Wild Edibles - Part 3

I hope you were encouraged to see what plants were growing in your back yard.  Looking through this new lens of foraged foods is pretty exciting.  

Pictured below, among ALL that poison ivy, are a few leaves of dandelions.  I think most people know they are edible, but in case you forgot, those pretty yellow, flowering weeds in your yard can also be food.  The leaves are best eaten before the plant flowers, but the flowers are also good battered and fried.  I've also used the petals as an addition to zucchini bread and in cookies, just because it's fun to eat flowers.

 This is called Dock.  Plants found closer to water are known to be less bitter.  Steam slightly and use like grape leaves.  It's a great green to wrap foods in for cooking.  It's rich in protein and vitamin A.

 This is a Green Brier - these grow all over our fence and I hate them.  They can be invasive.  However, the very tendril tips look like a pea plant, and guess what? They taste like peas too.  The root-stocks of many species can be used as a gelatin substitute.

 This beautiful flower is from a Black Locust tree.  Oddly, only the flowers are edible on this plant.  They taste and smell like honeysuckle.  It seemed like such a treat to eat one after tasting so many bitter or zingy plants.

 We found Wild Grape Vine.  The leaves are edible. You can boil and eat them or use them for wrapping and cooking foods.  Wild grapes are also edible.

Heading up the hill, Santiago the Turkey still touring with us.

 The last plant on our foraging expedition is Mallow.  I've seen these pretty plants before - perhaps you have to?  You can eat the tiny leaves.  Each plant bears a few pods.  When opened, they reveal the below. These can be eaten just as they are or pickled and used like capers (much safer than the marsh marigold). You can also eat the root of this plant.

We headed to the tee-pee and fire circle to eat a salad of foraged greens mixed with some spring lettuce mix.

We have owned this book for quite a while, but I just looked at it with slight interest.  Taking this class definitely gave me the push and confidence I needed to go exploring on my own.  Knowledge is soon forgotten if not practiced, so I plan on keeping up with this whole learning thing.  

Wild Edibles - Part 2

Continuing on our forage walk, with Santiago the Turkey in tow, we also learned about these plants:

 Toothwort - this plant has a whiteish root-stock that can be used in place of horseradish, just mix with vinegar and a pinch of salt.

 Jewel Weed is great for soothing poison ivy or the sting from nettles.  The stem has a liquid similar to aloe which can be directly applied to the skin.  Not surprisingly, this plant is normally found close to poison ivy - our Creator's way of giving a helping hand.  The leaves of this plant are also edible and nutritious.  Cook them up and add them to quiche for a delicious dinner.

Wild onions - this plant is getting ready to flower so the stem was a bit woody.  On younger plants, you can use the stem just like spring onions or chives.

This is another plant that grows in our yard that I just assumed was a worthless weed.  This is actually field mustard.  Who'd a thought, right?  This plant has a lot of nutritional value: vitamins A, B1, B2, and C. Mix the leaves with other greens to spice up a salad, saute like spinach, or add it when making pesto for a little zing.

This is Sassafras, which our family is very familiar with.  We make home made sarsaparilla, which is the most amazing, refreshing drink.  You can also use the root in teas as well.  The leaves are dried and used to flavor gumbo - which was new information for me.

These plants might be a little less common for your backyard, but we have mustard and sassafras growing on our property.  If you have any overgrown spaces, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

Wild Edibles - Part 1

I recently discovered the North American Bushcraft School.  This is an amazing local organization dedicated to keeping ancestral knowledge alive.  The farm is situated on 130 remote acres, it was beautiful country.  I signed us up for a class in foraging and headed over to get some hands on experience from a few experts.

 We were greeted by Santiago the Turkey - a farm pet that followed us around the entire time just like a dog would.  He was quite friendly.  It was a hoot to have him walking along with us.

 Our first foraged find was Purslane - a woodland succulent.  It can be eaten raw and is a great addition to salads.

