Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Animals and starving people have survived through the winter months solely by eating the in-
ner live layer of tree bark (cambium layer). You can eat it raw, cook it like spaghetti, or dry and
grind it into flour. It can be added to stews for nutrition and to give the stew some body. Peel
off a large section of tree bark, keeping the extra for later use. Do not cut bark from more than
halfway around the tree, or you might kill it. The light-colored layer of inner bark is the edible
portion; sometimes it has a green hue. The more edible barks are aspens, birch, willows, slip-
pery elm, tamarack, maples, spruces, pines, and hemlocks. The buds and shoots of these trees
are also edible, except for tamarack and hemlock, which are poisonous.
Caution:
All parts of the carrot-family plant known as hemlock, a herbaceous biennial with
a smooth green stalk, finely divided lacey leaves, and clusters of small white flowers, are ex-
tremely poisonous, even though it looks very inviting and similar to wild celery or parsley. The
young shoots can look quite a bit like carrot tops. Poison hemlock is a green leafy plant that
can grow 5-8 feet tall (1.5-2.5 meters) and is not even remotely related to the evergreen family
of hemlock trees. Hemlock was the infamous poison drunk by Socrates after being condemned
to death. All contact with the poisonous hemlock plant should be avoided!
Grasses
Grasses are edible. The best parts to eat are the soft white stems just below the surface of the
ground. Make sure it's really grass that you are eating, and do not eat grass that has been
sprayed. Some grasses and other plants have tiny hooks on their stems and leaf edges that will
irritate the digestive tract and should be avoided.
Seeds and Grains
All grass seeds are edible, but some other seeds are poisonous. Use the edibility test on un-
known seeds. Tasting will do you no harm, but do not swallow any seed that is bitter, burning,
or otherwise unpalatable.
Caution:
Discard all grains from clusters that are blackened or carry black, enlarged bean-
like grains. These grains are infected with ergot mold, a powerfully toxic substance.
Roots and Tubers
The starch granules in most roots and tubers are insoluble in cold water. Most edible roots and
tubers should be cooked, since cooking ruptures the starch granules and makes them more di-
gestible.
Seaweed
