nature's harvest

This time of year, before the garden is really rocking, we try to eat wild foods at least a couple times a week. These early spring greens, found easily in forest and field, are packed solid with flavor and nutrients. Every year we enjoy leeks and morels-some of the more common wild edibles. This year we've been loving nettles and burdock. There are two kinds of nettles found around here, stinging nettle and wood nettle (both pack a punch). We've been preferring the wood nettle this year for its "greener" flavor similar to asparagus (but both nettles are flavorful and equal in excellent nutrient value). We harvest the tender top leaves and stalks (usually with gloves if we are savvy enough to remember then) and prepare them much like spinach. Andy loves them just steamed on the side. I think they are a bit more textured than spinach and I prefer them in things such as omelets and stir-frys. My very favorite way to use nettle is in tea and we dry large quantities each year for that purpose. I always mean to use it dried in soups too (nettle is exceptionally nutritious...very high in vitamin C, and A, high in calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron and some sources say higher in protein than any other green veggie!) They can be easily dried just hung by strings in a warm dry place, laid on window screens (make sure they are stainless steel screen) or dried in the dehydrator.



As for burdock, we enjoy it several ways (just not stuck to our socks, tails and wooly coats!) In recent years we've been buying (!) the root at our local co-op and using it like a winter root vegetable in stir-frys, casseroles and roasted root vegetable bakes. I love the root, it has a mild nutty flavor that compliments many other winter veggies. Last winter I tried pickled burdock root and fell in love-yummy! So this spring we actually got out there with a shovel and dug some of our own root and then I pickled it with garlic and ginger in a vinegar/tamari brine. Yum! (If you are interested in harvesting your own, read up a bit- we love Sam Thayer's books).

I have also have been eating burdock since childhood in another form. My mom (and now I) parboil the tender leaf stalks (only tasty in early spring), roll them in egg and bread crumbs and fry them- a true treat (but than what isn't a treat when it's covered in bread crumbs and fried?). For the real run down you can check out mom's recipe here.

Burdock, another nutritional gem, high in many minerals including iron, chromium, magnesium, silicon, calcium and potassium. Aside from those pesky seed heads, what's not to like?