours. Every part of the dandelion is edible, from yellow flower to its roots, with exception to the white fluff of mature seeds. Dandelion greens are bitter, with the bitterness increasing as the leaves mature. If the leaves are too bitter for you, consider blanching them to cut the bitterness! A popular preparation for the flowers is to bread and fry them into a crunchy treat. Don’t be afraid to search the web for dandelion recipes as you can make things beyond simple salads, from teas to jellies or pestos!
Dandelions growing at The Growing Project's home, the Shire! Tip: Dandelion greens will be the least bitter before the plant has flowered, so early spring when the dandelions are popping up is the best time to harvest!
The main reason for the dandelion’s prevalence is it’s rooting system. The dandelion has one main root, called a tap root, which grows straight downward. One thing to consider about this perceived-pest is that its deep root system enables the dandelion to survive off of water and minerals located too deeply for your other plants to access. In this way, the dandelion is an important dynamic accumulator, a plant able to gather nutrients in a special way. If you are not going to eat your dandelions, consider gathering them from your yard or garden and using them in your compost or as part of a fertilizer mix. In this way you will be utilizing the minerals that had been too deep in your soil for your other plants to reach, without the help of that “weed,” the dandelion!
The next plant the class foraged was asparagus. The wild asparagus is just like the asparagus you would purchase in the grocery store, only fresher and free! Asparagus is a filtration plant so look for it near water. When looking for asparagus in the early spring, you will likely see dead branch-filled stalks several feet tall marking the spot. These are the mature stalks from the previous season which had grown to full size and grown small red (inedible) berries on its boughs. When harvesting wild asparagus, wait for the new stalks to become firm and woody, but catch them before their heads have loosened and begun to seed. As shoots grow at different rates, consider frequently returning to wild asparagus plants in the early spring to harvest the stalks as they mature.
The next plant the class foraged was asparagus. The wild asparagus is just like the asparagus you would purchase in the grocery store, only fresher and free! Asparagus is a filtration plant so look for it near water. When looking for asparagus in the early spring, you will likely see dead branch-filled stalks several feet tall marking the spot. These are the mature stalks from the previous season which had grown to full size and grown small red (inedible) berries on its boughs. When harvesting wild asparagus, wait for the new stalks to become firm and woody, but catch them before their heads have loosened and begun to seed. As shoots grow at different rates, consider frequently returning to wild asparagus plants in the early spring to harvest the stalks as they mature.
Wild asparagus growing near the Spring Creek Trail in Fort Collins Tip: Forage wild asparagus responsibly and leave some stalks to fully mature, this ensures your wild asparagus supplies for next spring!
The next plant located by TGPU’s foraging class was curly dock, a great early spring green. As with dandelion greens, the younger curly dock leaves will be less bitter and are the ones to look for when harvesting. The curly dock leaves do contain oxalic acid, so consider blanching or sauteing the leaves if you plan on eating large quantities of the plant (don’t worry this acid is naturally occurring in hundreds of common vegetables). Another use for the leaves besides eating, is in creating a salve. You can chew up the leaves and use the poultice on bug bites or stings. The mixture helps with skin irritation and itching. Curly dock is also a dynamic accumulator, so when not being scrambled in with your eggs or helping your bug bites, it can be a great nutritional supplement to your compost.
Curly dock growing off of the Spring Creek Trail Tip: Plant curly dock near your bee hive, this way you have it quick on hand should you get any stings when working with your hive.
The final plant the class spent significant time munching on was cattails. This versatile plant has many uses outside of natural snacking. The fluffy tops of the cattails can be used as insulation, the dried leaves work as great tinder, and the stalks can be used to weave mats or roofs for shelter. As the plant only grows near a water source, should you find cattails in the wild, you will have everything you need for survival (water, food, and the materials for fire and shelter). This versatility and utility is why the cattail earned the nickname “the supermarket of the swamp.”
Nicholas, the class instructor, digging up cattail root for the group to sample
Should you be looking for something to eat, no matter what time of year you can use some part of the cattail. In the early spring, you can gather the new cattail shoots. If you strip off the outer layers of the shoots you will a find fresh-tasting pith at the center of the stalk. This white central pith is sometimes called “cossak asparagus” due to its popularity in Russia. As you get later into the season, the cattail will produce its pollen. The pollen window is short (only a week or two) however the pollen will keep all year, so you can store what you gather to use later. The pollen is high in protein can function as a great nutritional additive to your baking. To gather this pollen you can do something as simple as place a plastic bag around the cattail top and shake! After the first frost the energy of the cattail will begin to be drawn back into the root for the winter. After this time, and through the winter until new shoots begin growing, the cattail root can be harvested. The root system is relatively shallow but extends in a wide network in all directions around the plant. The most common use for the root is to turn it into a flour, many simple techniques for which you can find online. Consider this as a great winter weekend activity to try with your friends or family.
Peeling back the outer layers of the new cattail shoots to reveal the white "Cossack Asparagus" Tip: Try to challenge your foraging skills and gather cattail root and pollen; make a flour with the root and try using the flour and pollen to create pancakes or biscuits!
With fuller bellies and colder fingers than when they came, the members of the class went home with many new sustainable snacks in mind! A big thanks to everyone who attended the class and to the leader, Nicholas, for spreading his foraging knowledge and experience.
If you are interested in learning more about foraging, or going out with a group in Fort Collins who can help you positively identify those plants safe to munch on, check out more of The Growing Project University’s workshops here!
Posted April 21, 2015 by Genevieve Geiger
If you are interested in learning more about foraging, or going out with a group in Fort Collins who can help you positively identify those plants safe to munch on, check out more of The Growing Project University’s workshops here!
Posted April 21, 2015 by Genevieve Geiger
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