 These heart shaped leaves (not to be mistaken with clover) - is Wood Sorrel.  It gets small, yellow flowers.  It tastes a bit sour and has a very nice lemon flavor.  This was one of my favorites.  It can be eaten raw. They are also good to steep for 10 min in hot water, add a bit of honey, then chill for a refreshing drink.  This plant is rich in vitamin C.

 These silly plants which are all over my back yard (and were always considered a weed in my book) happen to be Plantains.  The rounded leaf is a Common Plantain and the slender one is called Seaside Plantain.  When young, they can be picked to eat in salads or steamed/boiled and served with butter.  As they grow, the leaves become tough and stringy, but they are still useful.  They are used to make spit poultices (chew them up and spit them out) to be used on bug bites for instant relief.

This fuzzy leaf is called Mullein.  We discussed the benefits of having this around to use in place of toilet paper if ever stranded, but it also has other benefits as well.  These are great to dry and use in teas, specifically for chest colds as it is an expectorant.  You can also steep them in hot water to make a steam vapor for inhaling to eliminate a chest cold.

I bet if you run out to your backyard, you can find at least 1 of these plants.

*They did note the importance of teaching your kids, specifically little ones, that you should always ask an adult before picking and eating any plant - just to be sure.  Also, you should never gather plants directly beside a roadway due to weed spraying and car pollution.

This is a fun activity to do with your family.  You can literally make a salad from backyard or a quick neighborhood stroll.

How does your garden grow?

The herbs I started from seed are doing good so far.  I've never had a lot of luck with dill or cilantro, but I have high hopes this year.

 Our peas and potatoes have been growing quickly.  I really need to "hill" the potatoes - I guess that's what I will do after posting this.  If I don't do it now, it probably will never get done.

And that dark indent it the soil is a deer track, which I find in the garden beds daily.  They have yet to eat anything that I can tell.  There are so many plants around, I'm hoping that their bellies are full by the time they waltz through my yard.

I've been able to harvest some lettuce, mustard greens, and chives so far.  I could probably pull some garlic if I needed to. The melons, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, etc are growing, growing.  It's exciting, you know, to plant a seed and have it grow.

Staring Herbs from Seed

Normally we purchase potted herbs.  However, last year I purchased some seeds.  After planting them our chickens quickly scratched them up to use the soil for dusting themselves.  We have since designated our back yard for the chickens and do not let them free-range the entire property.

I decided to give them another try this year.  Herb seeds must be soaked for about 10 hrs prior to planting.

I'm really hoping they germinate and grow!

Everyday Seasoning

While cleaning out the spice cabinet, I realized that I needed to utilize our inventory better.

We have quite a large herb garden and dry the herbs for use. The only problem is

I package the herbs in large zip-lock bags where they tend to sit forever. 

I realized I needed to start breaking them down into a more manageable size, and aesthetically

speaking, they are prettier to look at.

I use a coffee grinder to chop dried herbs

Everyday Seasoning: Great for adding to sauces, soups, or just about any savory dish.

2 TBSP each of: Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, Marjoram, Minced Onion
1 TBSP each of : Sage and Garlic Salt

Makes enough to fill a standard size spice shaker.

Herbal Cordial - Circa 1596

I stumbled across this resource and it got me thinking.  I could make cordial too. I started with the Herbal Cordial, despite the disclosure stating that "it is best viewed and tasted as a medicinal tonic rather than a drink for pure enjoyment."  The taste is sweet and VERY pleasant. 

fresh rosemary, lemon balm, and sage

bruise with mortar and pestle

put in glass jar, cover with 80 proof brandy for 1 1/2 weeks, stir daily

My cordial came out very sweet. Next time I think I will add a bit more brandy. I think my sugar to brandy ratio was off.  Also, the flavors of the herbs didn't infuse as much as I had imagined it would. But, it was fun to make and I am definitely going to try a few others.