Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

Family: Equisetaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Equisetum species - horsetail family are Creeping, perenial, Branching rootstocks, rooted at the nodes. The Arial stems may be annual or Perennial, are cylindrical, fluted, simple or with whorled branches at the jointed nodes. The internodes are usually hollow. The Surfaces of the stems are covered with Silica. The Cones are terminal. Equisetum avense is a Perennial from creeping rhizomes, often forming large colonies; to 2 1/2 ft.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Shoots, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Strobil (the fertile shoots in spring) - cooked and used as an asparagus substitute. They should be used when young but even so it is probably best to change the water, perhaps 3 - 4 times. — Strobil (the fertile shoots in spring) - cooked and used as an asparagus substitute.; They should be used when young but even so it is probably best to change the water, perhaps 3 - 4 times.; One report says that they can be eaten raw, they are peeled and the shoot tip is discarded.; It is said to be a very tedious operation and they should not be eaten raw in any quantity, see the notes above on toxicity.

Habitat & North American Range

Open fields, arable land, waste places, hedgerows and roadsides, usually on moist soils. (Zone 3)