Aronia bush
Aronia is originally from North America and there usually grows in swamps and wet woods. but have spread across the world as it is a good bush to grow hedges with. The bush is split into three variations (Red, black and purple) where the purple one is considered an integrated species in northern Europe. The bush is commonly grown as a hedge or for food production as its berries known as chokeberries are a common ingredient in especially sweet food and deserts.
Useable parts
Chokeberries
The aronia berries can be used to make several kinds of sweet food such as squash, jam, juice and marmalade as well as tea, and even salsa. The berries are rich on vitamins, iron and also contains lots of antioxidants as well as pectin which make them ideal for making jam or mixed with other black or blue berries as fill out.
The berries can be dried or frozen to conserve for longer periods of time.
Black chokeberries can be mistaken for the berries from Hedge cotoneaster or Medlar which are also common hedge bushes. Neither of these hedge berries are dangerous though although they might not taste as well.
Berberis bush
Berberis or Barberry as it is also commonly known as is a bush that grows from the northern parts of the temperate to the subtropical zone. It is commonly found in dry and calcium rich ground such as gracing grounds or beach. There is many variations of the Berberis plant and here we cover Berberis Vulgaris which is most common in Europe. Other names for this plan is Common Barberry, European Barberry or Surtorn. Several other variations of the plant exists with differences in taste and use.
Useable parts
Warning
Barberis essence which is yellow in colour and extracted from the root and stem is not suitable for children or people using other medicines. Avoid consuming the extract in large doses as it can be poisons in high concentration. It can cause you to go numb resulting in sleepiness or trouble to breath as well as digestive or stomach problems. It is suspected to cause complications with other medicines.
Berries
The berry from the Berberis Vulgaris is a red and thin berry which is ripe around September. It contains a lot of vitamin C and pectin as well as berberine which is also named after the plant. The berries can identified as a group of berries growing from a single stem ranging from 8-20 berries. They have a very sour taste that is similar to lemon and works well as a substitute when required. The berries are rich on pectin which makes them suitable to use when making marmalade or jelly, as well as a sour hint in sweeter jams. If squeezed and refined the berries can be used to make various kinds of alcoholic drinks as well as vinegar.
Leaves
The leaves are slightly jagged and can be used to boil herb tea with a slight taste of lemon. The leaves are often popular spots for ticks to hide so be wary when harvesting the bush. The leaves are also often infected with stem rust fungus which is harmful for wheat crops.
Root and stem
The root and stem from can be boiled to create an herbal medicine which traditionally been used as a anti-inflammatory medicine against flues, fever and other digestive symptoms.
Birch tree
The birch tree is a hardwood tree usually ranging from shrubbery to medium sized trees. It is native to the northern hemisphere of the globe and is known to be the first tree to start growing in areas that suffered from forest fires. The birch tree belong to the Betulaceae family, sharing the same family as other trees such as the hazel and alder.
Useable parts
Wood
Birch tree is suitable for firewood as it is easily split into firewood, it burns well with a above average temperature and do not create any flying sparks.
Leaves
The leaves can be eaten fresh as a salad or boiled as filler in pies, soup etc. The leaves can also be dried and used as base in tea along with black current leaves, raspberries or blueberries. The freshly grown leaves are best to use.
Bark
The inner green layer of the bark can be used as a strengthening hot drink, after the outer layers been peeled of. The inner green layer can be used all year around, but it is easiest to harvest from young twigs during spring. Boil the bark after cutting it into long thin slices in water for 15 minutes.
Buds
The buds are very rich on fibres and can be used to fill out food during the cold half of the year (Oct-Mar).
Sap
Somewhere in March-April when the ground frost disappears can the birch tree be tapped on sap. The sap can then be used as a cold drink or be boiled down to syrup.
