Edible Mountain Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

WVPB TV Series Edible Mountain Premieres Monday, March 20

Edible Mountain follows botanists, conservationists, and enthusiastic hobbyists in the field as they provide insight on sustainable forest foraging. The episodes are designed to increase appreciation and accessibility to the abundance found in Appalachia, celebrating the traditional knowledge and customs of Appalachian folk concerning plants and their medical, religious, and social uses.

Series to Showcase Appalachia’s Overlooked and Underappreciated Forest Products

CHARLESTON, WV – West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s newest television series, Edible Mountain, will premiere Monday, March 20 at 9 p.m., airing and streaming episodes 1 and 2. Episodes 3 and 4 will air and stream March 27 beginning at 9 p.m.

“We believe Edible Mountain provides our viewers with a great look inside our Appalachian heritage along with outstanding content that is both informative and intriguing,” said WVPB Chief Executive Officer Butch Antolini. “We certainly expect this series to grow into a national show.”

Episode 1 EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – This Is Our Garden

Air date Monday, March 20 at 9 p.m.

This episode is an introduction to how truly vast the plant biodiversity is in the Appalachian Mountain range. It explores the spiritual connections of traditional uses along with the enormous potential of research and development of the well over 6,000 species of plant life.

Episode 2 EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – Plant Medicine

Air date Monday, March 20 at 9:30 p.m.

This episode takes a deep dive into the plants that have been traditionally used as medicine by Wise Women all over Appalachia. It has segments of how to process some of these plants for use along with recent studies that are proving what the wise women have trusted along.

Episode 3 EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – Forest Farming

Air date March 27, at 9 p.m.

Due to market pressures, ecosystem loss, and a growing consumer base, there is a push to inspire forest farming and herb growing. Documenting and sharing the Appalachian ethnobotanists’ oral traditions is the first step to inspire consumers to turn their forest into a farm.

Episode 4 EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – Wild Recipes

Air date March 27, at 9:30 p.m.

In this episode, you will learn how to serve meals with what is growing around you. There are potentially dangerous plants in the forest. Learn how proper identification and preparation is key to preparing these delicious recipes.

EDIBLE MOUNTAIN — How To Make Tallow

Tallow is rendered animal fat and has been used primarily in traditional food preparation — as an ingredient and as a cooking oil. In addition, tallow can be used in making soap, candles, healing salves, skin moisturizers and perfumes, as well as lubricants for wood, leather and metal working.

Tallow is produced by a stovetop technique known as rendering, which is the melting and clarifying of hard fat from around the kidneys and loins of mostly cattle and sheep. But tallow can be rendered from the fats of other ruminants, including both domestic and wild species such as deer and goats.

Rendering purifies the fat and rids it of “cracklings,” the bits of protein that can spoil the tallow if left unrefrigerated.

Beef fat being rendered in a double boiler.

Tallow, when rendered clean, can last up to a year at room temperature if stored in a dark place, and for many years when stored in the freezer.

The process begins by taking the hard fat and slowly cooking it in water until the fat chunks have turned cloudy and a yellow liquid, the tallow, rises to the top.

Next, it’s cooled in a refrigerator until a solid whitish substance forms at the top of the pot.

The solid is removed from the pot and any traces of protein bits still attached can be shaved off with a kitchen knife. Then, the entire process is repeated until the water is clear and the tallow is clean of any bits of protein.

The tallow is then strained into a jar and topped with a secure lid. When cooled, the tallow is ready for use.

There have always been several positive reasons to use tallow. Because of its high smoke point of 480 degrees, tallow was often used for deep frying, until the rise of vegetable oil.

While tallow contains saturated fat, it also contains monounsaturated fats, which are considered good for the heart. Beef tallow contains conjugated linoleic acid, which is a natural anti-inflammatory.

It’s also very good for the skin, either applied topically or consumed as an ingredient in any of a multitude of recipes. That’s because it’s high in omega 3’s and is packed with vitamins A, D, K, E and B12.

EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – How To Make Tallow

EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – Clover

Have you ever found a four leaf clover?Besides being lucky the clovers have many uses, here are just a few.

There are many folklores and charms when it comes to getting lucky in Appalachia. It’s been said that it’s bad luck to eat lettuce on a hot summer day. People also believe that placing parsley seeds on a fence post and allowing the wind to blow it off to sow it will clear them of any bad luck.

But, the most famous good luck charm in the world has got to be the four-leaf clover.
One old mountain lore is that a green salve of four-leaf clovers rubbed over your whole body is said to make you invisible but you cant miss even one wrinkle.

Can you find the four-leaf clover in this picture?

Red clover and white clover are the most common types of the plant we see in West Virginia.

Neither of them are native to the area and are considered one of the earliest plants brought by Europeans. Both red and white clover are edible and are often used like spinach in a salad.

Some folks use the flowers to make a clover jelly or steep them in water to make tea. The leaves of thye red clover can also be dried and used as a vanilla extract substitute.

There are a few native clover in West Virginia. The native Running Buffalo Clover has recently been removed from the endangered species list. Kate’s Mountain Clover is another native species, it is rare to find and stunning when in bloom.

Take some time to glance down at the next clover patch you see and have a closer look. The flowers are just beautiful, and maybe you’ll even find some luck hidden under your feet.

EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – Clovers

Allium burdickii, The Other Ramp

The Narrow-Leaved Leek, (Allium burdickii), while related to broad leaf ramps we enjoy every spring, is its own species all together and not a variation of Allium tricoccum. It’s a relative of the typical wild ramp, or leek, that people seek out this time of year as an eatable spring onion. We know very little about this wild onion.

If you’re from Canada, the eastern United States, or Appalachia, you’re probably very familiar with a local forest delicacy – the wild onion species of Allium triccocum – best known as ramps. From church hall pot-lucks to outdoor festivals, the wild ramp is widely celebrated this time of year.

