The variety of edible plants is endless. Many plants can be found close to our homes in the United States and used in salads, as teas for survival skills or for medicinal purposes. People should never eat any wild edible plants unless they know exactly what they are picking.
Brookline
This plant is found around shallow water, ditches or swamps in the late spring and summer. It has lilac, rosy, or white colored flowers that bloom in long clusters. The leaves are oblong and can be eaten after flowering. The young shoots can be used in salads before the plant flowers.
Cat Tail
Cat Tail can be found in many areas of the United States around fresh or brackish waters. This tall plant grows up to 15 feet tall with pale-green leaves that are stiff. The flower on the plant changes color from a green to a dark brown and look like a dense spike. It produces a cotton-like top and is good when cooked with other vegetables. They are also good when pickled, used in breads or soups. It is a starchy vegetable that should be boiled to get the starch out of the plant before using.
Chickweed
This annual plant survives the winter frost that can be used as potherbs and in salads. Chickweed is mostly found around waste lots, disturbed soils and gardens. It tastes a lot like spinach when boiled and is a healthy green vegetable. The leaves can also be boiled and eaten.
Dandelion
The famous dandelion can be used as a coffee substitute, in salad or as potherbs. Before the plant, flowers the young leaves can be used in salads. The leaves should be boiled twice to get rid of all the bitterness. Bitter coffee can be made from the ground up roots of dandelions. The greens of dandelions have a lot of Vitamin A. They have also been eaten in times of famine for survival.
Thistles
This plant is found all across the United States in fields displaying their spiny leaves and a purplish red flower. Thistles are mostly used in salads or as a potherb. If using thistle, the leaves should be clipped off and the seedy rind pealed. What is left can be cut up and boiled in a pot of salty water. The roots can also be cooked and eaten.
The above are just a few edible plants that can be eaten safely. There are also violets, wild garlic and onions, red clover and many other plants that are edible. What plants do you use and what do you use them for?