American Groundnut / Hopniss (Apios americana)

Family: Fabaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (5/5)

Vigorous native perennial vine with brown-purple chocolate-scented blossoms and underground strings of nutty starchy tubers.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Roots/Tubers, Nuts/Seeds

Harvest Seasons: Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Dense, nutty, satisfying starch with rich flavor resembling roasted chestnuts, parsnips, and waxy potatoes. — Boiled or roasted like potatoes (must be cooked to break down trypsin inhibitors); Sliced thin and fried into golden, nutty wild root chips; Cubed into autumn venison stews and bean dishes

Habitat & North American Range

Moist alluvial soils, stream banks, lake borders, and marsh margins. (Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9)