Gathering Wild Arrowroot

If you are gathering wild edibles to make a survivalist meal in Florida or moist southern climates in the Caribbean then look around for arrowroot.  It is also called Bermuda or Florida arrow root (largely and also araru, or ararao.)  It was also cultivated in the West Indies, Southeast Asia and in Africa. It is an ancient crop that has been grown for about seven thousand years. Sometimes it is also called Indian Bread Root or Wild Sago.

 

It is classified as a large perennial herb and is about two feet high with small white flowers and fruits that look like currants.  The rootstocks are ready when the plant is a year old.  A good healthy root is ready to eat when it is one year old and about a foot in length. They are yellow to white in color and covered with loose scales.  The root also usually has lots of joints and fingers. They are also covered with loose scales that are removed  with scrubbing before you consume it.

 

To harvest grasp the plant at the base and then pull it up. Cut the tubers from the stems of the plant and dig the tuber out of the ground.  Shake the dirt off the tuber well.

 

The arrowroot has been commercially turned into starch for years. It is 23% starch in composition.  It is ground into a pulp and then dried and turned into a powder and sold as a starch for baking.  In fact, arrowroot biscuits are a favourite treat in Britain.

 

If you boil arrowroot you can easily make a type of gel or custard. It can also be good for thickening sauces or stews.

 

One thing to note about it is that it does not mix well with any type of dairy product. The dairy will not mix with the arrowroot and it will have a curdled appearance.

 

If you are gathering it wild be aware that unless ground and saturated in water and drained it can be very hard on the gastrointestinal tract. Be sure to soak it well and grind it up so that it is easy on the digestive system.

 

Another reason that this is such a good survivalist food is because they keep so well. They are best stored with other root crops like beets, potatoes, yams and parsnips. They can keep in a well ventilated environment for a bout ten weeks.

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Gathering Wild Amaranth

If you are in a survival situation then try searching for Amaranth. Amaranth is also called pigweed. It is actually a grain that was used for making flatbreads and tacos by Central and South Americans.  If you are a survivalist in the American Southwest you should definitely learn about this edible plant.  It is a domesticated plant gone wild. In fact this plant was just as valuable to the Aztecs as corn.

 

The reason that amaranth became forgotten about is because when the Spanish conquistador took over Mexico in the early 1500s he made growing it a crime. That way it was easier to starve the native people. Until recently this former crop was completely forgotten about as a food source for humans.

 

Pigweed grows everywhere. You can find it along fence lines, on roadsides or on the edge of a garden.  It is also cultivated so you may be able to find fields of it if you are lucky.

There are over twenty species of wild amaranth and all of them are good sources of food. This is why you should take the effort to study up on it. Most commonly the plant is tall, has oval shaped leaves and has flower clusters growing in multiple spikes at the top.  The plant can grow at least six feet tall.

 

The plant can grow seven feet tall and when it goes to seed the plant droops right to the earth as if planting the seeds themselves.

 

The leaves are usually green, and some species have red-tinted or purple leaves. This is one of the most nutritious parts of the plant. They are full of fibre, cilium, iron and vitamins C and A. The younger plants are a better choice for a meal as the older ones are fibrous and bitter.

 

Amaranth is also a complete protein. In fact it has more protein than rice, corn or wheat, and a high amount of the amino acid lysine—making it a more complete protein. To harvest the seeds, cut the seed heads from the plant in late summer or fall, dry them and then rub them gently over a bowl or pan to release the tiny, black seeds.

 

You can prepare amaranth like most grains. You can pop it like popcorn, boil it like rice or roast it in the oven on low heat until it begins to sizzle. You can also make bread and nutritious seed pastes with it. Of course, it will take many seed heads to gather enough grain for a meal, but amaranth truly does grow in just about every nook and cranny you can find in the southern and central United States.

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