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Learned a lesson about this plant this summer. I knew it was a wild carrot but when I tryed the root it was always too woody and only mildly tasted like a carrot. This plant is a (biennial spelling) meaning lives for two years then dies. I was harvesting the second year root. Yesterday I ID a first year plant and the root was much more tender and pleasant tasting. What are your experiences with this plant?
well now me and this carrot family did alot of dancing this summer, i am not an expert on this family. i am hopeing for thomas j eppels botany in a day for christmas, if not i 'm getting it for myself, as you say first year roots taste look smell different than second year plants i learned allot about burdock this year and only touched on the wild carrot family, curious how did you do a positive id?, second year is usually easier than first year but i think i recall you saying you took a course? where abouts?
To answer your questions wareagle. I went to the BOWS (Big Oak Wilderness School) in Nolensville, TN. IT was there that I learned that there was a difference between the first and second year plant. This was one of the plants that our instructor had us go out and draw (sketch). You usually can find them around the base of the dead stalks and flowers this time of year. They have a basal leaf arrangement. The carrots are white and not orange. They are all over the place here. I don't know about Ontario. By the way, I have also dug up some first year burdock this year (They are biennials too). They have one very long tap root. I use post hole diggers to dig beside of them so that I can get alot more of the root.
yup first year tastes better than second year, i actually learned that in wilderness way magazine, in all the books i have i never read anything about the difference between the first and second year plant.
for all those that don't know the first year just has the leaves big elephant ear looking things. the second year plants have the central stalk that grows up and flowers which then become the burrs that are all over you and your dog and horses and what have you, sorry for the hijack
but i do look forward to your input here on wild edibles
Is it just the first year that the leaf arrangement is basal?Quote:
Originally Posted by adalel
Do enough of the hairs remain when the flowers and stalks are dead to make sure it is not confused with hemlock? Actually, what other clues do you use to make sure you don't make a deadly mistake here?
We have wild carrots all over the place here but I've never tried one because I've always been scared of making a mistake in the ID. I'm waiting until I feel 100% sure.
-Dan
actually dan i have allot of carrot here also but for 100 percent id i am looking for some hemlock to compare the two but i am 98 percent sure but that is not enough to try it althought i know someone who did and they survived
Hey Danmc, To answer your question I found a big basal arrangement of QAL leaves and yes they had hairy leaf stems that went into the ground. If the QAL has flowers or main stem then it is too late to harvest the root. This is the best time of the year to harvest wild carrot. The wild carrot will also have a very strong smell and taste of carrot. The poison hemlock does not. All the energy and nutrition that was gained during the summer months has been stored in the roots just like burdock and bullthistle roots. Again all these first year plants have a basal leaf arrangement right now.
what are QAL leaves? i have not heard that term before.
QAL = Queen Annes Lace
figured it was something that simple duh still working on me first cup o coffee thank you sir, looks like i failed that one
hey technosurfer, why don't you surf your way over to the introduction section and tell us a little about yourself? Thanks.
I can never do that as well as crash, not in a million years. But I guess it takes that long to get good:eek:
has anyone tryed water hemlock? i love that plant.
WATER HEMLOCK!!!!! My Peterson field guide tell me that that one is poisonous.
Although I am not nearly as skilled in wild edibles as many are on here, I do know that the water hemlock is one of the most poisonous plants in North America. To even joke around about it and possibly have somebody who does not know read a post like that and say - cool, maybe I'll try it - is a good way to get somebody killed.Quote:
Originally Posted by tim
thats right crash, tim either you don't know better(but i think you do) in which case don't ever eat a plant in the wild w/o proper training or you have just made a terrible joke remember there are some here that will say i remeber when bear grylis dove off a cliff into the water so i will to only to find that after 30 ft jump the water is only 3 ft deep posting here is a big responsibility
Hemlock is nothing to mess with. From what I can gather, as little as 6 to 8 leaves can be fatal. The toxin causes muscular paralysis which can lead to respiratory paralysis and death as the brain is deprived of oxygen. Queen Anns Lace is easy to identify if you pay attention to the hairs on the stems. Hairy as the Queens legs = good to go, Hairless = most likely Hemlock and deadly.
-Sean
i said that so that you would post your wise post about water hemlock very deadly
Sarge - Move to survival food.