Pine tree
The Pine tree is a fast growing, evergreen softwood tree usually ranging from small shots to large trees that can be up to 45 meters tall. The tree belong to the family Pinaceae that is native to the northern hemisphere, with a range of variations that grow from subarctic to tropical climate. It is most found in tropical climate though and is usually the dominant spices in mountains, coastlines and the upper regions of the hemisphere.
Useable parts
Wood
Pine tree is less suitable for firewood but requires time to prepare. Fresh cut pine tree need to dry for 2-3 years before you use it as fire wood. It contains a lot of resin which easily burns and is commonly used as tinder sticks when split in thin pieces. Avoid burning firewood from pine trees indoors though as the resin create a lot of thick smoke that can block the chimney.
Needles
Can be used all year around. The best needles to consume can be found at the edges of the twigs. Pine needles contain C-vitamins and when boiled they release sugar and minerals that can be absorbed by our bodies as well.
The needles can be used to make a vitamin rich hot drink. Boil a few handful of needles for about 20 minutes in half a litre of water.
Annual shoots
Can be found between April and July. The shoots are rich on oil, vitamins and energy.
The shoots can be eaten raw straight from the tree. The needles can also be boiled into a hot drink, squash or as a soup.
Bark
Bark can be harvested from pine trees between September and May, where spring is the easiest time as the bark then easier comes of the tree. The bark from young pine trees can be eaten roasted or boiled. On older trees you can instead find under the thick outer layer of bark a layer of white bark. This can be processed into flour. First take the white bark and beat it into a flat piece, then let it dry. Once dry, chop it into pieces and ground it into flour.
Root
The root can be eaten all year around. They contain a lot of starch which our bodies convert into energy.
The thin roots from young pine trees can be eaten raw, be boiled into a soup or stew as well as be dried for use later.
Cones
New grown green cones can be eaten raw or boiled.
Linden tree
The linden tree is a softwood tree that can grow up to 40 meters tall. The tree used to belong to the Tiliaceae family but was moved to the Malvaceae family. Linden trees grow across the northern hemisphere where they are usually planted forests and mountain cliffs. They are also a popular tree planted in parks. They are found to a certain extent in Europe and Northern America but their largest population and diversity can be found in Asia.
Useable parts
Wood
Linden tree is suitable for firewood. It burns well but provide less heat than birch tree and do not create any sparks.
Leaves
Young leaves are a good ingredient in a salad.
Flowers
The flowers taste slightly like honey and can be used either fresh or dried as a herbal tea or in a salad. The flowers contains glycoside which dampens infections and reduce fever.
Juniper tree
Juniper trees range from small scrubs to up to 40 meter tall trees depending on the type. They are an evergreen needle tree that grows in the northern hemisphere from the polar regions down to the tropical regions. They grow in open sunny spots with preferably dry and rocky ground.
Useable parts
Wood
For some Juniper tree variations the wood is more commonly called cedar and is a fine tree type for woodcarving and furniture. Because of its strong but flexible wood structure juniper trees have been often used for crafting bows.
Berries
Juniper berries are a three years berry where the two first years the berries are green and on the third year they turn dark blue to almost black in colour as they mature. The berries are best when harvested during late fall but any mature berry that you find can be harvested all year around.
The juniper berries are commonly dried and used as seasoning in wild game food as this enhances the wild taste of lean game meat. You can also boil the berries which turn them to a rough gin drink. Juniper berries are the primary ingredient and taste of gin.
Be mindful to avoid using the green berries as they take such time to mature as well as the fact that to large consumption of them will have laxative effect.
Twigs
The twigs from the juniper tree and bushes are very useful when smoking meat as they provide a very good taste to the food. The twigs can also be carved into various tools for the same reason that branches and logs from juniper trees can be used to make bows.
Spruce tree
Spruce is an evergreen tree of the Picea family found in the northern temperate and boreal (Taiga) hemisphere. The family consists of 35 known coniferous variations ranging between 20-60 meters tall when fully grown.
