Posted on 02/14/2009 10:03:07 AM PST by djf
I have decided to start a thread focusing on edible weeds. Many of the common plants we see everyday are edible, and while most are not hugely palatable or nutritious, a few are truly very good.
If you would like to post a recipe, please post recipes related to these plants only.
As always, an extreme amount of caution is advised. It's probably true that 90 percent or so of plants are actually edible, there is a small percentage that if you eat them, you WON'T have to worry about eating again!
Oleander comes to mind, it would take less than two leaves to kill an average person.
So be careful.
...and I probably shouldn’t use salt on any slugs I find.
Purslane:
“Purslane just happens to contain alpha-linolenic acid, one of the highly sought-after Omega-3 fatty acids. Why pay money for fish oil when you can grow your own Omega-3 fatty acids as part of your edible landscaping? Especially when it takes little effort to grow purslane, since it does grow like a weed.”
http://landscaping.about.com/cs/weedsdiseases/a/purslane.htm
Cucumber-purslane-yogurt salad
5 large Cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into quarter-round slices
1/4 pound Purslane, large stems removed, washed and drained well
2 tablespoons each, Fresh chopped mint, cilantro and chervil
4 cups Whole milk yogurt
1/4 cup Virgin olive oil
3 cloves Garlic, puréed with the blade of a knife
2 teaspoon ground Coriander
kosher Salt and ground Black Pepper
Place the cucumber, purslane and herbs into a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the yogurt, olive oil and garlic, coriander and season to taste with salt. Add the yogurt mixture to the vegetables and mix well. Add a pinch of ground black pepper. Taste the dressed cucumber-purslane salad for seasoning, adding a little more salt if needed. Serve chilled.
Leaves look like this:
I read somewhere that early settlers used cattails as candles too.
Ever smelled chittlins cooking?
I’ve actually read of an oleander soup that is to help cure cancer. Must be about as dangerous as chemotherapy.
Hey, you know those cattails fluff can be used as a pillow stuffing and it is supposed to take asthma away.
Haven’t tried it though.
pihng
Ok, I change my story, turtle is the SECOND worse thing I have ever smelled cooking.
Most of the weeds in Southern California are edible. There is an outfit there that will take you on a wild food outing, the climax of the trip is a salad made from weeds. I think this is the proper web link: http://www.christophernyerges.com/index.htm
You do have to be very careful, do not ever eat anything unless someone who knows says it is okay. Certain plants, like ones from the mustard family can be identified by the number of petals. The mushroom societies are good sources of information.
I had a dog that would eat/chew on orange mushrooms from our forest. I asked a local mushroom guide about it, and he said to keep the dog away from them. But I think the dog had his own instincts which he operated safely from. Cows are known to avoid poisonous plants as well.
Thanks! Never saw it before, probably never grows in my neck of the woods.
Burdock - cultivated as a vegetable in Japan where it is known as gobo. The stalks are scraped and cooked like celery. The roots can be eaten raw in salads or added to stir fries.
Kudzu - AKA Japanese arrowroot. It is a prolific weed in south Florida. A starch can be made from its roots. This starch can be used to thicken sauces and gravies as you would use cornstarch. The leaves can be battered and fried.
Ive had them - young shoots at the base - peeled - either raw or battered and deep fried - pretty good...Ive enjoyed puffball mushrooms as well - pretty simple identification - not that common though...havent had watercress though it is somewhat common up here...but have also had dandelions, nasturtium flowers (they are peppery and look good in salad)
"Yucca" flower, or "chocha" is delicious. The flower petals only are eaten. The stems and internal flower parts are bitter.
They are good lightly sauteed and served with scrambled eggs, or...
Costlla de puerco con chocha.
In a pot put pork ribs, garlic, and onion, with a little salt to taste, some cumin, and chili powder for the brave. Cook until the pork is tender, then add the chocha flowers.
Serve with rolls or crusty bread. Really yummy authentic Mexican food.
>As an entomologist, I can only comment on the bugs you may find on the weeds.
Do not eat anything that is yellow, red or black.
Most green bugs are ok because they are green because of just eating plant material. The white stuff inside the bugs is either fat or eggs.<
Oh, great, just great. Now I have a childhood song stuck in my head:
“Johnny ate a sponge cake with a green worm on top
A green worm, a fuzzy worm
A great big fat juicy worm!
Johnny ate a sponge cake with a green worm on top!”
watch out for cows parsnip though - youll get wicked blisters
I would never eat a wild mushroom. Not ever. Here in the Pacific Northwest, there is quite a bunch of folks who do collect them. They even sometimes end up shooting at each other over some of the more exotic kinds!
But every year you hear about somebodies liver getting turned to goo.
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