California Wild Edibles / Sierra Foothills

I went for a hike to forage some edible wild plants for a salad. I am not an expert at plant identification. My knowledge comes from hands on experience from a lifetime of living in California. Please be careful and harvest responsibly. Leave enough for the wildlife and next years crop.

[@sellyourhomenowbook]

thank you every student in school should be taught what's edible

[@trilbyarnold3341]

Very enjoyable video. Thank you for showing people the edibles. as a youngster a large part of our nutrition came from native plants, lambs quarter, poke, wild mustard, miner's lettuce, dandelions wild onions and many others. Tasty, healthy and cheap.

[@ApeMan]

Thanks Trilby. Lots of good vitamins growing for free all around us. And I will second your comment. They are tasty!

[@jennatoenges3591]

great video! great info since california is in a super bloom 🌸

[@laureneaton5802]

Wow what a treat to come along with you and forage! thanks for including the end result salad as well. Looks delicious!!

[@AnotherKhuong]

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge

[@mexijewbear]

This video was SUPER HELPFUL. Thanks so much for your knowledge!

[@riceandpotatoes]

Growing up (20 years) in Folsom I know EXACTLY where you are and wish I knew this as a kid! Now I explore and forage further north in CA

[@azore1184]

I knew it was Folsom too lol

[@deant1499]

Awesome. Thank you for this!

[@fernandoperez8973]

Thank you. Love the info, can you zoom in on every part of the plants next time.

[@victoriaoshea4865]

Very informative and easy to learn from thank you!

[@GruntProof]

Very informative. I'm in that area and have just started researching this by subject. Thanks!

[@ApeMan]

Bon appetit

[@sophianicole3360]

"the flower-" **chomps flower**

[@icedclips725]

good video man. I'm from the Chico area little north of you, you should check out Table Mountain in the spring if you haven't already. It would be cool next time to take a picture up close so we could see the plant a little better.

[@Foxyfreedom]

Table mountain by Mt. St Helena? I hiked that one a month ago. Lots of mushrooms!

[@PurringMyrrh]

Table Mtn is amazing! Just got done peaking this year.

[@PurringMyrrh]

@@Foxyfreedom Oroville. St. Helena is towards Napa.

[@richardernest2183]

Great video, I live in Rocklin so this video was absolutely perfecf for me.

[@ApeMan]

Bon Appetit!

[@GINZO4849]

The mustard paste you talk about was called a Mustard Plaster. I had it applied to me as a youngster (on my chest.) Perhaps for a cold? I do not remember.

[@TriggerHappy923]

Great video. Thank you!

[@JustinMcKinneyhiker]

Cool video and thats a great salad !!!

[@lilgreenbean4097]

Wow amazing video! I live the next exit up from Folsom.. today I’m going to forage a salad! I’ve seen these plants all over never knew they were edible! Thank you

[@ApeMan]

Be careful! Wild Oaks Park on El Dorado Hills Blvd has a good crop of Miners Lettuce right now. Happy hunting!

[@synthetic_paul]

Great vid, thanks!

[@Chilltothend]

Ive found wild radish plants in northern Ca, at least I think they are radish, with purple, white or yellow flowers. The flowers, leaves and stems taste like radishes.

[@sdreefsurf]

Cool vid Apeman! I had a bunch of miner's lettuce a couple weeks while hiking Catalina!

[@hannahzuklie8138]

Wonderful video!

[@OmGokhale]

Agreed-amazing!

[@PurringMyrrh]

Whaaaaa?! Redbud?! I had no idea. Such a great vid. Answered all my queations and more.

[@at-citie]

I've found that miners lettuce tastes best in Coloma near the river

[@dylanstolfus7350]

Great video. Very informational

[@a13x916]

awesome video thank you!

[@daveinstlouis7296]

Thanks Ape Man for another Fine Vid. I also like the Tree Vid. I was sure you had a background in plants.. I'm Glad the knees seem to be doing well and you are on the Hill. Happy Hiking

[@ApeMan]

Thanks Dave. I’m a certified arborist but not as strong on plants. I enjoy the natives over the ornamentals. One college botany class makes it questionable for you to follow my advice. I’ve managed to not have any ill effects from eating wild plants...so far.

[@kelseydalziel3514]

I stumbled across this video at the perfect time of year. About the wild mustard: I have a friend with loads in his garden, but also doesn't have much intention to eat it. He collected the seeds once, roasted them and made mustard before, but it was such an arduous process he only ever made it that one time. His wife finds the purple seed pods so pretty and it's taller than him so it stays in the garden.

[@rabbitpawstudios6815]

I don’t have any of that except the mustard flowers, I eat so much while hiking lol! I think the taste like spicy broccoli for some reason lmao

[@johneason6540]

Good one! Thanks

[@ilsanglee1406]

Thank you **

[@joesmith4222]

The recent rain made my Stinging Nettle com back up. Tea time.

[@megmcguireme]

As I kid I would eat so much miners lettuce my mouth would turn green.

[@ApeMan]

Probably pooped green too!

[@ecv03]

Same.

[@souzou1000]

A clear photo of the plants would be helpful...