Spruce can easily be identified from other pine trees by looking at the needles which are four sided growing out as a single need from a peg-like structure on the twigs. When it comes to determine the type of spruce the cone is the easiest way as each type of spruce got their specific cone.
Useable parts
Shots
The needle shots of the spruce are quite useful and can be used in many things such as: wild game and oil seasoning, salad as well as syrup. Spruce shots is rich on vitamin C and was in the old days used to ward of scurvy by brewing it into bear or using as ingredient in bread.
Firewood
It is generally easy to light as it contains resin but it is not advised to burn spruce wood during the dry period or in areas with a lot of dry grass and bushes. The sparks created when the resin burns can easily start a wildfire.
Taking the resin to our advantage though it is common to use spruce trees that have died standing to harvest resin rich wood. The tree is left standing dead until it dries and the bark comes of, then taken down to harvest the core of the wood which is then rich on dry resin. These are then cut into kindle sized sticks, dried and then used as fire starters. These sticks are commonly called fat wood.
Another more industrialized way to gather fat wood is to leave the stumps after the main tree been cut and let it dry. Once dry you cut the stump cut it into pieces, extracting the fat wood.
Beech tree
Beech tree is a deciduous tree that grow in the temperate zone of Europe, Asia and America. The beech tree family can be further split into two major sub categories, Engleriana and Fagus, together containing more than 10 different trees. The Engleriana subgroup is found in East Asia and is characterized by its low branching multiple smaller yellow trunks that reach roughly 15 meters when mature. The Fagus on the other hand is a high branching tree with a tall, stout trunk that reach roughly 40 meters in height when mature.
Useable parts
Warning
Do not consume larger quantities of raw beech tree nuts as they are irritating to the stomach and gut.
Leaves
Spring leaves from the beech tree can be eaten as a salad.
Nuts
The hard-nuts from the beech tree are not edible but if opened contains two smaller triangular nuts which are rich on proteins, fat, fibres and vitamins.
These should be either roasted or boiled before consumed but are edible raw in small amounts. The roasted nuts can be ground down to be used as fill-out with flour to bake a hard bread which is filling. The grounded nut can also be used to make a coffee substitute.
Boiled nuts should be removed from the boiling water after a minute and then pealed, removing the bad tasting layer around the nut. They can then either be consumed raw or pressed into an edible oil.
The hard-nutcase is very difficult to pry open without tools before ripe but you can gather the unripe nuts and put them to dry which will naturally cause them to crack and open. But the easiest time to harvest the nuts of the beech tree is in fall when the beech trees leaves shift colour. Then the hard-nutcase opens naturally when ripe and the inner nuts are exposed. At this point they will fall out by themselves and so it is easier to simply gather the nuts from the ground.
Sap
Beech tree sap can be gathered and used as makeshift lamp oil as well as produce hygiene articles such as soap.
Bark
Grounded beech bark have been used as a herbal medicine against blood diseases as well as to stop bleeding and clean wounds.
Sambucus (Elder)
Sambucus grows from the temperate to subtropical zone but is more common in the northern hemisphere than the southern where they only occur in Australia and South America. The tree is commonly found around old organic waste fills close to farms and homesteads because of their dependency on nitrogen rich soil. Beyond this the tree can grow in almost any kind of soil and Ph level with just enough sunlight.
Useable parts
Warning
Leaves, twigs, branches, seeds, roots, flowers, and berries of the Sambucus plant contains cyanogenic glycosides which is toxic when consumed raw. Common symptoms are nausea, vomitting, abdominal cramps diarrhea and weakness. Therefor only consume cooked berries and be aware that the flowers and leaves contains more cyanogenic glycosides than the berries.
This phenomonom is a defence mechanism shared with a lot of other plants and serves as a way to keep herbevores away from the plant. Other plants that also do this is for example Bitter almond, Barley, Flax and White clover.
Some Sambucus plants are more dangerous than other, commonly white flowers and berries growing in flat groups are safer to eat than flowers of other colours and berries that grow in groups similar to grapes. Also the eadible berries when ripe are black while others are red.
