Fiddleheads are not the only wild edible found in Maine. Maine’s coastline and tidal waters are home to many edible plants. Wild edibles can be found from June through August, and like garden varieties, they will depend on the weather for ripeness. The four pictured plants are very easy to identify and all can be eaten raw in a salad or can be cooked.
Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb or Wild Plants of Maine by Tom Seymour are both good references for identifying these and other plants and their uses. Of course, with any wild plant, safety should come first. There’s just no substitute for an actual person who knows what they are looking at. When collecting the plants, they should be cut and not ripped up, to encourage continued growth.
Melissa Murphy is a resident of Machias and a participant in The Working Waterfront’s student journalism program.