Wild Food Foraging- Season 2- Grape, Raspberry, Clover, Morel, Cedar, Ramps, Birch

today making a zesty snack using wild grape leaves that's really good simple flavorful and healthy what's not to love about wild grape leaves it's like a huge chip grape leaves are a good source of nutrients including vitamin C e a K and B 6 plus niacin iron fiber riboflavin folate calcium magnesium copper and manganese so let's get started there are literally dozens of different wild grape species that grow across North America and Europe but they are all generally the same however it is a good idea to research the species of wild grape that can be found in your area this particular species is called riverbank grape and it is one of the most common types of wild grape plants that can be found in North America wild grape is fairly easy to recognize with its creeping vines and large distinct leaves they're pretty hard to miss they also grow in areas where people commonly pass by such as roadsides fence lines forest edges and of course along riverbanks sometimes wild grapes will also grow in hardwood forests but if they do it will usually be in a clearing that's because wild grapes cannot grow in the shade but they thrive in areas with plenty of sun exposure they use their tendrils to climb trees shrubs and to creep along the ground in search of more sunlight although this looks like a large bush this is actually a tree that has been completely swallowed by grapevines the suffocated tree is likely dead now and all that can be seen through the thick tangle of vines is its trunk it is because of their climbing habit that wild grapes are notorious for suffocating the trees and bushes that surround them before I get into how to properly identify harvest and prepare grape leaves I want to warn you that there is a poisonous look-alike called moon seed every part of the moon seed plant is toxic to ingest which is why you don't want to be confusing it with wild grape although they are similar in appearance there are a ways of telling wild grape apart from poisonous moon seed which I will cover in just a moment and just to be clear the only plant I will be showing in this video is riverbank grape while grape leaves are very unique in appearance and they grow quite large once they've reached maturity grape leaves usually have three to five lobes however most of the grape leaves on these vines have three lobes as you can see the edges or margins of a grape leaf are sawtooth in design and the stem of each leaf is connected directly to the Leafs edge a grape leaf is also heart-shaped where it connects to the stem it is smooth on the top and slightly fuzzy on the underside although wild grapes don't produce much fruit you should be able to find clusters of grapes among them if you look carefully enough since it is midsummer the grapes aren't ready to pick indicated by their green color they will be ready to harvest in late summer into the autumn season and they are the sweetest when picked directly after the first frost here are what wild grapes look like in a fall when they're ready to pick as you can see they are a very dark blue in color in fact they're almost black wild grapes are very healthy to eat but they will be more tart than store-bought grapes and much smaller wild grapes contain multiple seeds in each fruit anywhere from two to six wild grape seeds have a teardrop shape to them as well in a previous episode I made juice from wild grapes but today we'll be sticking with leaves now let's talk about the four main differences between wild grape and moon seed number one wild grape leaves have sawtooth margins moon seed leaves have smooth margins number two wild grape stems are attached directly to the edge of the leaf while moon seed stems are attached slightly inward from the edge number three wild grapes have multiple seeds in each fruit that are teardrop in shape moon seed has only one seed per fruit which is shaped like a crescent moon this is where it gets its name from while some moon seeds seeds can be best described as shaped like the letter D number four wild grape vines have tendrils which they use to climb moon seed vines do not have tendrils and so they climb by twisting themselves now that I've properly identified this plant as a wild grape it's time to harvest the leaves personally I like the medium-sized leaves the best that's because I sometimes find that the small ones are too mild in flavor and the big ones are sometimes too woody and texture the medium ones are just right when you're picking make sure not to accidentally pick a leaf or fruit from a different plant that the grapevine might be growing on here's a perfect example of what I mean in the midst of all the grape leaves here's a branch from another plant jutting out from underneath it is easy to tell the leaves apart but if I wasn't paying attention I might have accidentally picked them anyway this wouldn't have been good if they were poisonous since wild grapes have a tendency to smother other plants this will have to be something you pay close attention to anyway I really do enjoy the taste of grape leaves they're surprisingly tender and can be eaten raw provided they are clean and what does a wild grape leaf taste like well they actually taste like a slightly tart grape they are sweet with a tangy zip after trying a few leaves to gauge their taste some vines might have better tasting leaves and others I picked a small batch and brought them home along with being eaten raw grape leaves can also be boiled