Mindful Plate

Posted by Sheila

There are two things that have struck me this spring as we eat and live more seasonally than we ever have.  One Lisa has already touched on–wild foraging–and in the hope of not being redundant, I must too share some of our foraged food fun.  The second thing that I have taken for granted until now is the regrowth of our perennial herbs.  These two things have brought just enough newness to our plates to see us through to those first radishes and peas and strawberries.

The truth of the matter is that most of what we can harvest from our own first season overwintered field is much more of the same, with rapinis being the only true “new” crop of this season.  Being back in chives is a real treat, and even though our thymes and rosemaries and such can be cut all winter, they can not be the stars in any dishes as we gingerly tend them through the winter waiting for their new growth to signal larger and more frequent harvest.  Taking steps to plant some perennial herbs can help round out a year long seasonal and local diet nicely.

Still,  it is the dandelion greens, the nettles, the wild violets, all perfect and good for harvests for such a short time before the dandelions get far too bitter, the wild violets shrivel up, and well, the nettles get too tough and overgrown unless you stay on top of them.  Summer has its own crop of great foraging options, wild sorrel and lamb’s quarters delicious even when summer heat makes other cultivated greens bitter. But in summer, there is so much to be had from the fields, the feeling is not quite the same.

And really, there is something to the feeling of foraging anyways.  A different kind of satisfaction (different, I say, not better) than comes from harvesting what you yourself have sown (also deeply rewarding).  I hope to always have the means to do the latter, but the former gives one the feeling of being provided for in quite a different way.  It is an activity I highly recommend, and there is no better time than in the spring to take advantage of these “weeds” while you wait for your own garden to get going or for most farmer’s to begin selling their goods.  And in case you needed another push to peruse through an edible weed book, in all cases that I have looked into, wildings far surpass all of our cultivated vegetables on a nutritional level.

Dandelion greens must be picked from fresh growth before flower stalks have sprouted to be tasty and not bitter.  These are the best for salads.  We also have enjoyed them in soups and quiches when they are slightly bigger, but if you harvest any that have that milky white substance oozing from them when you cut them, they will be bitter, bitter, bitter.  Wild violets are like candy, delightful in a salad, but equally sweet for eating out of hand; like the first fruit of the season, my kids love these!  Nettles are perfectly edible and like dandelion greens and all wildings, incredibely nutritious.  Definately use gloves to harvest these!  The sting goes away after steaming or cooking, and these can be used in any greens recipe, but here is a recipe we always use, the first thing we were shown to do with nettles years ago.  As always, we don’t use a recipe when we make it, so I am posting this recipe so you have specifics.  I almost never use pine nuts since I get large quantities of organic walnuts from an area farm and it is great with walnuts.

Nettle Pesto

2 cups stinging nettles, blanched and chopped (figure 6 cups raw)
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup pine nuts, roasted
4-5 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Don’t forget the blanching part, to get out the sting, but just for a minute or so, then dry them as best you can, throw everything in a blender or food processer and process.  We enjoy this pesto on pizzas and pastas per the usual, but also as a soup garnish and with both lamb and beef.

And if you are one of the many who suffer from seasonal allergies, then forage and eat as many nettles as you can while they are good fresh, then collect the larger, thicker leaves for tea through the rest of the season.  Besides bee pollen from where you live (and cutting dairy out of your diet during allergy season), nettles are the best way to self correct your bodies immune response to seasonal pollens.  Now, go forage!