What makes a plant edible?  It means that a plant or a plant part may be consumed without serious harm to a person as long as it is taken in proper amounts and at the correct stages known to be safe. Eating edible plants or parts provides nourishment and/or medicine.  The term is applied to food plants as well as medicinal plants.

Years ago tomatoes were thought to be poisonous. Tomatoes belong to the Solanaceae family which does contain poisonous plants.  We eat the fruit of the plant but do not eat the leaves. You are not going to find anyone recommending eating the plants leaves.

If you needed help sleeping at night you might get a prescription for sleeping pills.  If you took a pill in accordance with the instructions more than likely you would get a good night’s rest.  If you swallowed the entire bottle you may never wake up again.

It is the same with edible plants.  There are certain plants that most people can eat in abundance, while some people might have an adverse reaction to consuming it.  For example peanuts are perfectly edible but it you are allergic to them, eating just one may cause you to go into anaphylactic shock. You could die without immediate medical attention.  Does that make peanuts inedible? No.   Each individual person reacts differently to the foods they eat.

Always be informed about each plant or plant part you choose to eat. Take it slowly as you introduce new foods into your diet.  Start with a small amount and see how your body reacts.  Being informed is your best defense against having difficulties with the foods you choose to eat.

Actually some parts of plants that are said to be edible may in fact not be very tasty. You may choose to eat plants or plant parts that contain vitamins, minerals, bioflavanoids or other beneficial substances.  They might actually taste bad to you.  One persons taste buds are different than anyone else.  Take dandelion greens, most texts state you should eat them before the plant flowers because they become bitter. Personally I eat them at any time. Yes they may be a bit more bitter after flowering but when mixed into a salad it doesn’t make the salad inedible. I eat them when I’m pulling them out of my front beds, no matter their growing stage.  (My neighbors probably wonder why I eat “weeds” I’m pulling)

Just the fact that the plant or plant part is known to be edible doesn’t mean you will want to eat it.  You need to decide for yourself what you want to eat and why.

Edibility simply means the plant or plant part is known to be edible at some stage of its development to some people. Thoroughly researching any plant that you may decide to eat is definitely recommended.  No doubt you may find some new foods that you can enjoy.

When I was a child, years ago,  I read something about jack in the pulpit roots being edible. Oh I thought, there are tons of jack in the pulpits in the woods behind the house.  I promptly went into the woods to find one, dug it up and started eating the root.  Bad mistake! My mouth and throat started feeling numb and tingled.  Immediately thinking this was a dumb idea and vowing never to eat one again.

Well, they are edible if dried or cooked. They should not be eaten raw as they contain calcium oxalate crystals that sting and cause numbness.  If I had known that, as a child, I could have enjoyed them as a wild edible.  Knowledge is essential!