Wild Edibles - Smilax

Let me begin with a disclaimer.

I am not an expert or authority on the subject of wild edibles.

When it comes to this business of being an expert or authority on anything … I make no personal claims.

Experienced?

Yes.

I am, in a number of areas, fairly experienced and have been garnering and building upon these experiences for a good long time. I will also, where my own repertoire of experiences is concerned, be the first to admit that there are a lot of people that have more experience and know a lot more than I do about the things of which I write in these blog articles.

I do, with a sense of being careful and exercising as much integrity and due diligence as possible, make it a practice to always continue learning something about how to get along in the particular natural environment that surrounds me. This environment is, after all, the one that will either offer its support or observe my demise on account of my knowledge or my ignorance.

We do not co-exist with the natural environment. No. The natural environment can hang on its own hook without us. It can also, in time, recover itself from all the damage we do to it if we would only leave it alone long enough to do its natural thing. The opposite is not true. We humans cannot exist without the surrounding natural world that supports us. We are, as human beings, totally dependent upon the natural world. Total dependence is a far cry from co-existence!

I do not remember where I read the statistic regarding percentages. It’s one of those seeds that settled into my memory at some point. Of all the vegetation growing in the natural world only three or four percent of it is edible. Quite a lot of the larger 96 or 97 percent will not only give you a bad gut but it can also kill you. This only, when you consider the vast diversity of vegetation in the natural world, amounts to a lot of only.

Being familiar with some of the only can make a difference in being able to stretch things out and get along better in the food department during a short-term situation. Having this familiarity can mean the difference between life and death in a long-term situation. These two reasons would be enough.

I find another reason though … learning.

The school of the woods has a vast curriculum. One that is so exhaustive that not one among us has time enough to learn everything it has to teach.

A cram course in survival skills can be taught in a weekend. I’m not knocking cram courses. They are a good thing considering they introduce folks to certain skills and tools that possess the potential to help them get along in a bad situation. I can and do host these courses when there is interest and commitment. The problem I find with cram courses is that folks can go away afterward thinking they are ready for the big exam when, in fact, all they’ve learned to do is hack a rough point on their pencil.

Smilax is one of our readily available wild edibles and one well worth our attention.

I graze on it raw during the active growing months. It can also be cooked as a vegetable or added raw to salads.

The tips, tendrils, and tender young leaves are edible. I find it difficult to describe the taste of wild edibles. It’s kind of like trying to tell someone what a frog or a raccoon tastes like when they’ve never tasted them. Things have their own particular taste and it is really unfair to compare everything wild to things domestic or cultivated. But, for lack of a better description, I’ll go along with what others say about the taste of smilax … something of a cross between a green bean and asparagus.

I’ve also dug and chewed a few of the small roots. The roots get woody and tough. It’s hard for our systems to digest woody fibers.

It’s the starch that we are after in the roots ... something that can be added to soups as a thickener.

I have never, until yesterday, did any real experimental archaeology with smilax roots. Shirli and I dug this one yesterday in the yard. This one is really still on the small side. These root masses can grow as large as a bushel basket. I processed one small tuber in about a pint of water on the stove for twenty minutes or so then poured what turned into a soft jelly-like substance through a strainer.

How does the soft jelly-like substance taste?

It is rather bland with a smilax taste.

There are a lot of other elements in the smilax root as well. Some of them are considered medicinal. Studying up on smilax makes for interesting reading.

DISCLAIMER ... There are numerous manuals, websites, and youtube videos on wild edibles. Be certain of your identification before eating anything wild. Also, go about experimenting with wild edibles SLOWLY and keep a record of what you are experimenting with. If you have an allergic reaction, you (or someone that finds you) will have a clue as to what your condition is related to. Be advised, I am not responsible or liable for errors in your plant identification or personal judgment.