5 most common edible plants in Kentucky and Indiana for winter survival
The winter is brutal and in order to survive you must know what plants are accessible in the winter for your consumption.
This list of plants is only a fraction of the edible plants you can find in the woodlands of Kentucy and Indiana during the winter season. Do your research then get out and discover all the edible and medicinal plants in your back yard!
Birch Tree
Birch trees are extremely easy to spot. You can recognize birch trees by their paper like bark that can be gray, silver, white, or yellow. There are quite a few different types of birch trees but the ones that we will discuss are the most noticeable and common birch trees to find in Kentucky and Indiana. River birch and Paper birch both have young leaves, twigs, sap and inner bark that are tasty edibles and can provide sustainability in the coldest of winters. Paper birch is typically whiter in color than river birch which vary in color from silvery-gray to cinnamon-brown. the leaves and young ends of a twig can be infused with boiling water to create a wintergreen tasting tea. The young twigs can also be chewed on if unable to make tea. The inner bark, twigs, and leaves of birch trees have powerful analgesic painkiller properties. They are also anti-inflammatory, astringent, aromatic, and assist the body in reducing fever. The birch tree contains protein, vitamin A, and trace minerals. The trees can also be tapped in the same way that you would a maple. Important! Birch trees are high in Salicylic acid it is what aspirin used to be made of. So, if you have a known sensitivity to aspirin or Salicylic acid you should stick with pine or spruce.
Canadian hemlock/Eastern hemlock
Canadian Hemlock is an evergreen tree that can reach heights of over 100 ft. One of the best ways to use this tree is in an herbal tea. Soak the Canadian Hemlock needles or young shoots in hot water for a few minutes to enjoy this tea on cold winter days. The needles can also be eaten raw or added to food such as soup. They are slightly bitter while eaten raw but just as beneficial. The tree also produces cones just like a pine tree that when green can also be boiled into tea. The Canadian Hemlock is a common medicinal plant. It can be used for colds, kidney ailments, and joint pains. It is also an antiseptic and can be used for gingivitis and sore throats.
Pine Trees
Every part of the pine tree is useful, bark, needles, nuts, cones and sap! Pine bark contains healthy polyphenols like procyanidins, catechins, and phenolic acids. This part of the plant has antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects on the human body. Pine needles can be eaten or made into tea. It can help with depression, obesity, allergies and high blood pressure. Pine nuts can increase your energy levels due to their protein, iron, and magnesium levels. Pine cones are a good source of fiber and vitamin C, you should make this into a tea because they’re not particularly easy to digest and are not recommended as a long-term dietary option. Boiling pine cones will soften them and make them easier to eat. Pine sap is a natural antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and astringent that treats and bandages wounds like a two-for-one. The softer sap can even be chewed like gum for colds and sore throats. Pine sap can also serve as a waterproofing for seams and great fire starter.
Sugar Maple
When you hear maple trees you think yummy syrup. But did you know there is more edible parts of the maple tree? The seeds of the maple tree can be eaten. You should peel away the outside layer and eat the tiny seeds inside either raw or roasted. Soaking them in water first will take away some of the bitter taste. The benefits that come from consuming the maple seed include proteins, vitamins, minerals and oils including Omega 3, 6 and 9. The inner bark can be peeled or scraped off for food. Sometimes pulling into even thinner layers reveals a sweeter center. Along with sucrose, you’ll get vitamin C, iron, calcium, and plenty of fiber. Maple sap can be gathered from all types of maple trees. Maple syrup contains several important minerals like manganese, zinc, calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium. There are many types of maple trees, and they are all edible and a most share the same benefits. Do research on maple trees and learn to tell them apart! The three photos are Sugar maples.
Acorns from oak trees
Acorns are nuts that grow from the oak tree. They are a great source of fiber, iron, protein, potassium, vitamins A and E and many other minerals. But with all the great things they offer they are only safe to eat after going through a prosses.
Processing acorns starts out by shelling of the nuts and leaching out the tannins that make them bitter. Leaching means allowing the toxins to “leach out” of the nut. You can crack them individually with a rock. But a more effective way to crack open multiple is to simply set out 20-30 acorns on a hard flat surface and smash them all at once with a wide heavy object. You could use a rock from the creek you will be doing this by because you would be using the water to leach them out soon after, this will save you a lot of time. Separate out all the shell fragments and place the nut meat pieces in a cotton bag or shirt so water can easily flow through the fabric. You then need to place the bundle of nut meats in flowing water with a rock to weigh it down and it will need to leach for 3-5 hours. If still bitter, you need to allow it to continue leaching. If you do not have a flowing stream but you have a pot or bucket, soak them in warm water for a few hours, then pour out the water. Do a taste test. If the acorns are still too bitter, soak them in warm water for a few more hours. This water bath leaches out the tannic acid. You can then eat them raw or roast them by the fire.
NOTE! make sure you do not eat acorns before leaching them because in their natural form they are toxic especially in large quantities.