and they can even be wrapped around fish and cooked so that the zesty grape flavor will be infused into the meat there are also plenty of recipes out there for a famous dish called stuffed grape leaves however today I will be making my grape leaves into crispy chips and the only two things I need to do it are a frying pan and some olive oil each leaf only needs to be fried for about 30 seconds or so in the pan before they can be removed once the leaf turns slightly brown on both sides you can remove it from the pan to cool as it cools it will become crispy I've also fried grape leaves and butter but olive oil is the obvious choice when it comes to keeping things healthy and to be honest I prefer olive oil anyway the olive oil seems to do the best job at preserving the zesty grape flavor of the leaves anyway there you go a snack that's good and good for you in this episode I'll be making black raspberry tea the method I used to make this tea can also be applied using red raspberry and blackberry plants these berry teas are made using the leaves of the plant I should mention at this point that although I will be talking about blackberries and red raspberries in this episode all of the footage I show will be of black raspberries alone anyway depending on where they are in the fruiting process black raspberries can easily be mistaken for blackberries and even red raspberries all three species of berry bushes have many things in common there are all shrubs with thorns on their stalks their leaves grow in groups of three or five and they produce aggregate berries an aggregate berry is a fruit that contains many fruitlets which are joined together to make a larger fruit as you can see the surface of this berry is covered in many little mounds which are otherwise known as fruitlets or drupelets although black raspberries red raspberries and blackberries have many things in common here's how you can tell them apart red raspberries are the easiest to identify because they're red it doesn't get any simpler than that the other two mentioned species of berries are black of course however the young fruits the black raspberry and blackberry plants can sometimes be misidentified as red raspberries not that there is any danger in this mistake since all three species are good to eat but it's still good to know what species you're harvesting from the young fruits of black raspberry and blackberry plants can sometimes be mistaken for red raspberries because they first turn red before they fully mature and turn black if you pick a black raspberry when it is still red it will taste bitter here's a black raspberry when it is just beginning to fruit as it nears maturity it will turn from green to light pink to read and eventually black you will know that a berry is ready to eat when it easily pulls away from the stem if you gently tug on the berry and it does not separate then you will know that it needs another day or two in order to fully ripen black raspberries and blackberries are the easiest to get confused but here are three ways you can tell them apart number one the underside of a raspberry leaf is white whereas a blackberry leaf isn't number two the thorns on the stalks of a black raspberry bush are quite small compared to blackberry thorns which are twice the size speaking about thorns red raspberry thorns are the smallest of the three species they look like little hairs as opposed to an actual thorn and the thorns of a red raspberry plant completely cover the stalks whereas black raspberry and Blackberry thorns have a lot of space between each other number three a raspberry whether black or red has a hollow inside its fruit where it has been picked from the stem a blackberry however does not have a hollow it might have a small divot but it is solid now that we know how to properly identify a black raspberry bush let's talk about making tea from it black raspberry tea is a healthy drink which has several medicinal purposes it is used to relieve an upset stomach it alleviates sore throats black raspberry tea also treats lung congestion caused by colds or the flu it also helps stop diarrhea and menstrual cramp increased in rashes by wetting a cloth with the tea and placing it on the affected area for 30 minutes at a time black raspberry leaves are high in minerals such as calcium magnesium iron potassium and phosphorus they are also rich in vitamins A B and C the best leaves to pick for raspberry tea are the young top leaves of the bush as well the leaves taste best when they are picked before the bush fruits I'm picking my leaves on this bush just as the berries are beginning to mature and I found that they still had a good flavor but it is after the Bush has fruited that the leaves will begin to taste a little more bitter raspberry tea can be made from either fresh leaves which is what I did here or they can be made from dry leaves which I will show you in just a moment however it should be noted that raspberry tea cannot be made from leaves that are only partially dried or wilted that is because there is a change that takes place in the chemical compounds of the leaf as it dries and for one reason or another the in between state of a partially dried leaf can make some people feel nauseous when tea from them is ingested and so making tea from either fresh or fully dried leaves is the best way to avoid this problem however for the best flavor the leaves need to be dried I enjoyed my tea made from fresh leaves but its flavor was quite mild so I picked another batch of leaves to