Test Your Eat-Q: Foraged Finds

by JBF Editors on July 30, 2012

Sure, maybe you purchased a bunch of wild ramps at the farmers' market this spring, but how much do you really know about foraged grub? Test your knowledge with the below matching quiz, which appeared in the June/July issue of JBF Notes.

1.    Claytonia
2.    Knotweed
3.    Burdock
4.    Chicory
5.    Dandelion
6.    Kelp
7.    Sorrel
8.    Prickly pear cactus
9.    Fireweed
10.  Ramps

A.    Home gardeners may think of this plant as a weed, but whether its blossom is white or yellow, the whole thing is edible, from bitter stem to mild flower.  

B.    Also known as “miner’s lettuce” because Gold Rush miners ate it as a salad green, this flowering plant tastes like spinach.

C.    This desert plant boasts a sweet, pink-colored fruit that’s delicious and refreshing once its sharp spines are cut away.

D.    This slender, leafy herb has a tart, lemony flavor and is often puréed into soups or added raw to salads.

E.    With its long, hollow stems, this plant vaguely resembles bamboo, but it tastes more like rhubarb.

F.    Named because they grow rapidly in areas cleared out by fires, this purple-flowering plant can be used to flavor honey and tea.

G.    Its leaves are floppy and bitter, but the slender roots of this plant are prized for their tender, sweet taste.

H.    Sometimes called “wild leeks,” this bulbous spring vegetable tastes like a combination between onion and garlic.

I.    Also known as “coffeeweed,” this plant's stems are sometimes used in coffee, though its bitter green leaves and sweet blue flowers are edible, too.

J.    There are many varieties of this seaweed, which floats close to the surface of the water and can be eaten dried or cooked into soups and stews

See the correct answers and get your Eat-Q score.