AT HOME IN THE WILDERNESS PART V: EDIBLE PLANTS

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Roses. It's possible to steep the fresh petals of the Rosa species in hot water to make a very tasty tea. Also, the dried and pitted rose hips can be eaten raw and make an excellent survival food, because they can often be found throughout the winter and are packed with vitamin C.

Great Burdock. The young green leaves of Arctium lappa can be eaten raw or prepared as a potherb for a quick survival food. The roots of first-year plants must be peeled of their inedible rind, and can then be boiled—in two changes of water—for 30 to 40 minutes and eaten like potatoes.

Amaranth. You can roast and grind the seeds of the mature plants of Amaranthus species into a rich flour. The young leaves can be eaten raw, added to other cooked vegetables, or put directly in stew. (This food source is available, in many areas, from spring through fall.)

Waterlilies. Almost all waterlilies ( Nymphaea and Nuphar species) are edible and can be gathered most of the year. During the summer months, when the rootstocks become mushy and rather tasteless, they're still an excellent source of survival food. Additionally, the young, unfurling leaves and unopened buds can be prepared as a potherb. The seeds can be parched, winnowed, and ground into a nutritious flour, and the potato-shaped tubers of the tuberous waterlily (N. tuberosa) can be dug from the mud and prepared like—what else?—potatoes. Two of the more common edible varieties are the yellow pond lily and the fragrant pond lily. (Be careful, though, to collect any such plants from pollution-free waters!)

Arrowhead. Use a forked stick to push the tubers of this marsh plant ( Sagittaria species) free of the mud, after which they'll float to the surface. Though these can be cooked like potatoes, many people prefer to eat them raw, as a nibble food. The arrowhead is an excellent survival edible because it's available throughout the year, but the roots do get bitter and soft in midsummer and are especially so when the plant is in flower.

Chickweeds. Chickweeds of the Stellaria and Cerastium species make very good cooked greens, and all but the mouse-eared type can be eaten raw (although some people don't care much for the taste).

Common Plantains. When steamed or boiled, the tender young leaves of the Plantago species can be eaten as a cooked vegetable or added to soup and stew. The very young, unfurling leaves are sometimes eaten raw. Then, too, I like to grind the parched and winnowed seeds into wild flour that has a distinctive taste and a healthful dose of protein.

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