How to Test New Wild Edibles and Not get Sick

Testing new wild edibles is always a tricky business. Even if a wild edible is "safe", there is no telling what you might be allergic to. Additionally, unlike domesticated crops which have had aggravating properties bred out of them over generations, wild edibles still have a number of compounds in them that can be upsetting to some stomachs and not others.

A personal example is Crown Tipped Coral: A beautiful mushroom that is safe and enjoyed by many, but when put me on the toilet for hours after the first time I ate a large serving of it.

There is a tried and true test, and age old process to follow, to give any new wild edible a trial run. It's as simple as can be. Touch the plant, as you typically will while harvesting it, and give it a few hours to see if a rash develops. If not, then cook and eat a small serving of it, no more than one good sized bite, then wait. Give it overnight. If you make it to the next morning with no gastric distress, then you have a reasonable assurance that the new edible agrees with you, and you may feast with abandon.

I know it can be hard to force yourself to try only a bite and wait a whole day to eat more when you are excited about a new wild edible, but if it saves you hours of cramping and being stuck on a toilet, it will be worth it. Trust me.