Eat Maple Seeds

If you have a maple tree, you probably get an overflow of their seeds once a year. The good news is, these are edible. When cooked, they taste like a cross between peas and Make Hominy Croquettes. They can also be eaten raw or dried and thrown in a salad. Follow these steps for the best flavor.

Steps

1. Harvest the seeds. They should be gathered when they're full but still green in the spring; run your hands down the branch to gather a bunch in your hands. All maple seeds are good to eat, but some are more bitter than others (a good rule of thumb is: small and sweet, big and bitter). Later, when their shells are brown, they are a little more bitter, but still good.
2. Hull the seeds. Peel off the outer skin (the "whirlygig" part). Cut the end with your thumbnail. Squeeze out the seed; it looks like a pea or bean.
3. Rinse out the tannins. Taste a few seeds raw. If they are bitter, you'll need to boil them in water, dump out the water, and repeat until the bitterness is gone.
4. Cook the seeds. If you boiled them already, just season with butter, salt, and pepper and enjoy. If they weren't boiled, here are a few more options:
   • Roasting - Place the seeds on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 - 10 minutes.
   • Drying - Put them in a dry, sunny spot or in a food dehydrator until they are crunchy. They can then be pounded or ground into a flour, if you want.

Tips

• If you're keen to broaden your knowledge of edible wild plants, why not try bracken/fern root (roast them) or nettles (simply wilt over a fire or boil), and check your local library for books on identifying edible plants (though be very careful with wild fungi as many are poisonous and some are lethal).
• Always try to harvest fruit, seeds or any other food produce from young plants. Generally, the older the plant the more bitter the taste of any part of it.

Warnings

• Check for a food allergy. The first time you eat maple seeds, just eat a few and wait several hours. If there are no ill effects, eat some more!

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Sources and Citations

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