Wild Food Foraging

A friend and I went wild food foraging around the foothills of San Dimas last week. Here are the goods:

Photo: Melissa H.

dried wild cucumber (AKA manroot), mugwort (AKA wormwood), LEMONS & AVOCADOS!!, California pink peppercorns, white sage...

the dried wild cucumber can be peeled and used as a loofah like so:

Photo: Melissa H.

we also saw a bunch of horehound, fruiting prickly pear cactus, wild fennel, coyote gourd, jimsonweed (poisonous)... all of which we didn't bother harvesting.  next time though! 

Coyote Gourd -- the pulp inside can be used as a soap substitute.
the gourd itself can be used as a primitive cup.

Horehound -- can be used to make cough syrup or
herbal lozenges