IN THE WILD: REWARDS, RISKS AWAIT GATHERERS OF MISSOURI'S WILD BUT EDIBLE PLANTS

Ever think of making lemonade from the berries of a sumac plant or a salad from the leaves of a pokeweed?

If you've picked a Missouri banana from a pawpaw tree or seasoned meat with a beefsteak plant, then you've already used some of the state's wild plants to enhance your dinner table.

But even for the back-to-nature crowd, finding and preparing Missouri's edible wild plants is tricky business. Because out of about 1,500 plant species found in the state, 500 are considered poisonous in some way. The trick is enjoying the former, and staying away from the latter.

"People seem to be pretty interested in eating wild plants," said Dana Fritsche, a seasonal naturalist with the Missouri Division of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "They want natural foods without a lot of chemicals.

"And Missouri has a good diversity of plants. Almost anywhere, you can find something edible."

Fritsche gives regular programs on Missouri's edible and poisonous plants at Trail of Tears State Park. Her programs focus on edible weeds, nuts, berries and wild flowers.

She stresses safety above all when grocery shopping in the woods, and said there are a lot of rules to follow.

"It's not a game," she said. "There are several ways a plant can be poisonous. Even if you see animals eating it, that doesn't mean you can eat it. And don't count on cooking to detoxify a plant. That doesn't always work."

Fritsche said contrary to what people may think, she does not advocate mass collection of edible plants. But there are some that are popular on the dinner table.

"There are ways you can collect so as not to destroy plant life," she said. "First of all, you should always collect and eat wild plants in moderation.

"You can leave the seeds if possible, or if it's just the fruit that you want, don't take the whole plant, leave the stems and leaves. And if, possible, leave the underground portion, especially the roots. It will still remain viable and reproduce."

Some of the most popular plants people collect are pokeweeds, sumac, lamb's-quarters, red mulberries and the fruit of pawpaw trees.

The leaves of pokeweeds can be used in salads, as long as they are picked when green early in the season. After the stems of the plant turn purple, the leaves are no longer edible. Lamb's-quarters are also used in salads, and can be eaten raw.

When preparing pokeweed, Fritsche said, the leaves must be cooked or washed in two changes of water to remove any toxicity.

Pawpaw trees produce banana-like fruit called Missouri bananas. The fruit resembles a miniature banana and the plant is adorned with purple flowers. The fruit is sometimes hard to find, she said, because it is a favorite of animals.

Fritsche recommends starting at the library when collecting wild plants for consumption. She said it's a good idea to take books into the woods so you can compare the specimen to its picture.

Several good books are "Wild Edibles of Missouri" and "Handbook of Edible Weeds." The books describe how to find and cook edible plants and, in some cases, folklore behind the plants.

Collecting wild plants for consumption is something that most people do just for fun, Fritsche said.

"It's a hobby," she said. "You're not going to replace your grocery store, and most edibles in Missouri are time-consuming to prepare."

But even the most leisurely plant collector needs to be aware of poisonous plants.

There are three ways a plant could be poisonous, Fritsche said. The most common is internal poisoning, the kinds that cause nausea and vomiting and at times can be more serious. Pokeweed, if not prepared correctly, can be poisonous, she said.

Other plants are poisonous externally in that they cause allergic reactions or rashes on the skin. Other plants cause distress through the air and cause hay fever and similar conditions.

"In a plant, there are varying degrees of poisonousness. One part of a plant may be edible and another part might not be, or you could pick it in the wrong season and it would be poisonous," Fritsche said.

"You have to wait until it's ripe and you have to pick it at the right season."

One of the most common poisonous plants in Missouri is stinging nettle, a tall, green plant with hairlike projections that can enter through the skin and cause an itchy rash. It's found mostly in moist, wooded areas, and brushing against it can result in a bothersome and painful reaction.

"You'll definitely know it if you run into this plant," Fritsche said.

Another toxic plant is the May apple, a tall, umbrella-shaped plant that comes up early in the spring. It has large white flowers and egg-like-shaped fruit that, when ripe, has a lemon flavor.

The fruit, Fritsche said, is not poisonous. But the stem, leaves and roots are.

Water hemlock is regarded as the most poisonous plant in Missouri, Fritsche said. When eaten, the plant attacks the central nervous system and can cause paralysis or in extreme case, death.

Fritsche recommends wild plant collecting as a way to explore the woods of Missouri and learn more about wild plants. But she stresses it's not child's play.

"I always tell people, never eat anything unless you're absolutely sure of it's identity," she said. "And, of course, I tell them not to collect in state parks."