Meet the Wild Relatives

Every crop has wild ancestors or relatives. On one hand, knowing the families when you forage is practical; on the other hand, it's just an incredibly diverse topic to dive into the connections of the plants you consume.

Have you ever thought about the original forms of the vegetables and fruits you eat look like? Or what part of the plant is actually eaten?

We want to make some links to the plants you see in Val Müstair and the plants we bring to your table.

Fabaceae

Most legumes enter into a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia) in their root nodules. They thus make themselves independent of the nitrate content of the soil and are viable in extremely nitrogen-poor soils.

Rhizobia are common and widespread soil bacteria. The symbiosis is very close and leads to extensive morphological and physiological changes in the rhizobia and the formation of particular plant organs.

Through their rhizobia, legumes contribute to soil fertility. In agriculture, they are therefore popular as catch crops. Nitrogen fixation can reach 100 kg/ha per month.

Legumes are very nutrient-rich plants, abundant in proteins, vitamins and minerals, but also anti-nutrient substances as well... The anti-nutritive ingredients are the reason why legumes usually have to be processed by cooking and/or sprouting.

Fabaceae have a single carpel with multiple ovules. When ripe, it gives rise to a fruit that opens via two sutures: the pod.

Beans, peas, lentils or peanut are important crops all over the world.

Trifolium pratense

Lotus corniculatus

Anthyllis vulneraria

Poaceae

Poaceae are one of the most successful families in the plant world. These plants are found in almost all climates and colonize all habitats. They are among the oldest cultivated species and are still in the centre of human nutrition.

Poaceae have mostly 3, sometimes 2 fused carpels that form a single ovule. When the fruit ripens, it transforms into a grain (caryopsis).

Holcus lanatus, Oryza spec. (rice), Triticum spec. (wheat), Phragmites australis (reed), Poa alpina

Lamiaceae

This large and diverse family includes many aromatic species. What would our kitchen be without oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, etc.? The essential oils of this family are also used in medicine and cosmetics.

Mostly leaves and flowers are used for their aromatic properties.

Representatives of Lamiaceae can be recognized without great difficulty by the square stem and two-lipped flowers.

Lavandula angustifolia

Thymus vulgaris

Mentha ×piperita

The × in the species name indicates that the species has arisen by crossing.

Origanum vulgare

Orchidaceae

Orchidaceae are the most species- and form-rich family of the plant world. In Europe, they are usually a little less noticeable but nevertheless, unique.

Vanilla is a spice obtained from the fermented pods of various species of the orchid genus Vanilla.

Salep is a flour made from the tubers of the orchid genus Orchis. Salep was a popular beverage in the lands of the Ottoman Empire.

In the Middle East, salep is a hot milk-based winter beverage with a pudding-like consistency, sometimes garnished with nuts and cinnamon.

Orchis mascula

Yep, the species of Salep. However, in Europe, it is forbidden to collect orchids!

Listera ovata

Cypripedium calceolus

Asteraceae

Asteraceae are the most species-rich family in Central Europe - worldwide they are in second place after orchids. Some composite plants are used in the kitchen, such as the sunflower or lettuce, others in medicine, such as chamomile or arnica.

The sunflower seed is the seed of the sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Two carpels are fused and form a single chamber with a single ovule. The term "sunflower seed" is actually a misnomer when applied to the seed in its pericarp (hull). Botanically speaking, it is a cypsela. When dehulled, the edible remainder is called the sunflower kernel or heart.

Wild lettuce (Lactuca serriola) is the ancestor of our kitchen lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

Cichorium intybus often grows along roadsides in Central Europe. Cultivated forms are chicory, sugar loaf, radicchio, cut chicory and root chicory.

The leaves of the chicory are eaten as salad. The roasted root is made into a coffee-like beverage.

Matricaria chamomilla

The lower fleshy parts of the bracts and the receptacle are edible in artichokes (Cynara cardunculus).

Rosaceae

This family is simply indispensable in the kitchen! Raspberries, strawberries, apples, pears, quince, cherries, plums, rose hip and many more...

Do you also know the wild relatives? Many are tart and must be processed first; which makes it not as desirable as the sweeter fruits. But in older recipes, you would find how to prepare the vitamin-rich wild fruit.

Drupes are achenes in which the seed is enclosed in a woody core. The exocarp is membranous, the mesocarp fleshy, while the endocarp forms the woody stone in which the seed lies.

Eponymous to the family Rosaceae are, of course, roses. The fruits are used as well as the oil obtained from the flowers.

Prunus spinosa. The fruits are tasty only after they have been exposed to frost.

Sorbus aucuparia

Fragaria vesca

Brassicaceae

Several species of Brassicaceae are edible. Moreover, they are pretty easy to recognize by the cross-shaped flowers.

One of the oldest cultivated plants - cabbage - originated in southern Europe and today is divided into wide varieties such as cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

The leaves of Alliaria petiolata taste like garlic.

The seeds of rapeseed (Brassica napus) are an essential oil seed widely cultivated in Switzerland.

The fruit of rapeseed is a pod.

