The Big Four Edible Plant Groups Grasses Cattails

The Big Four Edible Plant Groups Grasses, Cattails, Pines, Acorns

Grasses • Almost all bladed grasses are edible • You can eat: – Young shoots up to 6” raw – Seeds • raw, roasted, flour, mush • High in protein • Purple or black seeds may have a toxic fungus • Mature leaves are too fibrous – can’t digest cellulose – Chew and spit out or make tea

Cattails • Almost all parts of cattail are edible • Young shoots up to 2 feet raw – Green flower heads boiled – Summer pollen heads – raw, flour – Sprouts raw or boiled – Roots raw, crush dissolve in water and dried into flour

Pine Trees • Needles in bundles of 2 or 5 • Needles - Chop, and boil in tea (Vitamin C) • Pollen anthers – raw (protein) • Seeds – heat pine cone in fire to open • Inner bark – scrape off outer layer and eat inner layer between bark and wood raw or boiled

Acorns • green or ripe • white and pin oak = raw • other oaks = leached in running water several hours or boiled in several changes of water

Other notes… • Do Not - test unknown plants by eating small amounts • Do Not - eat anything just because animals can • Not all parts of an edible plant are edible • Some parts are only edible when cooked • Some plants are only edible in certain seasons

Edible during certain seasons • Spring – shoots and leaves – Roots are still highly nutritious • Summer – shoots, leaves, and flowers – Roots poor in nutrients • Fall – seeds, berries, and nuts • Winter – roots