Welcome to Friday Food Reviews, where I will cover a different food or product each week and look at… what they are.  where do they grow, what can we substitute them for in a recipe, and are they safe to eat, store, use, cook, or anything connected to that food? or product..all the why’s and the wherefores…it will, of course, be mainly my own opinion or a known fact…good or bad…there may even be a tried and tested recipe…or three… today I am looking at…Edible Roots…Part 5.

Like I did with the aromatic leaves I will not be featuring common ones but maybe ones we throw away without realising that they are a source of flavour for our food, to eat and cook with or to make tea…my aim is to feature three roots per post one of which may be new to you…as with all foods when you come across or try something new it may be edible but is it palatable to you... in these days of food, uncertainty I think it is important that we should properly try foraged foods and foods that are not at risk of shortages and see if they are palatable to us and be honest not fussy as we may have to change our eating habits to survive OR IN TRUTH FOOD THAT WE CAN AFFORD…Best be prepared…

Because some of these roots are foraged by indigenous peoples I cannot always find images I can use but sometimes it is useful to know what the plant looks like above the ground when foraging…and as always if foraging make sure that you have correctly identified the plant before eating if in doubt ..don’t…

Today I am featuring …

Bulrush Roots…as there are so many varieties of Bulrush this video should make it slightly clearer if you are foraging for bulrushes…

The Bulrush is native to Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, China and the Russian Far East although you will find varieties of the species grown elsewhere wherever there is a moist environment…it can be used as a wild and nutritional addition to the human diet. This reed-like plant is also known as tule, wool grass, rat grass, or reed mace…the dried rhizome of the bulrush can be used to make flour…it can be used as a substitute for wheat flour some Native Americans boiled the roots to make syrup, and the rhizome can also be eaten raw in a salad or cooked as a vegetable…

Sea Holly…

Sea holly roots are slightly sweet and smell similar to the carrot – they can be used as a vegetable and can be cooked or candied. Roasted roots are said to resemble parsnips or chestnuts in flavour…and if you have the right weather conditions you can grow them in your garden…

Large Indian Breadroot…common name Prairie Turnip…

As a food, the prairie turnip has been described variously as a “delicacy,” “tolerably good eating,” or “tasteless and insipid.” Barry Kaye and D. W. Moodie describe the Native Americans’ use of it as food as follows: “they eat it uncooked, or they boil it, or roast it in the embers, or dry it, and crush it to powder and make soup of it. Large quantities are stored in buffalo skin bags for winter use. A sort of pudding made of the flour of the dried roots and with the serviceberries after boiling together is said to be very palatable and makes a sweet pudding.

Serviceberries are so-called so the story goes that the first settlers in the New England area often planned funeral services at the same time that the tree bloomed. Its blooming was a sign that the ground had thawed sufficiently to be able to dig graves. So the tree became known as the ‘serviceberry tree.

The root can also be peeled and eaten raw or cooked…

Prairie turnip flour is often used as a “secret ingredient” in modern Indian frybread recipes…Frybread is a flat dough bread, fried or deep-fried in oil, shortening, or lard…eaten alone or with various toppings such as honey, jam, powdered sugar, venison, or beef. Frybread can also be made into taco-like meals.

Thank you for joining me today for “Edible Roots” …How is your foraging going or your quest for edible roots at your local farmer’s markets?? as always I look forward to your comments x