Rule 1: Always make certain when talking about wild food, that you are clear on the Botanical name, that way there is very little room for doubt. For example the English name for Taraxacum officinale is Dandelion, and the Botanical name for Dandelion is Taraxacum officinale. Well I did want to make that clear
Rule 2: Make absolutely certain that you have made a 100% positive identification before ever trying out wild food.
Rule 3: If you are in the slightest bit of doubt about a plants identification, do not try it. There are too many other plants you can try out. As the adage goes “If in doubt, find another plant”.
Rule 4: Assuming you are 100% certain you have the right edible plant in front of you, proceed with the “Tolerance Test" :
- Take a small piece of the raw edible part of the plant (e.g. the tip of a Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) leaf. Put it in the front of your mouth and bite on it a few times, then spit it out. Wait for 60 minutes. If you experience no bad reaction, proceed…
- Now try a larger piece of the plant (edible part only!). In our example of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), try boiling the leaf and eating and swallowing a quarter of it. Wait for 60 minutes and see how you feel. If you don’t experience any negative reaction, proceed…
- Try a tablespoon amount mixed into a suitable recipe. If you do not experience any negative reaction after 60 minutes, you’re body should be OK consuming that specific wild edible plant in larger quantities. But go slowly.
Only ever eat wild edible plants that you have 100% identified correctly, and never, ever, eat large quantities of wild edible plants that you have not performed the ‘Tolerance Test” on.
(from www.eatweeds.co.uk)
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