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Wild Edible Foods of Vermont

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Wild Food Available to the Rix family in 1780

Land was expensive and wild game was becoming scarce in Connecticut when Daniel and Rebecca Rix decided to move their family to the wilderness of what would one day be called Vermont. With a family of six children and one on the way they packed up what few belongings they could carry onto an oxcart and walked up the Connecticut River, turned right at the White River and on to Royalton.

There were practically no roads or bridges so carrying the food needed for such a long journey would have been difficult and once they arrived there were no stores, there were no neighbors to trade with so they must have relied on wild edible foods for at least the first year.

What foods were available to them? How has the availability of wild foods changed over time? What wild foods are available in Vermont today? What wild foods are still gathered and eaten in Vermont today?

These are the questions that we will try to answer in this unit study. Put on your hiking boots, grab your guidebooks and come discover the wild edible foods of Vermont...

Photo Credit: Eating Wild Edible Foods in the Public Domain.

Wild Food Table of Contents

Photo Credit: Wild Blackberries
on Flickr, Creative Commons.


Blackberries
  1. Wild Edible Foods for the Rix Family in 1780
  2. Which wild edible foods are found in the Vermont woods?
  3. Black Raspberries
  4. 18th Century Cooking
  5. Brook Trout Theme
  6. Did Garner Rix eat Turkey for Thanksgiving?
  7. Were there wild apple trees in Vermont in 1780?
  8. Wild Plant Games
  9. Learn more about Garner Rix
  10. Which wild edible foods do you enjoy?
  11. About the Author of this Wild Edible Foods Lens

Wild Edible Foods for the Rix Family in 1780

Gathering Edible Wild Foods before the Crops come in

18th Century

Photo Credit: 18th Century Family
from Edupics.com.



The first year must have been very difficult for the Rix Family. Until land could be cleared and crops grown. They must have had to rely on wild edible plants and animals for most of their food. The amount of food they could have taken with them would have been very limited. There was no store in Royalton. The roads were almost non-existent.

Find out about the edible wild foods still available in Vermont. With a knowledgeable guide you can go on a hike and try out many of the wild foods still available in the woods.

Wild foods that are found on Garner Rix's farm Garner Rix's farm today include: raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, fiddlehead ferns, mushrooms, Timothy grass. Red Clover, White Clover, honey, and Cat-O-Nine Tails. Can you add to the list below?

NOTE: NEVER eat wild foods that you don't know for sure are safe.
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My Side of the Mountain

Fictional Account of finding Wild Edible Food

My Side of the Mountain Trilogy (My Side of the Mountain / On the Far Side of the Mountain / Frightful's Mountain)


Sam lives completely on his own in the woods of upstate New York eating only wild edible foods. Sam Gribley was a teen who left his family in the city and moved up to land owned by his grandfather. He carved a home out of a huge tree trunk and he ate food found on the land that grew wild beneath the trees or swam in the streams.
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Which wild edible foods are found in the Vermont woods?

Garner Rix and his family probably foraged for some of their food.

Vote for the wild edible foods that you have tried and add any ones that are missing.

I don't believe that Thimbleberries grow in Vermont. The Native Americans planted pumpkin but it does not survive the winter so I don't believe you could find wild pumpkin or any member of the squash family here.

1

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Dandilion Greens

9 points

2

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Blueberries

7 points

3

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Blackberries

6 points

4

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Raspberries

Sometimes the bears beat you to the fruit ...4 points

5

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Huckleberries

Do huckleberries grow in Vermont?2 points

6

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Currents

2 points

7

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Thimbleberries

Do these grow in Vermont?1 point

8

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Elderberries

1 point

9

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Fiddlehead Ferns

1 point

10

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Roots of Cat-O-Nine Tails

1 point

11

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pumkin

No idea if punkin were around there or not.1 point

12

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deer

I would have hunted most likely too.1 point

13

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fish

plenty of fish most likely.1 point

Wild Edible foods

What could the Rix family have eaten in 1780?

When Daniel and Rebecca Rix packed to move to Vermont it would have been impossible for them to bring all the food necessary to feed their large family for the year or so it would take to grow enough food to feed them. What kinds of plants were available for them to forage?

If you were Garner or Susanna Rix what wild edible foods would you have liked to eat?

Nettles

Photo Credit: Nettles
on Flickr Commons

Nettles, Burdock, Wild Leeks, Chickweed, Yellow Dock Recipes
By mid-April the earth has brought forth the Stinging Nettles, and truly the table has now been set. By the time the Nettles are of good-eatin' size, the Dandelions have gotten big enough for harvest as well. The Burdock is poking its head out of the ground, just enough for me to locate the mineral-laden roots. Watercress, Garlic Mustard and Wintercress are all in their prime season. Yellow Dock is also harvestable, and the Wild Leeks are gracing the hillsides.

The trees haven't even budded out yet, I've barely put my first garden peas and lettuce seeds down, not a single flower is in bloom besides the hardy crocuses, and I'm already enjoying a feast from God's gardens.