[@wangyiran66]

9:51 this is a type of false dandelion, it is edible and tastes like dandelion, maybe less bitter

[@SewGood]

Yum!

[@wallanderproductions]

Super cool had no idea I could eat all that stuff

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

Quite helpful. Especially since i wasn't raised here in California. My people are originally but i was raised in the Smoky Mtns back east. Im used to some of it b/c it grows there too but the California specific stuff im not familiar w/ at all really.

[@moreawakenow6940]

Thank you! Great lesson! Would you consider talking to our group in Placerville?

[@ApeMan]

What is your group all about? I’m really not a plant expert but I am a certified arborist. My knowledge is just from being native to this area for a long time.

[@sandstream3873]

Thanks Ape Man, salad looks great. Nice to see some footage of this local area. As vibrantly green as the plants were in April, are they just as dried as can be in December? A cycle of surge and retreat

[@ApeMan]

Jeff Koeckritz Next year’s crop is starting to grow since we finally got some good rain.

[@Shuvvletoofth161]

Fun fact about the soap root and buckeye is that you can eat them if you roast them for about 30 or more hours

[@Shuvvletoofth161]

It was not preferred, and was often treated as a famine time food

[@ragheadand420roll]

If youre in the nevada city area check out THE SANCTUARY they have some great edibles 😂✌🏻

[@ApeMan]

I will thanks!

[@livefreeallways]

I wonder if anyone is growing fruit/food forests near sierra nevadas?

[@ApeMan]

UNITED4FREEDOM California has a great year round climate that makes it possible to grow a lot of different plants.

[@livefreeallways]

@@ApeMan Thanks. Asking for my family who lives in a dry area that also get's snow in the winter. My dad is growing in a fenced in area with garden beds because he doesn't want deer to get everything. He could be growing way more if he wasn't concerned about the deer. Curious if anyone had some footage of food forests in that area so I could send him an example.

[@ecv03]

I used to save all my apple seeds, fruit pits, bell pepper seeds, and so on. Everytime I went hiking I would spread them with the hope of free food for people in the future.

[@blakerusso8855]

Soap root can be eaten as long as it is cooked!!! The saponins which are a bitter toxic compound cook out soaproot can also be used as a sunscreen soap/shampoo and helps poison oak by pulling oils from skin lots of it grow on my rez up in norcal

[@ApeMan]

Thanks for that great input!

[@blakerusso8855]

@@ApeMan great video good explanations of each plant 👍🏼

[@badgerdoesbushcraft]

…soaproot isn’t deadly. It does contain saponins which can be used to stun fish, but the root bulb is edible when roasted. They also used chlorogalum for soap, making brushes, and several other things.

[@ApeMan]

Thanks for that valuable input. Get your salad on !

[@jefffriedberg]

I am in New Mexico.

[@justinturner4681]

Soap root or soap wort can be eaten. 🤦 Just roast it to get rid of the saponin. (Which can also be used as anti-bacterial soap. ) Roasting it will take out the saponin and fibers in it. And will be like eating a sweat potato. High in starch great for calories.

[@ApeMan]

Justin Turner Thanks for that info. I was hesitant to suggest it’s really edible in case people didn’t properly prepare it.

[@justinturner4681]

@@ApeMan it is nutritious and edible. Natives used that plant for food, the fibers from the bulb to make brushes, and even the leaves to make green tattoo ink. Also like you mentioned they used it for fishing. The saponin (which is not harmful to us) would stop the fish from being able to breathe in oxygen so then they would float to the top of the water for some seconds to be netted. This plant was also used for soap.

[@shrimpbynightbythomas8212]

Have you come across a seed that would make a loud popping sound when add to water, look like a brown rice in it shell? They grow on the end strick.

[@ApeMan]

Not familiar with that. Sounds fun!

[@warofgazes5788]

Lmao I live right next to Folsom lake! 😂

[@gouldayheem7344]

Great video! 👍 Have you ever tried the flowers of a pineapple guava? Definitely not native but they are tasty! Like candy

[@robynandmissy]

you are too cool. great video. Do you also eat wild mushrooms?

[@ApeMan]

Oh no the mushroom gatherers are in a league of their own and are expert at plant identification. There aren't many mushroom gatherers around that are bad at identifying edible mushrooms. I get mine from the store!

[@robynandmissy]

@@ApeMan ha!

[@darkencypher]

"disclaimer: I have no idea what I'm doing" lol

[@chasedean4032]

Hears a way to test a plant 1st rub a little on your skin if you dont have a reaction in 5 minutes then rub some on your lips if In 5 minutes no reaction ingest a little and if you feel fine its probably ok

[@pk-fb2yr]

I can't get a good view .

[@socalrail4729]

thumbs down, couldnt stand the wind, get a mic windscreen

[@tylermarshall6714]

eYe been eTing redbud flwrs

[@loncho5079]

@ 0:25 Disclaimer, I don't know what I'm doing" STOP VIDEO, DISLIKED, MOVE ON TO ANOTHER VIDEO!

[@marcvictoria1414]

What a shame the audio sucks.

[@dipendrakhatri7703]

Lol