Months ago I was reading an ebook on my Kindle and it was in the genre of fiction-apocalyptic; the story line was going through the process of explaining how the characters were foraging and attempting to survive as the food rations dwindled.
One of the plants, well it was a tree actually, mentioned in the book was called the Linden tree. Now, I'm not sure why or how that specific tree entered my head the other day, as it has been quite some time since I read the book; but regardless, the Linden tree was in my brain swirling around. So me being me, I needed to investigate and research this tree more.
Upon first reading about the Linden tree, I discovered it's habitat is from Minnesota down to Kentucky and way over to the New England states. So my state (Michigan), will definitely have Linden trees growing somewhere; and since there is a 900-acre state game area about 20 minutes up the road, I am thinking come spring, when the ground dries out from the snow that's falling outside today, I can go in search of this tree.
What really intrigued me about this tree was the fact that every part of it is edible. From the flowers to the sap and the bark to the seed. YES! Every part of the tree can be consumed! How cool is that!
Linden Flowers
Linden tree flowers usually bloom in the early summer until mid summer; May until July, and they have a honeysuckle scent and aroma. You can eat the flowers fresh picked, use them to make tinctures (macerate in alcohol) and in herbal teas.
Uses For Linden Flowers
- As a sedative for a calming effect
- As an expectorant for colds, the flu or upper respiratory infections
- As a diuretic
- As an antiseptic
- For anxiety
Linden Seeds
Want chocolate? Well look no further than the Linden tree seeds! Seriously!
From my research, once the seed start to develop, a few weeks after the flowers develop you can pick the seeds and have a short term chocolate substitute.
You can easily crack open the seed covering and inside is a substance, that once you ground up, can be used to make Linden chocolate. I haven't researched a recipe yet; I'd rather wait until I can find some seeds and the tree first.
You can also take the mature seeds and roast them to grind up and make coffee. Roast (325-degrees) the seeds for about 20 minutes (until they are dried out completely) then once cooled, you grind them up. I'm thinking of a nice cocoa flavored coffee in the morning would be quite heavenly.
Linden Leaves
The Linden tree leaves are best consumed while still young; when the leaves are under two-inches in size. The older ones are still edible, but apparently the consistency is different. The young leaves can be added to your salad and with the sweet taste to them, they would be fabulous to add to a walnut and fruit salad. I am imagining once I can find the tree and forage some leaves I'll be adding them to my spinach and arugula (which has a peppery taste) salads for a nice way to balance the greens.
Linden Tree Bark
The bark of the Linden tree has a slightly sweet flavor that is compared to a cucumber. While the bark can be eaten fresh (like a vegetable), you can also dry it and grind it up to make a powder that can be used for for baking; but needs to be mixed with flour for best results.
The bark should be harvested in the early spring; that's when the sugar content is best. It is recommended not to take the bark from the trunk as this could possibly harm the tree. So if you're considering harvesting Linden tree bark, take it from a limb and cut it off completely. You only need to peel back the outer bark to get to the sweet cambium.
According to Dictionary's website, cambium is:
a layer of delicate meristematic tissue between the inner bark or phloem and the wood or xylem, which produces new phloem on the outside and new xylem on the inside in stems, roots, etc., originating all secondary growth in plants and forming the annual rings of wood.
I also learned the sap can be used to make honey and syrup. Just as you tap a maple tree for syrup, the same process is used on the Linden tree. This is not a skill I know, or have the tools to do, but hey, maybe someone reading this in the northern part of the US may be interested in trying it.
