Foraging or The Earth Provides pt. 3

Photo Public Domain wikiCommons

Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of small, inconspicuous plants commonly called plantains. They share this name with the very dissimilar plantain, a kind of banana. Most are herbaceous plants, though a few are subshrubs growing to 60 cm (23.5 in) tall. The leaves are sessile, but have a narrow part near the stem which is a pseudo-petiole. They have three or five parallel veins that diverge in the wider part of the leaf. Leaves are broad or narrow, depending on the species. The inflorescences are borne on stalks typically 5-40 cm (2.25-15.75 in) tall, and can be a short cone or a long spike, with numerous tiny wind-pollinated flowers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago

Plantains ( Plantago major) often are found in lawns and lots. It is an inconspicuous plant that is often overlooked. The leaves can be eaten raw.

Photo by Martin LaBar on flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinlabar/314786264/

"In some human cultures, acorns once constituted a dietary staple, though they are now generally considered a minor food with the exception of Native American and Korean cultures. In Korean culture in particular, dotorimuk, acorn jelly, and dotori gooksoo, acorn noodles, are eaten by some on a daily basis."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn

Acorns must be dried, then soaked in water, replacing the water several times, to remove bitter taste. It can then be ground dried and used in place of conventional flour.

"I bring all the acorns home from collecting, and dry them in the oven at pilot light temperatures or very low heat. This is just to dry them and kill off bugs.

When I get around to it, I crack the shells off, and then I soak the shelled acorns in water. Generally, I soak the acorns for a few days to about two weeks, changing the water at least twice a day. When the acorns are no longer bitter, I grind them while wet through a meat grinder.

The coarse meal is then placed in cookie pans to dry in the sun or oven. When dry, I store in large jars in the cupboard. The meal is then used in place of wheat flour in recipes, or half and half in various recipes."
http://www.self-reliance.net/acorn.html

Photo from Mgmax on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgmax/2757555007/

Lambsquarter ( Chenopodium berlandieri ) is common in many areas from urban to countryside. It is also known as goosefoot, or pigweed. It is one of the more mild tasting edibles and is good eaten raw. Many people use it in place of spinach.

"Lambsquarters is a close cousin to spinach, but far, far more nutritious. It ranks right up there with Dandelion, Watercress and Nettles as one of nature’s nutritional powerhouses. It has a mild, green flavor like our domestic greens. In fact it is a relative of Swiss chard, beets and a few exotic garden greens like orach, all in the Chenopodium family."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambsquarter

Here's a short video from Shyguyx12 showing several edibles.