Recently, I woke up craving greens. I was out at my boyfriend Nathan's house on the Klamath river- far away from any grocery store, and we didn't have a vegetable in the house. Fortunately, he lives next door to the Pierce Family Farm- a farm that grows, among other things, the worlds BEST carrots.
To satisfy my craving, Nathan and I decided to
walk over to the Pierce's in search of vegetables. However, we didn't make it past the front yard before I had more than a salad's worth of greens for a salad. Inspired by the herbalism class I am taking, I had picked a huge handful of edible greens. His yard was filled with dandelions, chickweed, and yellow dock. Under his big chestnut I found the ground absolutely blanketed in violets! Their adorable little faces looked up at me imploringly and I set about picking the leaves and flowers.
We continued on to the Pierce's and found Pat- the farmer, outside bagging carrots-and cleaning up after returning from the farmer's market in Arcata. He sent us out to pick whatever we wanted. We wandered among rows of vegetables growing in the rich soil just above the river. We returned with a basket full of kale, parsnips, carrots, parsley, beets. Pat threw some kiwis from last fall in our basket before we left. We got back to the house laden with our bounty, but what I was most excited about were the wild greens I had gathered in Nathan's yard!
You can easily gather wild greens at this time of year. Wild greens are generally higher in minerals and vitamins than cultivated greens and they are tastier- probably largely because gathering them is so satisfying!
Here are a few of the common ones that you can eat in salads. Be sure that you have identified the correct plant before gathering and make sure you are gathering from a place that has clean soil and isn't near roads or other possible pollutants.
CHICKWEED:
Chickweed grows all over- even in unsuspected places. It is a true weed, but it is very nutritious and
delicious. It has a very mild, sweet flavor and can be cooked, although I prefer it raw. It is very high in copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon and zinc. It is high in calcium, chlorophyll, phosphorus, potassium, Vitamin A and C.
Identifying chickweed:
It grows in thick clumps- at this time of year it probably won't be flowering- but when it does it has small white flowers. The entire plant can be eaten. Once you learn to identify it, you will see it everywhere.
The best way to identify it is by the small, oval leaves and white flowers. The plant has a distinguishing small line of hairs on one side of the stalk. For more details check out this video I found online -http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Identify-a-Chickweed-172493628
DANDELION:
I discovered yesterday at my herbalism class when we harvested dandelion to make tinctures, that what I have been eating several plants throughout the years that I thought were all dandelion, but aren't- Fortunately, they are all edible, although don't all contain the same nutritious properties that dandelion does.
Because of its bitter nature dandelion is very good for digestion and liver function.
Dandelion greens are high in vitamin A in the form of antioxidant carotenoid and vitamin C.
They also contain calcium and potassium. The root can also be dug and eaten raw or cooked into a tea- the root is very good for the skin, for the liver and for digestion as well.
Identifying dandelion: Dandelion grows profusely in yards and can be identified by a few, key features. It grows from the base- all of the leaves come out from the base. It is a rosette of green, toothed leaves that point back towards the center
.
Dandelions also only have one flowering stalk at a time. The leaves and the root can be eaten.
MINER'S LETTUCE:
Miner's lettuce is also known as winter purslane, spring beauty or Indian lettuce but is most commonly called miner's lettuce after the California gold rush miners who ate it to prevent scurvy. It tastes mildly salty and has a nice thick crunch. It usually grows in shaded areas and is only around in the spring time or early summer.
Identifying miner's
lettuce: Miner's lettuce is one of the easiest wild greens to identify. At the top of its slender stalks are round saucer-shaped leaves that completely encircle the stems, appearing to be one circular leaf. Small white flowers grow above the leaves. Oblong-shaped leaves grow near the base of the plant.
Wild greens are best in the spring. They are cleansing and refreshing to the system- are great for the skin, the liver and digestion. Enjoy!
