A couple weeks ago I went on a wild-food walk near Coyle, Oklahoma. The rain let up enough for our hard-core group (or just hard-core nerds) to pile into the back of a 4×4 pick-up to hunt pokeweed, lamb’s quarters, ramps, mushrooms, yarrow, mullein, horsetail, yucca, river reed, heals-all, and Iowa sage. After the walk, we learned how to prepare and enjoy lamb’s quarters and pokeweed.

Oklahoma ramps. I gather it’s a regional term, but generally means wild onion or garlic.

Our group of wildcrafters was led by the inspirational Jackie Dill. Jackie graciously shares her knowledge with all who are interested. My jaw dropped when she shared her age. Let’s just say that many people her age are barely coherent; she’s initiating and leading groups of people into the backwoods to stalk wild food. She said she grows or forages about 70% of her diet.

My take: mullein and ramps. The ramps are quite potent! Their “aroma” filled my refrigerator.


Mullein can be taken as a tea to treat congestion.

It’s not wise (read: potentially lethal) to eat pokeberry or mature pokeweed. Baby pokeweed is made edible by cooking the hell out of it. Of course, there are the hearty types that scoff as such statements.

Poke sure is pretty. This is a picture of still-green pokeberries in northern Georgia.

Heals-all. Just like it sounds. Use like you would aloe vera. You break the stem and rub the goo on a wound. It heals all.

I’m drying my wildcrafted sage in order to make a smudge stick.

Read about last year’s wild food walk.