EATING GREENBRIAR FOR THE FIRST TIME
I never really thought that I'd end up eating something like this.
But that's because I never knew it was edible. Thanks to steemit, @haphazard-hstead clued me in on this one a while ago, and I've been waiting to give it a try. This morning, my wait ended, and I've got a new, tasty, wild edible to enjoy when I'm out in the woods!
GREENBRIAR VIDEO!!!
Want to watch @papa-pepper, @mama-pepper, and the @little-peppers eat a thorny vine? If so, now is your chance! Enjoy the video!
THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS?
I had been watching these nasty vines grow for a while now, and figured that I'd finally take the plunge today. That thorny, twisted mess in the photo is a species of Greenbriar, also known by a few other names, all of which are plants in the genus Smilax. I've never much liked the stuff, but I never knew it was edible either.
It's the same nasty stuff I ran my face into three weeks ago when chasing an Opossum out of the garden at night. Just like I said in that post, it was not a good idea.
Here is a close up of a mature vine with some serious thornage on it. I've gotten so many cuts and lacerations from these things that I'm tired of it. I was hoping that the goats would help eradicate it by eating whatever is growing on the property, but now I'm thinking that I might help them!
These tender new shoots are the edible parts that I tried today. Supposedly the berries, tubers, and leaves are all tasty as well. Not only that, it's a good source of protein, especially for a wild edible. I was a little skeptical, but since @haphazard-hstead was the one who told me, I knew it had to be true.
After a short period of foraging, I had a big handful. The raw ones reminded me of fresh garden peas, but without the pea flavor. As tasty as they were raw, I wanted to try them cooked too. I figured they'd be good in butter, so off to the kitchen I went.
We were pretty much out of butter, but I did find a little bit. I added coconut oil in too, and salt and pepper. The salt was actually some smoked salt that I got from @mericanhomestead. The real test was going to be seeing if the @little-peppers and @mama-pepper would eat it.
Sure enough, it was eaten by all, and even enjoyed by a few. We had it alongside our eggs this morning, and it was a great start to the day. I've got some plans to include it in a few dishes coming up, and I'm glad that it is at least useful for something. What do you think? Would you try this plant?
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-greenbriar
Until next time…
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Never seen this before but looks tasty... and please protect yourself it looks like you are hurting your self minimum 1 time per week :)
Congratulations on becoming a Greenbrier forager, @papa-pepper! I eat them whenever I have a chance, visiting my parents in Arkansas. Yours looked in great shape -- and snapping them off like that is a great way to make sure they are tender. A quick 2-minute blanch in boiling water will make them more appealing to some people. And even if somebody doesn't like the taste of a wild food just all by itself, the plants can still make a great contribution to a pot of mixed greens.
And keep your eyes on those greenbrier patches in the autumn, too. The Hedgehog mushrooms in the Ozarks seem to have a relationship with them. Hedgehog mushrooms are great and hard to mistake for anything else in your area. If you can't get rid of all your Greenbrier, you can at least get some satisfaction and nutrition! Happy foraging!
Thank you @haphazard-hstead for resteeming this post because I would have missed it in time to vote! Also thank you for adding your additional tidbits of knowledge, those are always delicious.
Thank you @papa-pepper for sharing your greenbriar experience. Last week, @jschindler and I were cleaning up the vines an ivy around the tank out back (there are no grazing animals here :(). Over the weekend we discovered a website that showcases the plethora of wild food growing in our area, and we discovered the greenbriar we were hacking down was edible - what!? And now by the saving grace of HH, we find this post by you. Firsthand application of the new knowledge, what more could we ask for? All that's left now is to get that vine eaten.
Take care ☺
I honestly didn't know this was edible. I just thought it was another obnoxious weed. Now, I will have to try it too!
I am that kind of adventurous person, I love trying new things, because I believe as human we learn everyday and learning involves experimenting. @papa-pepper hope you enjoyed it? and if I may ask apart from it been a vegetable does it have some other usage like being medicinal or something? Just curious about this your newly found vegetables and before I forget sorry about the injury.
I haven't looked into the exact medicinal or nutritional value yet. I just know that it is edible and high in protein so far. Good questions though!
Just hearing that for the first time. I don't know they eat that. I learn that today
Cool, I'll have to inform my little bros about this. It actually does look pretty good. 😋
I think greenbriar should be a very nice one because papa will have know it very well before he can fed on it
hmmm i dont really know what this Greenbriar is i would like you to tell me wat it is so i can follow up and know wat is allbout
Wow! I never knew you could eat that either, PP! I kinda wish God had put an edible label on stuff so that when we're lost or in need we could eat stuff OK without poisoning ourselves.
Up here in northern Maine we eat fiddleheads. Not sure if you folks down there know about that yet or not. They are the unfurled young ferns that grow along streams and rivers and such. Here's a pic:
These are awesome with a little butter and salt. Do you guys do fiddleheads down there?
I haven't tried them yet, but it is on my to do list.
Oh man...those are GOOD. Important to pick them before they unfurl, but just before they do. Also, you need rinse the brown plant material off them so that they are pure green before boiling them.
What is Greenbriar? Hearing for the very first time in my life. We eat the leaves of different vegetables etc.