Photo: 36 of 48, Album: Foraging in Prospect Park - Dec. 2, 2023
Black birch trunk. Take a twig and chew it. It tastes like wintergreen. The twigs are good for infant teething. It makes a delicious wintergreen tea. Mix with sparkling water to make birch beer. Adjust proportions to taste. It makes a culinary seasoning, which Wildman simmers in non-dairy milk and other ingredients and makes a pudding. At the end remove the twigs with a tongs. The oil contains methyl salicylate, which contains salicylate. A low dose aspirin. In season all year.
Scientific name: Betula lenta
More plant pictures at Black birch
