Maple Keys (Samaras) – Wild Edible

If you have a Maple tree in your yard, or in your neighbor's yard, you will have a ton of Maple “Keys” or “Whirlygigs” or “Helicopters”, in your yard, sidewalk, street, garden...they are everywhere. Most people consider them a nuisance, but did you know that they are edible?

The actual name for these are Samaras, Samaras are paired with the seeds joining each other in a straight line, but the wings are separated by about 60 degrees and are considered the fruit of the maple tree. They can be eaten raw, roasted, or cooked. When cooked, they taste like a cross between hominy and peas.

The bigger the Samaras are, the more bitter they will be. It is best to harvest the them while they are still green and on the tree. However, you can still harvest them once they have fallen to the ground and are brown. Once they have turned brown, they will still be edible but they will be more bitter.

Once you have harvested the Samaras, remove the hull from the seed (tannins) and discard the the hull. Rinse off the seeds and taste a few of them to see if they are bitter.

If they are bitter, boil them in water for 15 minutes. Drain water and taste the seeds again. Repeat until the bitterness is gone. You can then season them with salt and butter and enjoy.

Another way to eat them is to roast them. Place seeds onto a cooking tray, season with salt. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. You can eat these as a snack or add them to a salad.

You can also dehydrate them and once dried, you can grind them into flour.

Enjoy! Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. :-)