“Yesterday, my grandson tasted larch needles for the first time — and it took me straight back to my childhood…” 🌿 We used to nibble on everything nature offered — flowers, roots, berries, even wild onions by the river. It wasn’t about hunger. It was about curiosity, freedom, and joy. 🌱 Ever tasted something just to see what it’s like? Check the article for the full story — it’s a nostalgic trip worth taking.👇
Yesterday, my grandson tasted larch needles for the first time — and he loved them. It brought back a flood of memories from my childhood, when we would explore and eat all kinds of wild plants and herbs just for fun.
There are so many stories I could tell about that time. The first one that comes to mind is about a plant we used to call “watermelons,” though it was really just a kind of wort grass.
It grew by the roadside, and we didn’t care how dusty or dirty it was. We’d grab it with our bare hands, maybe blow off the dirt, and eat it without a second thought.
We weren’t hungry — it wasn’t about needing food. It was just our way of getting to know the world around us. Have you ever tried tasting an icicle or licking a cold metal sled just to see what it’s like? We wanted to try everything.
When lilacs and acacias bloomed, we’d eat their flowers. We especially searched for lilac blossoms with five petals — they were considered lucky and special.
We also nibbled on young maple shoots and sweet clover flowers.
Down by the river, wild onions grew in the floodplains. They were tastier and sweeter than the ones at the market. If we found them, we’d eat our fill and bring some home for our mom to use in pies.
Another favorite was horse sorrel — sour and refreshing, we ate it often.
One thing I really loved was nightshade berries. We only ate the fully ripe black ones. They had a strange but memorable taste.
I also remember wild cherries from the pioneer camp I used to attend every summer. They were much sweeter than store-bought cherries, and we’d always sneak a handful when no one was looking.
Corn was another fun treat — we’d eat it raw and use the husks to make little dolls.
Rowanberries were part of both our snacks and our crafts. We’d eat them and also thread them into necklaces and bracelets. I’m sure if we had kept them all, they would stretch for over a kilometer.
Once, I even tried the root of a reed. I still remember that taste. To get it, we’d paddle our boat into the reeds and carefully pull one out by the root.
Reeds grow in muddy water, so we had to clean the root well before cutting it open. Inside, there were white strands that tasted a bit like semolina — soft and delicate.
Have you ever tried reed root?
Of course, we also loved wild strawberries and bird cherries. Our mouths would turn dark from the juices, but we didn’t mind. It made us laugh and smile.
These are just a few of the many things we used to find and taste while playing outside. Nature was our playground — and our pantry.
