Wild stuff is the best stuff on earth! Wild dancing, for example, is just as good as wild sex. Well, that is my opinion, and I guess as a dancer I am slightly prejudiced. Wild-caught fish, such as wild Alaskan salmon is preferable over farmed fish, contains higher levels of omega-3 oils, and is a healthier choice. Wild blueberries contain higher levels of antioxidants and less sugar than their farmed counterparts. Wild meats like venison, rabbit, buffalo, and elk contain more lean protein, less saturated fat, and higher levels of omega-3 oils. And wild greens that are growing in your lawn right now (like weeds because they ARE weeds) are chock-full of vitamins and minerals!
This week, I discovered a new edible wild green called chickweed! This was very exciting for me as in the past I have been quite an avid herbalist and hunter of the wild asparagus. I have taken my share of wild edible plant walks and lectures. I own several guides to wild edible plants as well as medicinal plants. And yet, right there in my own backyard, a delicious weed was growing, unnamed, unnoticed and uneaten! Until yesterday!
I watched a short series of videos which I received through my email from Fine Gardening. If you would like to see the videos, I'm sure you can visit their website and check them out. In this video, herbalist and writer Susan Belsinger goes into her garden and harvests wild greens, including stinging nettles, dandelions, and chickweed. Of the three, chickweed was the only one I had never tried. I immediately recognized the plant and knew we had it growing somewhere. I found it back by the pool, in the flowerbed containing black-eyed susans. Unfortunately, a week earlier I had been back there weeding and had pulled out great handfuls of this delicious plant, not knowing it was edible!!!
Luckily, I am a spotty weeder at best, and there was still enough chickweed for me to add to my salad. I snipped off the little bunches of leaves at the ends of the long, spindly stems. Both my daughters rejected the idea of adding chickweed to their dinners (BIG surprise!) so I ate the full bag myself, along with a handful of romaine lettuce from our garden. The flavor of the chickweed is extremely mild, not even as strong as spinach.
If you are anything like me, you get a thrill from discovering a source of something for free! In this case, you can find salad greens already growing in your yard which are healthy, nutritious, and delicious. And all you have to do is hunt around and snip! If you decide to hunt for wild plants, please consult the video as well as a guide to the edible wild plants of your region. Some wild plants are poisonous and I wouldn't want anyone getting sick. Let me know what you find out there!
This week, I discovered a new edible wild green called chickweed! This was very exciting for me as in the past I have been quite an avid herbalist and hunter of the wild asparagus. I have taken my share of wild edible plant walks and lectures. I own several guides to wild edible plants as well as medicinal plants. And yet, right there in my own backyard, a delicious weed was growing, unnamed, unnoticed and uneaten! Until yesterday!
I watched a short series of videos which I received through my email from Fine Gardening. If you would like to see the videos, I'm sure you can visit their website and check them out. In this video, herbalist and writer Susan Belsinger goes into her garden and harvests wild greens, including stinging nettles, dandelions, and chickweed. Of the three, chickweed was the only one I had never tried. I immediately recognized the plant and knew we had it growing somewhere. I found it back by the pool, in the flowerbed containing black-eyed susans. Unfortunately, a week earlier I had been back there weeding and had pulled out great handfuls of this delicious plant, not knowing it was edible!!!
Luckily, I am a spotty weeder at best, and there was still enough chickweed for me to add to my salad. I snipped off the little bunches of leaves at the ends of the long, spindly stems. Both my daughters rejected the idea of adding chickweed to their dinners (BIG surprise!) so I ate the full bag myself, along with a handful of romaine lettuce from our garden. The flavor of the chickweed is extremely mild, not even as strong as spinach.
If you are anything like me, you get a thrill from discovering a source of something for free! In this case, you can find salad greens already growing in your yard which are healthy, nutritious, and delicious. And all you have to do is hunt around and snip! If you decide to hunt for wild plants, please consult the video as well as a guide to the edible wild plants of your region. Some wild plants are poisonous and I wouldn't want anyone getting sick. Let me know what you find out there!
Hey, I just added your blog on hocoblogs, and am inviting you to join this pinterest if you'd like. http://pinterest.com/jessienewburn/howard-county-maryland-wild-edibles/ Give me a holler at newburn.jessie@ gmail.com
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