Folks up in Michigan got a good reminder this week: the wild pantry runs on a calendar. A new seasonal guide for that state walks residents through the edible wild plants around them as the seasons turn — the early greens, the summer berries, and the nuts and roots that come on in fall — with the identification and safety cautions that ought to go with any of it.
I like seeing that put in plain reach of ordinary people, because the season is half the identification. A plant that is prime in April may be past use, or just plain risky to guess at, in October. Down here in Alabama our seasons run longer and milder, but the rule is exactly the same. Right now is acorn and hickory nut time, the last of the wild grapes are giving way, and the cattails in the wet places are still there for folks who know their stages — a plant I have spent a good part of my life studying.
That has been my teaching since 1986: know the plant, know its lookalikes, know its season, and take only what you are sure of. A guide on paper is a fine start. Time in the field is what makes it stick.
Read the full story: https://www.sooleader.com/local-news/michigan-residents-get-seasonal-guide-to-wild-edible-plants-12898199