~
~
Skunk Cabbage
We have a plant here that locals call “skunk cabbage.” Over a year ago on a lark I actually picked some and tasted it. Somewhat predictably it was skunky. In fact it was so bad that I could not palate it at all and I spit it out — I’ve eaten spiders, crickets, beef kidney and more so that’s saying something. An Internet group of edible foragers informed me that the plant is poisonous (!) and not even skunk cabbage (!). If you are a forager, ID the plant yourself with a good field guide from your local area. A good source ID’d the plant for us and gave us some usage history, but when it’s you actually eating a new food, do a double-check.
In the meantime, I deindexed this page and pictures from search engines and so hopefully they won’t add to the confusion.
For anyone finding this page and wondering about “skunk cabbage,” it is a common name that refers to different species in various parts of the country. Look for regional-specific information in your search.
~
~
