A quick Google search for smilax, or greenbriar, pulls up a host of articles on how to control, kill or get rid of the “troublesome weed.”
Michael Dodson, a biology instructor at Mississippi University for Women, brought some to campus Friday afternoon in a food container, hoping to share a bite with those courageous enough to try it.
The tips are edible greens, Dodson noted. The roots can be dried and ground up for flour, something Native Americans did centuries ago.
“This is the bane of so many people’s existence, but it’s actually one of my favorite things here,” Dodson told a crowd of about 30 who came to view The W’s new edible plant trail.
Stretching from in front of Shattuck Hall around Poindexter Hall, the trail has some common items most folks know are edible — blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, muscadine vines, pecan, fig, pear and persimmon trees.
The spiderwort, violet leaves, oxalis (wood sorrells) and chickweed, on the other hand, make great salad greens, Dodson said, but rarely find their way to a dinner plate.
Of the 250,000 or so flowering plant species in the world, Dodson said the average person only eats about 100 in their life, mostly those available at the grocery store.
“We’re here to challenge the concept of what is edible,” he said. “… We’re going to combat the concept of ‘weeds.’ Weeds are just misunderstood plants.”
Using a Provost Fellowship from The W, Dodson and an interdisciplinary team of five students — with majors of biology, history, political science, culinary arts and graphic design, respectively — began research in January for what could be included in the trail. Some items, like the trees, have grown on campus for years. Other plants, like some of the “weeds” and the elderberry, were sourced from elsewhere on campus and planted in a prepared bed in front of Shattuck Hall.
Still, others came from people’s yards, including Dodson’s.
All told, the trail includes 25 species open for public foraging, though the berries and fruit won’t be ready for a few more months.
“We’re trying to get you to open your eyes to things you might have never noticed but have always been around you,” Dodson said.
Student researchers led the crowd through the trail, offering the history, culinary and even medicinal value for the plants.
Muscadines, for example, have anti-inflammatory properties. Persimmon seeds can be ground and brewed as a non-caffeinated coffee substitute.
Lynzy Sandoval, a senior political science major and a member of the research team, said she learned about the project from her Spanish professor. Originally a biology major, she relished the opportunity to dabble in that field again.
Outside of the science and camaraderie with the team, she learned to particularly enjoy spiderwort.
“At first, I thought, ‘No way that’s edible,’” she said. “It’s actually pretty good.”
Tiffany Winter and Davida Crossley of Columbus were warming, even if somewhat trepidatiously, to the violet leaves.
“It’s a little sour, with a touch of lemon,” said Crossley, an assistant professor of microbiology at The W.
Laura MacLellan, a culinary arts major, had been hearing about the plant trail all semester from a friend, team member Isa Commodore.
She, too, thought the violet leaves had good zest.
“As a culinary student, I’m very open to trying new things,” she said. “I’m interested to see what I can add for recipes.”
Dodson said the team will add signs with their research so future foragers will know what they are picking, what parts are edible, and whether it’s best eaten fresh or cooked. Students also are working on a website that will include recipes.
As for the trail, Dodson hopes to expand it next semester, all with native edible plants.
“We don’t give enough emphasis and worth to what is ours,” he said. “We have a goldmine of edible plants all around us.”
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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