Ozark wild edible foraging Archives

Reading about edible wild plants is one thing. Doing a wild edible search is quite another, especially during an Ozark summer.

Heat Can Be Deadly

Many parts of the country are seeing triple digit temperatures. The Ozarks hasn’t so far. However, the Ozarks has seen 90 degrees plus complicated with humidities in the 70% and more range. This makes a deadly combination for anyone out in the sun too long.

I have had some milder cases of heat stroke and it is no joke. Going out walking in the summer sun is not on my agenda.

Wild cherry is a tree which would be a problem for my Carduans. However, if you can beat the birds and other creatures to the fruit, it is rather tasty when it is fully ripe. This sets it apart from some of the other wild fruits like wild plums and wild grapes, both very sour. other Ozark wild fruits that taste all right are gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries and elderberries.

Thunderstorms

Another facet of Ozark summer weather are the thunderstorms. Usually I hear thunder off in the distance. That is warning to get ready for the goats to come in and to go inside myself.

However, there were three plants up on the hill I needed pictures of. That particular hike takes about 30 to 40 minutes. The thunder was far away. I set out.

Halfway through the hike, just before I got to the top of the hill, lightning lit up the sky and thunder cracked and rolled over me. The camera went in the plastic bags I carried in case I found chanterelle mushrooms. I backed up against a leafy tree. The rain began.

There are several such storms in The Carduan Chronicles: Ship Nineteen. Up to now my descriptions have been from observations done while sheltering in the house or barn. Standing outside under a tree is very different.

I did go back down the hill to the house. Yes, I was drenched.

Mushrooms appear at various times in the Ozarks. Morels in the spring. Chanterelles in the summer. Puffballs in the fall. And lots of others, safe and unsafe wild edibles. Like with all wild edibles, you have to identify it for sure before taste testing.

My Wild Edible Search

After the storm, I went back up the hill. The wild cherry fruit was ripe. Although obtaining it would be challenging for the Carduans, they are rather tasty. These are quite unlike the wild plums which are very sour.

My wild edible search has also found hog peanut and ground nut. These would be much more accessible for the Carduans. I did find ground plum in the spring, but didn’t taste it. Elderberries will be ripe soon.

This wild edible search is getting to be interesting.