April 14, 2006
YOU CAN EVEN EAT THE LAWN:
Getting to know 'wild edibles' opens cook's eyes to weeds as friends, not foes (Doug Oster, April 13, 2006, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
He's been referred to as the King of the Dandelions and the Wizard of Weeds, but Peter Gail doesn't mind. He just wants you to stop killing those weeds and start eating them -- that's right, eating them."Ninety percent of the things we're killing in our lawns were brought here as vegetables," he said.
There is a twisted irony that we spend so much time trying to eradicate these plants when they are so good for us, according to Mr. Gail. Lamb's quarters, purslane, violets, chickweeds and dandelions are all incredibly nutritious, he said.
"The anti-oxidants in weeds are just incredible. Those that are healthiest are those that are eating weeds," said Mr. Gail, who holds a doctorate in botany from Rutgers and is director of Goosefoot Acres Center for Resourceful Living in Cleveland, specializing in wild vegetable research and education.
Mr. Gail discovered edible weeds as a necessity during childhood. [...]Chicken and Dandelion Egg Rolls
PG TESTED
My daughter had been begging for egg rolls (something we'd never made before) so when I brought the first dandelion greens of the season to the kitchen, my wife came up with this recipe.
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1 whole chicken breast, de-boned and diced
* 2 green onions
* 2 tablespoons oil
* 1 (16-ounce) package frozen stir-fry vegetables
* 3 cups chopped dandelions
* 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 2 to 3 slices pickled ginger, finely chopped
* 12 store-bought egg roll wrappers
* 5 cups vegetable oil (or enough to be to a depth of 3 inches in a frying pan)Mix soy sauce and cornstarch together in a saute pan. Saute chicken, onions, soy sauce/cornstarch mixture in 2 tablespoons oil until cooked through; remove mixture and set aside.
Add one package of frozen stir-fried vegetables to saute pan, cooking on medium until vegetables are cooked through but still crisp-tender. Adding a bit more oil if needed, add dandelions, garlic, and salt and pepper and cook until dandelions are wilted. Remove from heat.
Add ginger, mix well and assemble with about 2 tablespoons filling per roll.
The oil should be heated to about 350 to 375 degrees. Drop the egg rolls in the oil, cooking each side for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Cindy Oster
When we were kids Euell Gibbons was something of a joke for his Grape-Nuts ads, but his books on wild edibles are just marvelous. Posted by Orrin Judd at April 14, 2006 6:26 AM
Just be careful where you pick them. It is a bit jarring to an American eye when one sees dandelions in sets of English wildflower botanical engravings. Some of the prints can be quite pricey, with the dandelions sometimes relatively more expensive than the others.
Scroll down about six pictures to see an example.
Posted by: Rick T. at April 14, 2006 9:12 AM
dandelions are the enemy!
Posted by: toe at April 14, 2006 10:32 AMDandelions are delicious. Too backbreaking to pick the wild stuff tho. I buy em at the grocers.
Try them in the Italian style -- saute a couple of chopped anchovy filets in olive oil with a pinch or two of red pepper flakes and minced clove of garlic or two or three until the anchovy more or less melts, add the dandelion and cook for several minutes, serve with a squeeze of lemon.
(If you dunk them in boiling water for a minute or two and then shock them in some ice water before sauteeing it will cut the bitterness.)
There was also a good piece on gathering and cooking dandelion in New England, with bacon, in a recent issue of Simple Cooking, which is a great little cookery newsletter.
Posted by: Jim in Chicago at April 14, 2006 10:56 AMYes, Jim, I can well believe dandelions are the perfect complement to anchovies.
Steak anyone?
Posted by: Peter B at April 14, 2006 11:22 AMSpeaking of Euell Gibbons, "Ever eat a pine tree?" still gets laughs in my family.
Posted by: flanman at April 14, 2006 12:17 PMReminds me of a Michael Caine spy movie -- "Funeral in Berlin," I think. Caine goes to his boss's home and finds him gardening in his weed garden. They discuss the latest world crisis, interspersed with the boss swearing as he pulls out flowers, and complains about how hard they are to keep out of the weeds.
Has Western Civilization no defenders here? We're Americans. We don't eat grass. As for anchovies, they're covered under the Never Eat Bait Rule.
Posted by: joe shropshire at April 14, 2006 4:40 PMDidn't Euell Gibbons die of Dutch Elm disease?
Posted by: jdkelly at April 14, 2006 6:03 PMAh yes the nativists chime in to oppose the mighty anchovy.
To which I say:
Oh great and wondrous fish, hear the voices of thine enemies, and smite them down as they blaspheme against thy deliciousness.
(I'm getting ready to prepare an anchovy pizza for tonight's dinner. Went to the Italian grovery in Elmwood Park to get the whole salted variety. mmmm.)
Posted by: Jim in Chicago at April 14, 2006 6:13 PM