Wild Edible Foods eaten Today

What is Gathered?
Some wild foods that are still gathered and eaten in Vermont include:

Clintonia borealisClintonia or Blue Bead Lily Wild Edible foods of Vermont
Clintonia (Blue Bead Lily)
Close View of Fern Fiddleheads


Fiddlehead Ferns

Grapes and Grape LeavesWild Grapes grow on Garner Rix's Farm
Grapes and Grape Leaves

Indian Potato in BloomWild Leeks
                      Ground Nut/ Indian Potato                                                        Wild Leeks



Anthriscus Sylvestris (Cow Parsley) & Hyacintoides Non-Scripta (Bluebell), Forde Abbey, Dorset


Anthriscus Sylvestris (Cow Parsley)
Buy at AllPosters.com



Sumac Plant near Humbolt, Nebraska

Sumac Plant near Humbolt, Nebraska
Sartore, Joel
Buy at AllPosters.com



Quercus Pubescens, or White Oak Acorns, France

Quercus Pubescens, or White Oak Acorns, France
Gibbons, Bob
Buy at AllPosters.com



Wild Ginger
Wild Ginger



Photo Credit: Unless otherwise stated these photos are from Flickr, Creative Commons.

Black Raspberries

Wild Berries grow in our Yard

This summer we picked quarts of black raspberries from our yard. We made them into crisps, pies and jellies. We sprinkled them on cereal and ice cream. They stained our tongues and fingers with their delicious juice. Come to Vermont next summer and join us.

Black Raspberries by EraPhernalia Vintage . . . (playin' hook-y ;o)
curated content from Flickr

18th Century Cooking

Venison Stew

Photo Credit: Eating Wild Edible Foods

in the Public Domain.

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Trout with Fiddlehead Ferns

Cooking Wild Edible Foods

The Rix Family must have eaten lots of trout and most New Englanders still eat fiddlehead Ferns in the early spring. Here is a recipe that you might enjoy...
Fiddleheads with Fish

Photo Credit: Fish with Fiddlehead Ferns
on Flickr, Creative Commons.


1. Clean and de-bone one small trout per person.
2. Salt if you like.
3. Saute cleaned fiddleheads in butter or oil with chopped fresh garlic.
4. When the fiddleheads are bright green, remove to another dish and saute the trout until cooked on both sides.
5. Stuff the trout with the fiddleheads and serve.

The Rix Family might not have had much starch to go with this meal but we prefer it with brown rice or boiled potatoes.
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Fiddlehead Ferns are becoming Popular

Have you ever eaten fiddleheads?

Fiddlehead Ferns

Photo Credit: Fiddleheads
on Flickr, Creative Commons.

Be sure hydrangea has the room to bloom
Q. I've heard that fiddlehead ferns are toxic. Is this really the case? A. To many, the asparagus-like taste and pleasantly chewy texture of fiddleheads herald spring's arrival. The shoots of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), fiddleheads ...
Blast!, Penguin Plunge, and Mayoral Meetings
Fiddleheads Food Co-op runs their annual winter farmers market from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday. Blissworks Yoga has a $7 introductory class at 10:15 am on Sunday, followed by a Yoga Nidra class at 1 pm; this one is $20 in advance or $25 at the door.
John Szabo's Vintages preview for Feb 18, 2012
Romantic it is not, but it's home to some of the region's best known and emerging labels such as Evening Land, Palmina, Flying Goat, Fiddleheads and Ampelos. There's a decidedly single-minded focus on making great wine, and especially on expressing the ...
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Fishing for Trout

The Streams and Rivers were teaming with fish.

Photo Credit: Fishing
in the Public Domain.



When Garner Rix and his family moved to Vermont the streams and rivers were teaming with fish. The water was clean and no dams had been built that impeded the annual migration of the salmon. Garner and his younger brother, Joseph, probably had the task of catching enough fish for the family. Do you know what kind of fish became the Vermont State Fish?

Brook Trout Theme

Brook Trout Unit Study

Harness your child's interest in Brook Trout and turn that topic into a unit study for teaching your children to read, write, and cipher. Explore the science and social studies of Brook Trout. Read stories of going fishing. Study the colors and speckles of Brook Trout and experiment with painting them. Cut open a freshly cut trout and study the anatomy of this fresh water fish. Learn about the dams that cut off the passageway for the Brook Trout to follow their way from their spawning ground to the ocean and how Vermont is trying to restore this fish's ability to return to Vermont.
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Vermont Fish

Field Guide to Fresh Water fish

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Deer

Venison Stew

Photo Credit: deer
in the Public Domain.



Deer were probably not as plentiful as they are now because few fields had been cleared and there were still wolves to keep the population under control. Still it was possible for Daniel Rix to occasionally shoot a deer which would have provided a lot of meat as well as leather.

The deer were probably cooked into Venison Stew with wild garlic and any roots and vegetables gathered during the day.

Bear, Deer and Trout

Hunting and Fishing in 1780

Black Bear

Photo Credit: Stealth Bear by Quicktiming
on Flickr, Creative Commons.



In 1780, wild game and fish were plentiful. Garner and his father, Daniel Rix, probably shot bear and deer. They may have also eaten squirrels, and other small mammals.

