The BEST Wild Edible You've (Probably) Never Tried!
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- Greenbriers are a common plant in the eastern woodlands of the United States and an abundant resource of food even though most people have never tried them! The Common Greenbrier, or Smilax rotundifolia by it's Latin name, is a thorny vine like bush/shrub that has edible tops and shoots. This plant is incredibly easy to identify with it's egg shaped alternating leaves, thorny stems and vine like to bush like growth structure. Harvesting the tips for food couldn't be easier, just simply pinch them off with your thumb and forefinger where they break easily. If a pinch won't do it, then just move up a bit and pinch again. After pinching off the tops you will probably notice a little bit of juice come out of the top, and that's a good sign because they are rather juicy! The whole top is edible, leaves, stem, and tendrils and can be eaten raw or sauteed in butter. When raw they have a flavor kind of like a slightly under ripe green apple and when cooked they take on a mild asparagus like flavor. The season for harvesting Greenbriers in my area of Central Indiana is usually from about the middle of April until around the middle of June, so they have a rather long season in which to harvest them. Being so easy to collect, it's possible to fill a grocery sack in about 20 - 30 minutes in a good area.
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I can't believe you're not pointing out the lush poison ivy growing under and around it. People who are allergic to poison ivy need to be careful when hunting for greenbriar. They grow in the same places a lot. Once I got my poison ivy under control on my acre and it wasn't quite the jungle of poison ivy it started out as, I noticed the greenbriar pretty much took over and grew up into the surrounding trees. Both are a pain, IMHO, but it's nice to know that if I find my greenbriar getting out of control, I can harvest the tips before I chop it down. After I chop my out-of-control greenbriar, I throw all the thorny stalks by the fence where the neighborhood teens gather on my side to drink beer and leave their trash. Needless to say, I don't have that problem since layering greenbriar stalks all over their hidey hole.
Well, at least you've found yourself a renewable source of barbed wire...seems like a good idea for your secondary use! Lol!
Honestly I wasn't paying much attention to the poison ivy because I'm not allergic, but you do bring up a very valid point because they do grow together frequently.
That's a good idea to keep people from tearing up your yard and since the thorns are so tough I can imagine it works well! Another variety to look for is bristly greenbrier because it has a lot more thorns than common greenbrier. That plant is absolutely brutal to run into by accident.
@@TrilliumWildEdibles Well, I'm so glad to have found this video anyway. I had heard greenbriar was an edible but didn't know anything about it and we eat a lot from the yard. We get very little sun and can't garden much so we focus on roots and tubers and just harvest from the nettle, chickweed, dandelion, violets, dames rocket, garlic mustard and much more! We eat more nutrient dense food than if we had gardened, I figure! Now I can add greenbriar tips to that.
@@TrilliumWildEdiblesis it true if ypu eat poison ivy you'll become immune? This jist sounds crazy
I've been eating the greenbriar tips for years but never knew their name. Thanks for the enlightenment
Sure thing!
Hey Josh those leaves kinda look like plantain, great info on this, will keep an eye open to see if we have it up here in northwest wisconsin. Awesome video, 👍😎⚓️🇺🇲
They do look like plantain!
According to this website: www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/vine/smirot/all.html
It appears they don't grow in Wisconsin or Vermont. Don't know why, except that plants are weird!
Always love seeing you in the comments Ron!
The leaves do look like plantain, but the plant is not like it. The leaves also remind me clematis, which aren’t wild, unfortunately.😢😂
I've also heard them called "cat brier." It's a good little trail nibble. I love this plant and have one that popped up in my yard next to a butterfly bush. Thank you so much for sharing this info!
Yeah another commenter mentioned they call it cats claw, which is also fitting! They are an excellent trail nibble for sure, along with wood Sorrel.
Excellent. Here in east Texas Green briar is plentiful and I never knew they were edible. I will also check other sources for differences around here if they exist. Thanks for this. Very good info. Glad I found your vids.
You're very welcome and good luck on your research!
Smilax tips are definitely good eats!
Absolutely! I love eating them every year.