dry I ended up making three blends of black raspberry tea all of which I greatly enjoyed I dried one batch of leaves in the oven at low heat i fermented the second batch of leaves as I heard that fermented tea leaves have a richer flavor than plain dried leaves to ferment the leaves I started by gently crushing the leaves under a rolling pin then I wrapped them in a damp cloth and hung them to dry in a warm place for three days I then took the fermented leaves and finished drying them out in the oven i shredded both blends of black raspberry tea by hand and placed them in a cheesecloth to make a sort of tea bag for my third blend of tea I dried a few berries and added them in with some of my fermented leaves I made all three teas at the same time to compare them against each other first off all three teas had a much stronger flavor than the earlier tea I made with fresh leaves although I did like the plain dried blend my favorite was the fermented leaves as they truly did have the richest flavor I also really enjoyed the fermented leaf and dried berry blend the black raspberries added a bit of sweetness to the tea and the flavor of the berries complemented the flavour of the fermented leaves the best way that I can describe black raspberry tea is that it tastes quite similar to chamomile tea all in all if I had have known how tasty berry leaf tea is I would have started drinking it a whole lot sooner I definitely recommend giving it a try this is red clover or by its latin name trifolium pratense ii red clover is packed with helpful nutrients calcium chromium magnesium manganese phosphorus potassium thiamine and niacin it also contains vitamins b1 b2 b3 and c red clover is also a rich source of isoflavones in addition red clover is high in protein 20% crude protein in fact in the plant kingdom protein is a rare resource that is worth its weight in gold especially when it comes to wilderness survival medicinally and traditionally clover has been used to treat respiratory ailments and constipation it has also been used as an appetite stimulant to name only a few of its uses red clover loves to grown open spaces particularly in meadows and fields in north america red clover grows in every state of the US and every province of Canada it also grows across Europe and in certain parts of Asia and Africa both red and white clover plants are quite easy to identify and share several similarities with each other they are also both edible however for this episode I will be focusing specifically on red clover red clover has a very distinct reddish flower head which is made up of a cluster of tubular shaped flowers they generally flower from late spring all the way until the first Frost's of winter below the base of each flower one or two sets of leaves in threes can also be found these are known as compound leaves not only are these leaves found underneath each flower but they also grow from the stems of the plant at the base of each compound leaf is a pair of stipules in this case they are marked with purple veins red clover leaves generally grow in groups of three this is why clover is sometimes referred to as three leaf clover each leaf has a white or pale green chevron that grows on its upper side the purpose of the Chevron's is apparently to guide pollinator insects to the flower head locating the Chevron's on both white and red clover plants is an important identifying feature case-in-point all psyche is another species of clover which looks similar to red and white clovers but is inedible the good news is that all site clover leaves lack the Chevron's that it's edible white and red clover cousins bear therefore looking for the chevrons is important when it comes to identifying both white and red clovers the stems of red clover are hairy and they are also Hollow red clover tends to sprawl along the ground but they can also be found standing erect at maturity they can grow up to 30 inches in height now that we've properly identified this plant as red clover it's time to harvest the plant the leaves flowers and roots are all edible the roots will likely need some cooking to soften them up but the flowers and leaves can be eaten raw however they should only be eaten raw in small quantities this is because consuming large amounts of raw clover can cause indigestion to help make the flowers and leaves easier for the body to digest you can leave them to soak in water for an hour before eating them boiling the leaves flowers and roots is probably the best way to comfortably consume this highly nutritious plant although boiling does reduce the vitamins B and C content by up to 50% it does have the benefit of enabling the body to ingest a higher quantity of the clover but if you drink the water in which the clover was boiled almost all the vitamins and nutrients will be retained for this reason making clover tea from the flowers and leaves is a great way to utilize the nutritional value of the plant after boiling the flowers and leaves can be eaten like cooked spinach other popular ways to consume clover is to toss the flowers and leaves into a salad or soup today I will be making a tasty dessert using the flowers red clover fritters after harvesting the flowers I gave them a gentle wash and patted them dry I then dipped the flowers into some homemade batter before placing them in a pan to fry in a thin layer of olive oil if you're interested I've included the fritter batter recipe compliments of mrs. outsider in the description below the red clover fritters tasted awesome