Judson Carroll

M Ljin wrote:Thank you!

By Bulrush do you mean Bolboschoenus generally, the sort that makes rounded tubers in the muck, or something else?

I find that sort of bulrush a lovely late summer snack, and another sort—Schoenoplectus—is wonderful for basketry. Both of these I sowed in a bucket before planting them out in the slough.

There are two that I eat - the bolbo whatever, and I think the other is scirpus.

River Beauty

River Beauty is an Epilobium, like Fireweed.  But, according to many, River Beauty is a bit nicer as a wild vegetable.  The tender, spring shoots make an Asparagus-like vegetable, and the leaves are used as a potherb.  When very tender, it could probably be added to salads, but I have never tried that.  Snacking on it in the woods is pleasant.  River beauty would be a great option to include in a mix of spring veggies or greens.  To my taste, it isn't really one I would want to eat large quantities of by itself.  But, I also rarely find large quantities.  Apparently it grows more abundantly in some areas than others and where it does, some folks seem to develop quite a taste for it.  It may be that I have been harvesting it too late.  As the plant matures it becomes increasingly bitter.  I will have to make an effort to scout out this plant when in bloom and come back to it the following spring to harvest during the bud stage.




Rushes

As far as I know, in America at least, Rushes can be used interchangeably for food.  I harvest what is known as Bull Rush… but that is at least two different plants.  The one also known as Tule has more edible uses.  All rushes are great for weaving baskets, of course, and for making cordage.  Both species called Bull Rush have roots that can be used to make a very good flour.  As Mentioned under Kudzu, starches are of premium value in wild foods.  This is really an easy one, and along with fall acorns, it is one I would prioritize were I relying solely on wild foods for survival – thank God, I do not have to do that!  Knowing how to survive on wild foods is a great comfort, but I am glad that I also have a garden, I can keep some small livestock and I have access to a grocery store.  That is a great luxury that our ancestors did not always have, and it is not to be taken for granted.  This allows me to have food security and to view wild foods as an addition to my diet for nutrition and flavor.  These stable food sources also allow me to cook wild foods and season them in ways that would be very difficult otherwise – if the only cooking oil I had was rendered bear fat (for instance) I would not be doing a lot of frying… cooking fat would be precious as it cannot be readily obtained from most plant sources and more common game such as deer, rabbits and squirrels are extremely lean

To obtain the flour made from the roots of Rushes, harvest at least a couple of pounds.  Trim, scrub and wash them.  Peel them and cut them up as finely as possible.  Boil them down into a sort of cooked oatmeal-like consistency.  Dry thoroughly and use just as you would wheat flour… but, it is better to mix both Rush and Acorn meal/flour with flour made from a grain if you want to make bread.  Wheat flour, especially, has been bred for its gluten content.  This is what gives dough elasticity and allows it to rise.  Corn, for instance, has no gluten and will make wonderful tortillas or cornbread (using chemical leaveners), but will not rise into a soft loaf using yeast – the gluten traps the bubbles that are created as yeast digests starches and sugars.  Of course, you could use baking powder and baking soda to make a cornbread type of bread with Rush meal, or make flat bread.  

The Bull Rush also called Tule, is better for harvesting the tender shoots and the core of stems, as well as the pollen.  Think of this Rush just as you would Cattails.  The roots can also be peeled and eaten as you would potatoes or Jerusalem Artichokes. The roots contain sugars, so they are an important source of nutritional energy.  Shoots and stem cores can be cooked as a green vegetable – steam/saute method as with Asparagus – or sliced thin and eaten raw.  The roots are very good added to roasts and stews, but I think they are best sliced and cooked in fat with onions.  Rushes grow by water, so frying up the roots like potatoes to serve with fish is a natural combination!

The pollen is not terribly useful on its own, but it is nutritious.  If possible, combine with Pine pollen and/or Cattail pollen, and add to flour/meal.  In terms of nutritional energy, edible pollens are really a super food.  The same is true of Chia seeds.  One way I like using such foods that is not a bread is to make pemmican.  Pine pollen is very supportive of testosterone in men – combined with calorie dense fat, some protein and vitamins, this ancient “energy bar” is a definite help whenever hard work and endurance is required…. Etc. (I write with a wink).  Pemmican can be made with any combination of animal fat, dried fruit, berries, nuts, seeds, dried meat (like jerky, biltong or even dried and smoked salmon), and the meat is optional – leave it out if you don’t like it.  Grind everything up finely and make it into bars.  Pemmican was to the Native American what fruit cake was to medieval Europeans – stored food energy.  The addition of pollens and seeds not only increase its nutritional value, but helps the bars firm up quickly.  Not only is Pemmican tasty, but it makes you feel like an old fashioned woodsman who lived by knife, axe and gun…. It may not put hair on your chest, but the nutritional content may actually make your beard grow thicker!

