I have been studying as best I can the Seminoles traditional foods. I have also tried to learn some of the pre-columbian tribes food sources. Also the pioneers of the late 1800's and early 1900's down here in S Florida.
It turns out that all seemed to have passed over good eats on the misinformation that the meat or plant was no good or poisonous.
I grew up mullet was bait. Its also a delicacy in 10,000 islands. Gar was a trash fish, but, the Seminoles loved it and I have friends that swear by it. We through grunts back and then the Cubans tell us how good it is. Seminoles ate gator eggs and did not eat gator. We used to toss amber jack because they had worms. Till somebody made some smoked fish dip. Grouper heads went in the garbage. But, I got a buddy who spends hours cleaning the head and making fish head soup. Look at all of the stuff we throw away that used to get eaten. Pig ears are a delicacy. But you have to boil them for hours and hours first or they are inedible.
When I was up in Madison earlier this year we were picking Poke Salet. I was reading my notes and telling Uncle Robert that he is picking the wrong leaves. That we should only take young leaves. He rightly told me that I had never done this and he had done it his whole life.
Northerners eat the root and we eat the green. We can argue that the turnip is better then the turnip greens or vice verse. Or we can accept that both are damned good if you'll take the time to learn how to prepare it right. Though it does lend some credibility to our contention that yankees ain't all there that they don't eat collard greens! LOL
I think we have an incomplete view of foraging. I also, personally, don't think that if you actually ever have a SHTF TEOTWAWKI situation. That trying to grow cultivated plants is the way to go. You will fight more nutritional, disease resistant plants to grow things you have adapted to. There is some speculation that you will have eaten your last banana in a few years. Because a disease is devastating the one species of several thousand that we have taken a liking to. The other thousands of related fruits are still nutritional powerhouse. But are used differently. Also, we don't eat the plant or the flower and both are edible with some claiming the bud as the best eats and the stalks as a really good pickled food.
What else do we over look daily?
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