|
|
 |
|
Wild greens and herbs are ripe for the foraging
• by By Pat Eby
|
 |
|
|
Who knew there was more to weeds than irritation? Turns out, you can eat some of them – for example, those tiny onion bulbs and their chive-like leaves that last month began to burst through the brown zoysia like Chia Pets gone crazy. They’re wild onions, and they’re ready for harvest now.
“The flavor is intense, a combination like garlicky chives,” said Nicola Macpherson, proprietor of Ozark Forest Mushrooms. “If you mow over them, they smell like fresh garlic. Very strong.” Left to mature, the leaves grow to a height of 18 to 20 inches, one stalk develops a handsome white seed flower and, as the seed head matures, the stalk bends over (thus the nickname nodding onion). Macpherson uses wild onions, both bulbs and leaves, in salads, soups and stews.
Macpherson is an experienced forager. As a child, she tromped the hedgerows of her native England, gathering wild edibles. Her mother taught her which plants were edible and which were best left alone. She’s gathered Damson plums, blackberries and raspberries for sweet jellies and tarts; rosehips for teas; stinging nettles for pastas; and sloes for concocting sloe gin. She’s used wild leeks, purslane, lamb’s quarters and watercress for punch in salads and soups. She’s found that field mushrooms make for great eating.
Today, Macpherson uses her expertise to supply restaurants with fine wild edibles. Though she doesn’t sell wild flora to individuals (mushrooms are her main business), she does encourage people to try foraging by sharing her expertise.
Wild onions aren’t the only edible things popping up in the yard this month. Plants to forage in March in east central Missouri include clover leaves, dandelion leaves, red bud flowers and buds, watercress and violets, both leaves and flowers. Macpherson suggested using young dandelion leaves (mature leaves can become bitter) and watercress in soups and salads. She uses red bud flowers to make light, sweet fritters.
But not all plants are edible, Macpherson cautioned. “One green I leave alone is pokeweed,” she said. “The [raw] plant and berries are poisonous. Even though [properly cooked] poke is popular with some, I don’t use it.” Hyacinths and Star of Bethlehem are also poisonous. And the name of a plant similar to wild onion, death camas, speaks for itself. A good rule of thumb: If a bulb doesn’t smell like onions, don’t eat it.
Don’t let that scare you off the idea of foraging, however; just be sure to educate yourself before you grab your kitchen scissors and a foraging basket. “Find a good guide,” Macpherson suggested, “or join a group like the Missouri Mycological Society and go along on a field trip.” She recommended Jan Phillips’ book, “Wild Edibles of Missouri,” published by the Missouri Department of Conservation. She also keeps “Hedgerow Cookery” by Glennie Kindred and “Wild Foods” by Roger Phillips in her office. And, though foraging is as old as human civilization, today’s Internet is a high-tech source full of good tips.
So how do you take a trip to the wild side? Simply step out your door. Just be sure to check out the safe foraging tips listed here first.
Foraging safely
• Eat only what you can positively identify. If you aren’t sure you have correctly identified a plant, don’t eat it. Many edible finds have poisonous look-alikes. Take yourself to the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden if you have any doubt about whether what you’ve foraged is edible.
• Use a reliable field guide like those listed in the article. Better yet, join of group of experienced foragers and learn from experts, like the folks at the Missouri Mycological Society.
• Don’t forage near major roads, highways or industrialized farms – the plants are contaminated with herbicides, pesticides and auto emissions.
• Don’t pop wild edibles into your mouth right in the field.
• Clean leaves and bulbs carefully to free them of soil. Some guides suggest three rinses. For plants growing in streams, make sure the water source is uncontaminated. As a precaution, use a water-purifying tablet in the last rinse. Cooking will kill E. coli in water plants like cress.
• Get permission to forage on private land.
• Pick the young, tender leaves of dandelions, purslane and lamb’s quarters. Leaving the root intact allows for sustainable harvesting.
• Don’t over harvest any one area or plant; take only what you need and leave the rest.
• Introduce wild edibles into your diet slowly, perhaps one a month. Cooked wild edibles are easier to digest than raw, so consider starting with cooked dishes.
Seasonal Shopper Archive
View Complete Archive
|
|
 |
 |
|
Spring Soup
6 servings
2 leeks
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 medium banana shallots, diced
½ tsp. cracked black pepper
4 small baking potatoes
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 cups watercress leaves, stems removed, coarsely chopped
1 to 2 cups 2-percent milk
Salt to taste
Sour cream for garnish
6 sprigs watercress for garnish
• Slice off the root ends and green tops from the leeks.
Split the leeks lengthwise, wash them carefully and submerge them in cold water for 15 minutes, then finely chop them.
• Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the leeks, shallots and cracked black pepper.
• Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Quarter the baking potatoes lengthwise, then thinly slice them.
• Add the potatoes and chicken stock and cook, covered, over medium heat for 20 minutes.
• Add the peas, cover and cook an 5 additional minutes.
• Stir in the watercress and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the soup stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
• Working in small batches, transfer the soup to a food processor or a food mill and process until smooth.
• Return the soup to the pan. Over low heat, stir in the milk until the soup is the desired consistency. Season with salt to taste.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each with a swirl of sour cream and a sprig of watercress.
|
 |
|
|
