Flowers of the Jerusalem Artichoke Plant. Let the harvest begin!

Linda Diane Feldt | Contributor

Time again to gather my twitter posts into a single blog entry. The selection of wild foods is just beginning to decline, so you'll find me posting more recipes and philosophy soon. I've published a cook book that includes wild foods, so I have no shortage of ideas to share. But there are still a few wild things worth gathering. Fall has just begun.

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With help, I've collected plenty of pears. And they are pretty ugly. I heard someone describe the mottled skin as a rash, another as scabs. It looks bad, but doesn't affect the taste. Almost none of them are ripe, which is good. They will last longer. My root cellar is just beginning to be cool. I'd like to gather another 100 or so, thinking of eating them into February.

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Jerusalem Artichoke plants can grow eight feet or more. Harvest the underground tubers in the fall.

Linda Diane Feldt | Contributor

Jerusalem Artichokes Helianthus tuberosus aren't exactly wild but yet they become wild. They will invade your garden once established. Each fall, dig up all the roots (the tubers) you can find, you can't wipe out the patch. They will survive. The tubers are a light brown, with a few dark spots, and white inside. You do not need to peel them before eating.

Eat Jerusalem Artichokes raw, cooked and mashed, in stir fries, in soups, roasted, and baked. One of my favorite ways to eat them is cut up and baked with chunks of potatoes. Then, I mash them together with a bit of yogurt, cumin, salt, and a touch of hot sauce.

I clean the tubers with a small brush and lots of water. The tubers are high in iron, inulin, have a low glycemic index, and are tasty in an earthy sweet kind of way. They store well in the refrigerator. Just don't wash or clean them before storing in a plastic bag. I've had them last an entire year, and then last year they only kept for a few months. They should be hard, and crisp when you bite into them. Discard any that are soft, and if they seem on the edge eat those first. Don't try and store the soft or damaged ones long term. My small patch (less than 3 feet square) provides about 20 pounds of tubers each year.

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Another weed walk is scheduled for Sat Oct. 3. Register by Thursday. 3-5 at Barton Pond, you have to pre-register. $10-20 sliding scale fee, handouts are included.

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This year Ive been tasting nearly every crabapple I see. An amazing variety of flavors. Great fun to just taste, a nibble is enough usually. It makes walking around town more fun. There are a lot of these trees!

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Want to tackle a messy, hard, and difficult task? Black walnuts. Amazing, almost smoky, lovely taste. But they are lots of work. I've eaten them that someone else has harvested, but I never took it on. One way to crack them open is to run over them with a car. Remove the outer husks (be careful, the stain is permanent so wear gloves), crack open the shells, and extract nut meats. I heard them falling (loudly) on my garage and porch roof all last week, the recent high winds put an end to that.

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Goldenrod Solidago is finally fading after a long show. My impression was that goldenrod was stronger and lasted longer than is normal. Dry the flowers for infusions, tincture it for later use. It is helpful for the immune system, digestive system, and more.

***** I taught a large class on nourishing and medicinal herbs last Thursday night. Two people asked how to grow herbs when you live in an apartment. I suggested they consider the whole city their garden and start wildcrafting and foraging!

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A branch from an Autumn Olive Tree. This invasive plant has tasty berries high in lycopene and antioxidants. You can harvest them for the next month.

Linda Diane Feldt | Contributor

I never did find an Autumn Olive Elaeagnus umbellata to photograph on my walks this week. But a friend brought me an olive branch, and this photo of the drying branch at least shows off the tasty berries.

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Lots of Staghorn Sumac, the leaves are turning red and so is the fruit.

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I took a long walk in the Arb last week. There was a tasty tart apple near the meadow. The rosehips and crabapples seemed almost rotted from the humidity. They were softer than they should have been. More acorns. I picked up a lot of Red Oak acorns.

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Linda Diane Feldt is a local Holistic Health Practitioner, author, and teacher. A student of the healing arts since 1973, she has had a full time private practice "providing an integrated approach to holistic health care since 1980".