Foraging for wild foods (2024)

Serviceberry and chokecherry shrubs look very similar, but Yampatika Senior Naturalist Karen Vail wants people to know it is important to be able to tell the difference.

That’s because serviceberry, also known as sarvisberry, blooms earlier in the spring and has young leaves that are edible with a blueberry-like flavor and can be used in salads or teas. On the other hand, young leaves from chokecherry shrubs are toxic, as they contain cyanide. People starting out in the pastime of foraging for wild edibles should remember that serviceberry blooms earlier in a messy pattern, while chokecherry blooms later in attractive formations.

That was just one of the interesting lessons Vail and herbalist Mary O’Brien conveyed during the “Forage for Your Feast” outing, hosted by nonprofit Yampatika on Monday afternoon, to learn how to identify edible and medicinal plants.

As a red-tailed hawk floated overhead in the sunshine, the pair taught the group when best to forage for certain plants and how to collect wild edibles ethically. On the short hike southeast of Steamboat Springs, they found edibles ranging from valerian to sticky geranium. Along the trail, the pair pointed out the namesake yampah, with roots that can be eaten in the fall and taste like a cross between peanuts and carrots, according to O’Brien.

The experienced educators also are authors of the book “Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Southern Rockies,” which took seven years to research and publish. The most important part of the book is the short but red-tabbed poisonous plants section, which describes toxic plants ranging from buttercups to spotted water hemlock to mountain snowberry.

Many wild plants have positive medicinal qualities and can be eaten in dishes such as salads, teas, jellies, syrups and brandies. The pair took turns educating about plants’ edible or nonedible qualities and helpful or strong medicinal properties. Various plants can be used for things ranging from pain relief to relieving constipation to inducing vomiting to get rid of a poison. Many of the plants have been utilized by Native Americans for centuries.

Vail said spring is a great time when plants can be “the best trail munchies ever,” but she also warned against random sampling or eating too much of certain plants, such as glacier lilies, because the human body is not used to wild ingredients.

“If you can’t identify a plant, don’t smell or taste it; it’s not worth it,” Vail said, as some plants can cause digestive or nervous system issues. “Make an absolutely positive ID before even tasting a plant. Take a field guide or knowledgeable friend.”

Vail stated a basic warning: “Red or white, don’t take a bite unless you know what it is. If it smells really bad, maybe you should reconsider.”

This week, the experts from nonprofit Yampatika are gathering wild edibles to deliver to the chefs at Aurum restaurant to prepare as part of dishes for the 24th annual Wild Edible Feast fundraiser on Thursday evening. The menu will include everything from spring beauty bulbs, wild onion and wintercress plants to meat from a legally harvested mountain lion.

Spring salads preferred by Vail and O’Brien often include serviceberry leaves, sweet anise and dandelion leaves. Vail is a fan of snacking on leaves of Canada white violet and of harvesting clean dandelion flowers not sprayed with chemicals, and dipping them in pancake batter and frying for dandelion fritters.

The group learned about false hellebore — which is often erroneously called skunk cabbage — that is extremely toxic, as well as the insect-repellant properties of rubbing mountain sagebrush leaves on skin or clothes.

When foraging for wild edibles, the pair advised to avoid chemical toxins and herbicide sprayed areas, so foraging sites should be 500 feet away from a road and not under powerlines. Foraging is discouraged on trails or at popular attractions. People who gather plants on public land for commercial purposes may be subject to permits and regulations. When foraging for small quantities for personal use, people should harvest no more than one-fifth of a plant cluster of 10 plants or more.

The educators said finding nurseries that offer truly native plants is difficult in the valley despite high interest by residents, so they recommend transplanting native plants from different parts of a yard, obtaining plants from knowledgeable fellow gardeners or planting from seeds. A long-time problem to watch for is mixed flower seed packets designed for the Rocky Mountains that may contain noxious and invasive plants, such as oxeye daisy or other plants considered weeds in the Yampa Valley.

Some other upcoming Yampatika programs starting in June include Mineral Springs Walking Tours, Wildflower Wanders, Yampa River Walk, as well as monthly special programs such as Mad Creek Geology and Historical Hikes, Wildflower Hikes, and Medicinal Herb Walks.