(Photo by Meneerke bloem - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50174480)


This article is an excerpt from

The Spring Foraging Cookbook: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-spring-foraging-cookbook.html
Available for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRP63R54

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Read about my other new books:

Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/10/herbal-medicine-for-preppers.html

Available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09HMWXL25

Medicinal Ferns and Fern Allies, an Herbalist’s Guide https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/11/medicinal-ferns-and-fern-allies.html

Available for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMSZSJPS

A Daily Catholic Devotional Reflections on the Daily Mass readings July-December, 2025
https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2023/12/a-daily-catholic-devotional-reflections.html

Medicinal Weeds and Grasses of the American Southeast, an Herbalist’s Guide
https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2023/05/medicinal-weeds-and-grasses-of-american.html

Available in paperback on Amazon:
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Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith
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Medicinal Shrubs and Woody Vines of The American Southeast An Herbalist’s Guide

Read about Medicinal Shrubs and Woody Vines of The American Southeast An Herbalist’s Guide: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/06/medicinal-shrubs-and-woody-vines-of.html

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Read about my new other books:

Medicinal Ferns and Fern Allies, an Herbalist’s Guide https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/11/medicinal-ferns-and-fern-allies.html

Available for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMSZSJPS

The Omnivore’s Guide to Home Cooking for Preppers, Homesteaders, Permaculture People and Everyone Else: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-omnivores-guide-to-home-cooking-for.html

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Medicinal Shrubs and Woody Vines of The American Southeast an Herbalist’s Guide
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Available for purchase on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2T4Y5L6

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Growing Your Survival Herb Garden for Preppers, Homesteaders and Everyone Else
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The information on this site is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing on this site has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I am not a doctor. The US government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and their is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I’m just a guy who studies herbs. I am not offering any advice. I won’t even claim that anything I write is accurate or true! I can tell you what herbs have “traditionally been used for.” I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb helped me. I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use any herb I, or anyone else, mentions you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, sensitivity or underlying condition that no one else shares and you don’t even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to read my blog you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices and not to blame me for anything, ever.

Show 279: Wisteria, Mistletoe and Horsetail

This week, we discuss the medicinal uses and cautions of Wisteria and Mistletoe, then do a deep dive into Equisetum or Horsetail - one of the most useful and ancient plants on earth.

https://judsoncarroll.substack.com/p/show-279-wisteria-mistletoe-and-horsetail

Trouble, I've Had It All My Days on guitar

I show you how to play Mississippi John Hurt's "Trouble, I've Had It All My Days" on guitar. This one is fairly easy once you get the basic pattern down, and that gives you a lot of room for variation.

https://youtu.be/RIoASzPl4ME

From the Spring Foraging Cookbook: Redbud

This is a very attractive leguminous tree. You will certainly notice it for its bright, magenta to purple, red flowers in the spring. It is one of the first trees to bring color after winter. These flowers are absolutely delicious – they taste like fresh, sweet, garden peas! Most often, I simply pick as much as I can carry and snack on while hiking. They are very good in salads. Just briefly sauteed with olive oil or butter and salt, they make an excellent side dish. Most often though, I just toss a few on the plate as a garnish. The flavor is sweet, refreshing and just a touch wildly unique. I usually combine them with more bitter flowers such as Forsythia blossoms.

Read more:
https://judsoncarroll.substack.com/p/from-the-spring-foraging-cookbook-92f

Meat Shakin' Woman on guitar

I show you how to play my version of Blind Boy Fuller's "Meat Shakin' Woman".  This one is much easier than the last Fuller tune we did... but, it does beg the question of why he was so obsessed with fat women....?? Anyway, there are some great licks in this one and it is a fun, real old beer joint type of blues.

https://youtu.be/sIwMhqwJrNE

M Ljin wrote:Thanks for sharing!

Some people cut ramp bulbs in half, eat the top, and then replant the bottoms too. I have been thinking that picking bulbs and then replanting 1/3 of what you pick in a regenerating or denuded woodland seems like a good solution for the sustainability. Some patches are very dense and something called "ramp kill" apparently happens, where the ramps at the center slowly die out from overcrowding, like what will happen to all alliums if you don't harvest, thin, or plant out now and then. But clearly ramps are much more slow growing.

Fortunately in my region, ramps are still all over the forests, especially up in the mountains where the land hasn't been cleared for agriculture or pasture. There are some regions in the mountains where ramps stretch as far as the eye can see. They are getting less common due to people not being thoughtful about harvesting, and clearing/logging without paying attention, but still amazing to see. I even saw a four leafed ginseng in one of those logged areas... logging which happened to coincide perfectly with a favorite black morel patch!

And THAT, is why we LOVE foraging!  I would rather go to the woods to harvest food than do anything else. I had a very pretty girlfriend once who asked me to be normal.... I chose the woods.

From the Spring Foraging Cookbook: Ramps (Allium tricoccum)

Ramps are one of the first wild edibles that grow in my region in early spring. Ramps are also my favorite of all wild vegetables! Unfortunately, not only is the Ramp season short, but they grow only in specific conditions. The time to harvest Ramps here, is around Easter.

Read more:
https://judsoncarroll.substack.com/p/from-the-spring-foraging-cookbook-96f

Anytime on guitar

I show you how to play a thumb style version of "Anytime" - this is truly one of my absolute favorite songs!  You may know it as an Eddy Arnold song, but it was first done by Emmett Miller.  Emmett Miller was a blackface comedian from Georgia, who was a big star in the 1920s. He was the first singer to truly combine blues, country and jazz into the form that would shape American popular music to this day.  His band included Eddie Lang, Scatman Crothers, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey and Glenn Miller at various times! He is one of the most important figures in American music, and the one history has tried hardest to erase.

https://youtu.be/4JY94v4Q_Vw

I hate AI videos, but this channel is the exception. I (yes, even I... wink implied) have learned a lot from it! https://youtu.be/bdQpYWY4_WQ?si=GogXzhWm9NV1yb2s