Camping Cleveland: Take A Bite Out Of These Edible Plants

Hot dogs and s’mores may be the staple for most culinary camping experiences, but if you look hard enough, there are plenty of healthier edible plants to snatch up along the way. Jeremy Umansky, chef and co-owner of Ohio City’s Larder Delicatessen and Bakery, provides tips on identifying three tasty treats that could be surrounding your next campsite.

Blackberries and Raspberries
If you’re looking for a snack as you hike through the wilderness, blackberries and raspberries are your ticket to some quick energy fuel. You’ll find a wide variety of these small, fuzzy berries growing on shrubs or trailing vines along well-lit paths across Ohio. To be sure they’re safe to eat, Umansky says the ripe ones always come clumped in a cluster rather than in individual round balls. “If you have kids, it’s a great way to spend a couple hours when you’re milling about the campsite or on the trail picking them,” says Umansky.

Laetiporus Sulphureus Mushrooms
When you’re ready for a main course, Umansky suggests searching for some dead wood. Often called the “chicken of the woods,” laetiporus sulphureus is a mushroom found on the side of dead trees, easily identified by its bright orange color and pancake-like shape. Umansky suggests skewering and brushing it with oil, seasoning with salt and pepper, and charring it over an open campfire until crisp. “We make a vegan pastrami with that mushroom because it’s so hearty and meaty,” says Umansky.

Pawpaw
Designated as Ohio’s official native fruit in 2009, this potato-shaped plant is about half the size of a mango and covered in a thick green skin. You’ll find a few small groves along the Chagrin River, but it grows abundantly much farther south in Athens and Hocking Hills. Although it smells like rotting meat when cut open, its sticky orange innards are subtly sweet. “It tastes like a cross between mango, custard and banana,” says Umansky.