Native Edible Plants Part 4: Nuts, Blossoms, and Even More Fruits
Episode Introduction
In today's episode, Native Edible Plants Part 4, we chat with Bob Henrickson about survival foods, how to make native Shirley Temples, and which native plant has been used as a spice for centuries. If you don't like rabbit holes, this episode will be a dangerous romp through Gardenland.
Host Stephanie Barelman
Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.
Guest Bob Henrickson
Bob attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Biology in the School of Natural Resources. Currently, Bob is the Horticulture Program Coordinator with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Inc., a private, non-profit organization and program of the Nebraska Forest Service. His responsibilities include assisting affiliated arboretum sites with plant collection development and to acquire, propagate and produce native and other resilient landscape plants for plant sales to our members and the public. Bob has hosted a live, call-in gardening talk show called How’s it Growin’ on a community radio station in Lincoln since 2000. He is passionate about native plants, herbs, dried flowers, vegetable gardening, wild mushrooms and wild edible plants.
Episode Sponsors
Today's episode sponsored by Midwest Natives Nursery:
https://www.midwestnativesnursery.com/
https://www.facebook.com/midwestnatives
https://www.instagram.com/midwest_natives_nursery/
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Episode Content
Wild strawberry- Fragaria virginiana
Wild strawberry is so very pretty, and I hear from people all the time they have this in their yard. But they are mistaking false strawberry for our native one. The leaves are larger than false strawberry and the small flowers are white and not yellow.
Makes a great edible ground cover. Plant with violets for more fun!
Early bloomer.
Maybe make a sedge meadow with strawberries.
Hackberry- one of the earliest plants eaten by humans
An understory tree, you see this everywhere at Lauritzen Gardens, Heron Haven, basically every other wooded area around here.
Sam Thayer-Nature's Garden: "For sheer survival value hackberry is unsurpassed..."
Bonkers idea for hackberry: make hackberry milk and use it as coffee creamer.
Great for songbirds and vegans!
Prunus family plants
American plum
Historical: Cherokee used fruit to make fruit juice, eaten fresh, or jelly. Cheyenne treated these as a delicacy and would even sun dry these at times. Tribes consistently described as highly valued.
Wild plum wine, cobbler. Highest carbs found in fruit. Get your plum on!
Suckers so plant isolated in lawn or plan for thicketing
Chokecherry
Chokecherry is one of those plants whose common name is so close to another one you get it mixed up. So we’re talking about prunus Virginiana not chokeberry which is in the aronia family.
Chokecherry makes an excellent jelly. If you’re a little bit country you might have had some before.
Chokecherry fizz AKA Native Shirley Temple, Chokecherry wine, drinks all around!
Another thicketing one but when planted in shade, doesn't spread as much. Early bloomer.
Ribes family of plants
RYE-BEES FTW
Black currant- Ribes americium
fruit dried, made into sauces, eaten fresh
likes part shade
Buffalo currant- Ribes aureum or odoratum (goes by both names)
likes growing in hot and dry conditions
easy to grow, makes tasty pie
Missouri gooseberry- Ribes missouriense
If you need a little Misourrah in your life...
Elderberry- Sambucus canadensis
Elderberries must be cooked before eating but makes a lovely jam, make sure to pick them when ripe can also use the elderflowers to make syrups, wines, and cordials
High iron content, songbird and pollinator favorite
Rejuvenation pruning may be your friend here every 3-4 years
Kay Young's Wild Seasons- I know, she's a popular gal with us...
Shake flowers into bucket and steep flowers in hot simple syrup.
Elderberry flower fritters and yes, you heard us right... Marbled Elderberry Cheesecake.
Can even make elderberry capers from the unripe fruits, but must prepare correctly to remove the toxins
Smooth sumac and staghorn sumac
Berries used to make drinks with sugar: sumacade or sumac tea
In the citrus family! Who knew?
Sumac (zatar) has been used to make spices for centuries.
Good source of Vitamin C.
May be used to make a sumac vinaigrette.
Spring Affair
Get affordable plants in Lincoln this year at the Spring Affair!
Additional content related to this episode:
What makes a plant native?
http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska
https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society
native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (native plant cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)
On the Web
BONAP aforementioned
BNPS aforementioned
http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook
Books & Authors
Rick Darke- The Living Landscape
Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".
Enrique Salmon- Iwigara
Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany
Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com
Native Plants of the Midwest
Planting in a Post-Wild World
Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska
Additional Resources
Other Local Organizations
- Green Bellevue
- PATH
- Milkweed Matters
- Nebraska Native Plant Society
Listen, rate, and subscribe!
Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/
Find us on Facebook
Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm
Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska
Support My Work via Patreon
The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.
