Revealing Camping in Oklahoma: Surprising Plants You Can Definitely Eat

Oklahoma is full of opportunity for campers and outdoorsman. While camping, fishing or exploring our wildlife, take a look around. You just might find healthy, tasty snacks ripe for the taking wherever you are.

Garlic

You'd be surprised how easily garlic can be found around Oklahoma. Although it can be mistaken for an onion-y type plant, like in this post, garlic can be preserved and or used right at the time of picking.

Blackberries

According to oklahomawildcrafting.com, "all wild dewberries and blackberries have thorns. The blackberry thorns as well as the vine is larger than the dewberry. Both berries turn purple/black when ripe. The leaves of both are similar, leaves with three or five leaflets. The flowers are white with 5 petals."

Purslane

According to oklahomawildcrafting.com, "this is a good pot green as well as good raw in a salad. It requires little cooking and I usually add this last to a pot of mixed greens or it disappears, it makes great pesto." You'll want to look for the notable reddish stem, smooth texture, and the leaves at the end of the stem.

Chickweed

Chickweed is a common plant used for salads due to their taste of freshly shucked cornsilk. They're easily identfiable by the white flower at the end of the stem, you'll typically see them in clusters that form "constellations."

Wild Grapes

While "grapes here in Oklahoma cover the state and we have many edible varieties," getting them confused with toxic porcelain berries can be a deathly mistake. While on the hunt for a delicious snack in the wild, it's recommended to have an experienced forager teach you the ropes for this particular fruit.

Persimmons

A writer from the reddirtchronicles recounted her experience with picking and using persimmons as a family tradition:

"First, you need to make sure and pick them off the tree.  They are rarely edible once they’ve fallen to the ground.  Look for fruit that is still holding its shape well, but the skin has begun to ever-so-slightly wrinkle.  You CAN pick them green and store them in a refrigerated container."

 

-Red Dirt Kelly

There are a variety of other plants, fruits, vegetables and more that anyone can spot while exploring in Oklahoma. All you have to do to find nature's gifts is look!