HERBAGE
Leaves of many forms of herbage are edible and very palatable. The plants specially recommended are Tetragonia. sometimes called New Zealand spinach, and sometimes miscalled “saltbush.” This plant grows all along the sub-tropical coastal areas. It may be recognised by its light-green, slightly fleshy leaves (petiole in shape, that is, similar to an ivy leaf), and small yellow flowers. Tetragonia may be eaten raw or boiled. It is very palatable and has fair food value.
Pig Face
Pig Weed
PIG FACE (Mesembryanthemum)
These are all edible raw and most have a high moisture content and a tendency to act as a mild purgative. Food value is low, but they could sustain life. Baked, they are good food.
PIG WEED
This is edible and good food.
WATERCRESS
This grows in most of the fresh water courses, along the edge of streams. It makes an excellent salad eaten raw, has a slightly “hot” taste, and when freshly picked is crisp and nourishing. A word of warning. This plant may harbour one of the freshwater snails, which is host to some of the flukes or parasitic worms. Do not take a chance; wash the leaves thoroughly before eating.
STINGING NETTLES
These are edible and very palatable, but, of course, they cannot be eaten raw. Boil for ten minutes before serving. Nettles are grown in gardens in France for food. They must be picked with gloves on, and if gloves are not available, pull a sock over one hand and so protect your skin from the poison spines.
Do not confuse these ground nettles with the Nettle Trees or Stinging Trees of tropical areas.
FRUITS, LEAVES AND ROOTS
There are two fairly common poisons in the vegetable world. Fortunately, both are easily identified by taste.
One has the taste of a bitter almond or a peach leaf.
This is hydrocyanic or prussic acid, a potent and highly dangerous poison which is often water soluble. When you find this taste in a plant, whether leaf, root, seed or fruit, suspect the plant as a source of food in the raw state, unless you know it is safe to eat.
If this poison is present, try boiling some of the plant, and then taste after boiling. If the “almond” taste is no longer noticeable, then you may regard the plant as probably safe to eat after boiling.
It is unwise to eat a large meal of the plant after this test. It is far safer to eat a small portion, and then wait a half hour. If there are no signs of stomach ache, vomiting or sickness, then you can be quite certain that the food is now safe.
The symptoms are stomach pains, nausea, and vomiting. Poisoning can be serious. Antidotes would be alkalis such as milk or soda (the white ash from a fire is soda ash and would serve as an antidote if mixed with water).
The other poison is recognised by a sharp stinging, burning or hot sensation caused by tiny barbs irritating the tongue, throat, lips and palate. This poison, for example, is found in the stalk of the arum lily. It is an oxylate of lime crystal. It can be exceedingly painful, causing swelling of the tongue, throat and lips. In general, oxylate of lime crystals are not water soluble.
If this poison is detected in a test tasting of a plant, reject the plant out of hand. The poison cannot be removed, and the plant is not edible.
BITTERNESS OR EXTREME ACIDITY
Avoid any plant which is bitter or very acid or very ‘hot’. The unpleasant taste is a certain danger signal.
RED IS A DANGER SIGN
The colour RED associated with a plant in tropical or sub-tropical areas can be regarded as a danger signal. Any plant which shows red in any part of its growth, in its fruits, in its leaves, or in its stalks should be regarded with suspicion unless you know for certain that it is absolutely safe.
For example, the strawberry (an alpine fruit originally) is known to be safe to the general run of people, but some unfortunate folk are very sick if they eat strawberries.
Rhubarb has a red stalk, but the leaves are deadly when cooked because they contain a fatal quantity of oxalic acid.
The tomato belongs to the solanum family, the same family of plants as the deadly nightshade. So, in a general way, be suspicious of any plant which shows the danger signal red, unless you are absolutely certain that it is safe to eat. This is particularly applicable to tropical berries and fruits.
Another general sign of probable poison is any fruit which is divided into five divisions. This is a generalisation, but it is better to be cautious than overbold–and poisoned.
LEAVES
The leaves of many trees, shrubs and ground plants are edible, and very palatable, and can comfortably sustain life.
The only test is to taste the leaf. If it is tender and pleasant to the palate and the danger tastes of almond, bitter, or extreme acid are not present, then you can eat a small quantity, and if there are no ill-consequences, then the leaves of that particular tree or shrub are safe and will be good food for you.
The leaves of most plants contain oil cells which give the leaf its taste or flavour. This is generally more marked in the young leaves at the end of branchlets.
Beware of all trees which have a coloured sap, white, red or black. Many of these saps are a danger signal, and some, particularly the white saps, can inflict painful burns to the skin or, if allowed in the eye, can cause blindness. Also beware of the ground trefoils, particularly those which have little corms or tubers. These are generally Oxalis, and have a dangerously high content of oxalic acid.
FUNGI
All forms of fungus growth should be avoided. The food value is negligible, and unless you know for certain that a particular fungus is safe to eat, do not touch it. The fungus plants contain poisons which affect the nerves by causing paralysis. Many are extremely dangerous and to date very little is known of them. The author has had some small experimenting in this field and found a few, apart from the common “mushroom,” which are very palatable and quite safe. One of the best of these is the puffball in its very early stage of growth before the ball itself has dried and become puffy.
The writer’s advice is: “Leave all the fungus growth severely alone.”
ARCTIC BERRIES
In the cold climates most berries are edible. This is in contrast with tropical and sub-tropical areas, where berries generally should be regarded as probably poisonous. In tropical areas the colour red is always a danger signal, and a good rule is to avoid all red berries. This does not apply in the colder climates, where almost all red berries are edible. Poisons are liable to be present in berries and this general rule should be observed in regard to all unknown berries.
SEEDS AND NUTS
A few seeds contain deadly poisons, and these poisons may not always be detected by the palate. In general, a bitter, strongly acid, or burning “hot” taste is a sign of poisonous contents. Any seeds with these tastes should be avoided. The mere act of tasting will not affect you. The poison may be tasted but must not be swallowed. When you are testing seeds to see if they are edible, you can spit out the portion you have tasted if it is unpalatable, and there will be no ill-effects.