What did our ancestors eat and use as medicine? Find out here! Free food and medicine which surrounds you.
Because plants don't follow government-imposed boundaries most of these edible and medicinal plants & mushrooms grow all across North America, not just Texas.
Sometimes you just want a young child to fall asleep. Native American herbalism uses tea from the roots of lizard tail (Saururus cernuus) as a sedative for both children and adults. Look for its distinctive white flower spikes resembling the scaly tails of lizards in low, wet, swampy areas of dark woods. Keep in mind it’s the roots which have the potency and digging them up💀the plant.
05/28/2026
I love the rain for the food it brings!
05/25/2026
What if there was a wild plant that tastes like and can be used in all the same ways as asparagus, but it didn’t make you smell funny?
There is! The tips of large, thorny Greenbriar (Smilax bona-nox) vines kind of resemble asparagus and are harvested the same way, just bend the end of the vine and whatever snaps off you can eat raw or cooked.
These vines have alternating leaves with two tendrils growing at the base of each leaf, sharp thorns on older parts of the vine, and grow in fully shaded woods. It’s time to gather them and if you have, what’s your favorite way to prepare them?
05/23/2026
I’ve always lived my life under the premise that the best has yet to come rather than think my glory days are behind me…but it’ll be hard to beat Thursday night. Experiencing top Texas chefs .j.norris and Ian Lansphear turn my life’s work of connecting people to nature through foraging edible wild plants and mushrooms into a dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant Isidore in San Antonio will never be beat. My heart overflows with love for them and their amazing team, as well as all the guests who took the plunge into a meal like no other. I’m the luckiest guy ever!
Ringless Honey Mushrooms are a tasty wild fungi that are relatively easy to identify. Just match the following structures:
Growth Form: Armillaria Tabescens typically grows in clusters of “toadstools” on dead wood, but can also be found as solitary specimens.
Cap Shape and Size: The cap is convex to flat, often with a slightly depressed center. It ranges in size from 1.5 to 4 inches in diameter. Young caps are a tan, similar to the stipes, but then become darker brownish.
Gills or Pores: It has closely spaced, white to cream gills that are attached to the stem. The gills are true, not false.
Stipe Characteristics: The stem is 2 to 4 inches long and about 0.5 to 1 inch thick. It is generally smoother than other Armillaria species, lacking a ring, and is colored off-white/light tan, similar to the younger caps. The stipes stay lighter colored as the caps darken.
Odor: This species does not have a distinct odor.
Bruising: Bruising is not a significant characteristic for this species.
Spore Color: The spore print is white.
Substrate and Habitat: Armillaria Tabescens is saprobic, commonly found on hardwoods, especially in the eastern United States. It is often seen on decaying wood and stumps.
Other Characteristics: Notable for its absence of a ring on the stipe (stem), which distinguishes it from other Armillaria species.
05/18/2026
has a bunch of wonderful three-lobed false mallow at his Eye of the Water Survival School near Runge, TX. However, this powerful medicinal plant can be found all around the warm, humid areas of the world. Have you found it? Look below to learn how to properly identify and utilize it.
Yes, I do classes! Lots and lots of classes. Subscribe to Merriwether.substack.com to get weekly updates on upcoming events!
At one time, the south had huge canebrakes - areas covered by river cane (Arundinaria gigantea). These were so big that they were considered their own ecosystem and homes to specific birds, insects, and other critters. “Development” has wipe most of them out, leaving behind much smaller stands across their native areas. If you’ve ever fished with a bamboo pole, you’ve held one of these native bamboos in your hand, though it was much shorter than its 25’ tall height when full grown. A friend had some rivercane on their property so I harvested one to make my own canepole, then took the crude version fishing. It worked beautifully, so the now I’m going to finish it up into a nice rod for daily use.
Stay wild and may your lines be tight!
05/15/2026
Does your Texas, Oklahoma, or Louisiana organization want to be better connected to nature? Talk to me and I’ll make it happen!