Flowers
The flower which blooms around June-July is commonly used to make cold drinks such as squash and other sweet drinks. Dried flowers can be used to make tea.
Berry
The black berries are not eadible raw by humans but when boiled can be used to make jelly, squash, liquor and wine. They concist of 80% water and 18% carbohydrates with the remaining 2% being shared between fat and proteins. 100g berries provide 43% of vitamin C, 18*% B vitamine and 10% iron of the recommended daily intake.
The berries are also a good black dye traditionally used to blacken baskets.
Twigs
The twigs of can be hollowed and used as spiles to tap syrup from maple trees or to craft flutes, blowguns and syringes.
Hazel tree
Hazel is a tree or large bush that grows in the temperate zone of the northern hemipshere. It is a member of the birch tree family. It grows in medows, grasing fields, sunny leaf forests and nutrisious pineneelde forests.
Useable parts
Nuts
The hazelnut is possible to eat raw when plucked from the tree, the nut is then green. When dried the nut will get its brown colour which means it is ripe. The nut is common in snacks, bread, deserts and as an extra in food and sallads.
The nut is very energy rich and contains a lot of fat as well as protein.
Sea buckthorn bush
Sea buckthorn is a bush that grows in the northern colder parts of the temperate zone in soil low on nutrisions. It grows to around 2-4 meters tall and is an evergreen bush with an extensive root system which transform insoluble inorganic matter and minerals into soluable solutions.
Wild bushes have a a large amount of thorns to protect from herbivores while planted bushes have less thorns to simplify harvesting. The berries ripen during fall but will cling to the bush until late spring. The berries are easiest to harvest during winter when it is snow outside as the cold will make the berries attachment to the twigs more brittle.
Useable parts
Leaves
The sea bucktorns leaves can be used to make an herbal tea by drying the leaves and then grounding.
Berry
The berries can be made into juice, jam and jelly. The fruits contains mostly sugar as well as several viatmines and minerals such as viatmine C, E and K while the largest mineral content is potassium, manganese and copper.
If pressed for juice the remaining pomace can be used to create oil, food colouring (yellow/orange) or animal feed. The oil can then be further processed to create handcream and schampoo.
If harvested late in the season the fruits will have a higher amount of oil and less vitamines.
Mayday tree
The mayday tree (or bird cherry as it is also called) get its name from the time that the tree blossoms which is in may. In old times it was considered a signal for the start of summer. The tree can grow up to 16 meters tall and grows in the northern part of the temperate hemipshere. It prefers to grow in wet soil mixed of clay and chalk which have a high Ph value and is commonly not found in sour or dry land.
Useable parts
Flower
The flower bloms in may and can be used to spice wine, vinegar and deserts.
Berry
The berries are ripe in july and are very rough which disappears if frozen. The berries can be used to make squash, jam and wine. Dried berries can also be grounded into a dark flour and used to bake desert.
Häggmispel
Växtplats
Förvildad i skogsbryn, vägrenar och lövskogar i södra och mellersta Sverige. Förekommer också planterad i parker och trädgårdar.
Användning
Bären är söta, men något sträva och fadda i smaken. De kan ätas råa, torkas eller kokas till gelé, sylt, sirap; fyllning i pajer och bakverk. Bären kan också användas i drycker såsom saft, cider, vin, öl och te. Bladen som substitut för te.
SOM MEDICIN
Hos ursprungsbefolkningar har bären använts medicinskt mot dåliga ögon, magont och leverproblem.
Innehållsämnen
Häggmispelbär är rika på kostfiber, B-vitaminer och mineraler såsom mangan, magnesium och järn och är en relativt god källa till kalcium, kalium, koppar och karoten. Antioxiderande antocyaniner ger bären dess färg och har tilldelats ett flertal hälsofördelar. C-vitaminhalten är låg (A. spicata 9,34 mg/100 g).
