A common sight along roadside ditches, as well as in carefully tended residential flower gardens, is the Day Lily, known to the botanist as (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus).

This time of year one can see along roadsides, in and on both public and private lands, a beautiful wildflower, commonly called Yucca, Adam's Needles, or Spanish Bayonet. It is Yucca filamentosa L. and every single part of the plant is said to be useful.

Long, green sword-like leaves 12-32" in length, 1-3.5" wide, comprise most of the green portion, while the flower stalk arises centrally, erupting in a tall and beautiful display of large white blossoms having plenty roomy for a bumblebee. The plant may reach 4-5' in height.

A truly delicious wild green, similar in taste to spinach or lambsquarter, was pointed out by a neighbor who has eaten it in season for as long as he can remember. It is called Shawnee. It is cooked in the same manner as spinach or lambsquarter, and the main difference in taste is more of a texture, as it is "grainier" than the other two, yet still delicious steamed with a little butter or olive oil.

One of the most delicious foods this writer knows is Lambsquarter, Chenopodium album L. This tasty green is related to spinach, beets, and Swiss chard, and compared to spinach, this one is tastier in the opinion of many.

For those who enjoy broccoli but are not fortunate enough to grow it, there is hope. There is a wild relative that goes by many names, one common one being Winter Cress. It is Barbarea vulgaris, and has both the dark green leaves reminiscent of true broccoli, plus it forms little "florets" or flower heads, or seed heads, that do resemble broccoli when it is at the harvest stage.

One of the most difficult-to-grow food crops for those living in mountainous areas such as the Ozarks regions of Arkansas and Missouri is grain. Because most of us who live on "Billy goat land" do not farm row crops in large quantities, we rarely grow much of our own wheat, barley, oats, etc. And in fact, when some of us try to grow corn, wildlife gets 99% of it.

This is a good time of year to check out the woods and meadows for mushrooms. It just so happens within 3 days of each other, I found two edible and beautiful specimens.

Gooseberries are not exactly at the top of most people's grocery list, for two reasons. One, they are rarely available in stores, farmers' markets, websites, or roadside stands. Two, many people have never tasted them.

Mom planted gooseberry bushes decades ago and yearly, during my childhood, she would bake a gooseberry pie which we all enjoyed, and of course it was probably completely smothered in white sugar! How did we ever taste the gooseberries?

Who says one must garden to harvest free food? Many wild edibles abound, here in Missouri, as well as elsewhere. Now is the time both wild and domestic strawberries ripen, although some domesticated varieties are touted as "ever-blooming", but often they do not live up to the name. It matters not, because when strawberries ripen, which is usually May and June around here, it is best to harvest before wildlife beats you to them.

Collecting and cooking maple sap into syrup is a longstanding winter tradition in many eastern states, but how many realize it is also a practice in Missouri's Ozarks, and probably other states?
This year I cooked my usual small amount from 4-8 trees and was rewarded with the usual, delicious genuine 100% organic maple syrup. They say it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, but I find it is more like 60-80 gallons of sap to each gallon of syrup, as I prefer a slightly thicker (and hence sweeter) end product.