Apples aren't native but numerous wild apple trees can be found in the Uptown.
Broad Leaf Plantin is good boiled twice like other strong greens.
I enjoy cactus pads chopped up and mixed in scrambled eggs. You'll need to wear gloves and remove the pointy things before you attempt to eat them. Otherwise they bite back. Cactus flowers and fruits are also good to eat.
Ground and dried Chicory roots were used as a caffeine free coffee substitute during WW2 when coffee was rationed. Slightly bitter, the leaves and light blue flowers are good in salads.
My mother was raised on Lambs Quarter as a salad green. Like so many who grew up during the Great Depression, this was necessary to survival.
This is a Mulberry Tree. Sadly, the birds beat me to the Mulberries.
Narrow Leaf Plantin is used the same as its broad leaf cousin.
Most folks don't like it much but if you're really hungry you can eat clover. This is a red clover.
Spearmint is one of dozens of wild mints that grow here. We use it to flavor our iced tea and coffee.
Thistle is another plant that bites back if handled wrong. Pick the younger plants and boil the leaves until tender. I like to mix Dandelion greens, Plantin, Thistle and Chicory with a few wild onions and serve it with vinegar.
These aren't wild but Tomatillos are native to our area. The fruits grow inside a paper like husk that looks like a Chinese Lantern. Tomatillos are sometimes called Chinese Lanterns, Ground Cherries or Mexican Tomatos. They're $4.oo a pound in the grocery stores. I use them in salsas, make Tomatillo Relish, scramble them in eggs and fry them like green tomatoes.
Dutch White Clover grows anywhere and everywhere.
Another wild clover that has a bit of a sour taste.
This is a Wild Purple Basil. It's not as good as Sweet Basil but will do in a pinch. After trying to eradicate this stuff from our garden for 40 plus years we finally gave up and started eating it. I use it most often to flavor vinegar.