Förväxling
Bären hos häggmispel kan eventuellt förväxlas med aroniabär, som också är ätliga. Dessa båda buskar tillhör familjen rosväxter. Alla arter av häggmispel har ätbara bär.
Övrigt
Det finns ca 25 arter av häggmisplar. I Sverige är det främst häggmispel (A. spicata) och svensk häggmispel (A. confusa) som förekommer förvildade. Andra odlade arter är bärhäggmispel (A. alnifolia) och prakthäggmispel (A. lamarckii). Bärhäggmispel anses ha de godaste bären.
Krikon
Växtplats
Ofta odlad men förekommer även vild i t.ex. skogsbryn och vid gammal bebyggelse.
Användning
Kikon är en underart till plommon och kan därför användas på liknande sätt till sylt, marmelad, gelé, saft, och efterrättspaj.
Krusbärs buske
Växtplats
Förvildad på näringsrik, torr och stenig mark i södra och mellersta Sverige
Användning
På omogna krusbär kan man göra sylt, marmelad, curd och gelé. Fullt mogna bär kan beredas till vitt vin. Krusbär kan även användas till kräm, saft, soppa och dessertpaj.
Unga blad från krusbärsbusken kan ätas råa och användas i sallad. (Se varningar!)
Innehållsämnen
Sockerarter, mineralsalter, organiska syror och vitamin A, B och C.
Färska blad från krusbärsbusken innehåller vätecyanid, som även finns i bl a oxelfrö, linfrö och äppelkärnor och som i större mängd är skadligt. Ät ej stora mängder av krusbärsblad.
Körsbärsträd
Växtplats
Ofta odlad men förekommer även vild i lundar och hagar.
Användning
Körsbär kan ätas färska och användas till saft, gelé, sylt och dessertpaj.
Som torkade kan de ersätta russin eller annan torkad frukt.
Förväxling
I Sverige finns både surkörsbär (klarbär) och sötkörsbär, där den senare är större. Båda sorterna är användbara även om sötkörsbär är godare färska.
Plommon träd
Växtplats
Främst odlad men även förvildad vid gammal bebyggelse.
Användning
Plommon kan förutom färsk konsumtion användas i exempelvis, sylt, marmelad, gelé, saft, och efterrättspaj. Plommon kan även torkas för längre förvaring. Torkade plommon är utmärkt som snacks.
Rönn
Växtplats
Gårdar, glesa skogar, hagmark, bryn.
Användning
Bären används till sylt, vin, gelé (gärna ihop med äpple). Torkade bär kan användas i müsli. Rönnbär passar bra i bröd och gröt (stöt gärna sönder bären och kompensera det sura med t.ex. honung).
Rönnens unga blad kan användas till ett vaniljdoftande örtte.
Innehållsämnen
Rönnbär är rika på C-vitamin. De innehåller också sockerarten sorbitol som idag används som laxermedel och även som ersättning för vanligt socker i t ex halstabletter.
Eftersom rönnbär, precis som lingon, tranbär och hjortron, innehåller bensoesyra är hållbarheten god och extra konserveringsmedel är inte nödvändigt.
Skogsek
Växtplats
Ek växer vilt i hagar och skogar i södra Sverige upp till Dalälven. Klarar att växa norrut om den planteras men bildar då inga ekollon, med undantag för södra norrlandskusten.
Användning
Ekollon är beska i smaken på grund av den höga andelen garvsyra. De kan inte ätas utan först ha kokats eller rostats, vilket mildrar smaken. Plocka antingen de gröna frukterna innan de fått skal, eller de som mognat och fått skal. De omogna är mildare i smaken medan de mogna har ett högre näringsinnehåll.
Innehållsämnen
Ekollon har likt andra nötter ett mycket högt energi och näringsvärde och kan därför vara mycket användbara i överlevnadssituationer. Färska ekollon innehåller stärkelse (60%), fett (4%), protein (7%) och garvsyra.