when the flowers are eaten raw they have a mild sweetness to them to me they taste like a freshly picked green bean the raw leaves also taste similar and are very pleasant to eat raw or cooked red clover is a very tasty very nutritious plant one of my all-time favorite wild edibles to eat is morale mushrooms they are also one of the hardest while edibles to find which makes them a true prize of the forest most morale hunters will tell you that searching for these mushrooms is part of what makes them so great Morales can be found mainly in the mid to eastern United States and also along its west coast they also grow across Europe although I'm not as familiar with our hotspot locations there Morales are also located in my home country of Canada however there are less of them there in fact I searched for two years in Ontario Canada before I found my first patch of yellow Morales but they were worth the wait the two main types are black morels and yellow morels today's episode will focus on the more common yellow Morel but before I get into how to find and identify a yellow Morel I want to caution you though Morales are fairly easy to identify there are a few species of poisonous mushrooms that look similar such as the false morel otherwise known as the brain mushroom and the hooded false morel the tips that I share in this video will help you properly identify a yellow Morel but it's still important that you research morals on your own as well from multiple trusted sources and of course if you're unsure leave it alone with all of that in mind here's a few tips on how to increase the odds of finding your own patch of yellow Morales Morales only grow in the spring when the soil is most soft in my area morel season is only one week long but down in the state's Morel season collapsed up to a month morels grow fast and will often appear overnight they also die fast and may only last a few days before rotting back into the ground after collecting for a few years I have learned to look for certain indicators in nature that tell me it's time to begin searching for these prized mushrooms number one when the leaves on the trees have almost completely come in number two when the trout lilies have come up but haven't blossomed yet number three when the trilliums have blossomed and finally number four when the mosquitoes are starting to come out of course these are reliable indicators in my area but you may notice different signs that point to the beginning of morel season in your area Morales also need a day or two of rain and humidity remember these are mushrooms we're talking about and mushrooms love warm and moist environments with rich soil morels tend to grow on the edges of hardwood forests especially near rotting trees morels particularly love to grow in stands of elm ash Aspen and oak trees the patch of morels that I found here grow at the edge of a forest which consists mainly of ash and maple trees a good place to look is around or underneath rotting logs once you've located one morale there will probably be more in the vicinity so search the surrounding area slowly and be sure to watch where you step you wouldn't want to accidentally step on a morale Morales have a honeycomb design to them they can also be described as looking brain like the cap is longer than it is wide giving morals a consistent cone shape in other words Morales aren't irregular in shape the cap is firmly fixed to the stem as opposed to other types of mushrooms where the cap flares out from the stem forming a skirt if a morel looks rotten or shrivel up like this it's best to leave it alone this one is obviously past its expiry date when picking morels simply pinch the stem until it breaks loose pulling the morals out of the ground will damage the mushrooms delicate root system and is therefore not advised when you discover and properly identify a patch of morels go ahead and pick all of them when picked properly the fibrous root system of the morels known as my cilia will remain healthy and unharmed this means that the my cilia will be able to produce more morels in the future the great thing about Morales is that once you've found a patch you will likely be able to find them again in the same approximate area in the following years to come however morals are somewhat fickle and are not necessarily guaranteed to reappear in the same place that's because there are many variables that need to fall perfectly in place in order for a morale to be produced as you can see morale czar hollow on the inside it is best to collect Morales in a mesh or paper bag this will allow the mushrooms to breathe storing these Morales and plastic bags can sometimes cause them to turn a little slimy Morales don't have a long shelf life and should be eaten either immediately or within a day or two of being picked some people will dry out their morale so that they can be stored for longer periods of time however I've always cooked and eaten my morels within the same day that I picked them as I mentioned earlier Morales are Hollow which makes them a great place for slugs and other little critters to crawl inside but don't let that throw you off because there's a simple solution to this problem before I cook any more el I place it in a bowl of water for about an hour this will quickly flush out any slugs or bugs that may be living inside sure enough within a half an hour or so two slugs had abandoned ship and we're sitting on the outside surface of the morale waiting to be rescued if anyone cares the two slugs were relocated