I have a true talent for growing herbs and all variety of weeds - vegetables I am still trying to learn how to coerce from seed :) This spring we got the garden out late, had to wait on my bonus check before we could move forward with dirt and the like, and unlike last year I had not started seeds inside. So our vegetables are in baby form, when the inspiration hits to pull food out of the yard I frequent the herb garden and my "weed" patches. Foraging is easy and the taste of many of the wild plants are similar to expensive versions of specialty greens. In fact, in some urban markets "foraged" greens are sold at delicacy food prices.
If you want to forage in your yard start with easy to identify "weeds" like dandelion, chickweed, and plantain. Dandelion has a spicy, bitter flavor. The plantain is also strong and I highly recommend the freshest, newest leaves as I find the older leaves unpalatable (ditto on the dandelion). Chickweed is perfect and even the kids will eat it with no wrinkled noses in sight. It is very light and juicy with a slight crunch ~ mild and delicious, it also makes a fabulous, fresh tea. I add these foraged greens to spinach or other lettuce leaves and they make a nutritious addition to the traditional salad.
I also like to snip some chives and oregano out of the herb garden for a kick of flavor. The chive flowers are edible and really pretty sprinkled into a spring salad. The wild strawberries in the picture above look so pretty in the yard. They form dark green mats of leaves sparkling with delicate yellow flowers and pretty red berries. They however are best left to the birds ~ the taste is hard to explain, but pretty much "blucky" sums it up.
I am still learning about foraging and appropriate plants to eat in my area. It seems pretty cool to swoop into the yard and fill a basket with non-cultivated food. Earth is a cool, bountiful place and I am thankful for all her gifts, great and small.
Wanna forage for yourself? Helpful links:
Wild Greens: How to forage in your own backyard
Free Food in Your Yard
Healthy Vegetarian Additions from the Front Yard
If you want to forage in your yard start with easy to identify "weeds" like dandelion, chickweed, and plantain. Dandelion has a spicy, bitter flavor. The plantain is also strong and I highly recommend the freshest, newest leaves as I find the older leaves unpalatable (ditto on the dandelion). Chickweed is perfect and even the kids will eat it with no wrinkled noses in sight. It is very light and juicy with a slight crunch ~ mild and delicious, it also makes a fabulous, fresh tea. I add these foraged greens to spinach or other lettuce leaves and they make a nutritious addition to the traditional salad.
I also like to snip some chives and oregano out of the herb garden for a kick of flavor. The chive flowers are edible and really pretty sprinkled into a spring salad. The wild strawberries in the picture above look so pretty in the yard. They form dark green mats of leaves sparkling with delicate yellow flowers and pretty red berries. They however are best left to the birds ~ the taste is hard to explain, but pretty much "blucky" sums it up.
I am still learning about foraging and appropriate plants to eat in my area. It seems pretty cool to swoop into the yard and fill a basket with non-cultivated food. Earth is a cool, bountiful place and I am thankful for all her gifts, great and small.
Wanna forage for yourself? Helpful links:
Wild Greens: How to forage in your own backyard
Free Food in Your Yard
Healthy Vegetarian Additions from the Front Yard
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