The streams were full of fish such as trout which in very small numbers are still found in the stream that runs through Garner Rix's farm today.
Settlers of Lyndon, Caledonia County, Vt.
The first season was devoted to clearing land and building the log house, and growing scanty supplies of provisions. As the woods were full of game, and the river of trout, the first pioneers fared more sumptuously than such adventurers would now.

They did not attempt to stay through the winter, returned in the spring after obtaining necessary supplies.

Bear Hunt

Imagine going on a Bear Hunt

Imagine that you are going on a bear hunt with Daniel Rix. Maybe he is teaching Garner and Joseph for the first time how to quietly walk through the woods looking for the food that will feed their family.

If you are teaching small children about life in the late 18th century the book Going on a Bear Hunt is fun to read and then discuss what it was like to really go on a bear hunt and the need to provide food for the family.
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The Old Growth Forest

Pine Trees were less plentiful in 1780

Eastern White Pine
Eastern White Pine


Photo Credit: Little Pine Cone by theogeo
on Flickr, Creative Commons

Eastern White Pine - Wikipedia
White Pine needles contain five times the amount of Vitamin C (by weight) of lemons and make an excellent herbal tea.

The name "Adirondack" is an Iroquois word which means tree-eater and referred to their neighbors (more commonly known as the Algonquians) who collected the inner bark during times of winter starvation.

The white soft inner bark was carefully separated from the hard, dark brown bark and dried.

When pounded this product can be used as flour or added to stretch other starchy products.

In the 1700's cattle and pigs that were fed pine bark bread grew well.

Did Garner Rix eat Turkey for Thanksgiving?

Were people eating turkeys in 1780?

Wild turkeys are dependent on a varied habitat consisting of hardwood and mixed forests. In the 1800s, Vermont's wild turkeys were pushed to extinction due to extensive clearing of these forests and the spread of agricultural lands.

Wild Turkeys

Photo Credit: Wild turkeys
Photographer: Mary Hollinger, NESDIS/NODC biologist, NOAA
on NOAA, Copyright Free


Turkey's Have Trouble with Deep Powder Snow So the Warm Days Followed by Freezing Help Set up Snow Allowing Them Better Access to Food. Vermont Has About 40, 000 Wild Turkey's According to Vermont Wild Turkey Project Leader Doug Blodgett.
Vermont Fish & Wildlife
Eastern Wild Turkey Fact Sheet(Meleagris gallopavo silvestris)The eastern subspecies of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) is the most widely distributed and abundant of the five distinct subspecies of wild turkey found
in the United States.

Were there wild apple trees in Vermont in 1780?

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Wild Foods Outside Vermont

Wild Mushrooms

Photo Credit: Gathering Wild Mushrooms
on Flickr, Creative Commons.



WARNING: Don't gather wild mushrooms unless you have learned from an expert. Many varieties of mushrooms are poisonous.
ForageSF
Who We Are.....forageSF is a wild foods community conceived of by Iso Rabins in early 2008, with the mission to connect San Francisco Bay Area dwellers with the wild food that is all around them with education, as well as through a monthly box of all wild foraged foods (CSF). From wild mushrooms to acorn flour...
ForageSF Blog
This is the blog of Iso Rabins. Forager and founder of forageSF, a wild foods CSF/community in San Francisco, aspiring chef, aspiring writer. For more info about forageSF, and to see what we're trying to do, check out forageSF.com

Wild Plant Games

Games for Learning about Wild Plants

Playing games can be a wonderful way to learn the various different will plants you may encounter as you forage in the woods and fields near your home. Here are several games that can help you learn to identify those plants.

You might like to also create your own games. Take pictures of the plants you find. Use guidebooks to identify those plants. Draw pictures of the plants you have found and make decks of cards with two of each plant. Play games such as Go Fish or Concentration to help you remember the wild plants.
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Come Stay With Us in Vermont!

Come discover the Wild Edible Foods on Garner Rix's Farm

Driving in Vermont

Photo Credit: Vermont Dirt Road
on Flickr, Creative Commons.

Drive the scenic roads of Vermont North and South on Route 100. Then travel east and west over Lincoln Gap and come back over Appalachian Gap. Take the dirt roads where the trees still grow over the road forming a green canopy. And when you are done come back to our Vermont Bed and Breakfast on the Dewey Rix Farm for the night.
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Learn more about Garner Rix

Wild Edible Foods still Grown on Garner Rix's Farm

Each summer when we travel up to the farm that Garner Rix cleared we find wild edible foods. Last summer we ate black raspberry pies, blackberry ice cream and collected wild mushrooms with an expert mushroom collector. There are blueberries in August and apples in the fall. Maybe one of your favorite wild edibles are the fiddleheads in the spring.
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Which wild edible foods do you enjoy?

Squirrel

Photo Credit: Squirrel eating Wild Food
on Flickr, Creative Commons.

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About the Author of this Wild Edible Foods Lens

Come check out what I'm up to when I'm not looking for fiddlehead ferns:
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Wild Edible Foods of Vermont in the Kingdom

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Evelyn_Saenz

Looking forward to some wild edible foods when I travel up to Vermont this summer. Won't you join me in a dish of fiddleheads?
My passion is teaching... more »

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