by Ragtimelil
When I was in my 30s, I became interested in wild plants. Euell Gibbons and his Stalking the Wild Asparagus had something to do with that. (He died of a ruptured aneurysm, not from eating wild mushrooms as rumor had it.)
Since then I’ve always noticed native plants and paid particular attention to any that were useful. I’ve collected edible plants, wild dye plants and wild medicinal plants
 | Stalking The Wild Asparagus Euell Gibbons was one of the few people in this country to devote a considerable part of his life to the adventure of “living off the land.” He sought out wild plants all over N... |
 | Stalking The Healthful Herbs Here Euell Gibbons shows the reader how to enjoy the culinary and medicinal virtues of herbs and wild plants. Drawn from the author’s wide knowledge of plants as well as from th... |
 | Stalking The Blue-Eyed Scallop Euell Gibbons tells how to find marvelous food in every coastal area of North America.This book contains numerous drawings for identification and abounds in recipes and cooking ... |
Now that I’ve relocated 2,000 miles away, I’m shocked at some of the plants that don’t grow wild in Texas. For instance, stinging nettle grows like a weed in New Hampshire, but not in the southern part of Texas where I’m living. I had plans to try retting (rotting) stinging nettle and producing fiber from the stalks. It is one of the oldest plant fibers used for weaving cloth similar to flax and hemp. On top of that, it can be used as a dye and can make a tasty green when cooked.
A quick blanch is enough to tame the sting. Nettles also can be medicinal as an anti-inflammatory.
 | 101 Uses for Stinging Nettles Stinging nettles are, for many of us, nothing more than persistent weeds with a painful sting. But apart from having an important role in the web of life, nettles are an incredi... |
My old friend, the common milkweed
Goldenrod, those beautiful fall golden flowers that produce such easy golden dyes, do not grow in Texas. One plant I won’t miss is burdock. It can be used as a dye plant and as a medicinal as well as for food. I dislike it though because of its seed pods. They stick to everything and are hard to remove. They can ruin a sheep’s fleece and make a dog miserable.
 | Craft of the Dyer: Colour from Plants and Lichens Here is a complete guide to making and using dyes from a wide variety of plants — from acorn to zinnia. For each plant: suitability for dyeing, parts to use, processing, availab... |
 | Natural Dyes, Plants and ProcessesOnly $9.95 |
Jewelweed does grow here, according to the books, but I haven’t found it yet. It generally likes to grow near poison ivy, which is very handy since its main use is to counteract the effects of that annoying native plant. There’s plenty of poison ivy around here – I mean everywhere, but no jewelweed, so far.
 | Outwitting Poison Ivy Outwitting Poison Ivy is a factual and sometimes humorous look at some of the most irksome weeds in the woods. It identifies poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac, and enable... Only $14.95 |
One plant I’m glad to see again is the Jerusalem artichoke, not actually related to artichokes, but rather a sunflower. It grows tubers that are edible. It was one of the first flowers I spotted when we landed here, and before someone mowed them all down. That won’t kill Jerusalem artichokes, however. They just grow back.
I’ve also found curly dock which can be used for food and for dye. And yarrow which is my favorite tea remedy for a feverish cold.
According to the book mullein grows down here too. It’s a great dye plant as well as a medicinal plant. I love its stately stalk that grows in the second year.
 | Herbal Remedies from the Wild: Finding and Using Medicinal Herbs A handbook for the home herbalist, detailing how to identify, gather, and prepare more than fifty different wild plants for medicinal use.Traditional herbal medicine, long pract... |
 | The Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants as Medicines Matthew Wood is recognized world wide as one of the United States' most reknown herbalists. His previous book, Seven Herbs: Plants as Healers, was a watershed in teaching herbal... |
One of my very favorite plants is St John's wort, the same stuff that’s sold as a remedy for depression. It also makes a wonderful reddish dye. I love looking at the tiny leaves and seeing the neat row of even tinier holes in them. That confirms that I have the right plant. According to the book, they grow down here too.
There are many native plants here I haven’t discovered yet, but one I want to experiment with is the mesquite tree. The seeds can be eaten and used to make wine, so I have read. I found a tree, but the branches were out of my reach. I’m searching for a shorter tree.
 | Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest: A Practical Guide All around us there are wild plants good for food, medicine, clothing, and shelter, but most of us don't know how to identify or use them. Delena Tull amply supplies that knowle... |
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Comments
They're pretty new to me. I mean, some I vaguely remember from when I grew up here, but some I never paid attention to. Now I'm interested and notice them more.
It's always neat learning about different types of plants like this. I've never been to Texas, so those exclusive to there are new to me! I've never seen a St. John's Wort plant but they are interesting too!
sheilamarie, it is rather exciting to learn new plants. I've met the Chinaberry tree, (poisonous) the Osage orange tree, (good for wood and rather interesting) , and the sweet gum tree, to name a few. I take walks and say hello to them.
I know I really was shocked that nettles didn't grow down here. Who'd a thunk it. Glad to hear from someone who appreciates "weeds" instead of trying to wipe everything out.
This is interesting as I had thought stinging nettles would flourish in most locations. In my mind the weeds/wild plants that grow on my vegetable plot have different groups. The nettles come into the category of 'you were here before me and are useful'. Which is why I have left a patch of nettles to flourish in a corner. I like to see the butterflies visiting the nettles. If I have to cut the nettles back, I do it at a time when it will not affect the wild life.
I have been told that nettles are a wild plant that makes a tasty soup. However I have never tried to make it. I would imagine it will become more popular with the trend and popularity of foraging for wild plants for food.
I never knew you could use nettles to make fibers until I read this.
I used to read Euell Gibbons, too. I'm discovering new plants since moving west from Vermont. It's kind of exciting to make new leafy friends.