5 Edible and Medicinal Plants to Forage For This Spring

1. Wild Onions

Wild onions have been used for their medicinal properties by some Native American tribes for hundreds of years. Wild onion tea was used to by pregnant mothers to help their babies. It was (and is!) also used to treat stuffed up sinuses with it by chewing on the bulb. This is tasty on its own, in a salad, chopped and added (raw) onto soups, or cooked into dishes. both the bulb and leaves are edible.

2. Fiddlehead Ferns

Fiddleheads help to promote new, healthy blood cells, improve blood pressure, and can help to fight off infections. (It's even been said to help with weight loss!) While it takes a large amount to make you sick, eating huge quantities of fiddlehead ferns raw can do it. They're typically prepared like asparagus, meaning that they are great for sautes, steaming, and boiling. When preparing to cook them, wash them carefully and make sure you remove all of the brown chaff.

3. Stinging Nettles

From helping to treat prostate and urinary issues to eczema, sore muscles, gout, arthritis, and even anemia, Stinging Nettle isn't as bad as the name may suggest. However, it can severely irritate the skin, so be careful when harvesting! When cooked, the irritant in stinging nettle is neutralized. Once cooked, they are delightful in stews, soups, pasta, sautes and even in pestos! Nettles are one of the most versatile and abundant plants to forage.

4. Queen Anne's Lace

This wild carrot is full of medicinal properties. The leaves, seeds, and flowers of this plant are edible and tasty in a variety of dishes, or on their own. they can help prevent kidney stones as well as support kidney health and can rid gastrointestinal discomforts such as indigestion, diarrhea, and gas. The flowers can be enjoyed raw or fried in a light batter. The seeds can be a joy in tea or stews and soups!

5. Dandelions

Dandelions are amazing. There is a use for every part of the plant, and they have huge health benefits to your digestive track. From promoting appetite and digestion to balancing beneficial, natural bacterias, and even helping with high blood pressure, liver problems, kidneys, and more, they are a good all-around medicinal plant that tastes fantastic to boot! Eat the flowers raw or have them in tea or make a wine from them, blanch the leaves or have them in a salad, and make a tea or tinctures from the roots!

Now that you know just a few of the amazing, beneficial, and downright scrumptious plants to forage, what are you waiting for?