I eat these just about every day. Nice to see you sharing this plant. Dont forget the root!
I wonder what the ants were thinking when they went flying off that greenbrier. Thanks for this awesome info :)
Lol! Probably thinking, "Whoa that was a big monster beating up our food!"
You're very welcome!
Hey, I didn't know we could eat those! Thank you. I'm in west central Ohio, so our plants are similar.
You're very welcome! These are incredibly abundant in our area and quite delicious!
Thank you
It would be very helpful if you also Is included The benefit of that plant.
Thanks Josh!
You're very welcome!
I’m excited to go out and see if these grew anywhere nearby!
Good luck, I hope you find some!
Thanks been eating yhem thirty years thanks
Amazing, i have seen these before and finally now i know what they Are! Thank you!
You're very welcome!
Such a timely video, Josh! Tomorrow is the day to weed eat (first time since my little accident) and the Greenbriers are top of the list. But before I whack them down, I'll harvest those growing tips and have them for lunch!
I grew up calling them Cat's Claw. Common greenbrier sounds so innocuous, I somehow find the slang name more fitting. :)
Thank you as always for such informative videos. I Always learn something new!
I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy them a lot! Yeah Cat Claw is more fitting than Common Greenbrier, lol!
You're very welcome for the videos and I'm glad to hear you're able to move around more now!
@@TrilliumWildEdibles I'm trying to regain my abilities in hopes you'll offer another class nearby this summer or fall. ;)
I'm not exactly sure when the next group class will be but I'm know Tom and I are wanting to do another one sometime in the future. I'll probably announce it in the channel when it happens.
nice to see that something quite abundant all around me is edible, i'm very familiar with them (they managed to go through a pair of leather garden gloves i had to prevent thorns, but i enjoy them regardless)
Yeah the thorns are pretty vicious, but the tips taste amazing!
Thank you 😊
You're very welcome!
Nice to see ya Josh! Luv the vids!
Nice to see you too friend!
Been eating it for years and also larger cat Brier 😁 several varieties
As usual...solid advice! :)
Thanks John, always nice seeing you in the comments!
Good video , thanks for sharing , God bless !
You're welcome Michael!
Really good video! Thank you!
You're very welcome!
Excellent job! ❤
Great video...only think I wish you would have tried one and let us know how it taste and maybe a cook and eat.
I mentioned the flavor in a text popup in the video. Raw, they taste kinda like a slightly under ripe green apple and when cooked they take on a mild Asparagus flavor.
I'm still debating doing more preparation videos because they take so long to make and generally don't perform too well, plus it's a bit difficult to film in my house.
Not sure which one we have around here. Never knew they were edible.
What are the benefits of the plant
Great description video. That said, this is one I've never seen in my parts before, not hiking thru the bush or the estuary or roadside so I guess that's a nope. Good to know still. Thanks
This website shows their range:
www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/vine/smirot/all.html
So you may not be in an area they grow.
@@TrilliumWildEdibles hey thanks! Great info there, though I'm in New Brunswick currently but that map shows it growing in all of Main and all of Nova Scotia, but entirely not in NB, thats odd, but I guess I was right and it's not here... so weird tho.
I hate those because of thorns but I will be eating them now!
That's a good reason to eat them is to get back at them for the pain they cause, lol!
It's my #1 enemy in my yard.. guess I'll have to just eat it.. COOL !!!
😃👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Are they the same as saw briar ?
Same genus just different species. To my knowledge, all Smilax species can be used the same way.
at my village This plant is a little different colour we have the red colour, and the green colour also we have
We eat both of them
😎👍
Glad you enjoyed it!
Don’t forget in case of starvation these boogers have edible but not delicious tubers under them
If you take away the tip, will the plant still be able to reproduce ?
Absolutely will! Taking the tip doesn't harm the plant in any way. In fact in can help promote more vigorous growth. I've noticed on plants I've harvested tips from one year, have more tips the following year. Think of it like pruning a plant.
Greenbrier spreads by seeds but also by it's root system. It's actually a really hardy plant that is rather hard to kill.
Edited to add more information.
Thank you ❤
You're very welcome!