RAMPING IT UP FOR SPRING!
Got a craving for some great greens?? Instead of circling the produce aisle and paying big bucks for salad greens that appear to be on their last legs, why not get out into the forest and pluck these wild leeks, pictured above. Wild leeks have a delightful taste, like a cross between garlic and onion. While out in the forest (deciduous more so than conifer), I’ve eaten them raw with just a brush off of dirt on the side of my sleeve. My favourite way to enjoy these tender treats is with a quick sauté but you cannot beat them as a fresh addition to any salad. I am careful to take only a few in each bunch and leave the roots in the ground for future growth to flourish for my next year visit.
When I’m not out showing properties and using up all my expensive diesel fuel, lol, I’m foraging the back woods for other wild edibles to create my next great culinary extravaganza! I love greens and I love natural, whenever possible. Although convenient, store-bought leafy greens are often shipped from far away, in plastic containers and may be treated to promote longevity on the store shelves. Speaking of which, a lot of produce is sprayed while waiting for their new home. Not sure, but I’d suspect that the spray is not the same as when it was drawn from our beautiful Springwater Township water, the Alliston Aquifer (so named as it huge and spans from Alliston to the Elmvale area).
There are many other wild, edible plants in our area of Ontario, like fiddleheads, stinging nettle, dandelion, cattails, burdock, and Jerusalem artichoke. They grow in forests, wetlands, and along the sides of the road. Most you will know and recognize but some of these early spring harvests may come as a surprise. Here are just a few;
Have you ever tried maple blossoms? You can batter up the tender stems and flowers from the big leaf maple species and fry them up! Or try pickling them. They’re sweet, crunchy, delicate, and uniquely Canadian. Now that’s true patriot love!
How about doing your part in thinning out the bastions of Japanese Knotweed. This highly invasive species is best eaten young, as soon as it’s burst from the forest floor. The shoots are sour, like rhubarb and you can use them the same way – or slice them into thing rings and eat them raw. I have not personally tried these yet, but this is the year to do a stewed Knotweed jam. You won’t have to look for them, they’ll find you!
I’m sure everyone has fiddled around with this curled up fancy green. Fiddleheads produce only about six to ten fronds so pick only a couple and leave the rest for the plant to use. A quick wash and removal of the brown casing, and they are ready to boil, steam or sauté. I throw them in soups near the end of the simmering process for the best flavour and texture. I wouldn’t recommend eating them raw unless you like a natural floss? The flavour is a cross between asparagus and spinach. You will love them in a delicious pasta or stir-fry.
This one, well, may sting a bit! Nettle leaves are very similar to spinach and can be boiled as a side dish, sautéed with other vegetables or (like carrot or zucchini) chopped and added to muffins and breads. Use gloves and pick all the smaller leafed nettles you can handle. They’re resilient and pop back up lickety-split. They do pack a little sting with the small hairs but the tender shoots have less and a quick blanche with solve that issue. Simmer for a lovely, healing tea. Where to find? Everywhere!!
I’m wild about wild mint and there are many varieties such as American Wild Mint, Spearmint, Peppermint and Water Mint. All generally grow in moist areas, riverbanks and in the garden where you may not want them! I’ve introduced not-so-wild varieties into my garden and now every time I mow the lawn, the sweet smell of Chocolate Mint filters the air around me! Heaven! Dried, ground mint can be added to a variety of sweet and savoury dished such as cakes, scones, pastas, pesto, etc. Use the fresh herb to make a tasty Canadian mojito which reminds me to take breaks, quite often… 😊
I really want to emphasize the common dandelion here. Pick the young tender leaves as they peak out in spring and collect the yellow flowers too. Leaves can be eaten fresh in salads, cooked in soups and stews. They are a bitter green, a lot like arugula, endive or radicchio but that is extremely good for the liver and kidneys! Even the root is a gem. When roasted in the oven, the roots develop a coffee/cocoa like flavour and can be ground for coffee/tea. Flowers can be added to salads or fried as fritters but remove the bracts (green area under the petals). If you are one of the lucky ones, you’ll find this plant right in your back yard, heh, heh!
The Cattail grows everywhere, along roadsides, meadows and forest edges so if tough times come, you will never starve! Almost every part of a cattail can be eaten. Burning away the fluff will leave the seeds. These can be eaten raw, boiled or ground into meal After peeling away the green rushes, the core of the stem tastes similar to cucumber and can be eaten raw, boiled, sautéed or fried. The lowest 5 or 6 inches are the best. When green, flower heads can be steamed or roasted once the stalk and papery outer layer are removed.
Lambsquarters and Mustard greens are my favourite go-to in spring. They are leafy green vegetables in the Amaranth family and I wouldn’t have a salad without them. Lambsquarters, known as wild spinach, goosefoot or pigweed, is a fast growing (especially where you do not want it…), upright summer annual and can grow up to six feet if I let it. They are best picked young and tender and make a great addition to soups and stews. Even the roots can be harvested for teas, tinctures or healing salves. Mustard greens have a peppery, sharp flavor, and though I love them fresh, in salads, they also delight the tastebuds when by sautéed with garlic, and a little bacon or ham for a quick stir-fry. They are highly nutritious, packed with vitamins K, A, and C.
There are so many other greens I could mention like Good King Henry and Wild Ginger but until I locate them myself and can personally attest to their superbness, I’ll leave them for another day in my diary of self-taught wanderings in the forest. Hope to bump into you in Simcoe Forest or other such venues of bounty this spring! Bon appetite!