March 2012 McKinney Falls Wild Food

In today's world of the grocery store, I find a secret thrill when I find just how much I can eat off the land when I go on one of my hikes. The hike at McKinney Falls was especially fruitful.

There were wild onions everywhere I looked. I'm not certain that I would want a diet consisting of all onion, but there were plenty to be found.

I did not pull the onion, somone had done that before I came along, still the wild onions are fairly substatial in size.

The prickly pear proved to be one of the most beneficial of the food plants I saw today with many putting on bulbs for the pear which is a useful fruit in many ways.

The prickly pear leaf also makes a good food. These future nopales are just taking off in the spring weather. While the pear is only ripe in season, the nopales are available year-round, though they are much better while young  and tender. 

Another common and edible food was the dandelion. While they are a nightmare in my garden, they are a delight in my salad.