to the front lawn and to the best of my knowledge have been doing quite well ever since after evicting the Morales tenants I sliced the mushroom in half lengthwise then I gently washed the inside of the stem with water Morales need to be cooked before eaten so my favorite thing to do is fry them up in some butter with a little bit of garlic powder Morales have a great flavor on our own and they really don't need anything else added to them even without garlic powder Morales tastes absolutely incredible as a general rule if you like fried mushrooms then you're going to love fried morels as you can see my morale has shrunk considerable amount in the frying pan this is normal after a few minutes of frying each morale half on both sides they were ready to eat two years ago I collected six morels last year I found only one and this year I have found one so far so with our one morale nicely fried my wife savored one half and I savor the other we're hoping that the next rain shower will cause more to appear within the next few days but if not we're happy to have found what we have life's like that gotta savor what you have today I'll be making one of my favorite wild teas made from white cedar leaves the species of white cedar tree that I'm talking about is also more accurately known as the eastern white cedar Eastern white cedar trees grow mainly in Eastern Canada from Manitoba all the way through Ontario Quebec and into the Maritime Provinces white cedar is also native to the northeastern United States particularly around the Great Lakes region these cedar trees like to grow in wet forests or on rocky slopes where competition from other tree species is reduced white Cedars are quite resilient which is why they are more than capable of thriving in wet or rocky environments when other trees cannot but there is also cost to living in difficult soil conditions as a result white Cedars have a slow growth rate they are slender trees and they typically max out at a height of between 33 to 66 feet tall in my area most mature Cedars are between 30 to 40 feet tall white Cedars are of the coniferous variety although most evergreens have needles Cedars have something that is sort of a hybrid between a needle and a leaf being a conifer a white Cedars leaves remain green but they're much softer to the touch than a needle and when turns sideways the cedar leaf is flat much like a deciduous leave is cedar leaves are certainly strange but it's their unique design and texture that makes them easy to identify with my birch bark in one hand and a handful of cedar in the other I headed off to build a fire since the ground was wet I laid down some kindling as a base this will protect the fire from pulling moisture from the ground and being snuffed out [Music] with a fire stabilized I poured some water into a pot and added my handful of cedar leaves once the pot had come to a boil I removed it from the fire and allowed it to steep for a few minutes continuing to boil the cedar would have destroyed a lot of the vitamin C that it contained which is why I removed it as soon as it got to that point after I had poured the tea into my mug I did my best to skim the liquid off the top cedar contains a small amount of tannins which will rise to the surface of the tea sometimes it can be seen as a very thin floating film which can easily be skimmed or poured off tannins taste bitter and can make some people's stomachs feel upset however I don't usually bother to remove the tannins because they don't bother me but I do admit that my tea probably tastes better without it if you have not tried white cedar tea before I highly recommend it it has a slight sweetness to it and it tastes very similar to the way it smells welcome to this episode of outside fun we're all be harvesting wild leeks otherwise known as ramps once I've gathered enough I'll be handing them over to my lovely wife where she'll show you how to make leek soup out of them wild leeks are known as a delicacy and once you've tasted them you'll know why wild leeks can be found all year round but the best time to harvest them is in the spring once the snow is melted that's because leeks are one of the first plants to grow in the spring as you can see by all the green patches of leeks on the forest floor this makes them very easy to spot if you're looking in the right place another reason why leeks are best in the spring is because they are the most tender and flavorful during this time later into the summer leeks will take on a tougher texture the flavor of wild leek is a perfect combination of garlic and onions leeks like to grow in hardwood forests better yet if you can find a stand of maples you are almost certain to find leeks growing nearby here a small spread of leeks is cozy right up against a maple tree leeks are usually quite easy to identify they have long smooth green leaves and they grow in patches each leek usually has two leaves that join together into one stem that goes into the ground the stem of a leek plant is usually purple above ground and the stem below ground will be white along with the bald although most of the leeks that I've picked have a purple stem above ground I have picked leeks that have a completely white stem too and finally to confirm that you have the correct plant all you have to do is break a leaf off and smell it the whole plant will have a garlicky onion smell leaves stem and bulb are all edible and can be eaten raw but I do suggest washing them first apart from making leek soup you can also throw