But not much is known about a related species of the edible ramp, a species called the Narrow-Leaved Leek, or Allium burdickii. And this lesser known plant is often misidentified.

Eric Burkhart, Ph.D., is Associate Teaching Professor of Ecosystem Science and Management at Penn State University and Program Director of Appalachian Botany and Ethnobotany at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center. Burkhart is leading a team of researchers in a study of the lesser known plant at various sites in Pennsylvania.

They point out that the Narrow-Leaved Leek (Allium burdickii) has a much stronger scent, even unpleasant, when compared to the variety of ramp (Allium triccocum) we harvest, cook and consume. They’re much smaller plants with more narrow leaves, and the stems are always green.The Allium tricoccum, in contrast, has broader leaves and the stems can be either green or red.

The red and green stems of the common broad leaf ramp (Allium tricoccum)

Burkhart also notes the flower-heads of these plants are shaped differently. The broad leaf ramp has a round snow-ball shaped flower head when in bloom. The Narrow-Leaved Leek has a V- shaped flower head, and much fewer blooms.

Flowering inflorescence of the common ramp

Narrow-leaved ramp during its flowering stage showing its V shape inflorescence

The UP researchers will attempt to learn an array of distinguishing traits between the two varieties of plants. They’re growing their sample plants side-by-side in common garden sites, so comparisons will be made under identical environmental conditions. They’ll document the DNA of the 2 species, and test their phytochemistry (which are chemicals derived from plants).

Since documentation on Allium burdickii is so sporadic and there have been so few studies to date, Burkhart says we should not assume it is edible and we should not attempt to harvest it.

EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – Allium burdickii The Other Ramp

EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – Please Don't Pick The Trillium

The Trillium is an icon in Appalachia. Old timers of this region thought picking this delicate flower would bring rain.The ephemeral plant graces us with its beauty in the early spring before the leaves fully grow on the trees. When Trillium is in bloom and has a foothold on the side of a wooded hill, it can stop you in your tracks and make you take a moment to appreciate the amazing garden we live in.

Trillium grandiflorum at Bear Rock Lakes Wildlife Management Area Ohio County, WV.

There are six species of trillium in West Virginia and 43 species worldwide with the greatest diversity of species found in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Some common names include Wakerobin, Toadshade, Triflower, Birthroot, Birthwort, and Wood Lily.

The white trillium, abundant in Appalachia, starts its life as white but will progress to a lovely shade of pink, then lavender, and eventually to a very dark purple red as the plant ages. They’ve been used to symbolize the Trinity in Christianity due to its distinctive arrangement of 3 leaves and 3 flower petals.

Trillium plants can live 20 – 50 years, and can take 7 to 10 years to first bloom. Obviously, it is a sensitive plant. In fact picking the flower too close to the leaves can kill the entire plant. So some of these slow growing species of trillium are listed as threatened or endangered, and picking them is illegal in some states.

Trillium erectum in Bloom at Tea Creek Camp Ground Marlinton WV

Trillium is edible for medicinal purposes, mostly as a diuretic and an antiseptic. The young leaves have a pleasant flavor – a bit on the nutty side. But roots and berries are toxic and can cause vomiting. The best advice from experts suggests avoiding consumption.

These beautiful plants have been used to symbolize recovery, strength and beauty. We have countless roads, buildings and many other things named after this elegant lady. It is always best practice to consider conservation when it comes to our wild plants. And when it comes to trillium, let’s admire, respect and preserve them for future walks in our Appalachian woods.

EDIBLE MOUNTAIN Please Don't Pick The Trillium

EDIBLE MOUNTAIN – Comfrey The Wound Healer

Comfrey is a profound healer when it comes to open wounds. Its name is derived from the Latin word confervo, meaning knit, grow together, or heal. Its use is documented as far back as 400 BCE by Greek physicians. Even its scientific name, Symphytum, is the Greek word for ‘to grow together.’ A lot of plants have names with ancient meanings based on their uses.

A great aspect of comfrey is that it truly works. You actually have to be careful because it can work too well. A wound may heal on the outside faster than the inside, trapping bacteria and causing infection. To avoid this, you have to apply the ointment on the inside of the wound first.

Comfrey contains a chemical compound called allantoin which promotes cell-reproduction. Allantoin is what heals the boo-boos. Allantoin is also found in the milk of nursing mothers.

Comfrey has some fun folktales around it. It’s used for luck while traveling; some say that if you put a leaf in your luggage it will protect it from being lost or stolen. Travelers can also use the root to be sure their lovers will be faithful in their absence.

Another place you will find comfrey is on a midwife’s tool belt. Leaves are frozen into pads which accelerate healing after childbirth.

Your garden will appreciate comfrey as well. Its taproots are long and strong and have a knack for breaking up clay and hard soils. It will eventually aerate the ground as its black roots draw hard to pull minerals into its leaves. The leaves can be harvested and placed around other plants to feed them the out of reach minerals. It’s also one of the rare plants that can pull vitamin B12 from the soil.

It is not often eaten, but the young leaves and flower buds have a great flavor. There are concerns about eating comfrey since it contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which can cause an upset belly and liver damage.

You can also spray yarrow tincture on the wound first. Yarrow is another profound healer that is amazing at stopping bleeding, and the alcohol in the tincture will help disinfect the injury.

To make the ointment, you mix a small amount of filtered honey and comfrey cold infused oil. The sugars in the honey draw water out of the tissue that is damaged. This reduces swelling and sets the stage for comfrey to work its magic.

Apply the honey/comfrey ointment first on the inside and then on the outside. This order of application is important to prevent the outside from healing faster than the inside.

EDIBLE MOUNTAIN Comfrey The Wound Healer