Foraging Friday

Lately I've been looking into the foraging scene and blogs like Eat The Weeds, learning how to live off the land.  It might sound weird or gross at first, but talk about the ultimate freebies.  Wild edible plants in your own backyard... Sounds good to me!  Organic and healthy is even better, right?

Plant identification can be tricky and it is important to pay very close attention to what you eat.  Some plants are poisonous, obviously, and can also look similar to edible plants.  BEFORE YOU EAT ANYTHING WILD, BE 200% SURE YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS!!!  Err on the side of caution.

I'm not here to teach anyone about foraging, just sharing my experience. Go to a professional to learn, please.

Dandelions are one of these edible plants. Every part is edible -- leaves, flower, stem, and roots -- all used for different things. Today I decided to cook some dandelion leaves.

Lily is my foraging partner.  She likes to pick up whatever we're around. 

These are the parts of the dandelion, minus the roots I did not get.

Lily decided she wanted to help.

And wanted to try them raw.

"Oooooh, Dandelions!"

This is the broken stem of another dandelion plant.  Notice the white sap?  Most plants with white sap are lethal, so make sure you know which ones are not before munching down!  Dandelions are an exception :)  The white sap makes them bitter though.

This is why we boil our dandelion greens!!  I boiled mine for about 5 minutes, changed the water, and boiled them again for another 5ish.  They could have used a bit more in my opinion, but the boiling helps get rid of the bitterness.

Sideways picture... my bad.

And the finished product!! 

How did it taste?  Well, it actually tasted pretty good.  It could have used some seasonings, but because it was my first try I wanted the full natural-taste experience.  

Dandelions have long been used for medicinal purposes, and the roots for magical purposes.  If I am not mistaken, a dandelion root can make a nice tea :)

I can't wait to try some more!