Common Dandelion – Taraxacum Officinale: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the #1 Gateway Herb to Foraging Wild Plants

Common Dandelion - Taraxacum Officinale

Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a widely recognizable edible and medicinal herb that is most common throughout the temperate regions of North America and Europe. Dandelion being easily identifiable is often the gateway plant to exploring foraging. It’s especially dandy for beginner foragers, being generally safe to eat and thanks to the entire plant being edible …

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Horseradish – Armoracia Rusticana: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Sting Nose of Wild Plants

Horseradish – Armoracia Rusticana

Horseradish is a nonnative edible and medicinal plant that has escaped into the wild here in Ontario. It’s known for causing your nose to sting when you eat it. Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana syn. Cochlearia armoracia, Armoracia lapathifolia, and Rorippa armoracia), originally called sea radish, is a long way from home in Ontario. It was brought here as a …

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Bedstraws (Cleavers) – Galium SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Coffee Cousin of Wild Plants

Bedstraws Syn. Cleavers – Galium SPP.

Cleavers (Galium aparine) is a widely popular edible and medicinal plant, but there are over a dozen bedstraws in our neck of Ontario to confuse them with. Bedstraws (Galium spp.) include the most notable cleavers (G. aparine), which will be the star of this feature. When I mention “cleavers” in this article it’ll always be …

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New Jersey Tea – Ceanothus Americanus: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Redroot of Wild Plants

New Jersey Tea – Ceanothus Americanus

New Jersey teas close relation to prairie redroot. Both have red roots and thus redroot as a folk name. They also have the same uses and host the same caterpillars. This edible and medicinal plant will certainly end up in our pollinator series for the Wood Folk Diaries! (Here is the link to that diary!) …

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Burdocks Ft. Greater Burdock – Arctium Spp.: An Edible & Medicinal Wild Plant That’ll Stick With You

Burdocks Ft. Greater Burdock - Arctium Spp.

In Chippewa, wiisagibag meaning bitter leaf, also wiisagijiibik meaning bitter taproot and gi’ masan meaning big stickers. Common burdock is an edible and medicinal wild plant that will stick with you. It’s a favorite of mine! Burdock’s (Arctium spp.) folk names are predominately along the lines of burr-this or that-burr, like burrseed for instance. Which …

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Red Clover – Trifolium Pratense: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Honey of Wild Plants

Red Clover – Trifolium Pratense

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is honeylicious and this edible and medicinal plant is not just for honey bees! My favorite folk name for red clover is honey/honey-stalks, but it isn’t just honey bees that like this honey. Mammals like the opossum, snowshoe hare, eastern chipmunk, raccoon, striped skunk, and white-tailed deer are buzzing about it. …

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