Sinapis alba or Mustard

For wasabi, the rhizome of Eutrema japonicum is processed.

Ericaceae

Heather herbs are often used as ornamental plants, but the wild representatives are also found in Swiss mountains.

Many Ericaceae appreciate acidic soils, some of them even grow on peat mosses and can form impressive colonies.

Vaccinium myrtillus

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Apiceae

Carrots, fennel, dill or caraway - many Apiaceae are popular vegetables or spices. But beware, some species are highly toxic.

The flowers are assembled in umbels. The fruits, which are used as spices, are achenes.

Daucus carota

The root of the wild carrot was enlarged and made tastier by breeding.

Aegopodium podagraria can be eaten as a salad or vegetable.

Carum carvi

caraway

and some of our other favorites...

Rubiaceae

Coffea arabica

Adoxaceae

Sambucus nigra

Appreciate

Credits:

Created with images by vladislav - "Thyme herb on the rocks with mountain background" • denio109 - "fagioli lenticchie e legumi misti" • Tomasz - "Nodules of soybean roots. Atmospheric nitrogen-fixing bacteria live inside" • Alexander Raths - "Fresh green peas isolated on white background" • Ruud Morijn - "Purple flowering clover plants from close" • tamu - "Lotus corniculatus flowers" • Tanya - "Yellow anthyllis vulneraria or wundklee flowers bloom near a rock in the mountains." • LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - "Brewery worker inspecting grains" • azure - "Oat plant isolated on white without shadow" • Michael Meijer - "Holcus lanatus, common names include Yorkshire fog, tufted grass, and meadow soft grass" • ananaline - "Close up of Yellow paddy rice plant. spike rice field" • Nitr - "Close up of wheat ears. Field of wheat in a summer day" • Maxal Tamor - "Phragmites australis leaves and flowers close to the lake in autumn" • jojoo64 - "Spike of Poa alpina, the alpine meadow-grass" • Pawel - "Woman holds a bunch of fresh herbs in herb garden" • Patrycja Zadros - "Salvia twigs with flowers isolated on white" • hardyuno - "Lavender in front of the old abbey of Senanque in Provence " • CrispyMedia - "Collecting wild thyme flowers outdoors. Blooming thymus vulgaris pink plant flowers are used for tea and as a rural medicine. Female holding wild flowers in hand" • karepa - "pfefferminztee" • pusteflower9024 - "Biene in Oregano" • Unclesam - "Gousses et fleur de vanille Bourbon " • CHZU - "Turkish traditional hot drink salep on wooden background, selective focus" • Schmutzler-Schaub - "Stattliches Knabenkraut (Orchis mascula)." • Artenex - "Common Twayblade Orchid in meadow - Listera ovata" • pixelleo - "Cypripedium calceolus - lady's-slipper orchid" • MBAYSAN - "Beautiful sunflowers field" • Yeti Studio - "Close-up of delicious sunflower black seeds, isolated on white background" • Valter - "Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola)" • Nick Taurus - "Common Chicory (Cichorium intybus) in coastal hills, Crimea" • andranik123 - "Hands holding bouquet of chamomile in field. Summer time" • Julien - "Artichoke and artichoke flower in a garden" • FrankBoston - "Natural fruits" • valery121283 - "Fresh plum on white background" • gojalia - "Wild rose blooming" • agneskantaruk - "Frosted red rose hips in the garden" • Sergey Kohl - "Fruits of Prunus spinosa covered with hoarfrost. The first frost." • rodimovpavel - "bunches of rowan berries grow on a bush among the leaves" • kristina rütten - "walderdbeeren" • exclusive-design - "Fresh Farm Vegetables on White Background" • M. Schuppich - "Knoblauchsrauke - Alliaria petiolata" • Daniel Prudek - "rapeseed canola or colza field Brassica Napus and tree" • voren1 - "Dry rapeseed and seeds." • Michael Meijer - "Brassica nigra, the black mustard, blooming in spring" • Ichiro - "本わさびのイメージ" • astrosystem - "Farmer working and picking blueberries on a organic farm - modern business concept." • Kulbabka - "Fresh blueberries in the middle of mountains. Vaccinium myrtillus. Wild blueberries growing in mountains." • vvvita - "Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) growing in a swamp. Nature background" • coco - "carotte en terre" • Dmitriy Syechin - "Angelica plan" • Ruud Morijn - "Wild Carrot plants blooming and budding" • superfood - "Wild carrots (roots and flowers)" • Michael - "A view of a white-flowered meadow of Aegopodium podagraria L. from the apiales family, commonly referred to as earthen elder, grassland, bishop, weed, cowberry and gout." • Iker - "Caraway plant (Carum carvi) in full bloom on mountain trail." • Laurenx - "caraway in the garden" • leszekglasner - "Espresso poruing from coffee machine at cafe" • Kompor - "coffee beans on white background." • Maksim Shebeko - "fresh elderberries" • Janna - "Elder flowers, water, lemon and sugar, ingredients and a woman preparing an elderberry syrup. Rustic style."