Wild Edibles: Maple Seeds

<div class="pull-left" sat at my desk and processed these while watching a movie on my computer </div Maple seeds are easy to gather, nutritious survival food and a free snack. Sick of eating junk snacks? This post might be for you. I decided to collect some and cook them 3 different ways and see what I think. I used to eat them raw while on outings so this was a fun experiment. I used young seeds for this so the "helicopter" part was still green. They have a bit of a bitter taste raw even young so you really want them young if you can. <br <br <br <br <br <br <br <br <br <br <div class="pull-right" </div <h3 1. Sautéed In Butter</h3

Pretty straight forward. I just kind of a did a mini stir fry in butter with salt and pepper until they were hot and smelled good. I really enjoyed this. They were sweeter than I expected. Kind of reminded me of peas. I could eat this as a side dish. Easily. <br <br <br <div class="pull-left" </div <br <h3 2. Pan Roasted Toasted </h3

This time I did not use any butter nor any oil. Just salt and pepper. I used medium-low heat and lifted the pan now and then giving it a shake. Once they smelled yummy and the small ones were looking crispy, I turned off the heat and kept up the lift and shake as the pan cooled. This is to let them dry out some more as they cool. Definitely not as sweet as sauteed. I wouldn't call them bitter but describe it as a wild taste. Not bad. I would toast them on a rock over a fire for food. Sure. <br

</div <div class="pull-right" </div <h3 3. Oven Roasted </h3

This one I had high hopes for. I spread them out on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for about 8-12 minutes. Set the timer for 8 minutes and kept a close eye on them from there. It about 12 minutes, they smelled like pumpkin seeds. Crispy. I let them cool and added salt and pepper. They still have that wild taste but are tasty treats. A step up, in my opinion, from the pan roasted ones. <br <div class="pull-left" </div <h3 Conclusion:</h3

The best way to eat these seeds is sauteed in butter. They do make a nice and crispy free snack. Healthier than crackers or chips for sure. I would definitely turn to them in a survival situation and continue to take advantage of the abundance of maple trees in my area. <br <br