wild leeks into a salad to add some flavor or you can dry the leaves on a baking tray in the oven and grind the leaves up into a powder that you can use as a seasoning since wild leeks are a delicacy they have been over picked in some areas so I urge you to pick responsibly once you've removed a leek plant from the ground it won't grow back so always make sure to leave most of the leek plants behind so that the patch can regenerate itself during my walk I came across several solitary leek plants which I left alone to grow but when I came across patches like this I went ahead and picked a few before traveling on to another patch until I had enough for the leek soup I have a special knife that I used to remove plants from the ground all I do is stick the knife into the ground beside the plant and dig around it until the plant is loose enough to be pulled up when washing the leeks make sure to remove the brown slimy coating from around the ball now that the leaks are nicely washed I'm going to let my wife tell you how to make leek soup which is usually only enjoyed in 5-star dining restaurants the secret to great wild leek soup is to keep the ingredients simple the wild leeks have a wonderful flavor on their own and you don't want to overpower them with too many other ingredients for this soup we will need about three large handfuls of wild leeks two tablespoons of freshly chopped garlic salt and pepper to taste about a tablespoon of each three large white potatoes diced half of a large white onion diced a cup and a half of heavy cream and two cups of chicken broth the first step is to saute your diced onions and garlic in a large pot a little bit of olive oil about two tablespoons [Music] [Music] add about a teaspoon of salt to sweat your onions you'll be ready for the next step once your onions turn the translucent color once this happens add in your bra [Music] add your potatoes you cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes once the potatoes have softened add in your chopped leeks you cover the pot and let simmer for put another five minutes to soften the leeks after about five minutes add in the rest of your salt and pepper as well as your heavy cream you you will then take the soup off of the heat and blend it with a hand blender once the soup is a creamy smooth consistency give it a taste test at this point you might want to add a bit more salt or pepper and there you have it delicious wild leek soup right from your own kitchen you okay right here we have a yellow birch and they look very similar to the white birch which is more common in my area but you can see here that the yellow birch the bark is a little more golden in color a little more yellow and it's got a kind of a shaggy look to it and then over here we actually have a white birch and you can see the birch is a little the bark is a little whiter and it's not as shaggy so this this white this yellow birch usually grows in well-drained moist soil usually near rivers or water sources so that's a good sign and if you break off the young twigs that are on the ends here they've got oil of wintergreen in them so if you break off a twig and chew on it for about 10 seconds you'll actually get wintergreen flavor from it and it's a it's a good way to freshen your breath in the wild and something nice to chew on I did a video a while ago about making tea out of yellow birch twigs and I think I might do that today so I'm just gonna collect a few here and keep moving so I didn't want to hurt the yellow birch by taking too many young twigs off of it so I only took a few and then I found the second yellow birch here that I took some more twigs from so I just kind of spaced it out a little bit more so that they'll both remain healthy but I can get what I need so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so while the water is warming up I'm just going to take my twigs here and slice them into smaller chunks into the water and as the water boils with the twigs in them the wintergreen oil will will steep out into the water and I'll have myself a nice cup of wintergreen tea [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] okay so here's my mug of yellow birch tea or or wintergreen tea it's hard to tell on the mug here but yellow birch tea takes on a bit of a red tinge to it okay can't really see it on the mug here but I'm gonna try and pour it on the snow yeah it's hard to tell but there's a bit of a red tinge to it and so I've just boiled this for a few minutes and it's ready to drink now and it'll keep me healthy and warm me up another thing that I forgot to mention and I was picking yellow birch twigs is when you're breaking off the young yellow birch twigs which is what you need for yellow birch tea when you break them off they should be pretty hard to break off so when you bend them they should just they won't snap they'll just Bend if they snap easily when you're bending them that means that they're dead and there's they're no good there's no oil in it in it so you do need twigs that you kind of have to work to get off because that's what has the oil in it but anyways it's time for me to enjoy my tea [Music]

Channel: The Outsider

Views: 544,438

Rating: 4.9292703 out of 5

Keywords: wild edibles, foraging, wild foods, common edibles, forage, grape, raspberry, clover, morel, cedar, ramps, leeks, les stroud, survivorman, bear grylls, ray mears, outsidefun1, The Outsider, plants

Id: JajEBCkI3Uo

Length: 48min 42sec (2922 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 31 2018