Ved
ekved är en av de hårdaste vedsorterna vi har i landet, den behöver att torka länge men ger då en varm glöd
Crowberry bush
Grows in
Crowberries grow on lean soil that is low on calcium and rich of sunlight. Cliffs, sea shores, deforested areas and mires are examples of such places. They can be found almost anywhere in the northern hemisphere across the globe and are able to adapt even to subarctic climate.
Useable for
Crowberry have a slightly sour and rough taste which can be improved if boiled or exposed to cold. They can be eaten raw or be used to make jam, squash and to fill out other products made of berries. Because of their taste they are good to quench thirst and should be avoided to be eaten in large amounts as it could affect ones water consumption.
The crowberries are resilient and can be picked even late in the season. Should it be a snow free winter can crowberries even be found during the darkest months of the year.
Innehållsämnen
Kråkbär innehåller rikligt med antocyaniner – tillsammans med blåbär de högsta värdena bland bär – och anses minska risken för att utveckla kroniska sjukdomar på grund av hög koncentration av antioxidanter (ssp. hermaphroditum 9.17 mmol/100 g). En finsk studie (Koskela et al 2010) visar på att kråkbär som växer i områden utsatta för tidig frost har högre halt av de nyttiga antocyaninerna.
Kråkbär innehåller även fibrer, mycket vatten och har en låg sockerhalt.
Förväxling
Kråkbärsrisets växtsätt, de barrlika bladen och de svarta frukterna gör att det är svårt att förväxla kråkbär med något annat.
Det finns två mycket snarlika arter av kråkbär; sydkråkbär (Empetrum nigrum) och underarten nordkråkbär (Empetrum nigrum ssp. hermaphroditum). Nordkråkbär har större bär på grund av annan kromosomuppsättning. Sydkråkbär är i regel tvåbyggare, vilket innebär att en individ har honblommor och en annan individ har hanblommor.
Tranbärsbuske
Växtplats
Öppen och våt vitmossemark som myrar och kärr
användning
tranbären bör för smakens skull helst bli frostnupna innan de skördas. Tranbär håller sig även över vintern och kan därför också skördas i mars när snön har smält.
Tranbär påminner i smaken om lingon och kan också användas på samma sätt, exempelvis till sylt, saft, måltidsdryck, dessertpaj och gelé. Torkade tranbär är precis som blåbär utmärkt som snacks.
Innehållsämnen
Tranbär är likt blåbär rika på antioxidanter och C-vitamin. Bären innehåller även ansenliga mängder kalcium, magnesium och kalium.
Eftersom tranbär innehåller bensoesyra är hållbarheten god och extra konserveringsmedel är inte nödvändigt.
Förväxling
Tranbär förväxlas lätt med dvärgtranbär, vilket inte gör någonting eftersom detta bär har ett matvärde likvärdigt tranbär.
Tranbär skall undvikas av den som äter det blodförtunnande läkemedlet Waran eftersom ämnen i bären motverkar effekten av detta läkemedel.
Rosbuske
Användning
Blommor
Juni- juli
Rosens blommor är utmärkt i sallader, men ger även god gelé och marmelad. Vidare kan det av blommorna beredas rosenvatten, saft, vin och likör.
Nypon
Augusti- september men de svarta frukterna som sitter kvar på busken kan användas hela året.
Rosens frukt, nyponen, kan användas färska eller torkade till nyponsoppa. Samtliga nyponsorter är ätliga, men vresrosens är störst och därmed enklast att skörda. Vissa menar att hartsrosens nypon ger den godaste soppan.
Innehållsämnen
Nypon är en av de mest C-vitaminrika växter som finns. Nypon innehåller även höga halter av antioxidanterna flavonoider och betakaroten, samt omega-fettsyror.
Förväxling
Det finns många olika sorters ros men samtliga arter är ätliga.