Skip to content

Posts from the ‘Dandelion’ Category

Sep 30

White Asters: Flowers have a delicious sharpness. The entire plant can also be dried and turned into a flour.
1 Comment

First Steps into Foraging Wild Edibles

This weekend I was lucky enough to have participated in a “Wild Edibles” foraging class. While the session took place on the property of an organic farm, we looked everywhere except within the neatly maintained beds of the identifiable veggies. To begin, our teacher made an incredibly simple, yet profound, point. “This row of lettuce was planted by someone who wanted it to grow here – someone who committed to care for it.” Wild vegetation chooses for itself, and it therefore must be that much more determined to support its own growth and survival. This hardiness almost always translates into a nutritional powerhouse of a plant. Our class was served a simple tea of white pine needles to begin the day. To prove our teacher’s point this gentle, simple preparation had 5x the amount of vitamin C when compared to an equal amount of orange juice. I was now paying very close attention!

The following are some of the photographs with the notes I took during our walk. I hope you will seek foraging experiences in your own communities. Here are a couple of strong, general recommendations our teacher made as well:

*Always consult at least two resource guides before you eat a plant you are unfamiliar with. Plants look different throughout the year and in various stages of development. When shopping for said guides, look for authors who speak from personal experience; “I ate this when…” “When I cook this…” These are much more trusted sources than someone just throwing together pictures and facts.

*Forage at least 50-100 feet from any roadside, railroad, etc. Toxins from exhaust, metals and other substances can fly into roadside areas and/or be carried even further with rain water.

*When trying a new food, start eating it in small quantities. It’s probably been a while since you introduced a completely new food into your body and everyone has different constitutions.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Apr 19

dand greens
3 Comments

Dandelion Greens with Warm Garlic Dressing

Just Google “dandelion greens” and you are faced with a seemingly endless list of health benefits from aiding in digestion to treating diabetes to fighting cancer. This super food has it all, although it comes with a bitter flavor profile. To enjoy dandelion greens you can certainly boil them and then saute as you would spinach, however the more you cook them down, the fewer benefits you receive. Here we’ve dressed the raw greens up with garlic and a few sweet notes which help balance the bitterness. Add some goat cheese and you’ve just made a delicious, nutrient-packed lunch right out of your back yard. Not bad for a weed.

DANDELION GREENS WITH WARM GARLIC DRESSING

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 large cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup raisins

1 tablespoon champagne or sherry vinegar

1/2 teaspoon agave or honey

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

dandelion greens, tender leaves removed from any tough stems (about 2 cups, loosely packed)

goat cheese

In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, warm the oil and cook the garlic until it just begins to take on color. Add the raisins and stir for 1 minute until the garlic is lightly golden and the raisins are plump.

Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar, agave, salt and pepper.

Distribute the dandelion greens onto serving plates, top with goat cheese and pour the warm dressing over the top.

Serves 2

Mar 29

nourishment01
2 Comments

Nourishment Soup by Simone Jowell

I hope that you have friends in your life who inspire you to cook in better ways. I am fortunate to say that I do.  Two of these friends, not only inspire me in how and what they prepare, but also in their resourcefulness and ingenuity.  My friends are Debbie and Toby.  Both recently gave birth – Debbie, 11 weeks ago and Toby, 3 days ago.  For Debbie this was kid number 4 and for Toby, number 5.

A couple of weeks before Debbie was due to give birth, Toby starting spending Tuesday mornings in Debbie’s kitchen. Whilst Debbie rested, Toby cooked up marvelous stews, soups and salads. Debbie gave birth. Toby continued to nourish her. Two weeks ago, Debbie starting spending Tuesday mornings in Toby’s kitchen.  On Sunday Toby had her baby, at home.

This morning I dropped by to find Toby and Debbie sitting across from each other in Toby’s sun-filled kitchen.  Each had a baby strapped to their chest. Toby sipped on a green smoothie and Debbie chopped up some baby beets to add to a large green salad. The kitchen was filled with the delicious aroma of a simmering soup and relaxed conversation.  I hadn’t eaten a thing in Toby’s kitchen, yet after 20 minutes I felt nourished simply sitting with my two friends.

NOURISHMENT SOUP

2 tablespoons raw sesame oil

1-inch piece ginger root, peeled and cut into small pieces

4 medium carrots, peeled and julienned

10 ounces shitake mushroom, sliced

½ medium leek sliced

4 inches of daikon radish, julienned

½ cup dandelion leaves

2 tablespoons Tamari

8 cups of vegetable broth

1 block of extra firm tofu cut into cubes

Sauté all ingredients (through dandelion leaves) in sesame oil for 2 minutes.  Add tamari. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer until vegetables are soft. Add tofu.

Serves 6

Photography by Simone Jowell

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 30 other followers