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If you have a maple tree, you probably get an overflow of their seeds once a year. The good news is, these are edible.[1] When cooked, they taste like a cross between peas and hominy.[2] They can also be eaten raw or dried, and thrown in a salad. Follow these steps for the best flavor.
Steps
- Harvest the seeds. They should be gathered when they're full but still green in the spring; run your hands down the branch to gather a bunch in your hands.[2] All maple seeds are good to eat, but some are more bitter than others (a good rule of thumb is: small and sweet, big and bitter).[3] Later, when their shells are brown, they are a little more bitter, but still good.
- Hull the seeds. Peel off the outer skin (the "whirlygig" part). Cut the end with your thumbnail. Squeeze out the seed; it looks like a pea or bean.
- Rinse out the tannins. Taste a few seeds raw. If they are bitter, you'll need to boil them in water, dump out the water, and repeat until the bitterness is gone.[4]
- Cook the seeds. If you boiled them already, just season with butter, salt, and pepper and enjoy.[2] If they weren't boiled, here are a few more options:
- Roasting - Place the seeds on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 - 10 minutes.
- Drying - Put them in a dry, sunny spot or in a food dehydrator until they are crunchy. They can then be pounded or ground into a flour, if you want.[5]
Tips
- Always try to harvest fruit, seeds or any other food produce from young plants. Generally, the older the plant the more bitter the taste of any part of it.
- If you're keen to broaden your knowledge of edible wild plants, why not try bracken/fern root (roast them) or nettles (simply wilt over a fire or boil), and check your local library for books on identifying edible plants (though be very careful with wild fungi as many are poisonous and some are lethal).
Warnings
- Check for a food allergy. The first time you eat maple seeds, just eat a few and wait several hours.[6] If there are no ill effects, eat some more!
Related wikiHows
Sources and Citations
- ↑ http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Acer+saccharinum
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3884&highlight=maple+seeds
- ↑ http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6365
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple#Food
- ↑ http://www.essortment.com/all/survivalfoods_rcnq.htm
- ↑ http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2008/05/22/living/402/doc4834a0e6bec03634270730.txt
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